Download Species

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The study of relationships among living
organisms and the interaction the
organisms have with their environment
organisms
populations
Biological
community
ecosystem
biome
biosphere
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Organism
◦ Individual plant, animal or single-celled life form.
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Population
◦ Individual organisms of a single species sharing
the same geographic location.
 Species- An individual belonging to a group
of organisms having common characteristics and are capable
of mating with one another to produce fertile offspring.
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Biological Community
◦ Interacting populations of species that occupy the
same geographic region.
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Ecosystem
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Biome
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Biosphere
◦ Community of all living organisms (biotic)
plus climate, soil, water, rocks and other
nonliving (abiotic) factors
◦ Large group of ecosystems that share the
same climate and have similar types of
communities
◦ Characterized by the climate conditions and
plant communities
◦ All biomes combined including the earth’s
atmosphere, hydrosphere and surface.
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Biotic factors
◦ Living things
 Plants, animals, fungi and bacteria
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Abiotic factors
◦ Nonliving things
 Moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, soil
Balance of these factors determines
which living things can survive in a
particular environment.
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Ecosystem is a complex web of connected
biotic and abiotic factors
Biodiversity
◦ Assortment, or variety, of living things in an
ecosystem
 High area of biodiversity = rainforests
 Rainforest covers less than 7% of Earth’s surface but
accounts for over 50% of planet’s plant and animal species
 Rainforests are considered hot spots (area that is rich in
biodiversity)
A. Producers: organisms that get their energy
from non-living resources; make their own
food
◦ AKA Autotrophs which means “self-nourishment”
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Photosynthesis- sunlight energy is used to
convert carbon dioxide and water into
chemical energy in the form of
carbohydrates (most producers).
1.
2.
f
Chemosynthesis: process by which an
organism forms carbohydrates using
chemicals, rather than light, as an energy
source
◦ Found in deep-sea vents, sulfur-rich salt marsh
flats, hydrothermal pools
B. Consumer: organisms that get their energy
by eating other living or once-living
resources
◦ AKA Heterotrophs means “different nourishment”
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Herbivores: Eat ONLY plants
Carnivores: Eat ONLY animals
Omnivores: Eat BOTH plants and animals
Scavengers: Eat carcasses of other animals
Decomposers: Break down organic matter
into simpler compounds (into detritus)
Detritivores: Eat detritus
◦ detritus = dead organic matter
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Species that relies on one (or a small number)
of food sources
Very sensitive to changes in availability of prey
Example: Snail Kite
◦ Depends on apple snail as its main food source
Sword- Billed Hummingbird
Koala
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Most species DO NOT rely on a single source
of food
Varying diet
Example: Gray Wolf
◦ Eat elk, moose, white-tailed deer, beavers, mice
Cockroach
Rats
Raccoon
Horseshoe Crab
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All ecosystems depend on producers
ALL consumers are connected to producers
ALL consumers indirectly depend on the sun
for their energy
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Simplest way to look at energy flow
Food chain- sequence that links species by
their feeding relationships
◦ One producer and a single chain of consumers
Organisms may have multiple feeding
relationships.
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Primary consumers = herbivores
Secondary consumers = carnivores that eat
herbivores
Tertiary consumers = carnivores that eat secondary
consumers
Omnivores can be listed at different trophic levels
Example: reef shark eats a parrotfish it is a
secondary consumer; reef shark eats a
triggerfish it is a tertiary consumer
SUN
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Food Web- Model showing complex network
of feeding relationships
◦ Stability of food web depends on the presence of
producers
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One of the most basic needs that every living
organism has is the need for energy.
Within an ecosystem there is a one way flow
of energy
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Ecosystems get their energy from sunlight
The energy flows up the food chain
Some energy is dissipated (lost)
Each level of the food chain contains much less
energy than the level below
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The interactions that characterize the flow of
energy from one organism to another are
called Trophic Levels (levels of nourishment in a
food chain/web).
No limit in trophic levels, but only a portion of
the energy that passes through trophic level is
stored in the bodies of organisms at the next
level.
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◦ Thus there are a smaller number of organisms in the
next trophic level.
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Body uses energy for movement & growth, but
the energy is mostly consumed to keep the
body at its normal temperature
◦ Unused material is excreted as waste
Dissipation of energy between trophic levels
can be as much as 90%
◦ Only 10% of energy is left to transfer to the
next trophic level
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Energy Pyramid
◦ Diagram that shows the
amount of energy available
at each trophic level of a
food chain or food web
◦ The more levels
between a producer
and a consumer= the
smaller percentage of
the available energy
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Biomass Pyramid
◦ Compares the
different biomass
(amount of living
tissue) of different
trophic levels
 Typically measured
in grams of organic
matter per unit
area
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Pyramid of Numbers
◦ Shows the numbers
of individual
organisms at each
trophic level in an
ecosystem
 In some cases the
lowest level may not
be the largest level
What are the three types of pyramids
used to show energy flow in
ecosystems?
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Objectives:
◦ SWBAT describe the difference between a habitat
and niche.
◦ SWBAT describe the different forms of symbiosis.
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Agenda:
◦ Go over quizzes and HW
◦ Niche vs. Habitat Notes
 Think-Pair- Share
◦ Competition and Symbiosis
 Symbiosis HW
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Habitat= where the organism lives (biotic and
abiotic factors are included!)
Niche = describes what an organism does,
and how it interacts with biotic and abiotic
factors
◦ Food: type of food, how it competes for food,
where does it fit in food web
◦ Abiotic conditions: air temp and amount of water
species can tolerate
◦ Behavior: time of day species is active, where and
when it reproduces
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Competitive exclusion: two species are
competing for same resources but one
species dominates and pushes the other one
out
◦ No two species occupy the same niche in the same
habitat at the same time
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Ecological equivalents: species occupy similar
niches but live in different geographical
regions
Lives in South America
Live in
Madagascar
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Two organisms fighting for the same limited
resources
Organisms can have different niches but still
compete for similar resources
Can occur between members of the same
species
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Intraspecific competition
◦ Competition between species of the same
population
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Interspecific competition
◦ Competition between species of different
populations
◦ Relates to competitive exclusion
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Process by which one organism captures and
feeds upon another organism (predation)
Herbivores can also be considered predators
because they are preying on the plants
(herbivory)
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Species that has an unusually larger effect on
its ecosystem
◦ Ie. Sea otters in the 20th century and depletion of
kelp
What is competitive
exclusion? Give an
example.
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Close ecological relationship between two or
more organisms of different species
◦ Mutualism: Both organisms benefit
 Bats and cacti flowers
◦ Commensalism: One of the organisms benefits
while the other one doesn’t benefit or is not
harmed
 Eyelash mites that feed on secretions and dead skin
◦ Parasitism: One organism benefits while the other
one is harmed
 Wasp laying eggs inside a caterpillar