Ecology

1
Ecology

• Ecology is the scientific study of the
  interaction between organisms and between
  organisms and their environment.

2

• How do animals benefit plants?

3

• What non-living things in their environment do
  organisms interact with?

4
Levels of Organization

• 1. Biosphere
• 2. Biome
• 3. Ecosystem
• 4. Community
• 5. Population
• 6. Organism

5

• Can a group of rabbits and a group of field mice
  make up the same population?

6

• Could a biome near Brazil be the same as a biome
  in northern Canada?

7
Ecosystems

• An ecosystem
• consists of a given areas
• (______________) and
• (______________).

• physical features

abiotic factors
living organisms
biotic factors
8
Abiotic factors

• nonliving physical parts of an ecosystem such as
  _______________ type, rocks, temperature,
• _______________, and rainfall.

water, sunlight, soil
humidity, elevation

• Wind Can affect the pattern of a plants growth

9
Biotic Factors

• living aspects of an ecosystem such
  as_____________
• _______________, worms, amoebas, and waterlilies.

fishes, frogs,
insects, snails,
10
Habitats
Ecosystems contain Habitats,

the location or surrounding where the organism
lives
11
Niches,

• the behavior of organisms in their habitats.

12
Community

• organisms living together in an ecosystem

13
Ecological Methods

• Scientists conduct research using 3 basic
  approaches.
• 1. Observing could be behavior observations
  about an animal.
• 2. Experimenting test a hypothesis
• 3. Modeling gain insight into complex phenomena
  like global warming.

14
Notes 3-2 Energy Flow

• Sunlight is the main energy source for life on
  Earth.
• Autotrophs capture energy from sunlight and use
  that energy to produce food. Also called
  producers.

15
Producers

• Photosynthesis is responsible for adding oxygen
  toand removing carbon dioxide fromEarth's
  atmosphere.

16

• Heterotrophs rely on other organisms for their
  energy and food supply. Also called consumers.
• Herbivores eat plants
• Carnivores eat animals
• Omnivores eat both
• Detritivores eat dead matter (mites, worms,
  snails, crabs

17
Food Chains

• Food Chains a series of steps in which
  organisms transfer energy by eating and being
  eaten.
• Example plankton dragonfly-salamander-snake

18

• C. Feeding Relationships
• 1.    Food chain
• a. chains are found in
  harsh climates like the desert and tundra .
• b.  Desert or tundra areas are
• than those found in more moderate
  climatic influences e.g.

• follow the progression of energy
  flow from one organism to another or who eats
  whom.

shorter food
less stable and more easily destroyed

• tropical rain forests.

19
Food Web

• Food Web links all the food chains in an
  ecosystem together.

20
Trophic Level

• Each step in a food chain/web is called a trophic
  level.
• (herbivore)

21
Pyramids 3 types

• 1. Energy Pyramid transfer of energy from one
  trophic level to the next. Measured in kcals.
• 10 rule - only 10 of the energy is
  transferred from one trophic level to the next.
• Why?
• It is lost in respiration, movement and
  reproduction.

22
Ecological Pyramids
0.1 Third-level consumers
1 Second-level consumers
10 First-level consumers
100 Producers
23

• Suppose that the base of an energy pyramid
  consists of plants that contain 450,000calories
  of food energy. If the plants were eaten by mice
  and insects, how much food energy would be
  available to those first-level consumers?
• How about the second-level consumers that at the
  mice and insects?
• How about the third-level consumer?

24

• First-level consumer would have 45,000 calories
  available
• Second-level consumer would have 4500 calories
  available.
• Third-level consumer would have 450 calories
  available.

25
Feeding Relationships

• Energy flows through an ecosystem in one
  direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to
  autotrophs (producers) and then to various
  heterotrophs (consumers).

26
Energy Pyramids Contd

• 100 K/cals
• 1,000 K/cals
• 10,000 K/cals

27
Types of Pyramids

• 2. Biomass Pyramid transfer of biomass from
  one trophic level to the next.

28
Types of Pyramids

• 3. Pyramid of Numbers the total number of
  individuals at each trophic level. (may not look
  like a pyramid)