Download ecological concepts note guide

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Ecology
• Is the study of the relationship between organisms and their physical
surroundings
• Is present within all ecosystems
Ecosystems
• Are communities composed of varying organisms interacting in a
manner which allows for the flow of energy and conduction of other
biological processes
Ecosystems
• Are established over long periods of time, with the impacts of
climate, elevation and topography playing key roles
• Are present within all biomes on earth
Ecosystems
• Are composed of various components, including:
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habitats
niches
producers
consumers
vertical stratification
Habitat
• Is a concentrated area with abundant populations of one plant,
animal or other living organism
Habitat
• Is vital for the survival of all organisms
• Can be localized and adapted to by versatile organisms
Niches
• Are unique relationships developed over time by organisms needing
to adapt to various ecosystems within their habitat
Niches
• Are also defined by an organism’s response to:
• fluctuations in resources
• predation
• disease
Producers
• Are living organisms whom produce food or biomass
Producers
• Produce food and biomass through the process of photosynthesis and
are also known as primary producers
• photosynthesis is the conversion of sunlight into sugar which can be utilized
as an energy source
• Include:
• plants
• algae
Consumers
• Are organisms who obtain food and energy through the consumption
of other organisms or organic matter
Consumers
• Include:
• primary consumers
• herbivores
• consumers of only
• secondary consumers
• omnivores
• consumers of both plants and animals
• carnivores
• consumers of only animals
plants
Producers & Consumers
• Includes the following relationships:
• plants and animals
• predator-prey
Plants & Animals
• Interact with each other within the environment
• Includes the following:
• plants benefitting from animals
• animals benefitting from plants
Plants Benefitting From Animals
• Through the following:
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herbivores or omnivores dispersing seeds while grazing
bees, insects, birds pollinating flowers
animals aerating the soil
animal droppings fertilizing the plants
Animals Benefitting From Plants
• Through the following:
• plants producing oxygen
• plants providing protection and shelter from severe weather
• plants providing food and nutrition for herbivores and omnivores
Predator-Prey
• Is the relationship between an organism known as a
predator who eats another organism known as the prey
• Evolve together, for example:
• prey continue to evolve to prevent being eaten by a predator
• predators continue to evolve to whatever is necessary in order to eat the prey
Predator-Prey
• Includes the following examples of evolution:
• predators become immune to the prey’s poison
• prey becomes faster and more camouflage to hide from the predator
• predator or prey’s sense of smell, sight or hearing increase in order to detect
one another
Ecosystem Types
• Are determined by the biomes they are present in, among other
factors
Ecosystem Report: Biomes are large communities constituting all
regions of earth.
Ecosystem Types
• Include:
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aquatic
forest
grassland
wetland
Aquatic
• Is an ecosystem within a body of water
• Includes two main types of ecosystems
• freshwater
• marine
Aquatic
• Freshwater
• defined by a low concentration of salts
• include: ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands
• Marine
• defined by a high concentration
• include: oceans, coral
of salts
reefs and estuaries
Aquatic
• Species include:
• crustaceans (including fiddler crabs and squat lobsters)
• fish (more than 30,000 different species, including rainbow trout and
lampreys)
• turtles (including Galapagos and loggerhead turtles)
Forest
• Is an ecosystem dominated by trees and thick, woody vegetation
• Includes various ecosystems types:
• tropical
• temperate
• boreal (taiga)
Forest
• Boreal (taiga)
• are the northernmost forests with long winters and short summers
• Temperate
• include deciduous and coniferous forests
• Tropical
• the most diverse of all ecosystems, tropical forests lack a true winter
Forest
• Species include:
• bears (including brown bears and American black bear)
• pine trees (including Cuban and Turkish pine)
• vines (including Boston Ivy and Dutchman's pipe)
Grassland
• Is an ecosystem dominated by grasses
• Includes various ecosystem types:
• temperate grassland
• tropical grassland (savanna)
Grassland
• Temperate
• are present in climates with varying temperatures and are completely devoid
of trees and shrubs
• Tropical
• are always found in warm or hot climates and have regions of scattered trees
Grassland
• Species include:
• wild cats (including Malayan tigers and Jaguars)
• fruits (including wild melon and common guarri)
• grasses (including Bermuda and elephant grass)
Wetland
• Is an ecosystem dominated by semi-aquatic vegetation and wildlife
• Include various ecosystem types:
• bogs
• marshes
• swamps
Wetland
• Bogs
• are small ponds known for heavy accumulations of organic matter
• Marshes
• form close to ponds and lakes with reeds and grasses dominating the area
• Swamps
• are extremely damp areas with heavy foliage
Wetland
• Species include:
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birds (including egrets and red-winged blackbirds)
weedy grasses (including cattails and pickerelweed)
insectivorous plants (including sundews and pitcher plants
insects (including
dragonflies and
mosquitos)
Nutrient Cycles
• Are the exchange or conversion of nutrients from one form to
another through biological and chemical elements
• nutrient
• chemical substance required by an organism for growth, reproduction and maintenance
• nutrient cycling
• use, transformation, movement and reuse of nutrients in ecosystems
Energy Flow
• Is facilitated in all ecosystems through a variety of biogeochemical
processes
• biogeochemical processes are natural processes which provide for the cycling
of chemicals between living and non living (biotic and abiotic) factors
including:
• water (H2O)
• oxygen (O2)
• carbon (C)
• nitrogen (N2)
• phosphorus (P)
• sulfur (S)
Energy Flow
• Is conducted within the biosphere
• the biosphere is the sum of all ecosystem on earth
Water Cycle
• Is the continuous movement of water throughout the biosphere, also
known as the hydrologic cycle
• Utilizes evaporation to continually pull water into the lower
atmosphere and then release it once again as precipitation
Ecosystem Report: Evaporation is the transformation of water into
gas.
Oxygen Cycle
• Is the continuous movement of oxygen throughout the biosphere
• Is possible through the release of oxygen during photosynthesis and
the photodisassociation of water vapor, which is a chemical reaction
Carbon Cycle
• Is the continuous movement of carbon throughout the biosphere
• Is possible through the exchange and release of carbon between the
atmosphere and various sources within the biosphere
Nitrogen Cycle
• Is the continuous movement of nitrogen throughout the biosphere
• Is possible through the process of nitrogen fixation which is
conducted by legumes (such as peanuts), algae and some forms of
bacteria
Phosphorus Cycle
• Is the continuous movement of phosphorus throughout the
biosphere
• Is primarily conducted within soil, as plant roots absorb phosphorus
and pass it on through various food chains
Sulfur Cycle
• Is the continuous movement of sulfur throughout the biosphere
• Is possible through the release of sulfur from the earth’s crust due to
a variety of causes
Energy Flow
• Is also conducted through the utilization of food webs
• food webs are constitutions of food chains present within every ecosystem
Food Webs
• Consist of many organisms orchestrating the flow of matter from one
level to another
• Include the following:
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producers
primary consumers
secondary consumers
tertiary consumers
apex predators
decomposers and
detritivores
Food Webs
• Begin with producers creating food and being consumed by primary
consumers
• for example:
• kelp growing in an aquatic environment may serve as a food source for clams, who are
then established as a primary consumer and utilize the energy the kelp created through
photosynthesis
Food Webs
• Continue with primary consumers being consumed by secondary
consumers
• for example:
• a field mouse who has consumed grasses as a primary consumer in a savanna may be
consumed by an Adder snake, who then serves as the secondary consumer
Food Webs
• Continue with secondary consumers being consumed by tertiary
consumers
• for example:
• an Egret in a wetland may consume a water snake who feeds on small amphibians as a
secondary consumer, thereby placing the Egret as a tertiary consumer
Food Webs
• Continue with tertiary consumers being consumed by apex predators
• for example:
• a brown bear in the forest may consume a salmon, who serves as a secondary consumer,
but also may consume tertiary consumers if they are present; since the brown bear has
no natural enemies aside
from humans, he is the
apex predator
Food Webs
• Conclude with all living parts of the food web being consumed by
decomposers and detritivores
• for example:
• the remains of a decaying oak tree may be consumed and broken down by
various forms of fungi who serve as decomposers; while a dead bobcat in the desert may
be scavenged by a vulture who serves a detritivore