Transcript Ecology
ECOLOGY Ch. 4 Section 1: Ecosystems • Everything is connected • Ecosystems are all the organisms living with all the abiotic factors in an area • Each made up of layers of organisms • 1.) Organism: living thing • 2.) Species: group of living things that can produce a viable offspring • Ex.) Horse: YES, Mule: NO • 3.) Population: all the members of the same species in a given area or habitat • Ex.) Humans in Mr. Eidsmoe’s room • 4.) Community: group of populations that live in the same area • Ex.) Bacteria, Flies, Humans in Mr. Eidsmoe’s room Section 2: Evolution • Organisms tend to be well suited for their environments • 1859 Charles Darwin proposed an answer why • Traveled on the HMS Beagle and studied different animals • Ex.) Finches, Blue-footed boobie, Marine Iguanas, Tortoises • Darwin stated that the environment selects traits that make animals better suited to survive in nature (Natural Selection) • Gives the “better or stronger” animals a better chance to survive • Evolution: change in genetic variations in a population from one generation to the next • Ex.) Opposable Thumbs (Humans) Evolution continued… • Darwin thought nature selected the best traits to survive • Survival of the fittest • These selections over time (millions of years) gives rise to new species • Ex.) Fig. 8 (pg. 99) • Darwin proposed Adaptations • Inherited trait that increases the organism’s chance of survival Evolution…is…ongoing • Coevolution: two species evolving in response to long- term interactions with each other • Ex.) Hawaiian honey-creeper & lobelia flower • Evolution by Artificial Selection: • This is what happens when humans get involved • Ex.) Chihuahua & The Wolf (Both closely related since all dogs derived from today’s wolves) • Humans artificially select traits instead of nature selecting traits • Ex.) All fruits, grains, vegetables have been affected by artificial selection • Why? • Evolution of resistance: • When an organism evolves the characteristics to survive against a certain chemical • Ex.) Anti-bacterial soaps (How does it work?) Section 3: Diversity of Life