Download CLICK HERE! Ecology PowerPoint

Ecology
Ecology: study of how living things
interact with each other & with their
environment.
Ecosystem: a community of
interacting organisms and their
environment
Biotic factors: The living or once-living parts of
an ecosystem.
Ex:animals, decayed remains, animal waste,
plants, bacteria, fungi, etc.
Abiotic factors: The nonliving parts of an
ecosystem.
Ex:H2O, soil, sunlight, temperature, etc.
aquatic: living in H2O (fresh or
marine)
terrestrial: living on land
Habitat- a natural place for an organism to live,
the place within an ecosystem that provides the
biotic and abiotic factors an organism needs to
survive and reproduce, a single ecosystem can
contain many habitats
This wetland ecosystem contains several habitats.
How many can you see?
Population- all the organisms of the same
species that live in the same area at the same
time.
Community- all the populations living in an
ecosystem at the same time
Niche- the way a species interacts with abiotic
and biotic factors to obtain food, find shelter and
fulfill other needs
The Wolf and the Moose
https://youtu.be/PdwnfPurXcs
Biosphere
Biome
ECOSYSTEM
↑
COMMUNITY
↑
Population
↑
organism
Biosphere- World
Biomes
Predation: interaction in which one
organism kills & eats another
•Predator = killer
•Prey = killed
Competition: struggle between organisms
to survive in a habitat w/ limited
resources . Anything that restricts the
number of individuals in a population is a
limiting factor.
Symbiosis- a close, long-term relationship
between two species that usually involves
an exchange of food or energy.
Mutualism- both species
benefit from the relationship
Ex:
● Bees & flowers pollinate
flowers and collect nectar
● Oxpeckers and rhinos - In
this relationship, the
oxpecker (a bird) lives on
the zebra or rhino,
sustaining itself by eating
all of the bugs and
parasites on the animal.
The Acacia and the Ant
https://youtu.be/Xm2qdxVVRm
4
Commensalism- one species benefits
from the relationship. The other species
is neither harmed nor benefited.
Ex:
● Cattle egret and Livestock- The
cattle egret benefits because it eats
insects that are stirred up when the
livestock move through the grass.
● Barnacles and Whales- Barnacles
are a type of crustacean that attach
to whales. Barnacles cannot move
on their own, so they use the whale
to move around and find locations
with food.
● Clownfish and Sea Anemone
https://youtu.be/jbExPtTEBYM
Parasitism- one species (the parasite)
benefits and the other species (the
host) is harmed.
Ex:
● Fleas or ticks that live on dogs and cats are
parasites. They are living off of the blood of
the host animal.
● Lice are another type of parasite. They live
off of the blood of the host animal
● Most species of cockatoos will lay their
eggs in the nests of other birds, in the
hopes that the other bird will raise the
babies. Cockatoos often remove an egg (or
more) from the nest to decrease suspicion
over the additional eggs.
Producer: makes its own food
Consumer: feeds on other organisms
•Herbivore: eats plants (rabbit, cow, elephant)
•Carnivore: eats meat (wolf, cat, snake)
•
Scavenger: feeds on already dead organisms
(vulture, crab)
•Omnivore: eats both plants & animals (human,
bear, crow)
Decomposer: also called
detritivores
•
break down wastes & dead organisms
•
return raw materials to the environment
(fungi, insects, worms)
Food Chain: series of events in
which one organism eats
another & obtains energy
•
1st in series = the producer
•
Next = first level consumer (which eats a
producer)
•
Next = second level consumer (which
eats a 1st level consumer, etc.)
Predator and Prey https://youtu.be/CsfJL-IIVz4
Food Web: consists of many
overlapping food chains
•
Most animals eat or are eaten by
more than one thing
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
The flow of energy can be represented by an energy
pyramid.
An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy that
moves from one feeding level to another in a food
web. It loses energy as it goes up. Only 10% of
energy goes to next level.
Amoeba Sisters: Food Webs and Energy
Pyramids: Bedrocks of Biodiversity
https://youtu.be/-oVavgmveyY
Biomes
Biomes are a large group of ecosystems determined
by temperature and amount of precipitation.
These abiotic factors largely determine what kinds of
plants grow in an area which, in turn, provides niches
for different animals.
Organisms in that biome are adapted to that
environment.