Transcript CB-Biosphere

ECOLOGY
The Biosphere
Intro to Ecology Movie
I.
General Info
A.
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions
of living (biotic) organisms with their non-living
(abiotic) environment.
Levels of Ecological Organization (smallest to
B.
largest)
1. Species - any organism that is able to
2.
interbreed and have fertile offspring
ex:
Populations - groups of the same species
living in the same area at the same time
ex:
3.
4.
5.
6.
Communities - groups of populations that live
together in a defined area
ex:
Ecosystem - the relationship of the community
with its nonliving environment
ex:
Biomes - ecosystems in different locations with
similar climate and communities (e.g. desert,
temperate forest, arctic, etc)
ex:
Biosphere - area on the planet where life exists
(all biomes put together)
II.
Abiotic Factors (Non-Living)
A.
Light
1.
B.
Sunlight is the main source of energy on the planet
 Why?
 Photosynthesis and heat
Air
1.
2.
3.
Air that surrounds earth is called atmosphere
Depth of life in soil is affected by oxygen
Aquatic organisms are limited by oxygen supply
C. Water
1.
Water is necessary for life. Why?
a. Cells are mostly made of water
b. Water is good for dissolving chemicals
c. Many organisms live in water
D. Temperature
1.
2.
Temperature affects an organism’s metabolism
Normal range is 32° - 122° F
E.
Climate
1.
2.
F.
An area’s weather conditions over time
Average temperature and precipitation influence
the type of life in an area (e.g. desert cactus)
Soil Conditions
1.
2.
Soils physical makeup (clay, sand, rocks, etc.)
affects organisms
Animals feed on plants, which are affected by
soil conditions
III.
A.
B.
C.
Biotic Factors (Living)
Food
Disease
Community Interactions
1. Competition - organisms of the same or
different species attempt to use an ecological
resource in the same place at the same time
2. Predation - interaction where one organism
captures and feeds on another organism

Give an example of a predator/prey relationship
3.
Symbiosis - relationship where two species live
closely together (3 main types)
a.
Mutualism – both species benefit (ex. honey bee and
flower, clown fish and sea anemone, shark and
remora)
b.
Commensalism - one organism benefits,
while the other is neither helped or harmed
(ex. barnacles and whale)
c.
Parasitism - one organism lives in or on
another (host) and harms it
(ex. mistletoe, fleas/ticks, tapeworm)
D.
Producer (autotrophs) - Any organism that
produces its own food (ex. plants and algae)
2 types:
1. Photosynthetic - organisms use sunlight to
make chemical energy in food (plants and
algae)
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
2. Chemosynthetic - organisms use chemical
bonds in inorganic compounds for energy
(performed by several types of bacteria; live in
ocean floor thermal vents, Yellowstone
hotsprings, etc.)
E.
Consumer (heterotroph) - anything that eats other
organisms because it can’t make its own food
4 Types:
1.
Herbivore - organism that eats plants
2.
Carnivore - organism that eats animals
3.
Omnivore - organism that eat both plants
and animals
4.
Decomposer - organism that breaks down
dead matter and returns its chemicals to the
earth (e.g. bacteria and fungi)
Biotic + Abiotic factors = Habitat



Habitat - species surroundings
Niche - a way of life or the role a species plays
How would you describe a coyote’s niche?
IV.
A.
Energy Flow
Energy Transfer
1. As organisms eat and in turn are eaten, they
transfer energy
2. This flow of energy begins with the sun or
inorganic compounds and travels in one
direction
sun → producers → consumers→ decomposers
 Why
3. Illustrated by a food chain, web or pyramid
B.
Food Chain
1. Series of steps in which energy is transferred as
organisms eat and are eaten
2. Always begins with a plant or algae
DRAW
C.
Food Web
1.
2.
Complex feeding relationship that links food chains
Each organism is placed in a different trophic level.
Food Chains and Webs Movie
D.

Ecological Pyramids (3 types)
Diagram that shows the relative amount of
energy or matter contained within each trophic
level in a food chain/web
1.
Energy Pyramid - only about 10% of energy
available at one trophic level is transferred to
the next.
 Remaining energy (90%) is lost as?
Biomass Pyramid – total amount of living
tissue in a given trophic level is called the
biomass.
2.

Represents the total amount of
potential food available for
each trophic level
Biomass Movie
3.
Pyramid of Numbers - based on the number
of individuals at each trophic level
Energy Flow Movie
V.
A.
A.
Cycles of Matter
The 4 most common elements found in
organisms are:
Hydrogen
H
Oxygen
O
Nitrogen
N
Carbon
C
These elements are continuously recycled
throughout the biosphere moving between
the water, air, land and organisms
1.
The Water Cycle
a. Water continuously moves between the ocean,
atmosphere, land and organisms
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Evaporation - sun heats water on land and oceans
causinge water to change from liquid to gas
Transpiration - water evaporating from the leaves of plants
Condensation - water changing from gas to liquid forming
clouds
Precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, etc.
Runoff – water from precipitation runs down mountains is
absorbed by soil or collects in bodies of water
2.
The Carbon Cycle – how C moves between the
living and non-living world
a. Key ingredient in living tissues
b. C is involved in 4 main processes
1) Photosynthesis and respiration
2) volcanic eruptions and erosion
3) decomposition of dead organisms
4) Human activities (mining, burning fossil
fuels and deforestation) release CO2 into the
air
Draw this picture
3.
a.
b.
c.
The Nitrogen Cycle
N is needed to make amino acids into proteins.
Bacteria in the soil convert ammonia (NH3) into
nitrate (NO3-), which plants can use to make
protein. This is called nitrification
Dead plants and animals or their waste is turned
back into ammonia by bacteria through a
process called ammonification
Nitrogen Cycle (DRAW)
Cycles of Matter Movie
VI. Ecological Succession
A. Succession
1.

The process by which an existing community is
gradually replaced by another one
(may take hundreds or thousands of years )
Can you give an example of succession?
B. Types of Succession
1.
Primary Succession - begins where there is no
living organisms or soil
(ex. lava flows, above the timberline or bare
rock exposed after glaciers melt)
a. Pioneer Organisms - first species to populate; help
build up the soil
(ex. lichens, grasses and mosses; help build-up the
soil)
1) Lichens are a combination of two organisms
(fungus and algae) that obtain nutrients through
Lichen
photosynthesis and by breaking down rocks
Lava flow
Primary Succession
b. Climax Community - is a somewhat stable,
permanent community
(ex. forest, desert, grassland)
Secondary Succession
2.
a.
Occurs in an established ecosystem after it is
destroyed or damaged by a disaster
(ex. fires, plowed field, clear cut forest)