Transcript Ecology - Scanlin350

Levels of ecological
organization
Human Activity that changes
Abiotic and Biotic Factors
Cold Snowy Weather
Unit 3: Ecology
What is Ecology?
The scientific study of the interactions
among organisms and between their
environments.
Where do we fit in?
What is our environment?
The Biosphere
What is the organization of
Ecological Study?
Individual
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biome
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
Factors that affect an
ecosystem
Biotic – Living or once living
Abiotic – Never living
Biotic Factors
Living factors of an ecosystem
All plant and animal life
Includes even microscopic organisms
Abiotic factors
Any non-living factor of an ecosystem
List the abiotic and biotic factors found in:
Ecosystem: School
Ecosystem: pond
Please provide your own example
Ecosystem:
Biotic Factors:
Abiotic Factors:
Is it biotic or abiotic?
Birth rate?
Predator / prey relationship?
Soil?
Decomposing matter?
Temperature?
Wind?
Disease?
List 3 biotic things and 3 biotic things
-- ecological pyramid drawing-pick one
organism to begin
Your pyramid must include :
Label all 6 levels
Include a drawing for each
level
And a brief description of
each picture/level
DUE TOMORROW
Carrying Capacity
The size of the population that an
environment can support with its
resources
• This is created by
the interaction
of many different
factors, both
biotic & abiotic
Carrying Capacity Graph
This is the
generic carrying
capacity graph
Each peak
represents too
many
Each trough
represents lower
than supported
Inquiry Activity
Use the smartboard activity to
figure out how carrying capacity is
determined
Limiting Factors
Any condition that limits growth
of a population
Can be biotic or abiotic
Surplus population
is reduced by
limiting factors
Habitat & Niche
Habitat – where an organism lives
in an ecosystem
Niche – The role of an organism in
its habitat
Think of habitat like the address
where an organisms lives and niche
as the job that an organism does
Ecosystem Interactions
(Biotic)
When organisms live and interact in
a community
3 basic types
Competition – organisms fight for limited
supplies
Predation – one organism hunts and eats
another
Symbiosis – 2 organisms live closely together
(usually one directly impacts the other)
Competition
Organisms fight for survival
due to limited resources
Resource - anything used to keep
an organism alive
Food, water, shelter, etc…
Competitive exclusion
principle
No 2 species can occupy the
same niche in the same habitat
at the same time
Interspecific competition
Competition between species
2 or more species compete for the same
limited resources
Food sources
Shelter
Water source
Intraspecific Competition
Competition within a species
2 or more members of a species competes
for limited resources
Food
Water
Shelter
Mates
Social hierarchy
Critical thinking activity
Think, Pair, Share
Do humans engage in interspecific
competition? How?
Do humans engage in intraspecific
competition? How?
Predation
Predator / Prey relationship
Predator – organism that hunts and eats
another organism
Prey – organism that is hunted and eaten
by another organism
• How is the predator
a limiting factor on
the prey population?
• How is the prey
population a limiting
factor on the
predator population?
Symbiosis
3 main types
Mutualism – both species benefit
Commensalism – one benefits, the other
is unharmed
Parasitism – one benefits, the other is
harmed
Mutualism
Lichens
Made of a mutualistic relationship
between fungus and algae
Fungus provides home and some nutrients
Algae provides energy through
photosynthesis
This patch is
the lichen
Commensalism
Bluebird holes
Bluebirds use woodpecker
holes made in trees after
they are done looking for
food in them
Bluebirds get a free home
Woodpeckers are neither
helped nor hurt by the
bluebirds using their old
holes
Parasitism
Tapeworm
Tapeworms live in the
intestine and absorb
the nutrients instead
of the host
The parasite harms the
host by stealing
nutrients
Identify the relationship
Think, Pair, Share
Identify the following relationships…
2)
1)
3)