Transcript Ecology - Owen

Ecology and Geography
Natural Resource Management
Key Terms #3
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www.m-w.com
biodiversity
biome
biosphere
community (1C)
ecology
ecosystem
diversity
environment
latitude
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Ecology
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The word ecology has its root from the Greek
words oikos, which means “house,” and
logos, which means “study.”
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Eco- means “house”
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-ology means “study”
Ecology
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One could say that ecology is the study of a
house.
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“house” refers to the environment in which
organisms live and which they share with
other organisms
Environment
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The environment is the nonliving, or
abiotic, aspect of an organism’s immediate
habitat.
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Includes both physical and chemical features:
 Rocks, minerals, water, and air
Ecology
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Ecology is the study of the interrelations
between living organisms and their
environment.
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Perhaps the broadest field within biology
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Involves many disciplines besides biology
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Geology, chemistry, climatology, earth science
Ecological Study
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An ecological study:
 May be large and have a global emphasis
 May be narrow and focused on an individual
species in a specific area
 Involves
the study of populations,
communities, and physical environments
on which living organisms depend
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Population
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A population is a group of individuals of the
same species sharing the same geographic
area.
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Could consist of whitetail deer, pheasants,
or milkweed plants – or elk as shown below
Community
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A community is all the species or
populations living together in a given area.
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A woodland community would include the
trees, herbaceous plants, mammals, reptiles,
microorganisms, etc.
Together, all the communities of living things
on Earth compose the biosphere.
Living Organisms
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The living organisms within the biosphere
depend on the earth’s atmosphere,
lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
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The atmosphere is the gaseous layer that
encompasses the earth.
The lithosphere is the soil and rock that
make up the earth’s crust.
The hydrosphere is all the water on Earth,
whether liquid, solid, salty, or fresh.
Ecosystem
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An ecosystem is a community of organisms
(biota) and its nonliving environment. For
example:
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A large tract of forest may make up one
ecosystem, while a puddle of water could be
another.
Ecosystem
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The interaction of living organisms and the
influence of the environment on living
organisms.
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Quite complex
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Vary from place to place
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Can be large or small
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Ecosystem Diversity
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Ecosystem diversity is the variety of
habitats in a particular area.
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It differs from biodiversity in that biodiversity
refers to the variety of living organisms.
Living Organisms
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Living organisms have evolved with
adaptations that enable them to compete
and survive in specific environments.
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These areas in which units of plants, animals,
and microorganisms live and function
together are classified by scientists.
Biome
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A number of different classification systems
have been presented and are used. The
broadest area in these classification systems
is biome.
A biome is a large geographic area that has
distinctive plants and animals adapted to that
particular environment.
 It is followed by ecoregion and ecosystem.
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Climate
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Climate is a major factor in determining the
range of terrestrial, or land, biomes.
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Climate is the temperature, humidity,
atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall,
atmospheric particle count, and related
meteorological features of an area noted
over a long period.
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Humidity
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Humidity is the amount of water vapor in
the air.
Biomes may be described as:
 Humid
 Semi-humid
 Semi-arid
 Arid
Latitude
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Latitude is the angular distance of a
location on the earth north or south of the
equator.
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Arctic, boreal, temperate, and tropical are
descriptive titles given to biomes based on
latitude.
Elevation
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Elevation influences habitat types in a way
similar to latitude.
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Higher elevations are cooler than lower
elevations.
The climate on mountains has some
similarities to climates of latitudes away
from the equator.
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Terrestrial Biomes
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There is more than one way to divide the
earth’s biomes. A commonly accepted set of
terrestrial biomes includes:
 Tundra
 Scrub
 Taiga
 Savannah
 Alpine
 Desert
 Grassland
 Tropical Rainforest
 Temperate forest
Tundra
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Tundra is found in far northern regions of the
earth that experience long, harsh winters
and short summers.
Taiga
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Taiga, or boreal
forest, consists
primarily of
coniferous trees
below the tundra
regions.
Alpine Biomes
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Alpine, or mountain, zones are regions of
high altitude. Going up in altitude is similar to
moving toward the North Pole.
Grasslands
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Grasslands typically have hot summers, cold
winters, and variable precipitation.
Temperate Forests
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Temperate forests are forest areas with
temperate or moderate temperatures and
relatively high precipitation.
Scrub or Chaparral
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Scrub, or chaparral, is characterized by mild
winters and very dry summers.
Desert
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Desert may be found in temperate or tropical
regions.
Savannah
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Savannah is tropical grassland with trees
scattered across the landscape.
Grassland-shrub savanna characteristic of the northern Chihuahuan Desert
on the 193,000-acre Jornada Experimental Range. (Courtesy USDA)
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Tropical Rainforest
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Tropical rainforest is found in regions of the
world where temperatures are high
throughout the year and rain falls almost
daily.
Biodiversity
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Tropical rainforest - the diversity of living
organisms is very high.
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Tends to increase from the poles toward the
equator and as humidity increases
Biodiversity is the variety of life forms within
a biome or in an ecosystem.
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Review
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What is ecology?
What other disciplines besides biology does
the study of Ecology encompass?
What term describes all the communities of
living things on Earth?
What region of the earth would you find
Tundra?
What are the differences between biomes?