What is Ecology?

1
Chapter 3

• What is Ecology?

2
Chapter 3 Vocabulary Words

• Ecology
• Environment
• Biosphere
• Abiotic Factors
• Biotic Factors
• Population
• Community
• Ecosystem
• Terrestrial
• Aquatic

• Scavengers
• Decomposers
• Food Chain
• Trophic Level
• Food Web
• Ecological Pyramid
• Water Cycle
• Carbon Cycle
• Denitrification
• Nitrogen Fixation

• Habitat
• Niche
• Symbiosis
• Commensalism
• Mutualism
• Parasitism
• Autotrophs
• Heterotrophs
• Carnivore
• Omnivore
• Herbivore

3
3.1 Concept Map
Ecology
Biosphere
Species
Biome
Ecosystem
Communities
Populations
Pg. 63-64
Nutrient Limitation
Primary Productivity
Limiting Nutrient
Algal Bloom
Pg. 80
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Chapter 3.2-3.3 Concept Map pg. 67-73
Heterotroph
Autotroph
Herbivore
Omnivore
Consumer
Producer
Carnivore
Scavenger
Decomposer
Photosynthesis
Chemosynthesis
Ecological pyramid
Food chain
Trophic level
Food web
Biomass
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Chapter 3.3 Concept Map pg. 74-80
Biogeochemical Cycles
H2O Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
nitrogen fixation
evaporation
denitrification
transpiration
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Organisms and their Environment

• Ecology The study of organisms, their
  environment, and how they interact with each
  other.
• Includes studying living and non-living things

http//www.nps.gov/ever/eco/gator.htm
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Organisms and their Environment

• Biosphere The part of the Earth that sustains
  life.
• All living things on Earth are found in the
  biosphere.
• If you shrank the Earth to the size of an apple,
  the biosphere would be the thickness of the peel.
• Includes from high in the sky to deep in the
  oceans.

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Organisms and their Environment

• Interactions
• Individual (of a single species)
• Species group of organisms so similar to each
  other they can mate and produce offspring
• Population Group of organisms in the same
  species that live in the same place and
  interbreed.
• Community Many groups of different populations
  (different species as well)
• that live together.
• A collection of interacting populations

http//animals.mongabay.com/crabs.html
http//www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/
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Organisms and their Environment

• Ecosystem The interactions between organisms and
  the abiotic factors around them
• Different ecosystems
• Terrestrial
• Aquatic
• Marine
• Freshwater

• Biome a group of ecosystems that have a certain
  climate and dominant communities

http//www.oceanfutures.com/gallery/gallery_archiv
e.aspoctober
http//www.borealforest.org/world/world_management
.htm
http//www.cfra-nc.org/acfrb.htm
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Nutrition and Energy Flow 3-2

• There are many different ways an organism can
  obtain the energy that it needs to survive.
• Autotrophs organisms that use the suns energy
  OR chemicals in the environment to produce energy
  for themselves Photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

http//eebweb.arizona.edu/herb/plantphotos.html
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Nutrition and Energy Flow 3-2

• Heterotrophs organisms that must obtain energy
  from ingesting (eating) other organisms.
• Heterotrophs can eat plants, animals, or fungi in
  order to get energy.

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Heterotrophs, 3-2

• Come in many forms.
• Carnivore eat animals, meat
• Ex. Lions
• Scavenger- What would the Earth look like if
  there were no scavengers?
• Herbivore eat plants
• Ex. Cows, Wildebeests
• Omnivore eat plants and animals
• Ex. Humans, Raccoons, Opossums
• Decomposers break down organisms
• Ex. Bacteria, Fungi
• Detritivores eat decaying matter
• Ex Mites, Earthworms

http//www.personal.u-net.com/chilton/fungi.htm
http//www.photohome.com/photos/animal-pictures/wi
ldlife/lion-3.html
http//www.art.com/asp/sp.asp?PD10000662RFID571
189AffCONF
http//www.jpbutler.com/tanzania/travelogue-06800.
html
13
Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• Everything we eat is made up of atoms (matter)
• All living things require and possess energy
• Ex. Apple- when you eat it, you are consuming the
  very material it is made of, as well as the
  energy it has trapped from the apple tree leaves
  over time.

http//van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/qa/section/new_and_exc
iting_physics/what_atoms_look_like/920424670.htm
http//www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0015-
0309-0919-5215.html
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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• food chain a model used to illustrate the flow
  of energy through an ecosystem
• Ex. Grass Cow Human orAlgae Carp Heron
  Lion
• Food chains usually have no more than five steps.
• ? ? ? With each step the amount of energy
  transferred decreases ? ? ?

http//www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm
15
Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• trophic level each level in a food chain or
  food web
• (Greek) tropho food

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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• First trophic level Autotrophs (producers)
• Second level herbivores ? eat producers
• Third level carnivores ? eat herbivores
• Fourth level carnivore ? eat carnivores

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An Ecological Pyramid, 3-2
Top level - carnivores
3rd level - carnivores
Energy, Mass, Pop. Size Decreasing
2nd level - the herbivores
1st level- producers/autotrophs
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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• Ecological pyramid can describe
• Amount of energy at each level
• the flow of energy (direction of E flow)
• of individuals
• the amount of biomass that exists at each trophic
  level
• Biomass the total amount of living tissue within
  a trophic level

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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• the amount of energy retained decreases as you go
  up to the top of the pyramid
• With every passing level, ONLY 10 of available
  energy is passed on! (90 is lost)
• Only 10 of the producers energy actually makes
  it into the herbivores system!
• Only 10 of the herbivores energy actually makes
  it to the first carnivore in the chain!
• And so on ? ? ?

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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• The energy is lost in many different ways.
• Digestion, respiration
• Building body tissues (muscles, etc)
• Given off as waste or heat
• Movement
• Only about 10 of energy ends up stored in the
  consumers tissue available for transfer!
• Energy flow INEFFICIENT!

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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• Suppose there are 10,000 units of energy
  available at the grass level. How many units of
  energy are remaining for the snake trophic level?
  Etc

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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• There is 8000 units of energy at the grass level
  in one particular habitat.
• How much energy is available for grasshoppers?
• For frogs?
• For snakes?
• For hawks?

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Matter and Energy Flow, 3-2

• A food chain is not that complicated, but in real
  life, feeding involves more than just a simple
  food chain.
• food web more complex, describes all of the
  possible feeding situations that can occur in an
  ecosystem
• See p. 71

http//www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica20fact20
file/wildlife/whales/food20web.htm
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Cycles of Matter, 3-3

• Energy FLOWS through an ecosystem
• Matter CYCLES within and between ecosystems
  (biogeochemical cycles)
• Water Cycle
• Carbon Cycle
• Nitrogen Cycle
• Etc.
• Biological systems do not use up matter, they
  transform it

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Cycles of Matter, 3-3

• Carbon Cycle
• Carbon key ingredient in all living things
• CO2 important component of atmosphere
• Cycled during 4 main processes
• Biological photosynthesis, respiration
• Geochemical erosion, volcanic activity
• Biogeochemical burial and decomposition
• Human activity fossil fuels, cutting/burning
  forests

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Cycles of Matter, 3-3

• Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen most abundant atmospheric gas, 78
• Nitrogen Fixation
• Bacteria convert N2 (nitrogen gas) to a form
  producers can use (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites)
• Lightning breaks bond of N2, make it available
  for producers
• Denitrification bacteria convert N back to N2
  gas
• Decomposition/excretion nitrogen to soil from
  living things

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Important Study Tips!

• Ecology/Ecosystem/Biosphere
• Biotic/Abiotic Factors
• Population/Community
• Niche/Habitat
• Symbiosis
• Parasitism/Commensalism/Mutualism
• Heterotrophs/Autotrophs
• Producers/Consumers
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd Order heterotrophs
• Carnivores/Omnivores/Herbivores/Scavengers/Decompo
  sers
• Food Chain/Food Web
• Water/Carbon/Nitrogen/Phosphorous Cycles
• ENERGY PYRAMIDS!

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Biosphere Circle Map
Mate and reproduce
Group of different communities Terrestrial
Aquatic
species
ecosystems
Groups of species of the same kind
Biosphere
populations
biomes
Group of ecosystems with the same climate
communities
Group of different populations
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Food Chain/Food Web Double Bubble
Heterotroph
Plants
Living Organisms
Consumer
Producer
People, lion
Need energy
Makes own food
Autotroph
Eats food
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Consumer Circle Map
Eats plants and animals Birds, Humans
Breaks down organic matter Bacteria, fungi,
mushrooms
Ominivore
Decomposer
Eats only animals Lion
ConsumerHeterotroph
Carnivore
Eats dead plants, animals, and other dead
matter Mites, earthworms, seagulls, buzzard
Scavenger/Detritivores
Herbivore
Eats only plants Deer
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Cycles Tree Map
Cycles
Carbon Carbon dioxidePhotosynthesisRespirationF
ossil fuels
Water EvaporationPrecipitationCondensationTrans
piration
Nitrogen Lightening/BacteriaAlgal
bloomDenitrificationNitrogen fixationLegume/pea
plant
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REFERENCES Alligator Pictures http//www.nps.gov/
ever/eco/gator.htm Vultlure Pictures
http//www.theragens.com/photos/Turkey_Vulture_Pho
tos.htm Soldier Crab Pictures http//animals.mong
abay.com/crabs.html Forest Picture
http//www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/ Tree Picture
http//www.borealforest.org/world/world_management
.htm Shark/Ocean Picture http//www.oceanfutures.
com/gallery/gallery_archive.aspoctober Cape Fear
River Picture http//www.cfra-nc.org/acfrb.htm De
forestation Picture http//www.locatelli1.net/the
ma/picture.php?refbre021lgen Bee and Flower
Picture http//necsi.org/projects/evolution/co-ev
olution/symbiosis/co-evolution_symbiosis.html Span
ish Moss Picture http//www.acclaimimages.com/_ga
llery/_pages/0010-0301-2004-5140.html
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REFERENCES Ant and Acacia Tree Picture
http//waynesword.palomar.edu/acacia.htm Tick
Picture http//www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegallery/t
icks/iscapm.html Tape Worm Picture
http//www.micrographia.com/specbiol/helmint/platy
hel/cest0100.htm Flower Picture
http//eebweb.arizona.edu/herb/plantphotos.html Li
on Picture http//www.photohome.com/photos/animal
-pictures/wildlife/lion-3.html Wildebeest
Picture http//www.jpbutler.com/tanzania/travelog
ue-06800.html Raccoon Picture http//www.art.com/
asp/sp.asp?PD10000662RFID571189AffCONF Fungi
Picture http//www.personal.u-net.com/chilton/fu
ngi.htm Atom Picture http//van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/
qa/section/new_and_exciting_physics/what_atoms_loo
k_like/920424670.htm Apple Tree Picture
http//www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0015-
0309-0919-5215.html
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References Food Pyramid http//www.vtaide.com/png
/foodchains.htm Food Web http//www.coolantarctic
a.com/Antarctica20fact20file/wildlife/whales/foo
d20web.