Transcript Powerpoint to Ecology Notes

BIOLOGY
What is this class I am taking???
BIOLOGY-STUDY OF LIFE
 Biology
deals
predominantly
with living
things…but
what exactly
defines life???
6 CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE
 All
organisms are composed of
cells.
 All organisms are highly organized
 All organisms respond/or and adapt
to their environment.
6 CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE
 All
organisms use energy.
 All organisms must have the ability
to reproduce
 All organisms must grow, develop,
and maintain.
ALL LIVING THINGS ARE
CALLED ORGANISMS.
Organisms are usually grouped by
the similarities they share and the
fact that they can reproduce
fertile offspring. These organisms
are called SPECIES.
Level of Complexity.
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Molecules
Cells
Tissue
Organs
Systems
Organisms
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Biosphere
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Biosphere contains the
combined portions of
the planet in which all
life exists, including
land, water, and air, or
atmosphere.
It extends from about 8
kilometers above
Earths’ surface to as far
as 11 kilometers below
the surface of the
ocean.
ECOLOGY/INTERACTION

ECOLOGY- The scientific study of
interactions between organisms and
their environment.
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Every organism is connected in some
way to many other organisms and the
connections/interactions occur between
living and non-living parts of the world.
STABILITY
For an ecosystem to be stable AND
self-sustaining, there must be:
 a constant source of energy
 a cycle of materials between
living organisms in the ecosystem
& the environment
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Factors
BIOTIC FACTORS - living things 
6 characteristics of living things
(could be 5-8)
 ABIOTIC FACTORS - nonliving
things that determine what types
of organisms can live in a
particular environment
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Energy Flow
Without a constant input of energy,
living systems cannot function.
 Sunlight is the main energy source for
life on Earth
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AUTOTROPHS
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AKA- Producers
An organisms that has
the ability to make
its own food. It
uses energy from
the sun to do this
AUTOTROPHS

They harvest
energy from the
sun through a
process called
photosynthesis.
HETEROTROPHS

AKA- Consumer
An organism that
does NOT have the
ability to make its
own food.
Herbivores
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A herbivore is an
animal that eats
only producers
(plants)
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Ex: Deer, Cow, and
horses.
CARNIVORE
A carnivore is
a meat eater
Ex: Alligator and
lion
OMNIVORE
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A Omnivore is
both a plant and
meat eater.
Ex: Humans and
bears
SCAVENGERS
SCAVENGERS
Feed on dead and
decay animal tissue.
Examples: Buzzard,
Vulture, and
Opossum
SCAVENGERS…AKA…
DETRITIVORES
Detritiviores
Feed on plant and
animal remains and
other d3eat matter.
Mites, Earthworms,
snails, and crabs.
Decomposer
Decomposers
they turn dead
decaying tissue into
useable nutrients.
Ex: Bacteria and
Fungi
INDIVIDUAL
 An
individual is
one member of
one species
POPULATIONS
A population is
several
members of the
same species.
COMMUNITY

A Community
includes several
species living
together in the
same area at the
same time.
Ecosystem
 All
the
organisms
living in an
area and the
nonliving
features of
their
environment
Biome
A
biome is a
group of
ecosystems
that have the
same climate
and similar
dominant
communities.
HABITAT
 The
actual
place an
organism
lives.
NICHE
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An organisms place and function in
an environment.
– Physical location.
– Trophic level.
– Limit and tolerance for environmental
factors.
– Relationship to other organisms.
SYMBIOSIS
 SYMBIOSIS-
The relationship
between two organisms that live in
close association with one another.
o
Parasitism, Mutualism,
Commensalism
PARASITISM
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Parasitism
Where one organism will
benefit at the expense
of another.
Ex:
• Tapeworm/Human
PARASITISM
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Parasitism
Where one organism will
benefit at the expense
of another.
Ex:
• Wasp/Caterpillars..Tiny
parasitic wasps, lay
their eggs inside of
caterpillars. The was
larvae literally eat the
caterpillars alive as both
animals mature
MUTUALISM
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Relationship where
both organisms will
benefit.
Ex:. The bulls horn acacia
has special enlarged thorns
that house colonies of ants.
The acacia’s nectar attract
the ants, which use it as
their major food source. In
return, the ants protect the
acacia from being eaten by
caterpillars and other
herbivourous insects.
MUTUALISM
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Aphids are small, soft-bodied, near defenseless insects that feed on plant sap..
Plant sap, a combination of water and sugars, is low in other nutrients, however,
and the aphid must process a great deal of plant sap in order to get the amino
acids and other nutrients it needs. Most of the sugars and water, therefore, are
excreted as waste through a pair of structures called cornicles located near the
rearend of the insect. If you own a car and have parked it under a tree during
the summer, the sticky sap you find on the car is likely to be the waste plant sap
produced by aphids.
Some ant species use this excess plant sap for their own nutrition. Ants find a
colony of aphids and milk the waste plant sap from the cornicles. In return the
ants protect the aphids from predators and parasites. In some cases ants tend
colonies almost like ranchers with their cattle, not only protecting the aphids,
but moving them around from plant to plant.
In the photograph to the left a group of ants are tending a colony of aphids (the
almost invisible gray spots) living on a weedy plant species.
MUTUALISM
The mutualistic relationship is
clear. The birds and mammals
derive a food benefit by eating
the berries and fruits. The plant,
in turn, disperses it seeds.
COMMENSALISM
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The relationship where
one organism benefits
and the other organism
is neither hurt nor
helped.
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EX: Egrets and cattle.
Egrets can eat up to
100 insects an
hour…wow!!
COMMENSALISM
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Certain types of
barnacles attach to
whales and obtain a free
ride as the whale swims.
Since barnacles rely on
currents to bring them
food that they can filter
out of the water,
movement by the whale
greatly benefits the
barnacles. Because of
the whale's movements,
the barnacles are always
in a new environment
with a new supply of
food. The whale,
however, does not
appear to be helped or
harmed by this
COMMENSALISM
Succession
 Natural,
gradual changes in the
types of species that live in an
area; can be primary or secondary.
–Primary – begins in a place
without soil
–Secondary – where soil already
exists
Succession
Succession
 Primary
– begins in a place
without soil
Succession
–Secondary – where soil already
exists
Pioneer Species
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A group of
organisms, such
as lichens, found
in the primary
stage of
succession and
that begin an
area's soilbuilding process
Climax Community
A
community
that has
reached a
stable stage
of ecological
succession
MATTER AND ENERGY ARE
CONSTANTLY MOVING THROUGH
OUR ECOSYSTEM
 Matter
cannot
be created nor
destroyed it
must be
recycled
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Energy can be
replaced and is
by the sun
which is our
constant source
of energy.
ENERGY
Energy flows through an ecosystem in
one direction, from the sun to
autotrophs and then to various
heterotrophs.
 An energy pyramid can be used to
illustrate how much energy, biomass, or
raw number of individuals are available
at each trophic level.
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Energy Pyramids

PYRAMID OF ENERGY (ecological pyramid)
– diagram used to show the flow of the
amount of available energy in an ecosystem.
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Each level of the pyramids are called
TROPHIC LEVELS (1-4)

BIOMASS- The total mass of organic matter
at each trophic level
ENERGY FLOW
 only
about 10% of energy is
passed up the pyramid.
 90%
is loss to Life Process
(survival, maintenance
reproducing, some is loss to heat.)
Energy Pyramid
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Greatest amt. of energy is at the base of the
pyramid.
Least amt. of energy is at the top of the
pyramid,.
Producers are found at the base of all
pyramids.
Energy decreases sharply so there are usually
no more than 4 or 5 feeding levels in an
ecosystem.
Energy Pyramid
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Producers are found at the base of all
pyramids.
Primary consumers/herbivores are on the 2nd
Trophic Level.
Secondary consumers and
omnivores/carnivores are found on the 3rd
Trophic level.
Teritary Consumer (aka top consumers) are
found at the top of the pyramid. Usually
carnivores but you could use a scavenger or
decomposer if you wish.
Energy Pyramid
ENERGY PYRMIDS
ENERGY PYRMIDS
FOOD CHAINS
A
1.
FOOD CHAIN-
is an illustration
of how energy
moves from one
organism to
another
crab spider (secondary
consumer)
green plant
caterpillar
(primary
consumer)
heron (top carnivore)
frog (tertiary
consumer)
FOOD WEB
 FOOD
WEB
several
interconnected
food chains.
FOOD WEB
 FOOD
WEB
Antarctica food
web.