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Transcript
Life and the Environment Biosphere • The part of the earth that supports life. • Only a small portion of Earth. • Includes the topmost part of the crust, the earth’s waters, and the atmosphere. Biomes • Large geographic areas that have similar climates and ecosystems. • Ex: tundra, taiga, temperate deciduous forest, tropical rain forest, grassland, desert, freshwater, and saltwater biomes. Climate/Ecosystem • Climate - average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. • Factors include temperature, latitude, elevation, and precipitation. • Ecosystem – made of communities and the non-living factors that affect them. Ecology • The study of interactions of organisms with other organisms and with the physical environment. Abiotic Factors • The non-living features or conditions of the environment. • Ex: soil, water, light, air and temperature. • Have effects on living things and often determine the organisms that are able to live in a certain environment. Biotic Factors • Living or once-living organisms in the environment. Habitat • The physical location where an individual lives, the “home”. • Provides the kinds of food and shelter, the temperature, and the amount of moisture the organism needs to survive. Niche • The role the individual plays in the ecosystem, its “job”. • What it eats • How it gets its food • How it interacts with other organisms Carrying Capacity • The largest number of individuals an environment can support and maintain for a long period of time. Limiting Factor • Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the number of individuals in a population. • Ex: food, water, living space, mates, nesting sites. Competition • The struggle among organisms to obtain the resources they need to survive and reproduce. • As population density increases, so does competition among individuals. • • • • • Space Light Food Water Reproduction Biological Relationships • Predation – when one organism feeds on another, the prey organism (a limiting factor to the prey species). • Symbiosis – any close relationship between two or more different species. • • • Mutualism – both species benefit. (lichen - fungus and alga working together) Commensalism – benefits one species, but neither helps nor harms the other. Parasitism – benefits one species but definitely harms the other. (parasite worms, leeches) Mutualism “I win - you win” Parasitism “I win – you lose” Commensalism “I win - and I don’t really care if you win or lose” Energy Flow Through Ecosystems • Most of the interactions between members of different species are feeding relationships. • They involve the transfer of energy from one organism to another. • Energy moves through an ecosystem in the form of food. Food Chain • A simple way to show how food (energy) transfers from sun to producer to consumer. Phytoplankton Insects Bluegill Bass Clover Rabbit Fox Decay microorganisms Producers • Organisms that capture energy from the sun. Consumers • Organisms that obtain energy when they feed on producers or other consumers. • Primary • Secondary • Tertiary Types of Consumers • Herbivore – plant eater • Carnivore – meat eater • Omnivore - both Decomposers • Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms and turn them into nutrients in the soil.