Introduction to Ecology Chapter 18 Table of Contents Section 1 Introduction to Ecology Section 2 Ecology of Organisms Section 3 Energy Transfer Section.

Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Table of Contents

Section 1 Introduction to Ecology

Section 2 Ecology of Organisms

Section 3 Energy Transfer

Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Objectives

• Identify a key theme in ecology.

• Describe an example showing the effects of interdependence upon organisms in their environment.

• Identify the importance of models to ecology.

• State the five different levels of organization at which ecology can be studied.

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Interdependence: A Key Theme in Ecology

• Organisms and Their Environments– Species interact with both other species and their

nonliving environment.– Interdependence is a theme in ecology—one

change can affect all species in an ecosystem.

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Ecological Models

• Ecological models help to explain the environment.

Chapter 18

Making an Ecosystem Model

Section 1 Introduction to Ecology

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Levels of Organization

• Ecologists recognize a hierarchy of organization in the environment: biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, and organism.

Chapter 18

Levels of Organization

Section 1 Introduction to Ecology

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Levels of Organization, continued

• The Biosphere– The broadest, most inclusive level of organization

is the biosphere, the volume of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life.

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Levels of Organization, continued

• Ecosystems– The biosphere is composed of smaller units called

ecosystems. – An ecosystem includes all of the organisms and

the nonliving environment found in a particular place.

Section 1 Introduction to EcologyChapter 18

Levels of Organization, continued

• Communities, Populations, and Organisms– A community is all the interacting organisms

living in an area. – Below the community level of organization is the

population level, where the focus is on the individual organisms of a single species.

Section 2 Ecology of OrganismsChapter 18

Objectives

• Compare abiotic factors with biotic factors, and list two examples of each.

• Describe two mechanisms that allow organisms to survive in a changing environment.

• Explain the concept of the niche.

Section 2 Ecology of OrganismsChapter 18

Ecosystem Components

• Biotic and Abiotic Factors– Both biotic, or living, factors and abiotic, or

nonliving, factors influence organisms. Examples of abiotic factors are climate, sunlight, and pH.

Chapter 18

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Visual Concept

Comparing Biotic and Abiotic Factors

Section 2 Ecology of Organisms

Section 2 Ecology of OrganismsChapter 18

Organisms in a Changing Environment

• Acclimation– Some organisms can adjust their tolerance to

abiotic factors through the process of acclimation.

Section 2 Ecology of OrganismsChapter 18

Organisms in a Changing Environment, continued

• Control of Internal Conditions– Conformers are organisms that do not regulate

their internal conditions; they change as their external environment changes.

– Regulators use energy to control some of their internal conditions.

Section 2 Ecology of OrganismsChapter 18

Organisms in a Changing Environment, continued

• Escape from Unsuitable Conditions– Some species survive unfavorable environmental

conditions by becoming dormant or by migrating.

Section 2 Ecology of OrganismsChapter 18

The Niche

• A niche is a way of life, or a role in an ecosystem.

Chapter 18

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Visual Concept

Niche

Section 2 Ecology of Organisms

Section 3 Energy TransferChapter 18

Objectives

• Summarize the role of producers in an ecosystem.

• Identify several kinds of consumers in an ecosystem.

• Explain the important role of decomposers in an ecosystem.

• Compare the concept of a food chain with that of a food web.

• Explain why ecosystems usually contain only a few trophic levels.

Section 3 Energy TransferChapter 18

Producers

• Most producers are photosynthetic and make carbohydrates by using energy from the sun.

Section 3 Energy TransferChapter 18

Producers, continued

• Measuring Productivity– Gross primary productivity is the rate at which

producers in an ecosystem capture the energy of sunlight by producing organic compounds.

– The rate at which biomass accumulates is called net primary productivity.

Section 3 Energy TransferChapter 18

Consumers

• Consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms and include herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, detritivores, and decomposers.

Chapter 18

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Visual Concept

Comparing Consumers and Producers

Section 3 Energy Transfer

Section 3 Energy TransferChapter 18

Energy Flow

• Food Chains and Food Webs– A single pathway of energy transfer is a food

chain. – A network showing all paths of energy transfer is a

food web.

Chapter 18

Food Chain in an Antarctic Ecosystem

Section 3 Energy Transfer

Chapter 18

Food Web in an Antarctic Ecosystem

Section 3 Energy Transfer

Section 3 Energy TransferChapter 18

Energy Flow, continued

• Energy Transfer– Ecosystems contain only a few trophic levels

because there is a low rate of energy transfer between each level.

Chapter 18

Energy Transfer Through Trophic Levels

Section 3 Energy Transfer

Section 4 Ecosystem RecyclingChapter 18

Objectives

• List four major biogeochemical cycles.

• Summarize three important processes in the water cycle.

• Outline the major steps in the carbon cycle.

• Describe the role of decomposers in the nitrogen cycle.

• Summarize the major steps of the phosphorus cycle.

Section 4 Ecosystem RecyclingChapter 18

The Water Cycle

• Key processes in the water cycle are evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation.

Chapter 18

Water Cycle

Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Chapter 18

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Visual Concept

Water Cycle

Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Section 4 Ecosystem RecyclingChapter 18

The Carbon Cycle

• Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are the two main steps in the carbon cycle.

Chapter 18Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Carbon Cycle

Chapter 18

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Visual Concept

Carbon Cycle

Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Section 4 Ecosystem RecyclingChapter 18

Nitrogen Cycle

• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are important in the nitrogen cycle because they change nitrogen gas into a usable form of nitrogen for plants.

Chapter 18

Nitrogen Cycle

Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Chapter 18

Click below to watch the Visual Concept.

Visual Concept

Nitrogen Cycle

Section 4 Ecosystem Recycling

Section 4 Ecosystem RecyclingChapter 18

Phosphorus Cycle

• In the phosphorus cycle, phosphorus moves from phosphate deposited in rock, to the soil, to living organisms, and finally to the ocean.