Download What is ecology?

Key Concepts of Ecology
• What is ecology?
• What basic processes keep us and
other organisms alive?
• What are the major components of
the ecosystem?
• What happens to energy in the
ecosystem?
• How do scientists study the
ecosystem?
• What are ecosystem services?
What is ecology?
The study of how organisms interact
with one another and with their nonliving environment.
Meaning
Universe
Galaxies
Solar systems
Biosphere
Planets
Earth
Biosphere
Ecosystems
Ecosystems
Communities
Populations
Realm of ecology
Organisms
Organ systems
Communities
Organs
Tissues
Cells
Populations
Protoplasm
Molecules
Atoms
Subatomic Particles
Organisms
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Organism
Species
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
1. Organism
Any form of life
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
2. Species
– breed with one another
– Produce live, fertile
offspring
– Examples:
– Things that can breed
that are not the same
species
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
3. Populations
• Group of interacting
individuals of the
same species that
occupy a specific
area a the same
time.
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
4. Communities
– Populations of the
different species
occupying a particular
place
– Biological community
– Example:
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
5. Ecosystem
A community of different
species interacting with one
another and their nonliving
environment
6. Biosphere
All of the earth’s ecosystems
Sustaining Life of Earth
 One-way flow of
energy (into the
environment)
 Sun
 Living materials
and living things
 Cycling of matter
 Atoms, ions,
molecules needed
for survival
The Source of Energy
Fig. 4-8 p. 69
Parts to an Ecosystem
• Producers:
– First level of a system
– Plants and some
microorganisms
– Trap the sun’s energy
• This produces?
• Consumers:
– Primary Consumers
• Eat?
• Example:
– Secondary Consumers
• Eat?
• Example:
– Tertiary Consumers
• Eat?
• Example:
The Biotic Components of Ecosystems
• Producers
(autotrophs)
– Transform energy
by Photosynthesis
• Consumers
(heterotrophs)
– Transform energy
by Aerobic
Respiration
• Decomposers
Fig. 4-16 p. 75
Figure 4-11 Page 72
Sun
Producers (rooted plants)
Producers (phytoplankton)
Primary consumers (zooplankton)
Secondary consumers (fish)
Dissolved
chemicals
Tertiary consumers
(turtles)
Sediment
Decomposers (bacteria and fungi)
Major components of freshwater ecosystem
Major components of a terrestrial ecosystem
Oxygen (O2)
Sun
Producer
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Primary consumer
(rabbit)
Falling leaves
Precipitation
and twigs
Secondary consumer
(fox)
Producers
Soil decomposers
Water
Figure 4-12 page 72
Soluble mineral nutrients
Trophic “Feeding” Levels
•
First Trophic Level
Producers (plants)
•
Second Trophic Level
Primary consumers
(herbivores)
–
•
Third Trophic Level
Secondary consumer
(carnivores)
–
•
Fourth Trophic Level
Feed directly on
producers
Feed on Primary
Consumers
Tertiary consumer
–
Feed on other
carnivores
Trophic Levels
• Omnivore
– Eat plants and animals
• Detritivores and Scavengers
– Feed on detritus, dead organisms, and waste
• Decomposers
– Break down dead organic material
– Release the resulting simpler compounds into the
soil
– Anaerobic respiration (absence of oxygen)
• Methane, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, hydrogen sulfide
Major Ecosystem Components
• Biotic Components
– Producers, consumers, decomposers
– Plants, animals, bacteria/fungi
– Biotic interactions with biotic components
include predation, competition, symbiosis,
parasitism, commensalism etc.
Principles of Ecological Factors
Terrestrial Ecosystems
Abiotic
factors
• Sunlight
• Temperature
• Precipitation
• Wind
• Latitude (distance
from equator)
• Altitude (distance
above sea level)
Figure 4-13
Page 73
Aquatic Life Zones
• Fire frequency
• Soil
• Light penetration
• Water currents
• Dissolved nutrient
concentrations
(especially N and P)
• Suspended solids
• Salinity
Principles of Ecological Factors
Law of tolerance: existence, abundance, and
distribution of a species in an ecosystem are determined
by whether the levels of one or more physical or
chemical factors fall within the range of tolerance.
Optimum
Range
Zone of
Zone of
Physiological
Intolerance
Stress
Principles of Ecological Factors
Limiting factors principle: too much or too little of any
abiotic factor can limit or prevent growth of a population,
even if all other factors are at or near the optimum range
of tolerance.
p. 73
Limiting Factors on Land & in H2O
• Terrestrial
– Sunlight
– Temperature
– Precipitation
– Soil nutrients
– Fire frequency
– Wind
– Latitude
– Altitude
• Aquatic/Marine
– Light penetration
• Water clarity
– Water currents
– Dissolved nutrient
concentrations
• Esp. N, P, Fe
– Dissolved Oxygen
concentration
– Salinity
Ecosystems Use Sunlight As
Their Source of Energy
Conservation of Matter and
Energy Capture
Photosynthesis
6 CO2 + 6 H20
C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Respiration
C6H12O6 + 6 O2
6 CO2 + 6 H20
Connections: Food Webs and Energy Flow in
Ecosystems
Food chains – sequence of organisms each of
which is a food source for the next.
Food Webs and Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Food webs – a
network of
interconnected
food chains
Food Webs and Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Ecological Pyramid
A food chain that
shows the
relationship between
the organisms in each
trophic level.
Types of Ecological Pyramids
• Pyramid of
energy flow
• Pyramid of
numbers
• Pyramid of
biomass
• Ecological
efficiency
– Range 5%-20%
– Typically 10%
Fig. 4-20 p. 79
Ecological Pyramids of Numbers
The figures represent number of
individuals counted at each trophic level.
Ecological Pyramids of Biomass
• The total dry weight of organisms in a
particular trophic level is referenced as
“biomass”.
BIOMASS
=
# of organisms
x
the weight of an
average individual
Ecological Pyramids of Biomass
Ecological Efficiency
Energy in ecosystems flows from producers
to consumers.
Energy is depicted in kilocalories.
Primary producers convert only about 1%
of the energy in available sunlight.
The average amount of energy that is
available to the next trophic level is about
10%. (10% Rule)
Ecological Pyramids of Energy
Primary Productivity of Ecosystems
• Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
– Rate at which an ecosystem’s producers convert
solar energy into chemical energy as biomass
– kg/m2/year (kcal/m2/year)
• Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
– Energy that remains in plant tissue after
respiration has occurred
– GPP (total photosynthesis) -respiration = NPP
(plant growth measured using biomass)
Primary Productivity of Ecosystems
Ecology is the study of how _____
interact:
A.) communities
B.) organisms
C.) ecosystems
D.) people
E.) animals
The layer containing ozone is
called:
A.) troposphere
B.) lithosphere
C.) stratosphere
D.) hydrosphere
E.) mesosphere
Which of the following is the most
productive ecosystem per meter
squared?
A.) desert
B.) open ocean
C.) estuaries
D.) tundra
E.) rainforest
What is the usual percentage of
ecological efficiency?
A.) 2%
B.) 20%
C.) 15%
D.) 10%
E.)30%
Which trophic level makes its own
food from sunlight?
A.) primary producers
B.) primary consumers
C.) secondary consumers
D.) tertiary consumers
E.) decomposers