Download Ecology

Ecology
The Biosphere
Ecosystems and Communities
Biosphere
Human Interactions
Levels of Organization
• Individual organism – first level of organization
• Species – group of organisms that can breed and
produce fertile offspring
• Population – members of the same species that live
in the same area
• Community – different populations living in a defined
area
• Ecosystem – all organisms living in a particular place
along with the nonliving environment
• Biome – a group of ecosystems with the same
climate and similar dominant communities
• Biosphere – the Earth
Levels of Organization
Energy Flow
• Sunlight is the main energy source for life
on Earth
• Autotrophs/Producers – organisms that
use energy from sunlight or chemicals to
produce food
• Photosynthesis – process of using light
energy to create bonds in glucose
• Chemosynthesis – process of using
chemicals to produce carbohydrates
Energy Flow
Energy Flow
• Heterotrophs/Consumers – organisms that rely on
other organisms for their energy and food supply
• Herbivores – organisms that obtain energy by eating
only plants
• Carnivores – organisms that obtain energy from
eating only animals
• Omnivores – organisms that obtain energy from
eating plants and animals
• Detritivores – organisms that obtain energy from
eating plant and animal remains and other dead
matter
• Decomposers – organisms that obtain energy from
breaking down organic matter
Feeding Relationships
• Food chain – a series of steps in which
organisms transfer energy be eating and
being eaten
• Food web – a network of complex
interactions among feeding relationships
between various organisms in an
ecosystem
• Trophic level – each step in a food chain
or food web
Feeding Relationships
• Predation – a relationship in which one
species eats another species
• Camouflage – the colors or patterns on
animals that help them hide in their
surroundings
Feeding Relationships
• Symbiosis – a relationship in which two
different species live in close association
• Parasitism – a symbiotic relationship in
which one organism feeds off another
organisms
• Host – an organism that is food for a
parasite
Feeding Relationships
• Mutualism – a symbiotic relationship in
which both organisms benefit
• Commensalism – a symbiotic relationship
in which one organism benefits and the
other is not affected
Feeding Relationships
Ecological Pyramids
• Energy pyramid – energy stored in on
level is passed on to the next; only about
10 percent of the energy available within
one tropic level is tranfered to organisms
at the next trophic level
• Biomass pyramid – total amount living
tissue within a given trophic level
• Number pyramid – number of individual
organisms at each trophic level
Ecological Pyramids
Ecological Pyramids
The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle
• Evaporation – the process by which water changes
from liquid form to an atmospheric gas
• Transpiration – the process by which water
evaporates from the leaves of plants
• Precipitation – water falling from the atmosphere in
the form of rain or snow
• Condensation – the process by which water
changes from atmospheric gas to liquid form
• Run-off – water moving along the surface of the
Earth
• Seepage – water being absorbed by the soil
• Root uptake – water being absorbed by plants
The Carbon Cycle
The Carbon Cycle
• Photosynthesis – process of converting
CO2 into glucose
• Respiration – process of converting
glucose into CO2
• Decomposition/Deposition – process of
returning carbon compounds to soil
• Volcanic activity – puts CO2 into
atmosphere from interior of Earth
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen fixation – bacteria converting
nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into
ammonia
• Denitrification – soil bacteria convert
nitrates into nitrogen gas
• Ammonium – a nitrogen-containing
compound used to cycle nitrogen into an
ecosystem
• Nitrate – a nitrogen-containing compound
used directly by plants
Climate
• Climate – the average, year-after-year
conditions of temperature and precipitation in a
particular region
• Weather – day-to-day condition of Earth’s
atmosphere at a particular time and place
• The Greenhouse Effect – Carbon dioxide,
methane, water vapor, and a few other
atmospheric gases trap heat energy and
maintain Earth’s temperature range.
Climate
• As a result of the differences in latitude
and angle of heating, Earth has three main
climate zones, polar, temperate and
tropical.
Heat Transport
• Unequal heating of the Earth drives wind
currents. Warm air currents rise, while
cold air currents sink.
• Also, unequal heating causes ocean
currents. Warm ocean currents rise, while
cold ocean currents sink.
• Landmasses affect the movement of wind
and ocean currents.
Heat Transfer
Biomes
• Terrestrial – having to do with the Earth
• Tropical forest – a terrestrial biome with
many trees and organisms
• Savanna – a terrestrial biome with grasses
and grazing animals
• Desert – a very dry terrestrial biome
• Chaparral – a terrestrial biome with many
shrubs
Biome
• Temperate grassland – a terrestrial biome
with fertile soil and tall grasses
• Temperate deciduous forest – a terrestrial
biome with wet forests that change activity
during the winter
• Coniferous forest – a dry, cold terrestrial
biome with cone-bearing trees
• Tundra – a cold, dry terrestrial biome with
shrubs and small trees
• Permafrost – permanently frozen soil
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Freshwater wetlands: water covers the
soil or is present at or near the surface of
the soil for part of the year. Examples:
bogs, marshes, and swamps.
• Estuaries: formed where rivers meet the
seas. Detritus: tiny pieces of organic
material
• Salt marshes (temperate-zone) and
mangrove swamps (tropical-zone)
Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Photic zone – well-lit upper layer
• Aphotic zone – permanently dark
• Intertidal zone – submerged in water and
exposed to atmosphere
• Coastal ocean – low tide mark to the end
of continental shelf
• Coral reefs – named for coral animals
whose hard, calcium carbonate skeleton
make up their structure
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Determined by the depth, flow,
temperature and chemistry of the overlying
water.
• Freshwater: Flowing water and standing
water
– Flowing water: rivers, streams, creeks, and
brooks that flow over land
– Standing water: lakes and ponds containing
free-floating organisms (plankton)
Populations
• Population density – the number of
individuals in a population in a particular
area
• Sample – a part that represents an entire
population
• Stability –the ability of a community to
resist change
• Niche – the role an organism plays in the
community
Populations
• Growth rate – the amount by which a
population’s size changes in a given time
• Carrying capacity – the largest density an
ecosystem can support for a particular
population
• Density-dependent factor – a factor related to
the density of a population that affects
population size
• Density-independent factor – a factor that
affects population size, but does not depend
on the population density
Populations
• Competition – when organisms try to use
the same resources
• Immigrate – to move into a population
• Emigrate – to leave a population
• Boom-bust cycle – a period in which the
densities of populations increase or
decrease at the same time
Populations
• Uniform – when a population spreads out
evenly through an ecosystem
• Clumped – when a population spreads out
in small groups through an ecosystem
• Random – when a population has no order
as to how it is distribution through an
ecosystem
Ecological Succession
• Ecosystems are constantly changing in
response to natural and human
disturbances. As an ecosystem changes,
older inhabitants gradually die out and
new organisms move in, causing further
changes in the community.
• Pioneer species – first species to populate
the area.
Ecological Succession
Human Impact
• Most populations eventually reach carrying
capacity in their ecosystems.
• However, humans do not follow this pattern.
When food or space becomes limited,
humans find other resources to meet their
needs. Scientists do not know the carrying
capacity for humans.
• Currently, the population of the world is 6
billion. To meet their needs, humans at times
harm or damage other organisms in their
ecosystems.
Human Impact
• As humans go through their daily lives,
they produce a large amount of trash and
waste.
• Waste products are often disposed of in
certain areas that were once habitats.
• Humans do not use some of these areas.
However, they litter the land and water
around them. This trash can harm or kill
other organisms.
Human Impact
• Pollution – anything added to the
environment that is harmful to living things
• Chemical runoff – the chemical waste
produced on land that enters water
sources
• Eutrophication – a process in which
chemical runoff causes algae growth that
chokes out other organisms in a water
ecosystem
Human Impact
• Acid rain – rain that is caused by pollution
and is harmful to organisms because it is
acidic
Human Impact
• Greenhouse effect – the warming of the
atmosphere because of trapped heat
energy from the sun
• Ozone – a form of oxygen
• Solar energy enters the atmosphere.
However, instead of reflecting back into
space, greenhouse gases trap the energy
in the atmosphere. This causes overall
global warming.
Human Impact
• Land development – the changes people
make to natural land so it becomes land
for farming or living space
• Deforestation – the removal of forest
ecosystems for land development
Human Impact
• Introduced species – a species taken from
its natural ecosystem and placed in
another ecosystem
• Examples: Kudzu, snakehead fish
Human Impact
• Conservation biology – the science of
using ecological information to help reduce
damage to the environment
• Landfill – an area where trash is collected
and stored
• Recycling – using waste products to
create new products
• Emission – a chemical waste given off as
has
Human Impact
• Reserve – a protected area that cannot bu
used for building or growth
• Landscape ecology – using ecological
information to help balance human and
environmental needs
• Protecting ecosystems helps protect
species that live in them. Hunting seasons
are times when certain animals can be
hunted or fished.
Human Impact
• Endangered species have only a small
number of individuals. Most countries
have laws that protect the species on the
endangered species list.
• Recovery plan – a plan using scientific
knowledge to help bring endangered
species back from possible extinction
• Biodiversity – total of all life on Earth
Human Impact
• Geology – the study of the nonliving parts
of the Earth
• Biogeology – the study of the interaction
between living and nonliving parts of the
environment
• Engineering – the use of math and science
to create methods and machines to help
solve problems or make life better
• Engineer – person who works in
engineering
Human Impact
• Technology – any device, machine, or
method designed to solve a human problem
or question
• Medical technology – any technology
designed to solve a medical problem
• Patents – a government notice of ownership
for a piece of technology
• Scientific journal – a scientific magazine
• The goal of scientists is to understand the
natural world and solve problems to make life
better.