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Unit 1 Interactions and Ecosystems What is an Ecosystem? • the interaction between living and non-living things in a particular environment • or the interactions between the biotic and abiotic ecosystems are often too large and connected to observe, so scientists study aspects of ecosystems Come up with as many parts to the ecosystem in the following pictures Desert Ecosystem Salt Water Fish Tank Boreal-Forest Ecosystem How do we deal with the complexity of ecosystems? We study chunks at a time Food chains, webs Niches Quadrant studies Symbiotic relationships Pollution Individual organisms Etc. Latin Lesson What does bio mean? Life When you put an “a” in front of word what does it do the word? Makes it a negative So what does biotic mean? Living What does abiotic mean? Non-living What is Ecology? Ecology is the study of the relationship between living organisms and their environment What is an ecologist? A person who studies ecology, studying the relationship between the abiotic and biotic Ecology Examples The swift fox is an animal native to Alberta that has almost gone extinct, ecologists study the swift fox to answer questions like: what do they eat? where do they live? how do they raise their young? why would they ask these questions? How do you know something is alive? On Earth all living things are made up of: CELLS Cells are a special CHEMICAL makeup of mainly: Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Oxygen All living things have needs A habitat – a place to live Food – plants make food, animals eat it Water – all living things need water Gas exchange – all living things need to breathe Reproduce – continue the species Roles of Organisms •biotic: •living part of an ecosystem •abiotic: •non-living part of an ecosystem •niche: •the role of an organism •organisms can have several niches 2 Main Roles of Organisms producers make food energy for themselves also called autotrophs consumers anything that doesn’t make its own food also called heterotrophs Consumers Can be divided into 3 groups, herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores: 1) herbivores – eat producers 2) carnivores – eat other consumers 3) omnivores – eat both producers and consumers Carnivores Predators – kill and eat other animals Prey – animal being eaten by a predator Name the Niche Game Consumer Herbivore Producer Phytoplankton Consumer Omnivore Producer Predator - bird Prey - fish Can you define species? A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. This means any 2 individuals are of the same species if they can have babies together. What is an adaptation? It is inherited – that means you are born with it An adaptation must also help the organism survive in it’s habitat There are 2 types of adaptations, behavioral and structural Behavioral adaptations A specific way of acting that an organism was born knowing how to do that helps it survive ex. Migration, howling, strutting for mates Structural Adaptations Body parts organisms are born with that help them survive ex. Hands, teeth, hollow bones Can 2 different species evolve the same adaptation? Yes eyes evolved separately in fish and squid, yet are similar in function and appearance Can the same species have different adaptations? yes ex. Galapagos finches They all have different beak shapes because they live on different islands and eat different size of nuts Name the adaptation Game Pictures will follow and you must tell me the adaptation and if it is structural or behavioral • Hand • Structural • Gills • Structural • Hollow bones • Structural • Migration or Flying V • Behavioral • Wings for flying or long beak for eating clams buried in sand • Structural • Trick question, the raccoon has learnt to get food out of the garbage, so this is not an adaptation Learning Versus Adapting Learnt behaviors are not adaptations because they are not inherited from parents ex. seagulls fly south for the winter is an adaptation because it is an inherited “instinct” ex. seagulls follow garbage trucks because it takes them to food is learnt behavior because they were not born knowing to follow big green trucks and thus it is not an adaptation Classifying Relationships Between Organisms There are numerous ways organisms interact together, we will only examine 2: Symbiosis Predator-Prey SYMBIOSIS 2 species that live together and interact The relationship lasts over an extended time period There are 3 types of symbiotic relationships 1. 2. 3. Parasitism Mutualism Commensalism PARASITISM 2 species that live together One species is harmed One species benefits The Spotted Flycatchers eggs were removed from the nest by a Cuckoo bird and replaced with Cuckoo bird eggs TYPES: ENDOPARASITES LIVE IN THEIR HOST TAPEWORMS, BACTERIA, FUNGI ECTOPARASITES LIVE ON THEIR HOST FLEAS, TICS, LICE MUTUALISM 2 species that live together BOTH species benefits Cleaner Shrimp eat parasites off of the skin of the Eel COMMENSALISM • 2 species live together • 1 benefits • the other doesn’t seem to be harmed or benefit. This Orchid will grow on the branches of trees in the jungle Name that relationship game Name That Relationship Commensalism Commensalism Mutualism parasitism Mutualism Parasitism commensalism Trick questions, it is not a symbiotic relationship… owls and mice don’t live together Look at figure 1.11 on page 18 of the textbook This is a before and after pictures for a region of Alberta What differences exist in the 2 photos? Why do those differences exist? What events caused those changes? What needs where humans trying to meet? How did these changes affect organisms in this ecosystem? What further changes might we expect? Impacts on Ecosystems Animals have an impact on the ecosystem they live in It can be large or small ex. common house fly ex. beaver dam How can we determine how organisms impact ecosystems? Chart it, graph it, visualize it Food Chains Food chains – model that shows how energy stored in food passes from organism to another organism Energy for a food chain always starts with the sun Arrows in a food chain show the direction that energy is flowing from the sun and then from organism to organism Food Chain Food Web network of feeding relationships among organisms Show interactions between producers, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores and how they exchange food energy arrow in = consumer arrow away = being consumed Being consumed Consumer Food Web Typical of Alberta What happens if we remove an animal from the food web? Problem with Food Webs/Chains? Do we know how many producers or consumers are in the food web/chain? Can you tell if the ecosystem is healthy? Food chains and webs lack number data to go between the different levels (producer consumer carnivore) Pyramid of Numbers Pyramid of Numbers – contain the number of individual organisms at each level of the food chain numbers decrease as you go higher in the food chain…thus it’s a pyramid The total number of individuals at a level or for an ecosystem is called biomass Pyramid of Numbers What does the grass represent? Why are their more zooplankton then fish? What type of relationships are being demonstrated? Each food level of a pyramid is known as a trophic level first level: producer second level: herbivore third level: Primary carnivores (eat herbivores) fourth level: Secondary carnivores (eat carnivores) omnivores fit in level 3 and 4 Pyramid of numbers Organisms in each level of the pyramid are often measured in biomass What is biomass? total mass of all the organisms for a particular portion of an ecosystem What is the biomass of the producers? What is the biomass of the primary carnivores? What is the biomass of the entire ecosystem? 5 70 2000 100 000 What happens to living things when they die? They on are decomposed and scavenged Clean Up Squad Scavengers and decomposers are responsible for breaking down garbage and dead materials into nutrients Scavengers Scavengers – feed on dead or decaying plant or animal matter break carcasses or debris into smaller portions Decomposers do not actually eat dead material grow on or in dead material and absorb nutrients into their own cells This helps to recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem mainly composed of bacteria and fungi Decomposers Can any one think of an example where humans control decomposition? composters refrigerators nitriles Owl Pellet lab You Tube Video Owl Pellet Lab A pellet is a regurgitated mass of bone, teeth, hair, feathers, scales, and insect skeletons by a bird The proteolytic enzymes and acids in a birds stomach are weak so they can only dissolve muscle, fur, feathers The birds can not dissolve the bones, leaving them intact Why research up chuk? Because the birds intestine can not let large chunks pass through it, the bird is forced to regurgitate all large chunks Why would a scientist want to examine bird feces?????? To find out what it eats! Why do we want to know what an owl eats? To make a food web? If we determine what an animal eats we can partially determine it’s role in the ecosystem What information does an animals place in a food web tell us and why is it important? Owl Pellet We are going to study pellets of the bird Tyto alba, or commonly known as the barn owl The barn owl will feed in the evening then regurgitate a pellet 18-20 hours later If the owl roost is in a building with a protected floor, the pellets will accumulate on the floor Owl Pellet Ecosystem owl pellets are ecosystems in themselves they provide shelter for moths, beetles, caterpillars and fungus, all feeding on the undigested fur and feathers tiny black dots (size of a “.”) are droppings from caterpillars Owl Pellet Dissection Goals Dissect on complete pellet of Tyto alba (barn owl) Identify the mammalian skulls found in the pellet Identify individual bones of mammals and reconstruct the skeleton of an animal Describe the prey population of T. alba Construct a food web and Pyramid of numbers for T. alba Working in groups of 3 students per pellet! Topic 5 Cycles in the Environment Carbon cycle Carbon dioxide (CO2) producers turn CO2 into sugar (photosynthesis) consumers turn sugars into carbon dioxide (respiration) burning fossil fuels also creates carbon dioxide forest fires and decomposition also creates carbon dioxide Carbon cycle Water Cycle How water is cycled in an ecosystem Water Cycle Run – off is water that runs off into lakes, rivers and streams Groundwater is in the soil What is pollution? Pollution in the environment Pollution occurs when substances are added to the environment at such a fast rate they can not be broken down These substances are called pollutants Bioaccumulation many pollutants get stored in organisms so as they can move up the food web they tend to accumulate in higher trophic level organisms accumulation can lead to disease and possible death Bioaccumulation this shows the accumulation of mercury in an aquatic environment Read page 61-63 What is an introduced species? Why are introduced species problems? Write down 1 example of an introduced species and tell me who, what, and where? Introduced Species organism introduced to a habitat or ecosystem that it is not normally found in Why would this be a problem? Often they have no predators or are better suited for the introduced habitat Previously the new habitat was geographically out of reach for them When this happens they outcompete the normal organisms for resources why does this matter? When they outcompete the normal organisms they prevent them from reproducing and can eventually cause the extinction of organisms or of the ecosystem Read pages 61-63 and write down 2 examples of introduced species one example should show the benefit of introducing a species PEST CONTROL What’s Biological control? Use of natural enemies to control insect pests. Ladybugs = aphids STERILE MALES Radiation or chemicals to sterilize but not harm Pesticides Chemicals that are designed to kill pests Often though they can kill non-target species Ex. Peregrine Falcons and the use of DDT Bioaccumulation of pesticides Pesticide resistant super pests Acid Rain Occurs when sulfur and nitrogen exist in large amounts in the air when they mix with air vapor (water as a gas) they become acids and fall with rain What’s an Acid? Has a pH less than 7 acid’s are corrosive and dangerous So what’s pH? basically means potential of hydrogen pH 1 Sample 1 Edmonton pH 3 Sample 2 Stony Plain pH 5 pH 7 Sample 3 Spruce Grove pH 9 Sample 4 Sherwood Park pH 11 Sample 5 Tap Water Topic 6 Succession Topic 6 SUCCESSION IN AN ECOSYSTEM The gradual process by which a species replaces other species Long, slow process 2 types of succession PRIMARY SUCCESSION gradual growth of organisms in an area that was previously bare As the organisms grow they change the environment to suit their own needs and the needs of other animals Types of Primary Succession XERARCH Vegetation growth on bare rock, sand dunes, lava flows, dry lakes. HYDRARCH Reduction of water level of the ecosystem (drought, drainage) Is the picture on page 59 primary or secondary succession? why? Primary Succession on Greenland The only thing that can grow on Greenland right now is moss it will slowly break down the rocks it grows on into soil Once there is soil other plant species can begin to grow there SECONDARY SUCESSION The regeneration of an area or a species in an area after a major disturbance ex. Burned forest Pioneering Species Species adapted to thrive in conditions of a disturbed ecosystem ex. Jackpine and lodgepole pine cones Climax Community Ecosystem in which succession is complete organisms no longer replace each other all ecosystems in the same region tend to climax with the same species What would a climax ecosystem look like in the rocky mountains? Over time conditions change 1st a fire wipes out the trees so fast growing full sun loving plants are the first to establish They get eventually blocked out by slower growing full sun shrubs Slower growing full light loving, but taller growing trees then take the place of the full sun plants Once trees are established only low light loving species can grow below Succession Worksheet Based on the worksheet Was it primary or secondary succession? What was the climax community? Name a pioneering species? Primary or secondary? Primary or Secondary Succession? Primary or Secondary Succession? Primary or Secondary? Primary or Secondary Answer questions 1-4 on page 67 Now that we understand succession are their any applications of this knowledge? maintaining ecosystems pest control maintenance farming, keeping your land clear recreating forests after clear cutting Human Activity Effecting the Environment How can humans affect the environment? Urban areas Read about the brown-headed cowbird on page 60 of the tb Farm land Pollution Controlling Fire Some animals survive better in Cities Name a few: sea gulls rabbits coyote raccoons squirrels rats Sometimes humans alter aspects of an ecosystem How? over hunting pesticides herbicides pollution SPECIES IN DANGER Use the internet to define terms that scientists use to categorize species in danger ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING A way to check the conditions of an ecosystem by comparing the results of studies over a long time What do we monitor in an ecosystem? Geography Environment – climate, temperature, weather Chemical – quality of the air, soil and water Biological – changes in organisms (types and quantities) When would we want to monitor? Before and after disturbances volcano earthquake fire land clearing Indicator Species plants or animals sensitive to changes in an environment These species change quickly and obviously when the ecosystem is being affected Ex. Amphibians Why are Frogs good Indicator Species? Very sensitive to changes Old species (older than dinosaurs) eat a lot of insects cold-blooded (affected by temp changes) skin is very permeable (let a lot of stuff through, so they are effected by disease and chemicals easily) Long Term Studies Amphibian numbers can vary from year to year due to natural changes, so we have to study them over many years to see if the changes are caused by things that are unnatural to an ecosystem sometimes it is too hard to see if things are changing in short term studies BASELINE DATA Data gathered about a habitat which serves as a starting point for comparisons to be made. PERMANENT PLOTS Lasting or enduring site that a scientist returns to, in order to measure the environmental change Answer the even questions on page 79 Human Impact on Ecosystems What’s a Need, What’s a Want Write with down 10 things you use in daily life your partner decide if those items are needs or wants Wants that lead to problems Everyone wanted to have insect free lives Crops would grow better without insects eating them people would not be bothered by insects in the city so from 1940’s to the 1960’s we sprayed DDT everywhere to kill off insects sounds like a good idea eh? DDT Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane Poison 17 years to break down used from 1940s to 1970s used as a insecticide moved through the food chain reproductive problems in large predatory birds, almost caused the extinction of Peregrine falcons Oh, also a carcinogen! Wetlands Better known as bogs, marshes, or fens Wet for all or most of the time High concentration of wildlife They are often thought of as useless by building developers, Although this is changing. When filled in, the flow of water will change causing floods in some areas and drought in others, habitat is lost! Wetlands are the most endangered habitats in Canada development can lead to any of the following: Endangered - threatened Extirpated - gone from the location Extinct - gone from the planet Wet-Land Wonders Lab Wet-lands are area’s where the soil is moist the majority of the time Scientist’s will build models of wetlands to determine how changing small aspects of the ecosystem effect the whole Wetland Wonders Lab (pg 26) Problem: Can you predict what will happen if we add a road through a wetland? Materials: Sponges = wetland clay = the road water = water graduated cylinder Procedure: Cut a series of holes in the end of a pan Raise the pan on an angle by placing a book under one end and having it drain into a pan without holes in it pout 250 mL of water into the pan and record the time it takes and the amount of water that drains into the other pan place a number of sponges in the pan with wholes to represent your wetland, then pour 250 mL of water into the top of the pan record the time it takes and the amount of water that drains into the second pan Ring our your sponges after recording your results Now place a clay road in the middle of your pan with the sponges add 250 mL of water to the top of the pan and record the time and the amount of water collected in the second pan Variables: M.V. R.V. Controls Data chart graph Topic 3: Environmental Choices ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT We not only depend on nature, we are part of nature. There is concern about the dwindling resources on the Earth We need to live in a sustainable manner Sustainability resources used = resources renewed wastes produced= wastes absorbed Ecological Footprint calculation of: total area of land and water needed to supply all the materials and energy you use calculate yours! Ecological Footprint Most Canadians are using more and creating more waste than is sustainable. Reduce your ecological footprint by: be aware of the natural resources you consume in a day reduce the energy, number of products you use and garbage you make "The Earth does not belong to Man. Man belongs to the Earth. Man does not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand it it. Whatever he does to the web,he does to himself." Chief Seattle "Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle." Pope John Paul II "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees". Revelation 7:3 Study Tip All of the notes or points in each topic of this unit relate to each other In order to understand how everything is connected in this unit I recommend building mind maps to understand how each of the concepts relate to each other let’s start with topic 1 Questions For studying Page 84-87 2, 4, 5-7, 9, 16, 21, 25-28, 31, 36