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Ecology Ecology Defined • Ecology derives from a greek word that means “home” • Scientifically it is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. Types of Ecology • Organismal Ecology – focuses on individual organisms within an environment • Population Ecology – focuses on populations of individual species within and environment • Community Ecology – focuses on the different species within a community • Ecosystem Ecology – focuses on interactions between community members and the abiotic or non-living components of the ecosystem Ecosystems Ecology • The biosphere is the broadest level of ecological study and is the sum total of all ecosystems. • It connects parts of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere Abiotic Factors • Non-living components of the environment that may or may not influence the biotic or living components of an ecosystem • The most important of which are the distribution of: 1. Sunlight 2. Water The Sun and Earth • The distribution and intensity of sunlight is dependent on the tilt of the Earth’s axis in relation to the Sun • Due to latitudinal difference seasons are apparent in some places Video Seasons • Autumnal Equinox (September) suns rays directly over the Equator • Winter Solstice (December) suns rays directly over the Tropic of Capricorn • Vernal Equinox (March) suns rays directly over the Equator • Summer Solstice (June) suns rays directly over the Tropic of Cancer Air Currents & Moisture • Sunlight at the Equator causes warm moist air to rise • In the upper atmosphere this moist air cools, condenses, and falls as rain • 30o North and South of the Equator are areas that are relatively dry due to the descent of cool dry air • This circulation is called a Hadley Cell Hadley Cells Ocean Currents • Sunlight at the Equator also causes warm water to rise and move to the poles • Due to Earth’s rotation and the resulting friction with the air, water circulates clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Terrestrial Ecosystems • Biome are terrestrial ecosystems characterized by the climate (sunlight and moisture) and the resulting major type vegetation • Biomes generally correlate with changes in latitude Temperature & Moisture Gradients Tundra Coniferous Forest Desert Deciduous Grassland Forest Tropical Forest Biome Vegetation • Tundra Grasses, small wildflowers, cushion plants, and lichen • Coniferous Forest Evergreen Needle bearing Trees • Desert Cactus • Grassland Grasses • Deciduous Forest Broadleaf Trees that lose their leaves • Tropical Forest Broadleaf Evergreen Trees Aquatic Ecosystems • Saltwater – this system is categorized into distinct zones • Freshwater – can be classified as either flowing or standing Pale Blue Dot
