Transcript Ecosystem Structure & Function

Ecology
Ecology Defined
• Ecology derives from a greek word that
means “home”
• Scientifically it is the study of
interactions between organisms and
their environment.
Types of Ecology
• Organismal Ecology – focuses on individual
organisms within an environment
• Population Ecology – focuses on populations
of individual species within and environment
• Community Ecology – focuses on the
different species within a community
• Ecosystem Ecology – focuses on interactions
between community members and the abiotic
or non-living components of the ecosystem
Ecosystems Ecology
• The biosphere is the
broadest level of
ecological study and
is the sum total of all
ecosystems.
• It connects parts of
the lithosphere,
hydrosphere, and
atmosphere
Abiotic Factors
•
Non-living components of the
environment that may or may not
influence the biotic or living
components of an ecosystem
• The most important of which are the
distribution of:
1. Sunlight
2. Water
The Sun and Earth
• The distribution and
intensity of sunlight
is dependent on the
tilt of the Earth’s axis
in relation to the Sun
• Due to latitudinal
difference seasons
are apparent in
some places
Video
Seasons
• Autumnal Equinox (September)
suns rays directly over the Equator
• Winter Solstice (December)
suns rays directly over the Tropic of Capricorn
• Vernal Equinox (March)
suns rays directly over the Equator
• Summer Solstice (June)
suns rays directly over the Tropic of Cancer
Air Currents & Moisture
• Sunlight at the Equator causes warm
moist air to rise
• In the upper atmosphere this moist air
cools, condenses, and falls as rain
• 30o North and South of the Equator are
areas that are relatively dry due to the
descent of cool dry air
• This circulation is called a Hadley Cell
Hadley Cells
Ocean Currents
• Sunlight at the Equator
also causes warm water
to rise and move to the
poles
• Due to Earth’s rotation
and the resulting friction
with the air, water
circulates clockwise in
the Northern
Hemisphere.
Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Biome are terrestrial
ecosystems
characterized by the
climate (sunlight and
moisture) and the
resulting major type
vegetation
• Biomes generally
correlate with
changes in latitude
Temperature & Moisture
Gradients
Tundra
Coniferous Forest
Desert
Deciduous
Grassland
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Biome Vegetation
• Tundra Grasses, small wildflowers, cushion
plants, and lichen
• Coniferous Forest Evergreen Needle bearing
Trees
• Desert Cactus
• Grassland Grasses
• Deciduous Forest Broadleaf Trees that lose
their leaves
• Tropical Forest Broadleaf Evergreen Trees
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Saltwater – this
system is
categorized into
distinct zones
• Freshwater – can be
classified as either
flowing or standing
Pale Blue Dot