Principles of Ecology

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Principles of Ecology

• Eau Gallie
• Biology

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Sharing the World

• Natural History- the study of plants and animals,
  including where they grow and live, what they
  eat, or what eats them.

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What is Ecology?

• The study of interactions between organisms and
  their environment.
• Ecological research combines information and
  techniques from multiple fields of science
• Ecologists obtain descriptive measurements
  (through observations) and quantitative
  measurements (through experiments)

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The Biosphere

• The portion of Earth that supports all living
  things
• Very thin layer of Earth
• Wide range of climates

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The environment

• Biotic factors all living organisms that
  inhabit an environment
• Plants, bacteria, parasites, hosts, etc.
• Abiotic factors - the non-living parts of an
  organisms environment
• Air, currents, temperature, moisture, light, and
  soil

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Levels of Organization

• Organism
• Population
• Community
• Ecosystem

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Levels of Organization

• Organism, Population, Community, and Ecosystem
• A population is a group of organisms, all of
  the same species, which interbreed and live in
  the same area at the same time
• Individuals within a population share and compete
  for resources
• Mates, food, space, water
• Competition occurs when a resource is in short
  supply

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Organism
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Population

• a group of organisms, all of the same species,
  which interbreed and live in the same area at the
  same time
• Individuals within a population share and compete
  for resources

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Community
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Interactions at the Community Level

• A biological community is made of several
  interacting populations in a certain area at a
  certain time.
• A change in one population can affect the other
  population within the community
• Predator/prey relationships
• Competition for resources (space, food, water)

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Interactions at the Ecosystem Level

• An ecosystem is made of interacting populations
  in a biological community and the communitys
  abiotic factors.
• Ecosystems are subject to change
• Terrestrial and Aquatic

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Organisms in Ecosystems

• A habitat is the place where an organisms lives
  out its life
• Lawn, bottom of a stream, wetland, type of tree,
  etc.
• A niche is all strategies and adaptations a
  species uses in its environment
• How it meets its specific needs for food and
  shelter, where it survives, where it reproduces
• Includes all interactions with biotic and abiotic
  parts of its habitat

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Survival Relationships

• Symbiosis- a relationship where there is a close
  and permanent association between organisms of
  different species
• Means living together
• Three types Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism

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Mutualism

• Both species benefit

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Commensalism

• One species benefits, the other species is
  neither harmed nor benefited

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Parasitism

• One species benefits at the expense of the other
• Does not kill its host, but may result in the
  death of the host over time.

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Nutrition and Energy Flow

• Eau Gallie
• Biology
• Section 2.2

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How organisms obtain energy

• The producers autotrophs
• An organism that uses light or stored chemical
  energy to make energy-rich compounds
• The consumers heterotrophs
• An organisms that cannot make its own energy-rich
  compounds, and therefore feeds on other organisms

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Types of Heterotrophs

• Herbivores- Feed only on plants
• Carnivores- Feed on other heterotrophs
• Scavengers- Do not kill for food, but eat animals
  that have already died
• Omnivores- Eat both animal and plant material
• Decomposers- break down complex compounds of dead
  and decaying plants and animals into simpler
  molecules that can be more easily absorbed

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Flow of Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

• Matter in the form of carbon, nitrogen, and other
  elements is cycled through an ecosystem by
  producers and consumers

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Food Chains

• A food chain is used by scientist to study how
  matter and energy move through an ecosystem
• Autotrophs ? heterotrophs ? decomposers
• The amount of energy decreases as you progress
  along the food chain
• Energy is also released as heat during each
  transfer along the food chain

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Trophic Levels

• A trophic level is a feeding step along a food
  chain

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Food Webs

• Models all possible feeding relationships at each
  trophic level in a community

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Ecological Pyramids

• Models how energy flows through an ecosystem
• Energy decreases at each succeeding trophic level
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• Biomass is the total weight of living matter at
  each trophic level

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Cycles in Nature

• Matter and energy are recycled throughout the
  environment through different cycles
• Water cycle
• Carbon cycle
• Nitrogen cycle
• Phosphorus Cycle

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Water Cycle
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Carbon Cycle
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Nitrogen Cycle
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Phosphorous Cycle