Transcript Ecology -Roland part 1 - Catawba County Schools

Ecology Unit
Modified by Beth Roland
Jacobs Fork Middle School
What is Ecology?
the study of interactions between
organisms and other organisms,
organisms and their environment
Where do we fit in?
(What is our environment?)
The Biosphere!
Factors that effect us:
Abiotic Factors
A- stands for non
Bio- stands for living
Abiotic Factors=nonliving factors
Wind/Air currents
Moisture
Light
Temperature
Soil
2. Biotic Factors:
Biotic-
factors
Living
What is the organization of
Ecological Study?
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Levels of Organization

Individual- one
organism (living)

Ex a moose
Levels of Organization

Population- groups
of individuals that
belong to the same
species and live in
the same area.
(living-living same
species)

Ex many moose
Levels of Organization

Community- groups of
different populations
(more than one
population or different
groups of species)
Ex many groups of
moose beavers, trees,
grass (all living)
Levels of Organization

Ecosystem- all
organisms in a
particular area
along with the
nonliving. (living
and nonliving)
Ex many groups of
moose beavers,
trees, grass, rocks,
water, mountains
Levels of Organization

Biome- group of
ecosystems that have
the same climate and
similar dominant
communities

Biomes: tropical rain forest,
tropical dry forest, tropical
savannah, temperate
grassland, desert, temperate
woodland and shrubland,
temperate forest,
northwestern coniferous
forest, boreal forest (taiga),
tundra, mountains and ice
caps
Levels of Organization

Biosphere- all of
the planet where
life exists,
includes land,
water, and, air

Life extends 8
km up and 11 km
below the
surface
IN AN ECOSYSTEM:
Organisms live in a Habitat
Organisms fit into a Niche of
the environment
Habitat vs. Niche


Habitat- an area where an organism lives
Niche- an organisms role in its environment
– The Long Version  full range of physical and
biological conditions in which an organism lives
and the way in which the organism uses those
conditions. Includes where in the food chain it is,
where an organism feeds

Habitat is like an address in an ecosystem
and a niche is like an occupation in an
ecosystem.
Community
Interactions

when organisms live together in an ecological
community they interact constantly.

Three types of interactions
– Competition
– Predation
– Symbiosis
Competition- competing
for resources



occurs due to a limited
number of resources
Resource- any
necessity of life. water,
nutrients, light, food.
Competitive
exclusion principleno two species can
occupy the same niche
in the same habitat at
the same time
Predation



Predation- when
an organism
captures and feeds
on another
organism.
Predator- hunter
Prey- hunted
Symbiosis

Symbiosis- any relationship where
two species live closely together. (3
types)
– Mutualism
– Commensalism
– Parasitism
Symbiosis

Mutualism- both
species benefit
from a relationship.

Lichens (fungus
and Algae)
One example is the lichens, little non-descript patches of stuff you see growing on rocks and tree bark. This is a symbiosis,
consisting of a fungus and an alga. The fungus provides a protective home for the algae, and gathers mineral nutrients from
rainwater and from dissolving the rock underneath. The alga gathers energy from the sun. There are thousands of species of
lichen in the world; actually thousands of species of fungi with just a few species of algae which can form a partnership with
almost any of them.
Symbiosis

Commensalism – One
member of a symbiotic
relationship benefits and
the other is neither
helped or harmed

Ex. Holes used by
bluebirds in a tree were
chiseled out by
woodpeckers after it has
been abandoned .
Symbiosis


Parasitism- One
creature benefits
and one creature is
harmed
Ex tapeworm.
Feeds in a humans
intestines absorbing
his/her nutrients.
Relationships: Symbiosis = Living Together
a) commensalism
b) mutualism
c) parasitism
Identify these relationships
Energy Flow (Trophic
Levels)

Producers- make
their own food

Consumers- get
energy from
consuming
producers
Producers


Producers- capture
energy from
sunlight or
chemicals and use
the energy to
produce food.
Producers are
autotrophs- they
make food from
their environment
2 main types of
autotrophs

One type gets
energy from the
sun-by
photosynthesis

Another type gets
energy without
light- by
chemosynthesis
Consumers

Consumers are
heterotrophs- get
energy from other
organisms
Types of Consumers




Herbivores- eat only plants
Carnivores- eat animals
Omnivores- eat both plants and
animals
Detritivores- eat dead matter (plants
and animals)
Feeding Relationships

Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction
from:
–
–
–
–
1. the sun or inorganic compounds
2. To autotrophs (producers)
3. To heterotrophs (consumers)
Decomposers get energy from decomposing dead
organisms
Food Chain- a series of steps in which organisms
transfer energy by eating or being eaten.
Food Web- A network of
feeding relationships.
(More realistic that a food
chain)
Food Web
They can
become
very
complex!
Trophic levels

Each step in a food
chain or a food web is
called a trophic level.
– Producers are the first
trophic level
– Consumers are the
second, third, or higher
trophic level

Each trophic level
depends on the one
below for energy
Energy Pyramid


Only part of the energy
stored in one level can
be passed to the nextmost energy is
consumed for life
processes (respiration,
movement, etc., and
heat is given off)
Only 10% of the
energy available within
one trophic level is
transferred to
organisms in the next
trophic level
Biomass Pyramid


Biomass- the total
amount of living
tissue within a
given trophic level.
A biomass pyramid
represents the
amount of potential
food available for
each trophic level in
an ecosystem.
Energy Losses

Energy transfers are never 100 percent
efficient

Some energy is lost at each step

Limits the number of trophic levels in an
ecosystem

Energy flow is a one way path! (not a cycle)
All Heat in the End

At each trophic level, the bulk of the
energy received from the previous
level is used in metabolism

This energy is released as heat energy
and lost to the ecosystem

Eventually, all energy is released as
heat