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Ecology
Chapter 3
Photo
by http://www.flickr.com/photos/druclimb/56763994/in/photostream/
ECOLOGY - the study of interactions among
organisms with each other and with environment
The focal point of ecology is the BIOSPHERE
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
Species - individuals that can breed with one
another
Population - all the individuals of the same
species (ducks) in an area
A
population
is always
composed
of samespecies
organisms
Community - all the populations that
live together in an area
What is in your backyard community?
Brainstorm with a partner and build a list of what’s
there.
Ecosystem - the community plus the physical
factors in an area (rain, light, soil..)
Examples:
Rotting Log
Koi Pond
Lake
Clump of Dirt
A field
An old maple tree
Biome - large area that has a particular climate,
and particular species of plants and animals that
live there (tundra)
Biosphere - the part of the earth that supports life
Important Factors
• Environmental conditions include biotic
and abiotic factors
– Biotic Factors- any living part of the
environment with which an organism may
interact
• Examples-Animals, plants, and bacteria
– Abiotic Factors- Any nonliving part of the
environment that may effect the organism.
• Examples- sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity,
wind, soil conditions, or water currents
Ecological methods - How do
we study it?
1. Observing
2. Experimenting
3. Modeling
• 1. Observation is often the first step in
asking ecological questions. These types of
questions will help the scientist form their
first steps of their experiment and models
• 2. Experimentation can be used to test
hypothesis and explain the questions that
were asked in the earlier observations made
by the scientist.
3. Models are created by humans to
make predictions.
Sometimes, you must be cautious in
how a model interprets data....
Imagine graphing a
person's height as
they age. One could
predict that by the
time they were age
30, they would be 22
feet tall.
However, the model
would need to
account for the
slowing of growth
after adolescence.
3-2 Energy, Producers, and Consumers
Autotrophs (producers) - capture energy
from environment and convert it into "food"
called primary producers
Primary Producer = PLANTS
Heterotrophs (consumers) - must eat things
to survive.
Main groups of Heterotrophs are:
GROUP:
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
Scavengers
Detritivores
Decomposers
Examples:
Cows, deer, caterpillar
Snakes, large cats, dog
Humans, bears, pigs
Raccoon, vulture
Worms, snails, crabs
Bacteria, fungus
*SUNLIGHT is the main source of
energy*
Photosynthesis - uses light energy to
make "food"
Chemosynthesis - makes food from chemicals
(some bacteria synthesize food in this way)
Some bacteria
live in deep
ocean vents,
and make their
food from
chemicals in
those vents
3.3 FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS illustrate the flow of energy in an ecosystem
*Note the direction of the arrows, they indicate where the
energy is going when one organism consumes another.
Each step in a
chain or web is
called a TROPHIC
LEVEL
Identify:
Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Consumers
Find the Omnivore.
Ecological Pyramids
Energy Pyramid- shows energy % flow through
levels
Biomass Pyramid- Shows biomass (mass of living
biological organisms in a given area)
Pyramid of Numbers- exact numbers of specific
organisms
Pyramid of
Energy
.1%
3rd Order Consumer
• Energy is lost
through the
passage of
consumption from
trophic level to
trophic level. The
main source of
loss is HEAT
1%
2nd order Consumer
10%
1st Order Consumer
100 %
Primary Producer
Photosynthesis And
/Or
Chemosynthesis
3.4 Biogeochemical Cycles
(biology + geology + chemical)
Matter is not used up, it is transformed, the
same molecules are passed around. They will
change between states of matter (solids,
liquids, and gases)
Graphics
1. Water Cycle
2. Nitrogen Cycle
3. Carbon Cycle
4. Phosphorus Cycle