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Ecology
Definition:
Study of relationships between
organisms and their environment
Ecology
• Habitat –
where you live: under a log,
in a tree, etc.
• Niche –
role in your ecosystem, how you get your
food
Ecology
• Levels of organization of living things
– Biosphere – all parts of Earth where living things
exist
Ecology
– Biomes- all ecosystems of similar climate,
» ex. rainforest, desert
– Ecosystems-all biotic and abiotic factors
in an area
• Biotic factors are the living parts of an
ecosystem—the animals, plants, and
microorganisms.
• Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of the
ecosystem.
Ecology
– Community- all different populations in an area,
ex. trees, sheep, grasses, insects
– Population- all of one species in an area, ex. sheep
Ecology
– Organism- one individual, ex. human, dog,
amoeba
Ecology – Food chains
• Food Chain – shows energy flow through an
ecosystem
– Use arrows to show energy flow
– Each level is a TROPHIC level (food energy)
– Begin with the producer
Ecology – Food chain
• Draw a food chain using:
– Grass, rabbit, snake, hawk
• Label the producer and consumers, use arrows to
show the energy transfer
Hawk
Snake
Consumers
Rabbit
Grass
Producer
Ecology – Food chains & webs
• Food Web – more complex, shows many possible food chains
together
– Start with producers at bottom of web
– Use arrows to show energy transfer
mushrooms
Hawk
bacteria
wolf
snake
Song bird
deer
Seeds
shrub
mouse
frog
cricket
grass
minnow
tree
algae
Food Chains
• Producers- use the Sun’s energy to make food
(glucose), aka. AUTOTROPH
Food Chains
• Consumers—get energy by eating other
organisms, aka. HETEROTROPHS
– Herbivore-eats only plants
– Carnivore- eats only meat
– Omnivore-eats plants and meat
• Scavengers-eat already dead organisms
Ecology – Food chains & webs
• Decomposers – break down dead material and
waste
– ultimate consumers
– Ex. bacteria, fungi
What factor limits the number of
organisms in each trophic level?
Energy!
Ecology – Energy Pyramids
• Energy Pyramid –
– show energy transfer through food chain
– show biomass – living material
– show numbers of organisms
HAWKS
SNAKES
RABBITS
GRASS
Deciduous Forest
Food Chain
Ecology – Energy Pyramids
10 % of energy is passed to next level
90 % of energy is lost at each level, becomes heat
energy or is used as cell fuel or for growth
100 calories available
HAWKS
SNAKES
RABBITS
GRASS
1,000 calories available
10,000 calories available
100,000 calories available
Ecology – materials cycles
• Photosynthesis – autotrophs use CO2 & sun’s energy
to make food for growth & energy
• Cellular Respiration – consumers eat food, make
energy (ATP), release CO2
• Fossil Fuels – organism waste + dead organisms 
coal, oil, gas  release CO2 when burned
• Combustion – cars & factories burn fossil fuels + O2
 energy + CO2
• Decomposition – decaying material releases CO2
Ecology - populations
• Populations – how are populations affected by their
environment?
– Resources: food, mates, habitat
– Disease
– Predation
http://blog.trapperpredatorcaller.com/trapline/CommentView,guid,2e07b52c-d9f3-40b9-850dd71d51c34d13.aspx
Ecology - populations
J-curve: shows exponential growth – no limits to
population size
Exponential growth
Accelerated growth
Ecology - populations
• J-curve – “ideal conditions”
– Population is only limited by density independent
factors:
• Examples:
– Natural disasters: hurricanes, floods, tornados
– Fire
– Meteor strike
Ecology - populations
S-curve: shows exponential growth that has a
carrying capacity
Ecology - populations
• S-curve: “limited by resources”
– Population size will remain around carrying
capacity level
– Occurs in larger organisms
• Density dependent factors: affect population
size as population increases
– Examples:
• Disease
• Food, water, waste limitations
Threats through pollution
Ecology - Bioaccumulation or
Biological Magnification
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pollutants are dumped into water or on land (runoff)
Algae and plankton take in pollutants
Small fish feed on algae
Larger fish eat smaller fish
Hunting birds or humans eat fish
Concentration of pesticides grows with each
organism
Ecology – Bioaccumulation and
Biological Magnification
Ecology - Human Involvement
• What have humans done
and what can we do about our ecosystem?
Overuse
Conservation
Ecology - Human Involvement
• Overpopulation:
– High resource use: water, energy, food, habitat
– Leads to pollution of air, water, land
• Pollution:
– Ecosystem damage
– Acid rain
– Ozone depletion
• Deforestation
– Erosion
– Increased CO2
Ecology - Human Involvement
• Conservation
– Find alternative energy sources: renewable –
wind, solar, hydroelectric
– Limit population size
– Conserve natural resources:
• water, fossil fuels, land
Biomes
Create a poster presentation
about your biome. A biome
will be assigned to you.
Biomes:
Marine
Freshwater
Tundra
Taiga
Grasslands
Desert
Tropical Rainforest
Deciduous Forest
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/images/ecosystems/worldclimate.gif
Biomes
Your poster must include the following:
Name: location or longitude and latititude
Landscape drawing / colored
5 abiotic factors labeled
5 biotic (flora/fauna – organisms) factors labeled
Species labeled
Population labeled
Community labeled
Ecosystem labeled
Food chain / Food Web labeled
Autotroph labeled
Heterotrophs labeled
A special feature of your biome
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/images/ecosystems/worldclimate.gif