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Ecology Review
Ms. Panno and Mr. Libretto
June 8th and 9th
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What is Ecology?
 Ecology - the study of interactions between
organisms and their environment.
 This includes: abiotic (nonliving) and biotic
(living) things.
 Abiotic – water, space, air, warmth, sunlight
 Biotic – food, mates
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Types of Interactions Ecology
Studies
1. Competition - when a resource is
scarce, only those the best at getting it
will survive.
2. Food Chains – Diagrams showing the
feeding relationships in an ecosystem
(who eats who).
3. Predator/Prey Relationship – Some
animals hunt others for food.
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Types of Interactions Ecology
Studies
4. Symbiotic Relationships – Organisms
work together to survive.
5. Nutrient Recycling – The raw materials
life needs to survive are reused by the
ecosystem.
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Parts of the Biosphere
1. Species – a group of organisms that can
reproduce (Ex – humans).
2. Population – The number of a species in a
given area (Ex – all the humans living in Deer
Park).
3. Community – All the species in a given area (Ex
– the humans, trees, grasses, bacteria, squirrels,
mice….. Living in Deer Park.)
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Parts of the Biosphere
4. Ecosystem – The community and all the
nonliving things in an area (Ex – all the
plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and
protists, plus the air, water, and climate of
Deer Park).
5. Biosphere – The area on the Earth that
supports life (includes the bottom of the
oceans to the upper atmosphere).
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Parts of the Ecosystem
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Competition
 Since resources will eventually run out, organisms
have to compete for it.
 Can be between members of the same species
(Ex – Polar Bears have to compete for fish to eat).
 Can be between members of a different species
(Ex – a robin and a woodpecker might compete
over a tree to build a nest in.)
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Niche
 Niche – the role an organism plays in the
environment (Ex – The Great White Shark is
the top consumer in some marine
ecosystems.)
 If two organisms occupy the same niche
they will compete for resources until one
species is forced out.
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Carrying Capacity
 The maximum number of individuals an
ecosystem can support is the carrying
capacity.
 Once the carrying capacity is met, limiting
factors (such as space, food, shelter) keeps
the population size near this carrying
capacity.
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Carrying Capacity
# Of Individuals
Time
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Predator – Prey Relationships
Predators Can Control the Prey Population
 Predators help control the prey population
(Since there are few predators of Deer left in
New York State, their population size is out
of control).
 If there are no natural predators the prey
become overpopulated.
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Predator – Prey Relationships
Prey Populations Can Control the Size of
Predator Populations
 If there are few prey in an area, a small
number of predators can survive.
 If there are many prey in an area, more
predators can survive.
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Predator-Prey Relationships
The Predators and Prey May Have No
Relationship
 If the predators rely on many sources of
food, one disappearing may have little effect
(Ex – If cows go extinct we might have to
eat more chicken, but humans would still
survive.)
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Predator-Prey Relationship
Example
Moose
Wolves
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Food Chains
Parts of the Food Chain
1. Producers – (Autotrophs) make their
own food from abiotic factors (Ex –
Green plants make glucose by
photosynthesis.)
2. Herbivores – Consumers that eat only
plants. (Ex – rabbits eat crops and other
plants)
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Food Chains
3. Carnivores – Eat only other consumers
(Ex – lion).
4. Omnivores – Eat plants and animals (Ex –
Humans).
5. Detrivores – (Decomposers) Feed off of
and break down dead organisms. These
are usually bacteria and fungi.
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Food Webs
Food Webs show all of the overlapping food
chains in an ecosystem.
Arrows
always
point
towards the
consumer –
this shows
the flow of
energy.
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Food Pyramid Relationships




Pyramid of Energy
Show the amount of energy available at each
step of a food chain.
Each level of the pyramid is called a Trophic
Level.
The organisms at the first trophic level have the
most energy.
The amount of energy decreases as you go up
the pyramid, since it is used for the life
functions.
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Energy Pyramid
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Food Pyramid Relationships
Biomass Pyramid
 Measures the amount of material at each
trophic level.
 Like the Energy Pyramid, the larges
biomass is at the base (producers) and it
decreases as you move up the pyramid.
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Biomass Pyramid
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Food Pyramid Relationships
Pyramid of Population Size
 The third pyramid shows the number of
individuals at each trophic level.
 Life the other two pyramids, the largest
population is at the base (producers) and
decreases as you move up the pyramid.
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Pyramid of Population Size
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Summary of the Pyramid
Relationships
Energy Pyramid
Shows the relative amount of energy
available at each trophic level. Organisms
use about 10 percent of this energy for
life processes. The rest is lost as heat.
Pyramid of Numbers
Shows the relative number
of individual organisms at
each trophic level.
Biomass Pyramid
Represents the amount of
living organic matter at each
trophic level. Typically, the
greatest biomass is at the
base of the pyramid.
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Biological Magnification
 If a poison is introduced into an
ecosystem, it will affect each level of the
food chain more severely.
 Each level of the food chain will have
more individuals affected.
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Biological Magnification
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Symbiotic Relationships
Organisms can interact in three main ways:
1. Mutualism – Both species benefit (Ex – E.Coli in
our Large Intestine and Humans.)
2. Commensalism –One species benefits and the
other is not affected (Ex – Barnacles living on a
whale.
3. Parasitism – One species benefits (parasite)
and the other is harmed (host). (Ex –Tapeworms
and humans.)
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Nutrient Recycling

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Water Cycle - Earth’s water supply is
constantly recycled throughout the biosphere:
Evaporation – water vapor leaves the
oceans and joins the atmosphere.
Transpiration – water vapor evaporates off
of plant leaves.
Condensation – water vapor in the
atmosphere forms clouds.
Precipitation – water vapor in the
atmosphere falls to the ground (rain.)
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Nutrient Recycling
CO2 and O2 Cycle
 Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
work together to recycle carbon dioxide
and oxygen in the atmosphere.
 Photosynthesis – in plants, uses up CO2
and produces O2 as a waste.
 Cellular Respiration – in consumers,
uses O2 and produces CO2 as a waste.
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Nutrient Recycling
Nitrogen Cycle
 The Nitrogen in the atmosphere is made
usable for living things through Nitrogen
Fixation.
 Plants use this nitrogen in the soil to make
protein. This is assimilation.
 Once the plants and organisms that eat the
plants die, decomposers break down the
remains and return the nitrogen to the soil
and the atmosphere.
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Ecological Succession
 As organisms live in a given area, they
change their environment.
 As the environment changes, so do the
organisms that can live there.
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Ecological Succession
 Primary Succession – a pioneer
organism first grows on a bare rock
surface (Ex – Hawaiian Islands)
 Secondary Succession – after a
disaster (fire, drought) succession begins
again at an intermediate stage (Ex – Pine
Barrens of Long Island).
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Human Effects on the
Environment
Negative Effects:
1. Urbanization
2. Industrialization
3. Agriculture
4. Exploitation of Wildlife
5. Deforestation
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Greenhouse Effect
Carbon Dioxide and
other Greenhouse gases
trap the suns energy in
our atmosphere to keep
the earth within a range
of suitable temperatures
for the survival of the
present organisms
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Global Warming
 By burning fossil fuels (use of automobiles,
electricity, home heating) carbon dioxide is
released as a waste gas.
 At the same time we are cutting down trees
which would have used up the Carbon
Dioxide.
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Global Warming
 As a result, Carbon Dioxide
levels increase, trapping
MUCH MORE heat from
the sun and gradually
causing the Earth to warm
up.
 Global Warming could
cause sea level to rise,
habitats to be destroyed,
draught, and mass
extinction.
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Acid Rain
 Air pollution in the atmosphere combines
with rain water, lowering the pH of the rain.
 The resulting acid rain damages freshwater
ecosystems, and there is evidence linking it
to extinctions of many amphibian species.
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Ozone Layer Depletion
 The ozone layer is part of the upper
atmosphere and blocks harmful rays of the sun.
 The release of CFC’s from aerosol cans and
other sources of air pollution interact with the
atmosphere and deplete the ozone layer.
 If the ozone layer is destroyed, harmful rays
from the sun would cause catastrophic
mutations and would threaten all life on Earth.
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Positive Human Influences
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Conservation of Resources
Recycling
Pollution Controls
Decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels.
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