* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Ecology - Fall River Public Schools
Survey
Document related concepts
Conservation agriculture wikipedia , lookup
Ecological resilience wikipedia , lookup
Biogeography wikipedia , lookup
Pleistocene Park wikipedia , lookup
Restoration ecology wikipedia , lookup
Soundscape ecology wikipedia , lookup
Ecological fitting wikipedia , lookup
Ecosystem services wikipedia , lookup
Triclocarban wikipedia , lookup
Natural environment wikipedia , lookup
Ecological succession wikipedia , lookup
Sustainable agriculture wikipedia , lookup
Microbial metabolism wikipedia , lookup
Lake ecosystem wikipedia , lookup
Renewable resource wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
Define ecology. List the levels of ecological organization from largest to smallest. Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms & between organisms and their environment Biosphere – all of the areas on earth where life exists ◦ Includes land, water, & air ◦ All living things in the biosphere interact and depend on each other in order to sustain life In order to fully understand how a biosphere works, ecologists study everything from a single organism to a whole biosphere ◦ Species – a group of organisms who can breed & produce fertile offspring ◦ Populations – groups of individuals that belong to the SAME SPECIES & live in the same area ◦ Communities – many populations that live together in the same area ◦ Ecosystem – all of the organisms that live in a particular place ◦ Biome – a group of ecosystems that have the same and similar communities The highest level that ecologists can study is the biosphere Define ecology. ◦ Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms & between organisms and their environment List the levels of ecological organization from largest to smallest. ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Biosphere Biome Ecosystem Community Population Species Contrast biotic and abiotic factors. Identify and explain the five types of community interactions. Differentiate between primary and secondary succession Biotic Factors – any living component of an ecosystem that can affect an organism ◦ Example: A deer is affected by the plants it eats, other animals that try to eat it, bacteria that can make it sick, etc. Abiotic Factors – any nonliving component of an ecosystem that can affect an organism ◦ Example: temperature, climate, minerals, soil, etc. Habitat – the area where an organism lives ◦ Includes biotic & abiotic factors Niche – an organism’s role in an ecosystem ◦ The types of food an organism eats ◦ How an organism gets its food ◦ What eats that organism ◦ What temperature range an organism can survive in ◦ When & how an organism reproduces Organisms in the same community constantly interact Community interactions help shape the ecosystem in which they live Symbiosis – any relationship in which two species live closely together ◦ Examples: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism Types of Community Interactions ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Competition Predation Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism Competition – interaction where organisms try to use the same resource at the same time ◦ Resource – any necessity of life, including water, nutrients, light, food, or space Competitive Exclusion Principle ◦ No two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time Predation – interaction where one organism captures & feeds on another ◦ Predator – the organism who catches & eats another organism ◦ Prey – the organism that is captured & eaten Mutualism – both species benefit from the relationship ◦ Example: Flowers depend on bees to pollinate them. The bees can then eat the nectar of the flower. Commensalism – one member of a relationship benefits & the other is not helped or harmed ◦ Example: Barnacles on a whale’s skin do not help or harm the whale. However, as the whale swims, the movement of water past the barnacles carries food to the barnacles. Parasitism – one organism lives in or on another organism & harms it Parasites can weaken but usually do not kill their host. ◦ Example: Ticks feed on the blood of animals such as deer, dogs, and humans. Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitants gradually die out and new organisms move in, causing further changes in the community The series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time is called ecological succession Primary succession is succession that occurs where no soil exists Pioneer species are the first species to populate an area ◦ Often is lichens Secondary Succession is succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil Tends to restore the ecosystem to its original condition Can be caused by natural events (forest fire) or human disturbances (clear-cutting a forest) Contrast biotic and abiotic factors. ◦ Biotic Factors – any living component of an ecosystem that can affect an organism ◦ Abiotic Factors – any nonliving component of an ecosystem that can affect an organism Identify and explain the five types of community interactions. ◦ Competition – interaction where organisms try to use the same resource at the same time ◦ Predation – interaction where one organism captures & feeds on another ◦ Mutualism – both species benefit from the relationship ◦ Commensalism – one member of a relationship benefits & the other is not helped or harmed ◦ Parasitism – one organism lives in or on another organism & harms it Differentiate between primary and secondary succession ◦ Primary succession is succession that occurs where no soil exists ◦ Secondary Succession is succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil Contrast producers, consumers, detritivores, and decomposers. Describe a food chain Describe a food web Identify the three types of ecological pyramids Ecosystems need a circular flow of energy in order to support and sustain life ALL energy is originated from the sun Producers are organisms that capture energy from the sun and convert it into food ◦ This process is called photosynthesis Also known as autotrophs Plants, some bacteria, and algae are producers Consumers are organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms Also known as heterotrophs All animals, most protists and bacteria, and all fungi are consumers Herbivores – consumers that eat only plants ◦ Examples: deer, cows, caterpillars Carnivores – consumers that eat only animals ◦ Examples: wolves, snakes, owls Omnivores – consumers that eat both plants & animals ◦ Examples: humans, bears, crows ◦ Detritivores are organisms that feed on plant and animals remains, and other dead matter Examples: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Earthworms Snails Mites Crabs Decomposers are organisms that break down organic matter ◦ Examples: fungi & some types of bacteria Decomposers return nutrients, minerals, & some organic matter back to the soil or the atmosphere to be used by plants and other producers A food chain is a series of steps where organisms transfer energy by eating & by being eaten Food chains move in a straight line Food chains usually show no more than 5 organisms Arrows show the direction of energy flow Producer Primary Consumer Secondary Consumer Tertiary Consumer Quarternary Consumer Producer/Autotroph Herbivore Carnivore Carnivore, Detritivore, or Decomposer Carnivore, Detritivore, or Decomposer Food chains do not show all of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem ◦ Most organisms eat & can be eaten by more than one organism Food Web – a network of complex feeding interactions in an ecosystem ◦ Food webs show all of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem Each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level Ecological pyramids show the relative amounts of energy or matter in each trophic level Types of Ecological Pyramids ◦ Energy Pyramid ◦ Biomass Pyramid ◦ Pyramid of Numbers Energy pyramids (also called trophic pyramids) show how much energy is available at each trophic level Only 10% of energy is transferred to each trophic level The remaining 90% of the energy is used by the organism to carry out life processes ◦ Some is also released as heat Tertiary Consumers (carnivores, detritivores, decomposers) – 0.1% of the energy Secondary Consumers (carnivores) – 1% of the energy Primary Consumers (herbivores) – 10% of the energy Producers (autotrophs) – 100% of the energy Biomass pyramids show the amount of potential food available for each trophic level ◦ Biomass – the total amount of living tissue Grams of organic matter per unit area ◦ You usually have more plants than herbivores, more herbivores than carnivores, etc. A pyramid of numbers shows how many individual organisms are in an ecosystem ◦ Sometimes it will not look like a pyramid because, for example, there are more individual insects than individual trees, but the trees have more energy and biomass. Contrast producers, consumers, detritivores, and decomposers. ◦ Producers are organisms that capture energy from the sun and convert it into food ◦ Consumers are organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms Detritivores are organisms that feed on plant and animals remains, and other dead matter Decomposers are organisms that break down organic matter Describe a food chain ◦ A food chain is a series of steps where organisms transfer energy by eating & by being eaten. Food chains move in a straight line and usually show no more than 5 organisms. Describe a food web. ◦ Food Web – a network of complex feeding interactions in an ecosystem ◦ Food webs show all of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem Identify the three types of ecological pyramids ◦ Energy pyramid, biomass pyramid, pyramid of numbers