Download Ecology - Fall River Public Schools

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Define ecology.
List the levels of ecological organization from
largest to smallest.
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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
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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
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The highest level that ecologists can study is the
biosphere
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Define ecology.
◦ Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among
organisms & between organisms and their
environment
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List the levels of ecological organization from
largest to smallest.
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Biosphere
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Species
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Contrast biotic and abiotic factors.
Identify and explain the five types of
community interactions.
Differentiate between primary and secondary
succession
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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.
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Abiotic Factors – any
nonliving component
of an ecosystem that
can affect an organism
◦ Example: temperature,
climate, minerals, soil,
etc.
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Habitat – the area where
an organism lives
◦ Includes biotic & abiotic
factors
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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
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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
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Types of Community Interactions
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Competition
Predation
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
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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
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Competitive Exclusion
Principle
◦ No two species can
occupy the same niche in
the same habitat at the
same time
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Predation –
interaction where
one organism
captures & feeds on
another
◦ Predator – the
organism who
catches & eats
another organism
◦ Prey – the organism
that is captured &
eaten
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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Contrast producers, consumers, detritivores,
and decomposers.
Describe a food chain
Describe a food web
Identify the three types of ecological
pyramids
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Ecosystems need a
circular flow of
energy in order to
support and sustain
life
ALL energy is
originated from the
sun
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Producers are
organisms that capture
energy from the sun
and convert it into
food
◦ This process is called
photosynthesis
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Also known as
autotrophs
Plants, some bacteria,
and algae are
producers
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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
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Herbivores –
consumers that eat
only plants
◦ Examples: deer, cows,
caterpillars
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Carnivores –
consumers that eat
only animals
◦ Examples: wolves,
snakes, owls
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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
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Examples:
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Earthworms
Snails
Mites
Crabs
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Decomposers are
organisms that break
down organic matter
◦ Examples: fungi &
some types of bacteria
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Decomposers return
nutrients, minerals, &
some organic matter
back to the soil or
the atmosphere to be
used by plants and
other producers
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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
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Food chains do not show all
of the feeding relationships
in an ecosystem
◦ Most organisms eat & can be
eaten by more than one
organism
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Food Web – a network of
complex feeding
interactions in an
ecosystem
◦ Food webs show all of the
feeding relationships in an
ecosystem
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Each step in a food chain or
food web is called a trophic
level
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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Decomposers are organisms that break down
organic matter
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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.
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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
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Identify the three types of ecological
pyramids
◦ Energy pyramid, biomass pyramid, pyramid of
numbers