Download Ecology and Succession Notes

Ecology Notes
Ecology
 Definition: Study of _______________ of organisms with
__________________ and their physical ___________________
 Ecologists study…
 ________________(count them, monitor endangered species)
 ________________(how it effects organisms and the environment)
Ecology Vocab
 ________ - an organisms ____ within its ____________
 _________ – place where a particular _______ of a _______ lives
 _____________ – many different __________ that live together in
a _______________
 _____________ – a ________________ and all of the
_____________ aspects of its habitat
Factors in an Ecosystem
 _________ – _______________
(physical) aspects of a __________
 Ex – ______, precipitation,
______, climate, temperature
 _______ – _________ aspects of
a habitat
 Ex – _________, bacteria,
animals, _______, protists
 Ex – _________ and prey
Biodiversity
 The ____________ of _____________, their genetic
_____________, and the _____________ and
_________________ in which they occur
 Necessary for an ecosystem to survive
Ecology…
 Biodiversity is all of the wide variety of __________________ that exist on Earth and the
__________________ they exist in… (_______________ + ______________ factors)
 The biotic factors (_____________) interact with each other and the _______________.
 The ______________ of organisms with each other can be shown in a __________________.
 The ______________________ relationship is an example of one of these interactions.
Producer (____________)
Producers (autotrophs) are always at the base of the chain. Producers are organisms that
______________________________________. _______________ are producers.
Consumer (____________)
Consumers are organisms that __________ make their own food. They rely on “eating” other
organisms to get their food.
Herbivores (a type of ______________)
Herbivores are animals that ______________________. A ______________ are herbivores.
Omnivores (a type of ______________)
An omnivore eats __________________________. _____________________ are omnivores.
Carnivores (a type of ______________)
Animals that _____________ are carnivores. A _________________ are carnivores.
Decomposers (a type of ______________)
A decomposer eats ________________________________
Scavengers (a type of ______________)
both a _________________________ which searches out ______________________
contributes to the __________________________of dead plants and animals
_________________________
Food chains
The ______________________________ in an ecosystem.
A food chain is the ________________________________________________________
Describe each of the following food chains…. (What’s eating what? Where is energy going?)
_____________________________
____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Energy flow
_____________major supplier of the earth’s _________________
Most of the energy released is ____________________________
Producers - Plants ______________________________________________
Primary Consumers (herbivores) - Animals that _______________________________
Secondary Consumers (carnivores) - Consumers that feed on ___________________
Tertiary Consumers (top carnivores)—consumers that feed on ___________________
Pyramid of numbers
Carnivore populations are ______________ in comparison to the rest of
the ecosystem.
They ____________________________ to sustain their lives than the
lower organisms.
The _______________________________________________ that is
transferred from trophic level to trophic level ____________________
How many trophic levels are present?
Determine the amount of useable energy for the different trophic levels.
Level 2: _________
Level 3: _________
Level 4: _________
Level 5: _________
food webs
Many food chains ________________________
The arrow always ____________________________________________ to the
_________________________________
Shows the movement of _______________________ in an ecosystem.
Ecology
 So, we have studied how organisms interact with each other in food chains/webs.
 We can also study relationships where organisms live together.
 These relationships are called _______________________ relationships.
Symbiosis—living together
Mutualism
• __________________________
Commensalism
• __________________________
Parasitism
• ___________________________
Examples: _______________________
_______________________
Examples: _______________________
_______________________
Examples: _______________________
_______________________
Ecology
 Reminder – Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and their
___________________.
 But, environments are not always _________________.
 Environments can and do __________________ over time…
Succession
 _______________ of one type of community with another
over ________
 Each _________________ changes the ________________
so that it is ______ ________________________________
Succession Vocab
 ___________ – the _______ organism to live in a new habitat
 Tend to be _________________________ plants
that can survive in _________________________
Primary Succession
 Occurs where life has ______________ before
 Ex – receding ______________, _________________________, sand dunes
Secondary Succession
 Occurs where there has been _________________________
 Ex – ________________________, forest that has been cleared
 Can happen ________________(forest fire, earthquake, hurricane,
tornado) or because of _________________(deforestation)
Succession leads to…
 A _______________________________
 What ______________ of ecosystem depends on the
___________________________________________
 Secondary succession will often _________________
___________________________________(a cleared
deciduous forest will become a deciduous forest again)
Example of Succession
Early Species
 Characterize ________________________ (ages 0 - 50 years)
 _________________ and ___________________ are crucial early colonizers of coastal dunes
 They help ________________________________and _______________________________,
trapping more sand and ____________________________________
 Important characteristics:
o _____________________________________
o _________________________________________ and rhizome systems (stabilization,
nutrient/water acquisition)
Middle Species
 Characterize ____________________________________ (55 -175 years old)
 The environment is still________ as ___________________________ levels are not very high
 ______________________ (common bearberry and juniper) and _______________________
(little bluestem) become the ______________________________
 Important characteristics:
o ___________________________________________________
o ___________________________ to water stress (evergreen leaves and/or deep roots)
Late Species
 __________________________________________________ dunes 200 years old and older
 Common species: white and red pine, white spruce, balsam fir, white cedar, and paper birch
 Species are characterized by ________________________ and _____________________
__________________, but are _________________________ and can grow ______…shade
 Species are mostly still ___________________