Ecology. Define Ecology study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment.

Ecology

Define Ecology

Define Ecology

• study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment

Describe each of the following terms:

• Biosphere

• Biotic

• Abiotic


• Biosphere - part of Earth that supports life, including the top portion of Earth's crust, the atmosphere, and all the water on Earth's surface

• Biotic - living

• Abiotic – non-living


• Biome


• Biome - large geographic areas with similar climates and ecosystems

• Includes:– TUNDRA– TAIGA– DESERT– TROPICAL RAINFOREST– TEMPERATE RAINFOREST– DECIDUOUS FOREST– DESERT– GRASSLAND


• Organism

• Population

• Community


• Organism – one of any living thing

• Population - all the organisms that belong to the same species living in a community

• Community - all the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem


• Ecosystem

• Habitat

• Niche


• Ecosystem - all the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment

• Habitat - place where an organism lives and that provides the types of food, shelter, moisture, and temperature needed for survival

• Niche - in an ecosystem, refers to the unique ways an organism survives, obtains food and shelter, and avoids danger


• Limiting factor

• Carrying capacity


• Limiting factor - anything that can restrict the size of a population, including living and nonliving features of an ecosystem, such as predators or drought

• Carrying capacity - largest number of individuals of a particular species that an ecosystem can support over time


• Producer

• Consumer

• Decomposer


• Producer - organism, such as a green plant or alga, that uses an outside source of energy like the Sun to create energy-rich food molecules

• Consumer - organism that cannot create energy-rich molecules but obtains its food by eating other organisms

• Decomposer – consume wastes and dead organisms


• Predator

• Prey


• Predator – an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food. A predator is a consumer [carnivore or omnivore]

• Prey – an animal that is hunted and caught for food. Prey is a consumer; it may be a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore.


• Carnivore

• Herbivore

• Omnivore


• Carnivore – eat omnivores or other carnivores [other consumers]

• Herbivore – eat producers

• Omnivore – eat producers and consumers


• Adaptations of consumers:– Carnivore - meat-eating animal with sharp

canine teeth specialized to rip and tear flesh – Herbivore - plant-eating mammal with incisors

specialized to cut vegetation and large, flat molars to grind it

– Omnivore - plant- and meat-eating animal with incisors specialized to cut vegetables, premolars to chew meat, and molars to grind food

Review food chains, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores,

decomposershttp://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html

http://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html

http://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html


• Energy flow through an ecosystem


• Energy flow through an ecosystem - the movement of energy through an ecosystem through food webs. The transfer of energy from one organism to another.

Review the flow of energy through plants and animals here:

http://www.ftexploring.com/me/me2.html




• Food chain

• Food web


• Food chain - chain of organisms along which energy , in the form of food passes. An organism feeds on the link before it and is in turn prey for the link after it.

• Food web - Complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding relationships; a group of interconnecting food chains

Review food chains here:

http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm




• Energy pyramid


• Energy pyramid – a way of showing energy flow. As the amount of available energy decreases, the pyramid gets smaller. Each layer on a pyramid is called a trophic level.


Review energy pyramids here:

http://www.ftexploring.com/me/pyramid.html




• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Symbiosis

• Parasitism


• Mutualism - a type of symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

• Commensalism - a type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is not affected

• Symbiosis - any close relationship between species, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism

• Parasitism -a type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed


• Succession

• Primary succession

• Secondary succession


• Succession - natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary

• Primary succession – takes where no soil exists

• Secondary succession – takes place where soil is already present


• Pioneer species

• Climax community


• Pioneer species - a group of hardy organisms, such as lichens, found in the primary stage of succession and that begin an area's soil-building process

• Climax community - stable, end stage of ecological succession in which the plants and animals of a community use resources efficiently and balance is maintained by disturbances such as fire.

Review succession here:

http://library.thinkquest.org/17456/succession1.html



List the types of biomes:

List the types of biomes:

• Tundra• Taiga• Desert• Tropical rain forest• Temperate rain forest• Grasslands• Freshwater• Saltwater

Describe each biome

• Taiga - world's largest biome, located south of the tundra between 50° N and 60° N latitude; has long, cold winters, precipitation between 35 cm and 100 cm each year, cone-bearing evergreen trees, and dense forests

Describe each biome

• Tundra - cold, dry, treeless biome with less than 25 cm of precipitation each year, a short growing season, permafrost, and winters that can be six to nine months long

Describe each biome

• Temperate rainforest - biome with 200 cm to 400 cm of precipitation each year, average temperatures between 9°C and 12°C, and forests dominated by trees with needlelike leaves

Describe each biome

• Tropical rain forest - most biologically diverse biome; has an average temperature of 25°C and receives between 200 cm and 600 cm of precipitation each year

Describe each biome

• Grasslands - temperate and tropical regions with 25 cm to 75 cm of precipitation each year that are dominated by climax communities of grasses; ideal for growing crops and raising cattle and sheep

Describe each biome

• Desert - driest biome on Earth with less than 25 cm of rain each year; has dunes or thin soil with little organic matter and plants and animals specially adapted to survive extreme conditions

Describe each biome

• Deciduous forest - biome usually having four distinct seasons, annual precipitation between 75 cm and 150 cm, and climax communities of deciduous trees

Describe each biome

• Freshwater - flowing water such as rivers and streams and standing water such as lakes, ponds, and wetlands

Describe each biome

• Saltwater - oceans, seas, a few inland lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah, coastal inlets and estuaries

Review biomes here:

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/biomes.html



More information on biomes can be found here:

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/

Ecology. Define Ecology study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment.

Documents

following terms

ecosystem slide

capacity slide

biome slide

environment slide

ecology slide

danger slide

time slide