Download Chapter 13 Power point for notes

Ecology Unit
Learning Targets
The student will
* Explain what is studied in ecology
* Order the levels of ecological organization from
smallest to largest
* Describe the components of an ecosystem:
*Interactions between Abiotic and Biotic factors
*Flow of energy
*Nutrient cycling
What is ecology?
Ecology- the scientific study of
interactions between organisms
and their environments,
focusing on energy transfer and
nutrient cycling.
• It is a science of relationships.
What do you mean by environment?
The environment is made up of two
factors:
Biotic factors- all living/once living
organisms inhabiting the Earth and
their products (ie. Scat, beeswax)
Abiotic factors- nonliving parts of
the environment (i.e. temperature,
soil, light, moisture, air currents)
Biosphere
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
Organism- any unicellular or
multicellular form exhibiting all of the
characteristics of life, an individual.
•The lowest level of organization
Population-a group of organisms of
one species living in the same place
at the same time that interbreed
and compete with each other for
resources (ex. food, mates, shelter)
Community- several interacting
populations that inhabit a common
environment and are interdependent.
Ecosystem- populations in a
community and the abiotic factors
with which they interact (ex.
marine, terrestrial)
Biosphere- life supporting portions
of Earth composed of air, land,
fresh water, and salt water.
•The highest level of organization
Watch Video
• Levels of Biological Organization
“The ecological niche of an
organism depends not only on
where it lives but also on what
it does. By analogy, it may be
said that the habitat is the
organism's ‘address’, and the
niche is its ‘profession’,
biologically speaking.”
Odum - Fundamentals of Ecology
Habitat vs. Niche
Niche –a species (job) “way of life”
Includes habitat
What it eats,
How and where does it get food
Does it hibernate
How does it mate
How does it affect other organisms
Habitat- the place it lives and get
resources it needs to survive (address)
Habitat vs. Niche
A niche is determined by the
tolerance limitations of an
organism, or a limiting factor.
Limiting factor- any biotic or
abiotic factor that restricts the
existence of organisms in a
specific environment.
Habitat vs. Niche
Examples of limiting factors-
•Amount of water
•Amount of food
•Temperature
Watch Movie
• Organisms and their Unique Niches
Feeding Relationships
•
There are 3 main types of feeding
relationships
1. Producer- Consumer
2. Predator- Prey
3. Parasite- Host
Feeding Relationships
Producer- all autotrophs
(plants), they trap
energy from light and
convert it to chemical
energy (glucose)
through photosynthesis
• Foundation (bottom) of
the food chain
Feeding Relationships
Consumer- all heterotrophs: they
ingest food containing the sun’s
stored energy
• Herbivores
• Carnivores
• Omnivores
• Decomposers
Feeding Relationships
Herbivores
– Eat plants
• Primary/
1st order consumers
Feeding Relationships
Carnivores-eat animals
• Predators
– Eat prey
Feeding Relationships
Carnivores- eat animal
• Scavengers
– Feed on carrion
(dead animals)
Feeding Relationships
Omnivores -eat both plants and animals
Feeding Relationships
Decomposers
• Breakdown the
complex molecules in
of dead plants and
animals into simpler
atoms and molecules
that are recycled
back to nature
Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiosis- two organisms of different
species living together in close
association in which at least one
benefits
3 Types of symbiosis:
1. Commensalism
2. Parasitism
3. Mutualism
Symbiotic Relationships
Commensalismone species benefits
and the other is
neither harmed nor
helped
Ex. Cattle egrets and
cattle – as the cattle
move their hooves kick
up bugs that the egret
bird eats, cattle not
affected
Symbiotic Relationships
Commensalismone species benefits
and the other is
neither harmed nor
helped
Ex. orchids on a tree
Epiphytes: A plant, such as a
tropical orchid or a bromeliad,
that grows on another plant
upon which it depends for
mechanical support but not for
nutrients..
Symbiotic Relationships
Parasitismone species benefits (parasite) and
the other is harmed (host)
• Parasite-Host relationship (tick-dog)
Symbiotic Relationships
Parasitism- parasite-host
Ex. lampreys,
leeches, fleas,
ticks,tapeworm
Parasitic Lamprey
on a host fish
Symbiotic Relationships
MutualismBoth species
benefit
Ex. Tick bird and
Rhinoceros
Tick bird gets insect meal,
Rhino gets insects removed
Symbiotic Relationships
MutualismBeneficial to both species
Ex. Lichen gets food from photosynthetic algae,
Algae lives protected in fungal threads
Watch Video
• Symbiotic Relationships
FFill in the chart below - check off each box that
applies to describe the symbiotic relationship
Type of
relationship
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Species
harmed
Species
benefits
Species
not
affected
Trophic Levels
• Each food chain step-trophic level.
• Trophic levels represent a feeding
step in the transfer of energy and
matter in an ecosystem.
Trophic Levels
Biomass- the amount of organic matter
comprising a group of organisms in a
habitat.
• As you move up a food chain, both
available energy and biomass decrease.
• Energy is transferred upwards but is
diminished with each transfer. (At each
feeding level an organism uses energy
to heat its body and carry out life
processes – so energy gets” used up at
E
N
E
R
G
Y
flow
Trophic Levels
Tertiary
consumers- top
carnivores
Secondary consumerssmall carnivores
Primary consumers- Herbivores
(ex. Rabbits, deer, - other plant eaters)
Producers- Autotrophs
(plants, algae(protists), cyanobacteria)
Trophic Levels
Food chain- simple model that
shows how matter and energy
move through an ecosystem
Trophic Levels
Food web- shows all possible
feeding relationships in a
community at each trophic level
• Represents a network of
interconnected food chains
Food chain
(just 1 path of energy)
Food web
(all possible energy paths)
Nutrient Cycles
Molecules and matter exist in fixed
amounts. These nutrients naturally cycle
between the living and nonliving world to
maintain homeostasis (balance) in the
environment.
•3 cycles to investigate:
1. Water cycle
2. Carbon cycle
3. Nitrogen cycle
Water cycle•Movement of water between the
land, water bodies and air through
the processes of evaporation,
transpiration, condensation,
precipitation
Water cycle-
Carbon cycle-
•The processes of Photosynthesis
and Respiration result in cycling
carbon and oxygen through the
environment.
• Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6 H2O > C6H12O6 + 6 O2
• Cell Respiration
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 > 6CO2 + 6 H2O
Carbon cycle-
Watch Movie
• Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen cycleAtmospheric nitrogen (N2) ~ 75% of air.
BUT, organisms can’t use it in that form.
Can be converted into a usable form by
lightning and nitrogen fixing bacteria that
live in soil.
Nitrogen cycleNitrogen-fixing
bacteria:
Have a mutualistic
relationship with
plants in the pea/
legume family (e.g.,
soybeans, clover,
peanuts).
Lightning
Atmospheric
nitrogen
Nitrogen Cycle
Denitrification
by bacteria
Animals
Nitrogen
fixing bacteria
Decomposers
Ammonium
Nitrification
by bacteria
Plants
Nitrites
Nitrates
Watch Movie
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaFVf
HftzpI