Ecology notes

Ecology Word Parts

1. Eco - environment2. Auto – self3. Hetero – others4. Homo – same5. Troph – eating/feeding6. Photo – light7. Synthesis – to make8. Carne - meat9. Herb – plant10. Omni – all/every11. -vorous –eat/swallow

What Is Ecology?Ecology is the scientific study of

interactions among organisms (biotic)

and between organisms and their non-living environment

(abiotic).

Energy Transfer through Trophic Levels

0.1% Third-level consumers

1% Second-level consumers

10% First-level consumers

100% Producers

About 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level.

Types of Energy Transfers

Autotrophs/Producers – convert sunlight into chemical energy (ex plants and bacteria)

Heterotrophs/Consumers – rely on other organisms for energy

• Carnivores – meat eater• Herbivore – plant eater• Omnivore – eats plant and animals• Detritivores – break down dead material & returns nutrients

to the soil– Scavengers – eats scraps and leftovers– Decomposers – eats dead and decaying organisms

Ecology Triangle

First Trophic Level – Producers, Autotrophs, Examples: Plants, Flowers, Grass, Shrubs

Second Trophic Level – Primary Consumers, Heterotrophs, Examples: Herbivores

3rd Trophic Level – Secondary Consumer, Heterotroph

Ex: Carnivores/Omnivores

4th Trophic Level Tertiary

Consumer, Heterotroph,

Ex: Top Carnivore

Sun- Ultimate Source of all Energy

Detritivores:

Scavengers and Decomposers

Most Energy

Least Energy

Food Chain

• A simple linear feeding process where energy is transferred by eating or being eaten. (Predator/Prey)

Example:

GrassZebraLionDecomposer

GrassGiraffeHyenasLionDecomp.

Food Web

• Drawing

• The arrow always follows the one way direction of energy.– High Energy Low Energy– Producer Consumer

• A food web is a feeding network of complex interactions

6 Levels of Organization

1) Individual – one organism of one species in the environment

(one deer in the woods)

2) Population – all the organisms of one species in an environment

(all the deer in the woods)

3) Community – all the populations in an environment (all biotic factors) (all animals, plants, bacteria, fungus, and protist in the woods)

4) Ecosystem – all the abiotic and biotic factors in the environment (all living things as well as temperature, water, sunlight, air, etc in the woods)

5) Biome – ecosystems with similar climates and abiotic and biotic factors (Temperate forest)

6) Biosphere – entire earth and all it’s components (earth)

The Major Biomes

• Biomes are defined by a unique set of abiotic and biotic factors—***particularly climate

• Habitat – area an organism lives

The 10 Major Biomes

• Tropical Rain Forest• Tropical Dry Forest• Tropical Savanna• Temperate Grassland• Temperate Woodland

and Shrubland

• Temperate Forest• Northwestern

Coniferous Forest• Boreal Forest• Tundra• Desert

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Dry Forest

Tropical Savanna

Temperate Grassland

Temperate Woodland and Shrub land

Temperate Forest

Northwestern Coniferous Forest

Boreal Forest

Tundra

Desert

Three Types of Community Interactions

1.) Competition: when organisms attempt to use a resource in the same place at the same time

2.) Predation: interaction when one organism captures and feeds on another

– Predator (hunter): kills and eats– Prey (hunted): killed and eaten

3.) Symbiosis: “living together”

• Mutualism: both benefit (ex. Clownfish/anemone,

bison/cowbirds)

• Parasitism: one benefits and the other is harmed

(ex. fleas, ticks, tapeworms)

Niche – the role an organism plays in an environment

Ecological Succession• Predictable changes that occur in a community over

time

• Two Types:

1. Primary Succession – occurs on surfaces where no soil exists

Ex: volcanic ash, rock

Pioneer Species – 1st to arrive on rock (Lichen)

2. Secondary Succession – when a disturbance changes the community without removing the soil

Ex: Wildfires, Hurricanes, Floods

Animal Behaviors

• Innate Behavior (instinct) – born with knowledge

• Learned Behavior(aquired) – developed over

time

• Imprinting - Innate/Learned Combined

• Social – interaction between individuals

4 Types of Learned Behavior

1. Habituation – ignoring

2. Classical Conditioning – mental connection between reward or punishment (Pavlov)

3. Operant Conditioning/Trial-and-Error – repeated practice (Skinner Box)

4. Insight – reasoning

Social Behaviors

• Territory – guarded area

• Society – colonies, schools, packs

• Communication– Visual – Puffer Fish– Sounds – Rattle Snake– Touch/Agression – Moose/Rams– Smell/Pheromones – Dogs/Cats

Behavior Cycles

• Seasonal – Hibernation, Estivation, Migration

• Daily – circadian rhythms

• Yearly – Courtship/mating

Demography

The scientific

study of populations

Four Characteristics of a Population

1.) Geographic Distribution (range): the area

2.) Density: number of individuals in area

3.) Growth rate: number of births, deaths, and immigration (in), or emigration (out)

• Exponential growth: rapid growth (J-Shape Curve)

• Logistic growth: slows after exponential because of limited resources (S-Shape Curve)

• Carrying capacity: the maximum number

• Draw

•Growth limiting factors: causes a population growth to decrease

A: Density-Dependent- are biotic factors that limit growth

Ex) competition, predation, parasitism, and disease

B: Density-Independent – abiotic factors that limit growth

Ex) floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, droughts etc.

4. Age Structure

• Diagram to show population growth

• Rapid growth rate = triangle shape

• Stable growth rate = NO triangle

US POPULATION

Questions:

• What percentage of the male Rwanda population is between the ages of 5-9?

• What percentage of the female US population is between the ages of 10-14?

• Which country is growing faster?

Biodiversity

• Sum total of all the variety of organisms in the biosphere.

• It’s earth’s greatest natural resources. This diversity of life gives us food, shelter, and medicine.

• Valuable because it’s the biological life support system of our planet

The greatest threat to biodiversity is habitat destruction: deforestation, pollution, and human activityThe only solution to the loss in biodiversity and ultimately your life is conservationConserve: use only what is needed