ecology the study of the relationships between organisms and their physical environment
TRANSCRIPT
Ecology
• the study of the relationships between organisms and their physical
environment
Lion King Clip
Living Non-Living
BIOTIC FACTORS
Consists of BOTH
BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC
FACTORS
ABIOTIC FACTORS
Ecosystem
Name the abiotic and biotic factors here!
Ex. One giraffe
Ex. All the giraffes
Ex. All the living things in African plains
Ex. African Plains, Coral Reefs, etc
Ex. Desert, Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous Forest
Ex. Earth
Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem
Biosphere – includes all the inhabitable space on earth
is made up of many different…
Biomes - a large geographical area characterized by certain types of plants and animals
are made up of many different…
Ecosystems – includes all living AND non-living (biotic & abiotic) parts of a community
are made up of many different…
Communities – all of the LIVING things that inhabit an ecosystem
are made up of many different…
Populations – one type (species) of living thing in a ecosystem. Ex. Homo sapiens or Tursiops truncatus
are made up of many different…
Individual Organisms– each one play an important role (its “niche”)
What do these different ecosystems have in common?
Requirements of All Ecosystems
1. Energy must be constantly added (usually from the sun). Energy cannot be recycled!
2. Cycling of Materials like minerals, CO2, O2, nitrogen, & H20. These are recycled (used over and over) between the living and non-living things in an ecosystem
3. Limiting factors determine the types of species that can survive in a particular environment
Each ecosystem has its own distinct limiting factors.
Ex. temperature
Ex. Amount of water
Ex. Pressure and light availability
Ex. pH (level of acidity)
Nutritional Relationships between Organisms
1. Producers (Autotrophs)• Go through
photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to make their own food
• More of them than any other organism in an ecosystem!
• Ex. Trees, seeds, algae, grass, phytoplankton
2. Consumers (Heterotrophs)
• Must obtain their food from another source (another organism)
Types of Consumers
Herbivores
Feed only on autotrophs like plants, leaves, grass, or seeds
Ex.
CarnivoresFeed only on other animals
• Predator: kill & eat their prey
• Prey: killed by predators
• Scavengers: feed on animal remains
Ex.
Omnivores
Feed on producers as well as consumers (plants and animals)
Ex.
Detrivores/Decomposers
• obtain nutrients from “detritus” - the remains of dead or decaying organisms
• Recycle nutrients back into the earth
Ex.
The flow of energy between producers and consumers can be organized in a number of ways…
• Food Chain
• Food Web
• Energy Pyramid
Food Chains
• Diagram showing one chain of energy existing between organisms in an ecosystem
• Arrows point in the direction of energy flow!
• Ex.
Food Webs• All of the interconnected
food chains in an ecosystem
The mouse population would most likely decrease if there were (1) an increase in the frog and tree populations(2) a decrease in the snake and hawk populations(3) an increase in the number of decomposers in the area (4) a decrease in the amount of available sunlight
Identify two producers in this food web.
Which organisms feed on both producers and decomposers? (1) amphipods (2) crayfish (3) catfish (4) protozoa
Which organism is a producer in this food web? (1) algae (2) amphipod (3) snail (4) catfish
What would happen to the diving beetle population if there were fewer snails? Justify your response.
Energy Pyramids• Represent the decrease in
biomass & energy as one moves up the food chain
• 90% energy loss at each level, 10% transferred
A food pyramid is represented by the diagram. Which statement best describes one of the levels of this pyramid? (1.) The organisms in level B obtain food directly from level A. (2.) Level D contains the greatest number of heterotrophs in the pyramid. (3.) level C contains the largest group of consumers in the pyramid. (4.) Level A contains the largest producers in the pyramid.
The secondary consumers in this pyramid would be found at level (1.) A (2.) B (3.) C (4.) D
APEX PREDATORS
PRODUCERS – Always in the greatest amount, highest “biomass”
PRIMARY CONSUMERS
SECONDARY CONSUMERS
Which organisms would contain the greatest amount of available energy?
(1.) rabbits and deer (2.) grasses and shrubs (3.) hawks (4.) lice
The primary consumers include
(1.) insects and seed-eating birds (2.) rabbits and snakes (3.) rats and frogs (4.) spiders and coyotes
Which group of organisms is missing from this food web?
(1.) decomposers (2.) omnivores (3.) producers (4.) heterotrophs
Non-feeding Relationships Between Organisms
1. Competitiveorganisms that have a similar niche (food source and habitat) will compete more for resources Give one possible explanation for the results
shown in graph C.
What will most likely happen if the culture containing the two species together(graph C) is maintained for an additional week?
Information concerning nests built in the same tree by 2 different bird species over a 10-year period is shown in the table below.
Which inference best describes these 2 bird species?
1)They most likely do not compete for nesting sites because they occupy different niches2) They do not compete for nesting sites because they have the same reproductive behavior3) They compete for nesting sites because they build the same type of nest4) They compete for nesting sites because they nest in the same tree at the same time
Distance of Nest Above Ground (m)
Total # of Nests built by 2 different species
A B
Less than 1
5 0
1-5 10 0
5-10 5 0
Over 10 0 20
2. Symbiotic
Organisms living in close association with each other
• Mutualism (+/+)
both organisms benefit from their association
Ex. Cleaning associations
• Commensalism (+/0)
one organism benefits, but the other is NOT affected at all
Ex. Barnacles on a whale, anemone and clown fish
• Parasitism (+/-) one organism
benefits (parasite) while the other is harmed (host)
Ex. Athlete’s Foot fungus and humans!Ex. Ticks on deer/dogs
video
Symbiosis Video
10 & 9
• 2:01
• 6:51
8 (1:00)
6
4 & 3
2 & 1
Material Cycles• Although ENERGY must be
CONSTANTLY ADDED by the sun, many materials are used over and over again by organisms in a food web–Carbon: components of living organisms (carbs,
lipids, proteins), also CO2
–Oxygen: needed for cell respiration, produced by plants
–Water: used for transport within all organisms
–Nitrogen: important part of proteins (amino acids), released as waste from dead organisms
Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles:
The Water Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
OXYGEN
Respiration in Plants and Animals
Dead OrganismsCombustion
Decomposition
Photosynthesis
Events that take place in a biome are shown in the diagram below. Which information is represented in the diagram?
1. Respiration and photosynthesis are interrelated. 2. Transpiration and condensation are related to the water cycle. 3. Decomposers release a material that is acted on by other organisms. 4. Predators and their prey are involved in many interactions
An ecosystem, such as an aquarium, is self-sustaining if it involves the interaction between organisms, a flow of energy, and the presence of
1. equal numbers of plants and animals
2. more animals than plants
3. materials cycles
4. pioneer organisms
Brainpop
Carrying Capacity• maximum # of organisms that can be supported in one ecosystem
•Once carrying capacity is reached, competition for resources will increase and many organisms will die
•Once the population decreases, more resources will become available and populations will increase again
•Homeostasis / dynamic equilibrium
Extra Credit – Answer ALL1. All of the following are true of protista EXCEPT A) all are heterotrophs B) all are eukaryotes C) include ameoba, paramecium, & euglena D) they include the widest variety of any kingdom
Choose from…A) Platyhelminthes B) Nematodes C) Cnidarians D) Echinoderms
2. Includes the sea stars and sea urchins3. Organisms in this phyla contain stinging cells4. Roundworms and are parasitic!