Transcript Intro to Ecology & Energy Flow Notes

Question of the Day – 09/13
Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both
organism benefits from the interaction. The
relationship between a desert bat and a giant saguaro
cactus is considered mutualistic because the cactus
provides food for the bat and because –
A the cactus needs protect the bat from predators
B the bat transfers pollen between cactus flowers
C the cactus’s flowers attract bugs to the bat
D the bat prevents moisture from reaching the plant
Introduction
to Ecology
What is the layer of the
Earth called where all
living organisms are
located?
What is Ecology?
• The study of
interactions between
organisms and the
living and nonliving
components of their
environment
• From Greek oikos,
meaning “house,”
and logos, meaning
“study of.”
What does ecology involve?
Bird Migratory Patterns
• Collecting
information about
organisms and their
environments
• Observing and
measuring
interactions
• Looking for patterns
• Seeking to explain
patterns
Interdependence
• Interaction of
organisms with other
organisms in their
surroundings, and the
nonliving portion of
their environment
• What is one way
humans are
dependent?
Ecological Models
• These represent or
describe the
components of an
ecological system
• Can be physical,
conceptual, or
mathematical
• Used to help plan and
evaluate solutions to
environmental
problems
Five Levels of
Ecological Organization
Biosphere
• Broadest , most
inclusive level
• About 20 km
(13 mi) thick
• Thin film of life
covering an
otherwise
lifeless planet
Ecosystems
• All of the organisms
and the non-living
environment found in
a particular place
• What would be
included in a pond’s
ecosystem?
Communities
• All interacting
organisms living in an
area
• Ecologists studying
communities look at
how species interact
• What would be
involved in the
pond’s community?
Populations
• All members of a
single species that live
in one place at one
time.
• What would be an
example of various
populations in a
pond?
Organism
• The simplest level of
organization in
ecology
• Research at this level
concentrates on the
adaptations that
allow organisms to
overcome the
challenges of their
environment
Review
True or False???
Geology is the study
of the interactions
between organisms
and the
environment?
FALSE!!!!
The study
described is
Ecology!
FALSE!!!!
They can
be verbal,
visual (like the
True
or False?
picture here), or mathematical!
All ecological models are mathematical.
Energy Transfer in an
Ecosystem
Why do organisms need
energy?
• To carry out essential
functions
–
–
–
–
–
Growth
Movement
Maintenance
Repair
Reproduction
Autotrophs
What is the
main energy
source for life
on earth?
Sun
Organisms
that eat
autotrophs
Organisms
that eat
other
organisms
The amount of energy an ecosystem
receives and the amount that is
transferred from organism to organism
affect the ecosystem’s structure!!!!!
Producers
• Organisms that
manufacture their own
foods by capturing
energy and using it to
make organic molecules
– Plants (Terrestrial)
– Some protists (Aquatic)
– Some bacteria (Aquatic)
Producers
• Photosynthetic
– Use solar energy to
power the production
of food
• Chemosynthetic
– Use energy stored in
inorganic molecules to
produce
carbohydrates
Consumers
• Heterotrophs that
cannot manufacture
their own food
• Get energy by eating
other organisms or
organic wastes
• All animals, most
protists, all fungi,
many bacteria
Types of Consumers
• What are 4 types of
consumers?
–
–
–
–
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
Detritivores
Herbivores vs. Detritivores
Herbivores
• Eat producers
• Ex] Giant panda
Detritivores
• Feed on the “garbage” of an
ecosystem
– Ex] Earthworm
• Waste, such as dead
organisms, fallen leaves,
and wastes = detritus
• Decomposers are those
bacteria and fungi that
cause decay by breaking
down complex molecules
Carnivore vs. Omnivore
Carnivore
• Eat other consumers
• Ex] Lions
Omnivore
• Eat both consumers and
producers
• Ex] Pigs
Create your own graphic
• Label the types of organisms according to
energy flow
Producers: make
energy-storing
molecules
Herbivores:
consume producers
Omnivores: consume
producers & herbivores
Detritivores: consume producers,
herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores
Carnivores: consume
herbivores
Energy Flow
• When an organism eats
another, energy is
transferred
• Therefore energy flows
from producers to
consumers
• Group organisms based
on energy flow in an
ecosystem
Food Chains and Food Webs
Food Chain
• A single pathway of
feeding relationships in
an ecosystem
Food Web
• Interrelated pathway of
food chains in an
ecosystem
Feeding Relationships
• Trophic levels – each
step in a food chain or
food web
– 1st – producers
– 2nd – primary consumers
– 3rd – secondary
consumers
– 4th – tertiary consumers
Ecological Pyramids
• Energy Pyramid – shows the amount of
energy available at each trophic level
– Only about 10% of the energy is transferred to
the next level
• Biomass Pyramid – shows the amount of
living tissue within each trophic level
• Pyramid of numbers – shows the number
of organisms at each trophic level
Ecological Pyramids
Energy Transfer
• On average, only 10% of the
total energy consumed in one
level is incorporated into the
next level.
• Why so low?
– Some escape being eaten
– Some die and decompose
– Some used for cellular
respiration
– Some can’t be broken down
– Some lost as heat from
metabolism
Limitations of Trophic Levels
• Low rate of energy
transfer explains why
there are only a few
trophic levels in an
ecosystem
• High trophic levels
contain less energy,
so they can only
support a few
individuals
What is the organic material
in an ecosystem called?
What is an organism called
that eats both producers and
consumers?
How much of the total energy
is transferred from one
trophic level to the next?