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Transcript
Ecology Ecology Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and their interdependence with the non-living resources. Biosphere: Portion of the earth inhabited by life: sum of all ecosystems. This area is a relatively thin layer of seas, lakes, streams, land to soil depth of a few meters, and atmosphere to an altitude of a few kilometers. “As long as there are leaves, there will always be fish.” “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.’ “Few problems are less recognized but more important than the accelerating dissappearance of Earth’s biological resources. In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it is perched.” Ecology The study of interactions between organisms and their Environment. AbioticBioticEnergy flow through the ecosystem Autotrophs- Make their own food. Heterotrophs Consume food. Feeding relationships Herbivores Carnivores Predators/Prey Scavengers Insectivores, etc. Omnivores; Energy Flow ProducersMake their own food. ConsumersPrimary Secondary Higher Decomposers Relationships Symbioses Mutualism Parasitism Commensalism Transfer of Energy Tropic levels Biomass Food Web Energy Flow Food Chains The source of all food is the activity of autotrophs, mainly photosynthesis by plants. •They are called producers because only they can manufacture food from inorganic raw materials. •This food feeds herbivores, called primary consumers. •Carnivores that feed on herbivores are called secondary consumers. •Carnivores that feed on other carnivores are tertiary (or higher) consumers. Such a path of food consumption is called a food chain. Each level of consumption in a food chain is called a trophic • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Name_________________________ Date _________________________ • Notes on Energy Flow Energy from the __________ is the major source for all living things. The process of ______________traps it so it can be used by living organisms. Plants are considered primary ____________________ since they carry out the process of __________________. Another name for these organisms is __________________________ since they make their own food. Any organism that eats plant material is called a _______________________. All of these organisms are _______________since they cannot make their own food. Some heterotrophs live off of decaying material , they are called_____________________. They are needed to recycle the material through the ecosystems. Trophic levels: Energy is passed from one type of organism to another via _______________ levels. The first level includes __________________________. Here we find the most abundant amount of mass stored of all the levels. The second level includes all the organisms that eat these plants. They are called primary_______________, since they take the energy stored in the plants and incorporate it into their bodies. About _________% of the total energy is transfered to this level to be used by these consumers. The third level includes the secondary consumers or _______________. These receive energy from eating the primary consumers. There are fewer of these organisms than there are of the prmary consumers. Food Web - Menu Build a Food Web • Interactive Assessment Worksheets http://www.brainpop.com/science/ec ology/foodchains/index.weml?&trie d_cookie=true ecologyonline Abiotic Factors Organisms in the biosphere are acted upon by abiotic factors (non-living). •Temperature: affects metabolism, range is between 0 degrees and 50 degrees centigrade. •Water: adaptations for water balance and conservation help determine a species' habitat range. •Solar energy drives nearly all ecosystems. Availability of light can determine habitat. Aquatic environments, water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths; therefore, most photosynthesis occurs near the surface of the water. Animal and plant behavior is often sensitive to photoperiods. •Soil: Physical structure, pH, and mineral composition of soil limit distribution of plants and hence animals that feed on them. •Wind: amplifies the effects on temperature by increasing heat loss by evaporation and convection. •Natural Disasters: Fire, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions can devastate biological communities. Principle of Allocation Principle of Allocation: Each organism has a limited, finite amount of total energy that can be allocated for growth, reproducing, obtaining nutrients, escaping predators and coping with environmental changes. •Species living in stable environments: Lead a good life in a small area. •Species living in unstable environments: Lead a rough life over a wider range. Biomes Terrestrial Biomes: Most often named for the predominant vegetation but each is also characterized by animals adapted to that particular environment •biomes grade into each other without sharp boundaries. •May be patchy, with several communities represented in one biome. •Prevailing climate, particular temperature and rainfall, is most important factor in determining what kind of biome develops. A climatograph plots temperature and rainfall and shows the impact of climate on the distribution of biomes. Tropical Forest (rain forest): found near the equator, temp varies little from 25 degrees C. and day light varies from 12 hours by less than one hour. Lowlands receive very little rain fall, and develop thorn forests. Nearer the equator regions have distinct wet and dry seasons and tropical deciduous forests occur. Trees releaf following heavy rains. Near the equator, where rainfall is abundant ,and the dry season lasts less than a few months is tropical rain forest. Contain more plant and animal species than any other community. Competition is strong for light, soil is poor due to the rapid recycling of nutrients. Animals are mostly tree dwellers. Savanna: is a grassland with scattered individual trees. Found covering: Central South America, central and South Africa, and parts of Australia. Soil is generally porous with a thin humus layer. 3 distinct seasons: cool and dry; hot and dry, and warm and wet in that order. Frequent fires inhibit invasion of trees. Large herbivores ( giraffes, zebras) are commonly most active. Chaparral: scrub land are regions of dense, spiny shrubs, with tough evergreen leaves found along coasts where cool ocean currents circulate offshore making mild rainy winters and long hot dry summers. Mediterranean , California coastline, Chile, S.W. Africa, and S.W. Australia. Deer, snakes, fruit eating birds are common. Desert: is characterized by low precipitation less than 30 cm / year, not by temperature: both cold and hot deserts exist. Hot deserts occur in S.W. USA, W. South America, North Africa, Middle East, Central Australia. Cold deserts occur: E. Argentina, central Asia, and west of the Rocky Mountains. Reptiles and seed eaters are common. Cacti and succulents are also common. Temperate Grasslands: similar to savanna but occur in cold regions. Veldts of S. Africa, the pusta of Hungary, pampas of Uruguay and Argentina, steppes of Russia, and the plains of the USA, are examples. Temperate Forests: grow throughout the mid latitude regions that contain enough moisture to support large broad-leaved, deciduous trees. Occur in Eastern US, Middle Europe, and E. Asia. There is a 5-6 month growing season, very cold winters, and very hot summers. High precipitation and evenly distributed through out the year. Soil rich in nutrients. Taiga: ( coniferous or boreal forest) is characterized by harsh winters and occasionally warm summers. N.America, Europe, Asia, and at high elevations in more temperate latitudes. Soil thin and acidic. It forms slowly. Tundra: is the northern most limits of plant growth and at high altitudes plant forms are limits to shrubs and mat-like vegetation. Arctic Tundra: encircles the North Pole. Brief warm summers are marked with nearly 24 hours of sunlight. Permafrost, saturated soil prevent large plants from growing. Alpine Tundra: occurs at high elevations at all latitudes. Nitrogen Cycle Water Cycle CO2 Cycle Glossary of Ecology Terms • UCMP Glossary of Natural History Terms, #5 niche -- The portion of the environment which a species occupies. A niche is defined in terms of the conditions under which an organism can survive, and may be affected by the presence of other competing organisms. nitrogen fixation -- The conversion of gaseous nitrogen into a form usable by plants. Ususally by bacteria. nocturnal -- Active only at night. nutrient -- Any element or simple compound necessary for the health and survival of an organism. This includes air and water, as well as food. nutrient cycling -- All the processes by which nutrients are transferred from one organism to another. For instance, the carbon cycle includes uptake of carbon dioxide by plants, ingestion by animals, and respiration and decay of the animal. omnivore -- Literally, an organism that will eat anything. Refers to animals who do not restrict their diet to just plants or other animals. organic -- Generally refers to those substances produced by the metabolism of a living organism, especially carbon-containing compounds. parasite -- Organism which lives on or within another organism, on which it feeds. pathogenic -- Organism which causes a disease within another organism. pelagic -- Pelagic organisms swim through the ocean, and may rise to