Download Organisms and Their Relationships Ecology Research Methods

2.1 and 2.2
Organisms and
Their Relationships
Section 2.1
Research Methods
· observation
surveys (direct and indirect)
radio telemetry (tracking organisms)
gather data about population size
Ecology
• Greek "oikos" = house
• study of the interactions
among living things, and
between living things and
their environment
Biosphere
• "ball of life"
• portion of Earth that supports life
• includes atmosphere, land, and ocean depths
· experimentation
lab work - controlled setting and variable,
but does not reflect organisms in the wild
field work - performed in the wild, more
accurate picture of interactions but
includes many variables
• modeling
computer and mathematical
(manipulate and control hypothetical
situations)
makes predictions based on current data
1
Which of the following statements is
FALSE?
A
B
C
D
Biotic vs. Abiotic
• biotic - living things (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria)
biodiversity - a variety of living things
Scientists study ecology using experiments,
observations, and computer models.
• abiotic - nonliving things (nutrients, temperature,
rainfall, wind, sunlight, soil)
The biosphere includes the atmosphere and
land, but NOT water environments.
determines which living things can survive in a
particular environment
determines amount of biodiversity
Ecology is the study of interactions between
organism, and organisms and their
environment.
The biosphere is the portion of earth where
life exists.
2.1 and 2.2
Work together to list as many
biotic and abiotic factors as
What are the biotic and abiotic
factors in this picture?
you can.
Levels of Organization
• organism population community ecosystem biome
• organism - simplest level (1 individual)
• population - all the members of a species that live in one
place at one time
competition for resources
availability of resources determines how big a population
can be
*includes abiotic factors
• community - different populations that live together in a
given area at the same time
forest: rabbits, bears, insects, ferns, foxes, etc.
• ecosystem - community and all the abiotic factors that
affect it
ocean: fish, plankton, algae, sun's energy, salinity,
sediment, sharks
• biome - large group of ecosystems that share the same
climate and have similar types of communities
2
Which level of organization is the first to
include abiotic factors?
A
population
B
ecosystem
C
community
D
biome
2.1 and 2.2
Ecosystem Interactions
• habitat - area where an
organism lives
habitats can change or be
destroyed
changes in habitat disrupt
species equilibrium
• niche - role/job of an
organism in its habitat
how it meets its needs for
food, shelter,
reproduction and survival
Community Interactions
• competition occurs when organisms need the same
resource at the same time
ex. water, space, mates, light
• survival of the fittest
• if resource is plentiful, competition may not exist
• predation - consuming another organism for food
predator - one who eat
prey - one who gets eaten
predator
prey
3
___ is where an organism lives, and ___
refers to an oganism's job/role.
A
niche, habitat
B
habitat, niche
C
niche, predation
D
habitat, predation
Symbiotic Relationships
• symbiosis - close relationships with other species
increases chance of survival
• mutualism - both species benefit
• commensalism - one species
benefits and the other is neither
helped nor harmed
• parasitism - one species
benefits and the other is
harmed
parasitism
Flow of Energy in
an Ecosystem
Section 2.2
mutualism
commensalism
Producers
• can make their own food
aka autotrophs
foundation of all ecosystems
• sun - main energy sources for life
on Earth
photosynthesis turns CO2 into
carbohydrates
ex. algae, plants, cyanobacteria
• inorganic substances
chemosynthesis - form carbohydrates using
chemicals as the energy source
ex. deep sea vents, hydrothermal pools, salt marshes
2.1 and 2.2
Consumers
• rely on other organisms for energy (food)
aka heterotrophs
• examples
carnivore - meat eaters
herbivore - plant eaters
omnivore - plants and animals
detritivore - plant/animal remains
decomposers - breakdown organic matter (type
of detritivore)
• specialists - picky eaters (1 or few organisms)
subject to ecological changes
• generalists - eat anything (varying diet)
1 MATA: Autotrophs
A
are also called producers
B
can make their own food
C
D
2 MATA: Consumers
are the foundation of all ecosystems
need chemicals
Food Chains
• energy flows through an ecosystem
sun/inorganic substance
A
need to eat to get their nutrients
B
include plants
C
are also called heterotrophs
D
include herbivores, carnivores, and
detritivores
autotrophs
heterotrophs
• food chain - sequence of energy flow based on
feeding relationships
producers
herbivore
carnivore
arrow always points in direction of energy transfer
triggerfish
shark NOT
shark
triggerfish
2.1 and 2.2
Food Webs
• link all the food chains in an ecosystem together
• more complex
What would happen to this food web if the arctic hare
population decreased?
Let's practice...can you identify the producers and
consumers.
Trophic Levels
• each step in a food chain or web
• energy flows up the food chain/web from lowest
trophic level to highest
3 consumers - carnivores/omnivores
2 consumers - carnivores/omnivores
1 consumers - herbivores/omnivores
producers (supplies energy for food chain/web)
• each trophic level contains less energy than the
level below it
Biomass Pyramid
• biomass - total mass of living matter at each trophic
level
• biomass pyramid - mass of living tissue in each
trophic level
Energy Pyramid
• only 10% of available energy in 1 trophic level is
passed on to the next trophic level
• rest lost as heat
2.1 and 2.2
Pyramid of Numbers
• shows # of organisms at each trophic level
3 Only 10% of available energy is passed
to the next trophic level, the rest is lost as
heat.
True
False
4 Producers are always at the bottom of a
pyramid, represent the greatest biomass
and energy in a food chain, and are the
most numerous.
True
False