Ecology Unit Modified by Beth Roland Jacobs Fork Middle School
Mar 27, 2015
Ecology Unit
Modified by Beth Roland Jacobs Fork Middle School
What is Ecology?
the study of interactions betweenorganisms and other organisms,organisms and their environment
Where do we fit in?
(What is our environment?)
The Biosphere!
Factors that effect us:
Abiotic FactorsA- stands for nonBio- stands for living
Abiotic Factors=nonliving factors Wind/Air currents
Moisture
Soil
Light
Temperature
2. Biotic Factors: Biotic- Living factors
What is the organization of Ecological Study?
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Organism
Levels of Organization Individual- one
organism (living)
Ex a moose
Levels of Organization Population- groups
of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. (living-living same species)
Ex many moose
Levels of Organization Community- groups of
different populations (more than one population or different groups of species)
Ex many groups of moose beavers, trees, grass (all living)
Levels of Organization Ecosystem- all
organisms in a particular area along with the nonliving. (living and nonliving)
Ex many groups of moose beavers, trees, grass, rocks, water, mountains
Levels of Organization Biome- group of
ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities
Biomes: tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savannah, temperate grassland, desert, temperate woodland and shrubland, temperate forest, northwestern coniferous forest, boreal forest (taiga), tundra, mountains and ice caps
Levels of Organization Biosphere- all of
the planet where life exists, includes land, water, and, air
Life extends 8 km up and 11 km below the surface
IN AN ECOSYSTEM:
Organisms live in a Habitat
Organisms fit into a Niche of the environment
Habitat vs. Niche Habitat- an area where an organism lives Niche- an organisms role in its environment
– The Long Version full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. Includes where in the food chain it is, where an organism feeds
Habitat is like an address in an ecosystem and a niche is like an occupation in an ecosystem.
Community Interactions
when organisms live together in an ecological community they interact constantly.
Three types of interactions– Competition– Predation– Symbiosis
Competition- competing for resources
occurs due to a limited number of resources
Resource- any necessity of life. water, nutrients, light, food.
Competitive exclusion principle- no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
Predation Predation- when
an organism captures and feeds on another organism.
Predator- hunter Prey- hunted
Symbiosis Symbiosis- any relationship where
two species live closely together. (3 types)– Mutualism– Commensalism– Parasitism
Symbiosis Mutualism- both
species benefit from a relationship.
Lichens (fungus and Algae)
One example is the lichens, little non-descript patches of stuff you see growing on rocks and tree bark. This is a symbiosis, consisting of a fungus and an alga. The fungus provides a protective home for the algae, and gathers mineral nutrients from rainwater and from dissolving the rock underneath. The alga gathers energy from the sun. There are thousands of species of lichen in the world; actually thousands of species of fungi with just a few species of algae which can form a partnership with almost any of them.
Symbiosis Commensalism – One
member of a symbiotic relationship benefits and the other is neither helped or harmed
Ex. Holes used by bluebirds in a tree were chiseled out by woodpeckers after it has been abandoned .
Symbiosis Parasitism- One
creature benefits and one creature is harmed
Ex tapeworm. Feeds in a humans intestines absorbing his/her nutrients.
Relationships: Symbiosis = Living Togethera)
commensalism b) mutualism
c) parasitism
Identify these relationships
Energy Flow (Trophic Levels)
Producers- make their own food
Consumers- get energy from consuming producers
Producers Producers- capture
energy from sunlight or chemicals and use the energy to produce food.
Producers are autotrophs- they make food from their environment
2 main types of autotrophs
One type gets energy from the sun-by photosynthesis
Another type gets energy without light- by chemosynthesis
Consumers Consumers are
heterotrophs- get energy from other organisms
Types of Consumers Herbivores- eat only plants Carnivores- eat animals Omnivores- eat both plants and
animals Detritivores- eat dead matter (plants
and animals)
Feeding Relationships Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction
from:– 1. the sun or inorganic compounds– 2. To autotrophs (producers)– 3. To heterotrophs (consumers)– Decomposers get energy from decomposing dead
organisms
Food Web- A network of feeding relationships.
(More realistic that a food chain)
Food Chain- a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating or being eaten.
Food Web
They can become very complex!
Trophic levels
Each step in a food chain or a food web is called a trophic level.– Producers are the first
trophic level– Consumers are the
second, third, or higher trophic level
Each trophic level depends on the one below for energy
Energy Pyramid Only part of the energy
stored in one level can be passed to the next- most energy is consumed for life processes (respiration, movement, etc., and heat is given off)
Only 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms in the next trophic level
Biomass Pyramid Biomass- the total
amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.
A biomass pyramid represents the amount of potential food available for each trophic level in an ecosystem.
Energy Losses
Energy transfers are never 100 percent
efficient
Some energy is lost at each step
Limits the number of trophic levels in an
ecosystem
Energy flow is a one way path! (not a cycle)
All Heat in the End At each trophic level, the bulk of the
energy received from the previous level is used in metabolism
This energy is released as heat energy and lost to the ecosystem
Eventually, all energy is released as heat