Transcript Slide 1
What is Ecology? Section 3.1 in Biology Textbooks Ecology is… The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environment. • Organisms in the biosphere interact with each other and with their surroundings , or environment. – The study of these interactions is called ecology. • The root word ecology is the Greek word oikos, which means “house.” The Biosphere… • Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere. • contains every organism, from bacteria living underground to giant trees in rain forests, whales in polar seas, mold spores drifting through the air– and, of course, humans. Niche • Describing a species’ “address” tells only part of its story. • Ecologists also study a species’ ecological “occupation”: – Where and how it “makes a living.” • A niche is the range of physical and biological conditions in which a species lives and the way the species obtains what it needs to survive and reproduce. Niche analogy • An animal’s niche is like the position an athlete plays in a tem sport. • In your notebooks, name a player position for your favorite sport. • Then we will discuss: – Role – Space – interaction Competition • How does competition shape communities? • Animals, such as Neptune beetles, compete for resources such as: – Food – Mates – and places to live and raise their young. What resource do you think these two males are fighting over? Competition Predator-Prey Relationships • An interaction in which • Predators can affect: one animal (the predator) – size of prey populations in a community captures and feeds on – the places prey can live another animal (the prey) and feed is called predation. • Example: Birds of prey can play an important role in regulation population sizes A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter, hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars. – Mice – Voles – and other small mammals What are three primary ways that organisms depend on each other? Mutualism: •Clownfish live among the sea anemone’s tentacles and protect the sea anemone by chasing away would-be attackers. •The sea anemone, in turn, protects the clownfish from their predators. What could happen to the sea anemone if the clownfish died? What are three primary ways that organisms depend on each other? Parasitism •This brown leech is feeding on the blood of its host, a human. •In a parasitic relationship the parasite benefits while the host is harmed. What are three primary ways that organisms depend on each other? Commensalism: •The barnacles attached to the skin of this grey whale are feeding on food in water that passes over them as the whale swims. •Although the barnacles clearly benefit from their relationship with the whale, they do not appear to affect the whale positively or negatively. A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Review • • • • • • Competition Competition Predation Mutualism Parasitism Commensalism Define and give an example