Download Ecology Notes

Ecology:
an introduction
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Ecology: The study of the
interactions that take
place among organisms
and their environment
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Biosphere
 The part of Earth that supports life
 Top portion of Earth's crust
(lithosphere)
 All the waters that cover Earth's
surface (hydrosphere)
 Atmosphere is all the gasses that
surround Earth
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Ecosystem
 All the organisms living in an
area and the nonliving features
of their environment
 Biotic – living
 Abiotic – nonliving
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Biotic
 Biotic – living
 Plants
 Animals
 Single celled organisms
 Fungi
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Abiotic
 Abiotic – nonliving
 Water
 Air
 Soil
 Temperature
 Sunlight
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Parts of an
Ecosystem
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Population
 All the organisms in an
ecosystem that belong to the
same species (biotic)
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Community
 All the populations in an
ecosystem (biotic)
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http://www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/black_t
ailed_prairie_dog/images/lg_black_tailed_prairie_dogs.jpg
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Habitat
 The place in which an
organism lives
 provides the kinds of food and
shelter, the temperature, and the
amount of moisture the organism
needs to survive
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Niche
 The specific role that an organism plays
in its ecosystem
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http://www.thinksimian.com/images/birds_2/nest.JPG
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Competition
 The process of interaction between
organisms in an ecosystem, each
seeking to gain access to a limited
supply of the necessities of life.
 Food
 Space
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Competition
 Competition caused by
population growth affects many
organisms, including humans
 Limits population size
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Limiting Factor
 Anything that restricts the
number of individuals in a
population.
 Includes living / biotic and
nonliving / abiotic features of the
ecosystem
 i.e. water, food, light…
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Carrying Capacity
 The maximum number of individuals of
any species that can be supported by a
particular ecosystem on a long-term
basis
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http://library.thinkquest.org/J002558F/carrying_capacity.JPG
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Energy Transfer
 Food chain  chain of organisms along which energy, in
the form of food passes.
 An organism feeds on the link before it and
is in turn prey for the link after it.
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Organisms that cannot make their
own energy are called
CONSUMERS.
Organisms that can make
glucose during
photosynthesis are called
PRODUCERS.
Energy Transfer
Continued
 Food web  a group of interconnecting food chains
 They show the feeding relationships in an
ecosystem
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Food Web
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Energy Transfer
Continued
 Energy pyramids show
 That the amount of available energy
decreases down the food chain
 It takes a large number of producers to
support a small number of primary
consumers
 It takes a large number of primary
consumers to support a small number of
secondary consumers
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Energy Transfer Pyramid
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SUCCESSION
 Succession: The gradual change in an
ecosystem in which one biological
community is replaced by another.
 Pioneer Species: The first living things to
move into a barren area
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PRIMARY SUCCESSION
 Primary Succession: Glaciers moving or
lava flow over an area will leave it barren.
Pioneer species such as moss or lichen
will grow on rock with little to no soil,
breaking the rock down over time. Soil
forms, and larger plants begin to take
root. As time continues larger animals
begin to come in, as well as larger
diversities of plant and tree life
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SECONDARY SUCCESSION
 Secondary Succession: Soil remains
after a disturbance such as a fire, flood or
human activity. Grasses and small
shrubs begin to grow over the remains of
the older system. Larger trees begin to
take root and support larger animal
populations.
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