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Transcript
ECOLOGY: CHAPTERS 13, 14, & 15 13-1 WHAT IS ECOLOGY? Interactions and Interdependence o Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surroundings. Levels of Organization o Species group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. Example: human beings o Population groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. Example: Clements High School faculty, students, and staff o Community different populations that live together in a defined area. Example: CHS faculty, students, and staff AND the roaches that live here too! o Ecosystem collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment. Example: CHS faculty, students, staff and roaches…as well as the building, water fountains, desks, etc. o Biome group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities. Example: tropical rain forest, tundra, desert o Biosphere contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including: land, water, and atmosphere Modern Ecological Research o Observing first step in asking ecological questions. o Experimenting Used to test hypotheses. May set up an artificial environment in a laboratory to imitate and manipulate conditions that organisms would encounter in the wild. Others are conducted within natural ecosystems. o Modeling Gain insight into complex phenomena. Many consist of mathematical formulas based on data collected through observation and experimentation. Predictions made are often tested by further observations and experiments. 13-3 ENERGY IN ECOSYSTEMS Where does energy come from? o THE SUN! {Main energy source for all life on earth.} o Chemicals! Autotrophs o Auto=self; troph=feeding o Organisms that use energy from the environment to build large organic molecules needed for life (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids) o AKA: producers o Photosynthesis use light energy to convert CO2 and H2O into O2 and carbohydrates. o Chemosynthesis use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates Heterotrophs o Hetero=other; troph=feeding o Cannot harness energy directly from the physical environment. o Rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply. o AKA: consumers. o Herbivores – eat plants o Carnivores – eat animals o Omnivores – eat both plants and animals o Detritivores – feed on plant and animal remains, dead matter o Decomposers – break down/recycle organic matter 13-4 FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS Direction of Energy Flow o Flows through an ecosystem in ONE direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs and then to various heterotrophs o Energy stored by producers can be passed through an ecosystem along a food chain. o Series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten o The arrow points to where the food is going {toward the MOUTH!} o Food Web Most feeding relationships are more complex than a food chain Food webs link together all the food chains in an ecosystem o Trophic Levels Each step in a food chain or web Producers – 1st trophic level Consumers – 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. trophic levels Only 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level 13-5 CYCLING OF MATTER – SEE YOUR CYCLES BOOKLET! 13-6 PYRAMID MODELS Ecological Pyramids o Shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web. o Energy Pyramid Relative amount of energy available at each trophic level. o Biomass Pyramid Represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level. Typically, the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid. o Pyramid of Numbers Shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level. 13-2 BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS Biotic and Abiotic Factors o Ecosystems are influenced by a combination of biological and physical factors. Biotic – biological factors Abiotic – nonliving things Abiotic factors include: o temperature o wind o sunlight o rainfall o soil 14-1 HABITAT AND NICHE HABITAT o The area where an organism lives is called its habitat. A habitat includes both biotic and abiotic factors. Niche o full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. o No two species can share the same niche in the same habitat 14-2 COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS Ecological Relationships o Competition Occurs when organisms attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time. Examples of resources: water, nutrients, light, food, or space. Direct competition in nature often results in a winner and a loser—with the losing organism failing to survive. The competitive exclusion principle states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time. o Predation One organism captures and feeds on another organism The organism that does the killing and eating is called the predator, and the food organism is the prey. o Symbiosis Two species live closely together Symbiotic relationships include: Mutualism: both species benefit from the relationship Commensalism: one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed Parasitism: one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it. 14-3 AND 14-4 POPULATION GROWTH Carrying Capacity o Maximum number of individuals of a particular species that the environment can normally support o Can change when the environment changes Population Crash o Dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short period of time Factors that limit population growth o Density Dependent Affected by the number of individuals in a given area Competition, predation, parasitism, disease o Density Independent Limit a population’s growth regardless of the population’s density Natural disasters, human activity 14-5 ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION Ecological Succession o Series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time o Sometimes, an ecosystem changes in response to an abrupt disturbance. o At other times, change occurs as a more gradual response to natural fluctuations in the environment. o Primary Succession On land, occurs on surfaces where no soil exists. Example: rock surfaces formed after volcanoes erupt. The first species to populate the area are called pioneer species. o Secondary Succession Changed by natural events, such as fires. Community interactions tend to restore the ecosystem to its original condition through secondary succession. 15-2 THE ROLE OF CLIMATE What is Climate? o Weather is the day-to-day condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place. o Climate refers to the average year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region. Caused by: Trapping of heat by the atmosphere Latitude Transport of heat by winds and ocean currents Amount of precipitation Shape and elevation of landmasses Greenhouse Effect o Atmospheric gases that trap the heat energy of sunlight and maintain Earth's temperature range include: carbon dioxide methane water vapor o The natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth’s atmosphere by this layer of gases Latitude o Solar radiation strikes different parts of Earth’s surface at an angle that varies throughout the year. Equator - energy from the sun strikes Earth almost directly. North and South Poles - the sun’s rays strike Earth’s surface at a lower angle. o 3 Main Climate Zones polar, temperate, and tropical Heat Transport in the Biosphere o Unequal heating of Earth’s surface drives winds and ocean currents, which transport heat throughout the biosphere.