Basic Ecology

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Basic Ecology

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What is ecology?

• Ecology- the scientific study of interactions
  between organisms and their environments,
  focusing on energy transfer
• It is a science of relationships.

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What do you mean by environment?

• The environment is made up of two factors
• Biotic factors- all living organisms inhabiting
  the Earth
• Abiotic factors- nonliving parts of the
  environment (i.e. temperature, soil, light,
  moisture, air currents)

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Biosphere
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
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• Organism- any unicellular or multicellular form
  exhibiting all of the characteristics of life, an
  individual.
• The lowest level of organization

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Population-a group of organisms of one species
living in the same place at the same time that
interbreed and compete with each other for
resources (ex. food, mates, shelter)
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Community- several interacting populations that
inhabit a common environment and are
interdependent.
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Ecosystem- communities and the abiotic factors
with which they interact (ex. marine, terrestrial)
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• Biosphere- life supporting portions of Earth
  composed of air, land, fresh water, and salt
  water.
• The highest level of organization

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• Habitat vs. Niche

Niche - the role a species plays in a community
(job) Habitat- the place in which an organism
lives out its life (address)
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Feeding Relationships

• Producer- AKA Autotrophs
• Get their energy by making glucose through
  photosynthesis
• Bottom of the food chain

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Feeding Relationships

• Consumer- all heterotrophs they ingest food
  containing the suns energy
• Herbivores
• Carnivores
• Omnivores
• Decomposers
• Scavengers

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Feeding Relationships

• Consumer-
• Herbivores
• Eat plants
• Primary consumers

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Feeding Relationships

• Consumer-Carnivores-eat meat
• Predators
• Hunt prey
• animals for food.

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Feeding Relationships

• Consumer- Carnivores- eat meat
• Scavengers
• Feed on carrion,
• dead animals

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Feeding Relationships

• Consumer- Omnivores -eat both plants
• and animals

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Feeding Relationships

• Consumer- Decomposers
• Breakdown the complex compounds of dead and
  decaying plants and animals into simpler
  molecules that can be absorbed

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Symbiosis- two species living together

3 Types of symbiosis 1. Commensalism 2.
Parasitism 3. Mutualism
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Symbiotic Relationships

• Commensalism- Good/Dont Care
• one species benefits and the other is neither
  harmed nor helped
• Ex. orchids on a tree

Epiphytes A plant, such as a tropical orchid or
a bromeliad, that grows on another plant upon
which it depends for mechanical support but not
for nutrients. Also called aerophyte, air plant.
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Symbiotic Relationships

• Commensalism- Good/Dont Care
• one species benefits and the other is neither
  harmed nor helped
• Ex. Whale and
• barnacle

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Parasitism- Good/Bad
• one species benefits (parasite) and the other is
  harmed (host)
• Parasite-Host relationship

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Parasitism- parasite-host
• Ex. lampreys,
• leeches, fleas,
• ticks,tapeworm

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Mutualism- Good/Good
• beneficial to both species
• Ex. cleaning birds and cleaner shrimp

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Symbiotic Relationships

• Mutualism-
• beneficial to both species
• Ex. lichen

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Fungus living on the roots of plants
Mutualism
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Type of relationship Species harmed Species benefits Species neutral
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
1 species
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Trophic Levels

• Each link in a food chain is known as a trophic
  level.
• Trophic levels represent a feeding step in the
  transfer of energy and matter in an ecosystem.

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Trophic Levels

• Biomass- the amount of organic matter comprising
  a group of organisms in a habitat.
• As you move up a food chain, both available
  energy and biomass decrease.
• Energy is transferred upwards but is diminished
  with each transfer.

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Trophic Levels
Less Energy Than
E N E R G Y
Tertiary consumers- top carnivores
Secondary consumers-small carnivores
Primary consumers- Herbivores
Producers- Autotrophs
MOST AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE ENERGY
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Trophic Levels

• Food chain- simple model that shows how matter
  and energy move through an ecosystem

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Natures Recyclers
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Trophic Levels

• Food web- shows all possible feeding
  relationships in a community at each trophic
  level
• Represents a network of interconnected food chains

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• Food chain Food web
• (just 1 path of energy) (all possible energy
  paths)

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MARSH ECOSYSTEM
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• Primary Succession- When a small community of
  living things begin to live in an area that did
  not previously contain plants or animals.

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• Secondary Succession- When an existing community
  is destroyed and the original plant community
  regrows.
• A disturbance is any event that interrupts life
  in an ecosystem.
• Examples A forest fire, cutting down trees,
  animals grazing in a field, farming.

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• 1.Tropical Rainforest hot, humid, heavy
  rainfall, tall trees, occur around the equator,
  many different species most live in the canopy,
  birds, frogs, snakes, monkeys

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• 2. Taiga coniferous forest long cold winters
  Canada usually only one or two types of
  conifers- evergreen trees like pines, bear,
  caribou, deer, elk, beaver

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• 3. Temperate Deciduous Forest Eastern U.S.
  leaves of trees change color, warm summers and
  mild winters maple, oak, and elm trees,
  squirrel, deer, fox

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• 4. Desert hot in the daytime, cold at night
  dry Africa U.S. Australia, plants and animals
  exhibit adaptations and behaviors that help them
  conserve water cactus, short shrubs, scorpions,
  rodents, and snakes.

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Tundra
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• 5. Tundra Cold permafrost- soil is permanently
  frozen little rainfall soggy soil, Arctic
  lichen and moss grow, caribou, arctic fox, arctic
  hare, owl.

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• 6. Savanna- tropical grassland with a few
  scattered trees Africa wet dry season, have
  large grazing animals like zebra, elephants,
  giraffes
• Prairie North American Grassland U.S- very
  fertile soils