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Ecology
Ecology
• The study of interactions among
organisms and between organisms and
their environment, or surroundings.
Biosphere
• Combined portions of the planet in
which all life exists (land, water, air,
organisms)
BIOME
• Group of ecosystems that have the same
climate, similar soil and distinctive plants
and animals
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See textbook pp. 98-104
HANDOUT: Biome Group Project
DUE: Nov. 25
Worth: 50 points
Ecosystem
• BIOTA
(living)
• ABIOTA
(nonliving)
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Organisms
Animals
Plants
Fungi
bacteria
environment
Soil
Air
water
Biomes of the World
Communities
• Groups of populations living in the
same area
• Like these desert animals
Populations
• Groups of
individuals all of the
same species
• EX: All the Longnosed Leopard
Lizards of the
Mojave Desert
Scales of Ecological Organization
Ozone Thinning at Antarctica
Energy Flow
• Sunlight is the main source of
energy for life on Earth.
Chemosynthetic Organisms
• Some organisms rely on inorganic
chemicals rather than the sun for
energy.
• All bacteria, manufacture
carbohydrates and other organic
molecules from the oxidization of
sulfates or ammonia.
Chemosynthetic Microbes
Videos
• Explore life at a
hydrothermal vent.
Autotrophs
• Organisms that use sunlight to
produce energy.
• Use inorganic compounds to make
organic molecules.
• PLANTS
• Also called PRODUCERS
Photosynthesis
• Process by which
autotrophs harness
sunlight in a chemical
reaction to change
inorganic compounds
into energy-rich
carbohydrates and
oxygen.
Heterotrophs
• Organisms that rely on energy
from other organisms
• Also called CONSUMERS
Types of Consumers
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Herbivores – eat only plants
Carnivores – eat animals
Omnivores – eat both plants and animals
Detritivores – feed on animal remains and
dead matter
• Decomposers – break down organic
matter
• Scavengers-predator eats corpses it killed
or others killed (raccoons, vultures, beetles)
Decomposers
• Bacteria
fungi
earthworms
beetles
Herbivores (Primary Consumers)
• Eat producers
Carnivores
• Eat other animals
Detritivores
• Spaghetti worms have
tentacles range out from
a burrow in rock or
sediment to collect the
small particulate
detritus that the worm
feeds on.
amphipods tearing
plant debris and
organic detritus into
"bite sized" pieces
and eating it
Omnivores
Eat plants
and
animals
Scavengers
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Vultures
Ants
Crows
spider
Food Chain
• Desert Food Chain Video (DesertUSA)
• Energy flows from the sun or inorganic
compounds in one direction to autotrophs
(producers) and then to heterotrophs
(consumers).
Food Chain Simulation
• Sunny Meadows
Producers? Consumers?
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Primary producers (organisms that make their own
food from sunlight and/or chemical energy from deep
sea vents) are the base of every food chain - these
organisms are called autotrophs.
Primary consumers are animals that eat primary
producers; they are also called herbivores (planteaters).
Secondary consumers eat primary consumers. They
are carnivores (meat-eaters) and omnivores
(animals that eat both animals and plants).
Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers.
Quaternary consumers eat tertiary consumers.
Food chains "end" with top predators, animals that
have little or no natural enemies.
Food Web: links all the food chains
of an ecosystem together
Trophic Level
• Each step of
a food chain
or food web
Ecological Pyramid
Note that
only 10% of
the energy is
transferred
to organisms
at the next
trophic level
Biomass Pyramid
• Amount of tissue in a trophic level
Biomass
• Total amount
of living
tissue within
a given
trophic level
Pyramid of Numbers
Compare
• Pyramid of Numbers
Pyramid of Biomass
Ecological Pyramids Lab Activity
Ecological Pyramid Activities
• A. Biome Bags
– Divide into Producers, Primary Consumers,
Secondary Consumers, Tertiary Consumers
– Weigh for Biomass Pyramids
– Count for Pyramid of Numbers
Ecological Pyramid Activities
• B. Cedar Glade Pyramids
– Energy pyramid with list of species
– Water volume to represent % of energy
transferred to the next trophic level
Draw names of Biomes
• Divide contents into four smaller
bags:
Producers, Primary Consumers,
Secondary Consumers, Tertiary
Consumers
CAUTION:
• If your pyramid does not look like it will
support the food chain, then make
adjustments.
• Remember the fox, rabbit, and grass
online simulaltion.
Biomass Pyramid