Ecology Chapters 2, 3, 4 & 5. Ecology…. is the study of the interactions of living things with each other and with their environment BIOTIC FACTORS/COMPONENTS.

Ecology

Chapters 2, 3, 4 & 5

Ecology….is the study of the interactions of

living things with each other and with their environment

BIOTIC FACTORS/COMPONENTS – living or once living things

ABIOTIC FACTORS/COMPONENETS – the physical, nonliving environment

In this scene,… What is biotic? What is abiotic?

Biotic or Abiotic?

• Feathers• Rocks• Soil• Water • Grasses• Fungi• Bones• Temperature

Habitat and Niche

habitat – address of organism; where an organism lives

niche – job of an organism; role(s) it plays in its environment

Indigo Bunting

Scarlet Tanager

Eastern Bluebird

What is the niche and habitat

of each bird?

Is it the same for each?

In a field ecosystem what are some….

biotic factors? abiotic factors?

niches? habitats?

Levels of Organization - Hierarchy of Life

• Organism: (simplest level): a single living things SPECIES - structurally similar organisms that naturally

interbreed and produce fertile offspring• Population: all the members of a single species in a given area• Community: all the different living things in a given area• Ecosystem: composed of all the biotic and abiotic factors

in an area• Biome: ecosystems having a characteristic climate and

characteristic organisms• Biosphere (broadest/largest level): includes all areas of the Earth

where life exists

BIOSPHERE

All areas of the Earth

where life exists

Community Interactions(interactions between the species living in an area)

• Competition• Predation• Symbiotic Relationships (symbioses)

– Mutualism– Commensalism– Parasitism

COMPETITION• Results from niche overlap

• Organisms compete for food, water, mates and habitat

• Competitive Exclusion may occur: where one species is eliminated

What would these zebra compete for?

PREDATIONResults when…..• 1 individual kills another (predator)• 1 individual is killed (prey)• One way that natural selection occurs

Examples… hawk snake

lion gazelle fox rabbit

Anti-Predator AdaptationsAlmost all organisms are vulnerable to predation , therefore,

developing adaptations that serve as defenses are an advantage…

Defenses against predators include…– Camouflage– Mimicry– Warning Coloration– Protective Coverings – Secondary Compounds

CAMOUFLAGE coloration or patterns that help an animal to appear to blend in

with its surroundings

MIMICRYa defense in which a harmless species resembles a

venomous or distasteful species

Warning Coloration a bold, distinctive pattern of color characteristic of a poisonous or unpalatable organism – it

serves to warn off potential predators

Protective Coverings a covering that is intended to protect from damage or injury

Secondary Compounds

substances (chemicals) produced by plants as a byproduct of metabolism; usually poisonous, irritating, or distasteful

Example: poison ivy

Types of Symbioses…Mutualism….symbiotic relationship where both

organisms benefit

Commensalism….symbiotic relationship where one individual benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism….symbiotic relationship where one individual is harmed (HOST) and the other individual benefits (PARASITE)

PARASITISM

ECTOPARASITES - live outside the host – ticks, fleas, lice

ENDOPARASITES – live inside the host – bacteria, protists, worms

• Hosts have evolved defenses against parasites: skin, tears, saliva, mucus, ….

• Parasites have evolved ways to compensate: tegument, anticoagulants, anesthetics, ….

What type of symbiosis?

Examine the following slides….is it?

Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism

Acacia Plant and Ants

• Ants protect acacia from grazing herbivores

• Acacia provides ants with a place to live and nectar at the base of leaf stalks

Moray Eel with Cleaner Shrimp

• Moray Eel gets…. a clean mouth

• Cleaner Fish gets…. a meal

Flower and Bumble Bee

• Flower gets pollinated by the bee

• Bee gets nectar and pollen from the flower

Silverfish and Army Ants

some species of silverfish inhabit the nests of army ants and live by scavenging on the refuse of their hosts, but without affecting the ants

Cape Buffalo with Egrets

• Cattle stir up insects as they eat grass and move around

• Egrets hang around and eat insects from cattle and surroundings

Tapeworm and Human• Worm infects the human body…..

Lichen : Fungus and Alga• Fungi support and

protect the algae, allowing it to live in areas usually unsuitable to the algae

• Algae provide food through the process of photosynthesis

Birds Nesting in a Tree

Vampire Finch and Other BirdsThe vampire finch supplements it s diet by feeding on the blood of other birds by pecking at the skin until they draw blood

Clown Fish with Anemone

Clown fish gets protection from it predators

Sea Anemone gets ?

What symbioses is this?

Heart Worms

What symbioses is this?

Embedded Tunga fleas

What symbioses is this?

What symbioses is this?

What symbioses is this?

How Living Things Meet Their Energy Needs

The energy source for most living things is….

AUTOTROPHS (producers) – can

produce their own food and meet their own energy needs auto = “self” troph = “feeder”

Autotrophs can be …. photoautotrophs or chemoautotrophs

Photoautotrophs (plants, algae, some bacteria) perform….Photosynthesis – which uses light energy to produce carbohydrates /food/fuel

Chemoautotrophs (some bacteria) perform….Chemosynthesis – uses chemical energy to

produce carbohydrates/food/fuel

Plant Responses (Tropisms)• Phototropism =

response toward light

• Geo/Gravitropism = response toward gravity

• Thigmotropism = response to pressure or touch

HETEROTROPHS (consumers) – cannot produce their food and must consume other living things hetero = “other” troph = “feeder”

There are many different kinds of heterotrophs including….

Herbivores – feed on plants Carnivores – feed on animals Omnivores – feed on plants and animals Detritivores – feed on detritus (dead organic matter)

includes…worms, beetles Decomposers – break down organic matter and

recycle nutrients - includes…bacteria and fungi

Energy Flow through an Ecosystem

THE SUN producers consumers

energy flows in ONE DIRECTION in an ecosystem – from producers to consumers

Food Chain

a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Food Web

the interrelated food chains within an ecosystem

TROPHIC LEVEL(“feeding” level)

each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level

a trophic level indicates an organism’s position in the sequence of energy transfers

most ecosystems have only 3 or 4 trophic levels

Is this a food chain or a food web?

How many trophic levels

are in the diagram?

• producers – • primary (1st order) consumers – • secondary (2nd order) consumers – • tertiary (3rd order) consumers – • quaternary (4th order) consumers –

Trophic levels can be represented with an ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID which shows the relative amounts of MATTER AND ENERGY contained within each level

Ecological Pyramids

used to represent the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level

ENERGY PYRAMID BIOMASS PYRAMID PYRAMID OF NUMBERS

Energy Pyramid

• shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level

• only about 10 % of the energy available at each level is transferred to the next

• about 90% of the energy at each level is lost as heat or is used in life processes ….

–such as digestion, running, eating, respiration, maintaining temperature, sleeping,….

Biomass Pyramid

represents the amount of biomass (living organic matter) at each trophic level

represents the amount of potential food available for each trophic level

typically, the greatest biomass is at the bottom of the pyramid

Pyramid of Numbers

represents the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level

Biogeochemical Cycle(bio=life, geo=earth, chemical cycle)

elements, chemical compounds and other forms of matter MUST BE RECYCLED and are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another through a biogeochemical cycles

The Water Cycle(also called the hydrologic cycle)

Is the movement of water between the ocean, the atmosphere and the land

Evaporation – water changes from liquid to gasTranspiration – water loss (evaporation) from plants Perspiration – water loss (evaporation) from animals

Condensation – formation of liquid water from water vapor Precipitation – water returns to Earth’s surface as

rain, snow, sleet or hail

IMPORTANCE OF WATER…

Carbon(& Oxygen) Cyclethe cycling of carbon and oxygen between the various

components of the biosphere – organisms, air, water, land,…

Important processes in this cycle….• Decomposition - • Combustion - • Respiration -

Importance of carbon and oxygen - key ingredient in all living things C, H, O, N

Nitrogen Cycle

the cycling of nitrogen between the atmosphere, living things and large bodies of water

Nitrogen Fixation – conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia – performed by some bacteria

Denitrification – conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas – performed by some bacteria

all organisms require N to make amino acids which in turn are used to make proteins (in protein synthesis)

Phosphorus Cycle

the cycling of phosphorus between living organisms, rocks, soil and ocean sediments

unlike water, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen - phosphorus does not usually enter the atmosphere

phosphorus is essential to living things because it is an important component of DNA and RNA

Communities

Limiting Factor - biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the numbers, reproduction, or distribution of an organism

Examples of limiting factors…food, water, habitat, disease, fire and other natural disasters,….

Ecological Successionthe changes in a community that occur over time

• occurs when a new land area is exposed or when an existing land area is disturbed

Succession usually culminates in a climax community.

Climax Community….• the end result of succession• the final (stable) community to inhabit an area

The climax community of Baja, California

is a desert.

Primary Successionoccurs on new land areas or where no soil exists –

EXAMPLES - volcanic islands, bare rock, glacier melting,…

Pioneer Species – the first species to inhabit an area – usually mosses and lichens What is a lichen?

Secondary Succession occurs when an existing community had been disturbed and

regrowth occurs

Latitude effects climate• Latitude = the distance of any point on Earth

from the equator.• Climate is directly affected by receiving

unequal solar radiation

CLIMATEthe average year to yearconditions of temperature

and precipitation in a particular region

What is our climate?

What is Alaska’s climate?

WEATHER

the day to day conditions of the Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place

What was the weather on Thanksgiving Day?

Greenhouse EffectA natural phenomenon that occurs when heat is

retained (TRAPPED) by the atmosphere

Helps to keep the planet warm and life on Earth possible

Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and other gases in the atmosphere trap heat

The atmosphere acts like an insulating blanket around the planet

Some scientists believe that an …..

ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT = GLOBAL WARMING

In summary…

Latitude determines climateClimate determines weather Weather determines precipitation

Precipitation determines flora (plant life)

Flora determines fauna (animal life)

Do you see the relationship?

BIOMElarge geographical area having…

characteristic temperature range and precipitationcharacteristic plants and animals

TERRESTRIAL (land) BIOMES TUNDRA TAIGA or BOREAL FOREST or CONIFEROUS FOREST TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST TEMPERATE RAIN FOREST TEMPERATE GRASSLAND TROPICAL GRASSLAND OR TROPICAL SAVANNA DESERT – hot or cold TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

Tundra

• Cold & treeless• Covers 1/5 of world’s land• Little precipitation (mostly frozen)• Flora: Small, slow growing plants (grass, moss, sedge)• Fauna: caribou, arctic fox, snowy owl, musk oxen• Permafrost: permanently frozen layer of soil under

surface• Summer can cause boggy ponds & different fauna

Tundra

Taiga (or Boreal Forest or Coniferous Forest)• south of the tundra; in the N hemisphere• Flora: cone-bearing, evergreen trees - CONIFERS

(pines, hemlocks, spruces, junipers, firs)• Fauna: moose, grizzly bear, wolf

Taiga (or Boreal Forest or Coniferous Forest)

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Trees that lose their leaves are found here = deciduous trees

• Warmer winter, longer summers = temperate• Flora: birch, oak, maple, beech, dogwood, &

some evergreens• Fauna: fox, squirrel, WT deer, raccoon, black

bear, coyote

*you live in this biome

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate Grassland

• Also known as prairies (“the bread basket”)• Dominated by grasses• Less rainfall, so not too many tall trees• Rich, fertile soil• Flora: corn, wheat, potatoes, many other cereal grains• Fauna: coyote, gopher, grazing animals (bison, antelope,…)

Tropical Grassland

or Tropical Savanna

Tropical Grassland or Tropical Savanna• can be in tropical or subtropical regions• Flora: Mainly grasslands with scattered trees & shrubs• Fauna: lots of herbivores (zebra, giraffe, gazelle) as well

as carnivores (lions, leopards, cheetahs)

Desert HOT AND COLD

• Less than 10 inches (25 cm) rainfall per year• Can be cold because of the low humidity (moisture)• Sparse vegetation that have adaptations for the dry

conditions– waxy coating, water storage, transpire @ night, thorns on

exterior for protection• Flora: cacti, Joshua trees, creosote,…• Fauna: kit foxes, snakes, lizards, road runners,…

Animals

Tropical Rainforestmost productive biome –

GREATEST BIODIVERSITY

BIODIVERSITY = the variety of living things in an area

3 kinds of biodiversity species, ecosystem, genetic

• most of world’s species live here • warm year round• little variation in temperature

Tropical Rainforest• Canopy - formed from a

continuous layer of treetops that shades the forest floor

• Precipitation: 100 + inches per year; rains almost daily

• Flora: lilies, orchids, vines, broad-leaved trees, ferns,…

• Fauna: sloth, birds, monkeys, beetles, butterflies…

scarlet macaw marmoset

Aquatic/Water Ecosystems are determined by water chemistry (pH, salinity, dissolved

oxygen,…) depth, flow and temperature

Aquatic EcosystemsSALTWATER - includes marine areas and salt lakes - these areas contain a higher percentage of dissolved salt

Marine areas include…oceans, coral reefs, bays, gulfs, seas• these areas make up 97.5% of water on Earth

Aquatic EcosystemsFRESHWATER AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS - contain little dissolved salt - Include rivers, streams, lakes, ponds,… - make up only 2.5% of water on Earth - most freshwater is “tied up” in glaciers and polar ice caps

GROUNDWATER… water found under ground

There are transitional aquatic ecosystems where saltwater and freshwater merge….

wetlands and estuaries

Estuary - wetlands formed where rivers

(fresh water) meet salt water

• these areas are affected by the rise and fall of tides

• are usually shallow • serve as spawning

and nurseries for many aquatic species

Population Density The number of individuals in a given area

Factors that may affect population density….

Density independent factor – affects a population regardless of the density of the population – usually abiotic; weather events…

examplesDensity dependent factor – affects a population

on the basis of the number of organisms – predation, competition, parasitism, disease,…

More population density factors…

• Immigration – movement of individuals into an area

• Emigration – movement of individuals out of an area

Carrying Capacity – the number of individuals that can be supported by a given area (even a grocery bag has a carrying capacity)

Human population growth is causing…

• severe overcrowding in areas• An increase in energy demands• A need for increased food supply and waste disposal• very rapid ecological change (habitat destruction,

overhunting, introduction of diseases)

* The population tripled from 1930-2000 and is expected to double again from 2000-2050