Transcript Ecology notes - Bethlehem Central School District

Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the study of the distribution and
abundance of organisms and their interdependence
with the non-living resources.
Biosphere: Portion of the earth inhabited by life:
sum of all ecosystems.
This area is a relatively thin layer of seas, lakes,
streams, land to soil depth of a few meters, and
atmosphere to an altitude of a few kilometers.
“As long as there are leaves, there will always be fish.”
“To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of
intelligent tinkering.’
“Few problems are less recognized but more important
than the accelerating dissappearance of Earth’s biological
resources. In pushing other species to extinction, humanity
is busy sawing off the limb on which it is perched.”
Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and their
Environment.
AbioticBioticEnergy flow through the ecosystem
Autotrophs-
Make their own food.
Heterotrophs
Consume food.
Feeding relationships
Herbivores
Carnivores
Predators/Prey
Scavengers
Insectivores, etc.
Omnivores;
Energy Flow
ProducersMake their own food.
ConsumersPrimary
Secondary
Higher
Decomposers
Relationships
Symbioses
Mutualism
Parasitism
Commensalism
Transfer of Energy
Tropic levels
Biomass
Food Web
Energy Flow
Food Chains
The source of all food is the activity of autotrophs, mainly
photosynthesis by plants.
•They are called producers because only they can manufacture
food from inorganic raw materials.
•This food feeds herbivores, called primary consumers.
•Carnivores that feed on herbivores are called secondary
consumers.
•Carnivores that feed on other carnivores are tertiary (or
higher) consumers.
Such a path of food consumption is called a food chain.
Each level of consumption in a food chain is called a trophic
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Name_________________________ Date _________________________
• Notes on Energy Flow
Energy from the __________ is the major source for all living things. The
process of
______________traps it so it can be used by living organisms.
Plants are considered primary ____________________ since they carry out
the process of __________________. Another name for these organisms is
__________________________ since they make their own food.
Any organism that eats plant material is called a _______________________.
All of these organisms are _______________since they cannot make their own
food.
Some heterotrophs live off of decaying material , they are
called_____________________.
They are needed to recycle the material through the ecosystems.
Trophic levels:
Energy is passed from one type of organism to another via _______________
levels. The
first level includes __________________________. Here we find the most
abundant amount of mass stored of all the levels.
The second level includes all the organisms that eat these plants.
They are called primary_______________, since they take the
energy stored in the plants and incorporate it into
their bodies.
About _________% of the total energy is transfered to this level to
be used by these consumers.
The third level includes the secondary consumers or _______________.
These receive energy from eating the primary consumers.
There are fewer of these organisms than there are of the prmary
consumers.
Food Web - Menu
Build a Food Web
• Interactive Assessment Worksheets
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ec
ology/foodchains/index.weml?&trie
d_cookie=true
ecologyonline
Abiotic Factors
Organisms in the biosphere are acted upon by abiotic factors
(non-living).
•Temperature: affects metabolism, range is between 0 degrees and
50 degrees centigrade.
•Water: adaptations for water balance and conservation help
determine a species' habitat range.
•Solar energy drives nearly all ecosystems. Availability of light can
determine habitat. Aquatic environments, water selectively reflects
and absorbs certain wavelengths; therefore, most photosynthesis
occurs near the surface of the water. Animal and plant behavior is
often sensitive to photoperiods.
•Soil: Physical structure, pH, and mineral composition of soil limit
distribution of plants and hence animals that feed on them.
•Wind: amplifies the effects on temperature by increasing heat loss
by evaporation and convection.
•Natural Disasters: Fire, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions can
devastate biological communities.
Principle of Allocation
Principle of Allocation: Each organism has a limited, finite amount
of total energy that can be allocated for growth, reproducing,
obtaining nutrients, escaping predators and coping with
environmental changes.
•Species living in stable environments: Lead a good life in a small
area.
•Species living in unstable environments: Lead a rough life over a
wider range.
Biomes
Terrestrial Biomes: Most often named for the predominant
vegetation but each is also characterized by animals adapted to
that particular environment
•biomes grade into each other without sharp boundaries.
•May be patchy, with several communities represented in one
biome.
•Prevailing climate, particular temperature and rainfall, is most
important factor in determining what kind of biome develops.
A climatograph plots temperature and rainfall and shows the
impact of climate on the distribution of biomes.
Tropical Forest (rain forest): found near the equator, temp varies
little from 25 degrees C. and day light varies from 12 hours by
less than one hour. Lowlands receive very little rain fall, and
develop thorn forests. Nearer the equator regions have distinct
wet and dry seasons and tropical deciduous forests occur. Trees
releaf following heavy rains. Near the equator, where rainfall is
abundant ,and the dry season lasts less than a few months is
tropical rain forest. Contain more plant and animal species than
any other community. Competition is strong for light, soil is poor
due to the rapid recycling of nutrients. Animals are mostly tree
dwellers.
Savanna: is a grassland with scattered individual trees. Found
covering: Central South America, central and South Africa, and
parts of Australia. Soil is generally porous with a thin humus layer.
3 distinct seasons: cool and dry; hot and dry, and warm and wet in
that order. Frequent fires inhibit invasion of trees. Large
herbivores ( giraffes, zebras) are commonly most active.
Chaparral: scrub land are regions of dense, spiny shrubs, with tough
evergreen leaves found along coasts where cool ocean currents
circulate offshore making mild rainy winters and long hot dry summers.
Mediterranean , California coastline, Chile, S.W. Africa, and S.W.
Australia. Deer, snakes, fruit eating birds are common.
Desert: is characterized by low precipitation less than 30 cm / year,
not by temperature: both cold and hot deserts exist. Hot deserts
occur in S.W. USA, W. South America, North Africa, Middle East,
Central Australia. Cold deserts occur: E. Argentina, central Asia, and
west of the Rocky Mountains. Reptiles and seed eaters are common.
Cacti and succulents are also common.
Temperate Grasslands: similar to savanna but occur in cold regions.
Veldts of S. Africa, the pusta of Hungary, pampas of Uruguay and
Argentina, steppes of Russia, and the plains of the USA, are examples.
Temperate Forests: grow throughout the mid latitude regions that
contain enough moisture to support large broad-leaved, deciduous
trees. Occur in Eastern US, Middle Europe, and E. Asia. There is a 5-6
month growing season, very cold winters, and very hot summers. High
precipitation and evenly distributed through out the year. Soil rich in
nutrients.
Taiga: ( coniferous or boreal forest) is characterized by harsh winters
and occasionally warm summers. N.America, Europe, Asia, and at high
elevations in more temperate latitudes. Soil thin and acidic. It forms
slowly.
Tundra: is the northern most limits of plant growth and at high
altitudes plant forms are limits to shrubs and mat-like vegetation.
Arctic Tundra: encircles the North Pole. Brief warm summers are
marked with nearly 24 hours of sunlight. Permafrost, saturated soil
prevent large plants from growing. Alpine Tundra: occurs at high
elevations at all latitudes.
Nitrogen Cycle
Water Cycle
CO2 Cycle
Glossary of Ecology Terms
• UCMP Glossary of Natural History Terms,
#5
niche -- The portion of the environment which a species occupies. A
niche is defined in terms of the conditions under which an organism
can survive, and may be affected by the presence of other competing
organisms.
nitrogen fixation -- The conversion of gaseous nitrogen into a form
usable by plants. Ususally by bacteria.
nocturnal -- Active only at night.
nutrient -- Any element or simple compound necessary for the health
and survival of an organism. This includes air and water, as well as
food.
nutrient cycling -- All the processes by which nutrients are
transferred from one organism to another. For instance, the carbon
cycle includes uptake of carbon dioxide by plants, ingestion by animals,
and respiration and decay of the animal.
omnivore -- Literally, an organism that will eat anything. Refers to
animals who do not restrict their diet to just plants or other animals.
organic -- Generally refers to those substances produced by the
metabolism of a living organism, especially carbon-containing
compounds.
parasite -- Organism which lives on or within another organism, on
which it feeds.
pathogenic -- Organism which causes a disease within another
organism.
pelagic -- Pelagic organisms swim through the ocean, and may rise to