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Download APES Lesson 28 - Levels of Ecological Organization
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AP Environmental Science Mr. Grant Lesson 28 Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology Levels of Ecological Organization © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Objectives: • Define the terms ecosystems and niche. • List the levels of ecological organization. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Define the terms ecosystems and niche. Ecosystems: All organisms and nonliving entities that occur and interact in a particular area at the same time. Niche: The functional role of a species in a community. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. List the levels of ecological organization. • Ecologists study phenomena on the organismal, population, community, and ecosystem levels-and, increasingly, at the level of the biosphere. • Habitat, niche, and specialization are important ecological concepts. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Ecology is studied at several levels • Ecology and evolution are tightly intertwined • Biosphere = the total living things on Earth - And the areas they inhabit • Community = interacting species living in the same area • Ecosystem = communities and the nonliving material and forces they interact with © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Levels of ecological studies • Population ecology = investigates the dynamics of population change - The factors affecting the distribution and abundance of members of a population - Why some populations increase and others decrease • Community ecology = focuses on patterns of species diversity and interactions • Ecosystem ecology = studies living and nonliving components of systems to reveal patterns - Nutrient and energy flows © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Each organism has habitat needs • Habitat = the environment where an organism lives - It includes living and nonliving elements • Habitat use = each organism thrives in certain habitats, but not in others - Results in nonrandom patterns of use • Habitat selection = the process by which organisms actively select habitats in which to live - Availability and quality of habitat are crucial to an organism’s well-being - Human developments conflict with this process © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. A specialized frog • Epiphytes grow on trees for support - Obtaining water from the air - They collect pools of rainwater and pockets of leaf litter - Frogs lay their eggs in these rainwater pools © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Habitats vary • Habitats vary with the body size and needs of species - A soil mite vs. an elephant • Species have different habitat needs at different times - Migratory birds use different habitats during migration, summer and winter • Species use different criteria to select habitat - Soil, topography, vegetation, other species - Water temperature, salinity, prey • Species survival depends on having suitable habitat © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Organismal ecology: niche • Niche = an organism’s use of resources - Along with its functional role in a community - Habitat use, food selection, role in energy and nutrient flow, interactions with other individuals • Specialists = have narrow niches and specific needs - Extremely good at what they do - But vulnerable when conditions change • Generalists = species with broad niches - They use a wide array of habitats and resources - They can live in many different places © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.