Principles of Ecology

1
Principles of Ecology

• Ecology study of relationships between living
  and nonliving parts of the world
• Ernst Haeckel (1866) first to use the word to
  name the study of how organisms fit into their
  environment

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Parts of the Environment

• Abiotic factors non-living parts
  of an organisms
  environment
• Air currents, temperature,
  moisture, light, soil
• Biotic factors all the living
  things that inhabit
  the
  environment

3
Levels of Organization
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biome
Biosphere
4
Niche vs. Habitat vs. Ecosystem

• Ecosystem all the organisms in a given area and
  the abiotic factors that affect them
• Habitat place an organism lives out its life
• Niche role and position a species has in its
  environment
• Includes all biotic and abiotic interactions as
  an organism meets its needs for survival
• If two species are competing for the same niche,
  one will most likely drive the other out and take
  control of the niche.
• What is your niche?

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Niche vs. Habitat vs. Ecosystem

• An egret lives around Jones Pond which is part of
  the Smith River Estuary. The egret and its mate
  eat fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, crayfish,
  mice, aquatic insects, crickets, grasshoppers,
  and a variety of other insects in Jones Pond and
  build a nest in a tree along side the pond.
• What is the egrets habitat?
• What is the egrets niche?
• What is the egrets ecosystem?

6
Relationships

• All living things form relationships with other
  living things
• Symbiotic Relationship a relationship between
  organisms of two different species that live
  together in direct contact

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Commensalism

• One organism benefits. The other is not affected
• Examples
• Spanish moss on a tree
• Barnacles on a whale
• Burdock seeds on a passing animal

Each Image from Dreamstime
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Mutualism

• Both organisms benefit
• Acacia tree and ants (Pseudomyrmex sp.) tree
  provides food for the ants and the ants protect
  the tree from animals that would eat the leaves
• Lichens algae and fungus living together.
  Algae provides
  food (photosynthesis)
  and the fungus provides
  protection and
  attaches the lichen to the rock or
  
  wood where it lives.

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Parasitism

• One organism benefits, the other is harmed
• Some live with in the host
• Tapeworms
• Heartworms
• Bacteria
• Some feed on the external surface of the host
• Ticks
• Fleas
• Mistletoe
• Most do not kill their host (at least not
  quickly)

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Tuesday, Dec. 2

• Daily Review
• Get ready for the quiz!

11
The nonliving parts of the environment are called

• A. biotic factors
• B. Abiotic factors
• C. Niches
• D. Biomes

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2. The place an organsim lives is

• A. A symbiosis
• B. The bioshpere
• C. biotic factor
• D. Habitat

13
3. A niche is

• A. an organisms life expectancy
• B. an organisms role in the ecosystem
• C. all the biotic factors
• D. a level on the pyramid

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4. Commensalism is

• A. when both organisms benefit birds eating
  parasites that may harm a horse as the horse
  moves through the grass and stirs them up
• B. when one organism benefits and the other is
  harmed a tapeworm in a cats stomach
• C. when one organism benefits and the other is
  not affected moss on a tree

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5. Mutualism is

• A. when both organisms benefit birds eating
  parasites that may harm a horse as the horse
  moves through the grass and stirs them up
• B. when one organism benefits and the other is
  harmed a tapeworm in a cats stomach
• C. when one organism benefits and the other is
  not affected moss on a tree

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Ecosystem Requirements

• 1 - Continuous supply of Energy
• 2 A flow of energy from one population to
  another

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Obtaining Energy

• Autotrophs - use energy from the sun or energy
  stored in chemical compounds to produce energy
• Heterotrophs must consume their energy
• Herbivores
• Carnivores
• Omnivores
• Detritivore (AKA decomposers)

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Herbivores

• Eat plants (autotrophs)

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Carnivores

• Eat other heterotrophs
• Predators kill their own food
• Scavengers eat animals that are already dead

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Omnivores

• Eat both autotrophs and heterotrophs (plants and
  animals)

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Detritivore

• AKA decomposers decompose organic matter and
  return nutrients to soil, water, and air
• Ex. fungus, bacteria

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Energy Flows through an Ecosystem in a Complex
Network of Feeding relationships called a FOOD
WEB.
John R. Meyerl
Try to build food web!
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Food Chain
24
Energy Pyramid

• The energy pyramid is made of several trophic
  levels
• A Trophic Level (or feeding level) is a group of
  organisms whose feeding source is the same number
  of steps from the Sun.
• Primary Producers (Autotrophs) are the First
  Trophic Level.
• Primary Consumers (Herbivores) are the Second
  Trophic Level.
• Secondary and Tertiary Consumers (Carnivores and
  Omnivores) are the Third and Fourth Trophic
  Levels.
• Most Animals feed at more than one Trophic
  Level.

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Trophic Levels

• Energy is Lost or Used as it Flows through the
  Trophic Levels of an Ecosystem.
• Producers (Plants) absorb Energy from the Sun,
  but only about ½ of the Energy capture from the
  Sun becomes part of the Plants Body. The other ½
  is used for Living and Growing or Lost as HEAT.
• At each Trophic Level, the Energy stored in an
  organism is about 1/10 that of the Level Below
  it. (10).

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Trophic Levels

• Because Energy diminishes at each successive
  Trophic Level, Few Ecosystems can contain more
  than 4 or 5 Trophic Levels.
• Organisms at Higher Trophic Levels, Large
  Carnivores, tend to be Fewer in number than those
  at Lower Trophic Levels, Producers.

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Number and Biomass Pyramids

• The number of organisms at each trophic levels
  decreases as you step up the pyramid.
• Biomass (living organic matter) is reduced at
  each trophic level as well

Quiztron
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Bioaccumulation

• Energy is not the only thing that is passed along
  through the food web.
• If contaminants are introduced at any level,
  those organisms that consume the contaminated
  food, will absorb the contaminants as well.
• Because the amount of energy required gets higher
  at each level, those organisms have to consume
  more and thus can accumulate higher levels of the
  contaminants in their bodies bioaccumulation.
• Example A pesticide that you put of your yard
  is consumed by the grasshoppers that live there.
  The rat eats 10
  grasshoppers. The hawk eats 3 rats.
• If the grasshopper consumed 1 mg of the
  pesticide,
  the rat ingested
  10mg, and the hawk
  consumed 30mg.

Quiztron
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Wednesday, Dec. 3

• Daily Quiz

30
1. A cow eats corn. What is the relationship
between the cow and the corn?

• A. the cow is an autotroph and the corn is a
  heterotroph
• B. the cow is a heterotroph and the corn is an
  autotroph
• C. both are autotrophs
• D. both are heterotrophs

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2. As energy moves through an ecosystem, it

• A. will increase by 10 each time it moves to a
  new trophic level
• B. will decrease by 10 each time it moves to a
  new trophic level
• C. it passes on only 10 of its value to the next
  trophic level
• D. it passes on 90 to the next trophic level

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3. On an energy pyramid, which is the lowest
trophic level that can contain carnivores?

• A. 1st level
• B. 2nd level
• C. 3rd level
• D. 4th level

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4. Why does the number of organisms decrease at
ech trophic level on an energy pyramid?

• A. that is just the way they are drawn
• B. the energy is increasing at each level
• C. The animals are getting smaller
• D. The energy available is decreasing at each
  higher level

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5. Bald eagle eat mainly fish. If a lake becomes
polluted with a toxic chemical why would it also
affect the eagle?

• A. because through bioaccumulation, the poison is
  concentrated as it moves up the food chain
• B. because the eagle will likely swim in the
  water
• C. it would not affect the eagle at all

35
Geochemical Cycles

• Geochemical Cycles are the movement of a
  particular form of matter through the living and
  nonliving parts of an ecosystem
• Since Earth is a closed system, it must
  continually cycle its essential matter.
• Matter changes form but is neither created nor
  destroyed it is used over and over again in a
  continuous cycle.
• Organisms are an important part of this cycling
  system.
• Matter placed into biological systems is always
  transferred and transformed. Matter, including
  carbon, nitrogen, and water, gets cycled in and
  out of ecosystems.

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Carbon Cycle

• Carbon is one of the major components of the
  biochemical compounds of living organisms
  (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids).
• Carbon is found in the atmosphere and also in
  many minerals and rocks, fossil fuels (natural
  gas, petroleum, and coal) and in the organic
  materials that compose soil and aquatic
  sediments.
• Organisms play a major role in recycling carbon
  from one form to another in the following
  processes
• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Decomposition
• Conversion of biochemical compounds

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Carbon Recycling Processes

• Photosynthesis Autotrophs take in carbon dioxide
  from the atmosphere and convert it to simple
  sugars.
• Respiration Organisms break down glucose and
  carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon
  dioxide.

38
Nitrogen Cycle

• Nitrogen is the critical component of amino acids
  which are needed to build proteins in organisms.
• Nitrogen is found in the atmosphere as elemental
  nitrogen (N2), in living organisms (in the form
  of proteins and nucleic acids), or in organic
  materials that compose soil and aquatic
  sediments.
• Organisms play a major role in recycling nitrogen
  from one form to another in the following
  processes
• Nitrogen-fixation
• Intake of nitrogen into the organisms
• Decomposition
• Denitrification

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Nitrogen Recycling Processes

• Decomposition When an organism dies or from
  animal waste products, decomposers return
  nitrogen to the soil.
• Denitrification Denitrifying bacteria break down
  the nitrogen compounds in the soil and release
  nitrogen into the atmosphere.

40
Water Cycle

• Water is a necessary substance for the life
  processes of all living organisms.
• Water is found in the atmosphere, on the surface
  of Earth and underground, and in living
  organisms.
• The water cycle, also called the hydrologic
  cycle, is driven by the Suns heat energy, which
  causes water to evaporate from water reservoirs
  (the ocean, lakes, ponds, rivers), condense into
  clouds, and then precipitate back to water bodies
  on Earth.
• Organisms also play a role in recycling water
  from one form to another by
• Intake of water into the organisms
• Transpiration
• Respiration
• Elimination

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Water Recycling Processes

• Intake of water into the organisms Organisms
  take in water and use it to perform life
  functions (such as photosynthesis or transport of
  nutrients).
• Transpiration Plants release water back into the
  atmosphere through the process of transpiration
  (the evaporative loss of water from plants).
• Respiration All organisms metabolize food for
  energy and produce water as a by-product of
  respiration.
• Elimination Most organisms need water to assist
  with the elimination of waste products.

42
Maintaining Ecosystems

• All of the Earths processes help ecosystems
  maintain our biosphere
• Our biosphere is the inhabited portion of our
  planet made up of three parts
• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Geosphere
• Each of these systems must interact efficiently
  for each ecosystem to be maintained

43
Atmosphere

• Our atmosphere is primarily composed of materials
  from lifes processes.
• Oxygen
• Plants and other autotrophs produce enough oxygen
  for themselves and other organisms through
  photosynthesis
• The oxygen from photosynthesis is also
  responsible for the ozone layer which prevents
  the suns UV radiation from reaching the Earths
  surface
• Carbon Dioxide
• Oxygen is used by plants and animals for cellular
  respiration which releases carbon dioxide into
  the atmosphere
• The processes of photosynthesis and cellular
  respiration help keep the concentrations of
  oxygen and carbon dioxide balanced.

44
Atmosphere

• Nitrogen
• Nitrogen in the atmosphere is maintained by the
  Nitrogen cycle
• Water
• Water vapor in the atmosphere is maintained by
  the water cycle
• As water vapor condenses in the atmosphere,
  impurities (dust, particulates, etc) are removed
  from the atmosphere and fall to Earth with
  precipitation. Thus, the air is cleaned after a
  rain or snow fall.

45
Atmosphere Imbalance

• The greenhouse effect is the normal warming
  effect when gases (such as carbon dioxide,
  oxygen, methane, and water vapor) trap heat in
  the atmosphere.
• The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
  cycles in response to how may plants and other
  photosynthetic organisms cover Earth and how much
  carbon dioxide they absorb.
• The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
  also cycles in response to the degree to which
  oceans cover Earth. The salt water of oceans acts
  as a sink for carbon dioxide, absorbing what
  plants do not use and converting it to various
  salts such as calcium carbonate.

46
Hydrosphere

• The hydrologic cycle is maintained by the energy
  of the Sun and the effect of weather.
• The hydrologic cycle purifies water in several
  ways
• Evaporated water is pure water containing no
  impurities.
• As water seeps down through the soil and rock it
  is physically filtered of impurities.
• As water flow slows, heavier particles of
  sediment settle out, leaving purified water to
  travel toward the oceans.

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Geosphere

• As part of the geosphere, the soils on Earth are
  constantly being generated and eroded.
• All soils are composed of four distinct
  components inorganic minerals, organic matter,
  water, and air.
• As the weathering of inorganic materials from
  wind, water, and ice and the decaying of organic
  materials continue, more soil is produced.
• Soil erosion and deposition are natural processes
  that move soil from one location to another due
  to water, wind, ice and other agents.
• In most areas, the presence of plants allows the
  process of soil production to be consistent with
  the process of soil erosion so that the overall
  amount of soil remains constant.
• The presence of soil in an ecosystem allows for
  succession to take place.

48
Bibliography

• "High School Core Areas Academic Standards
  Support Documents". South Carolina Department of
  Education. August 2010 lthttps//www.ed.sc.gov/apps
  /cso/standards/supdocs_hs.cfmarea_Bgt.
• Textbook 1
• Textbook 2

49
Image Citations

• Berger, Joseph. "Insect Images The Source for
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  ltwww.Bugwood.orggt.
• "Carrion Decomposing Fungus". Qualitative
  Reasoning Group, Northwestern University. August
  2010 lthttp//www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/mar
  ssim/simhtml/organisms/carrionfungus.htmlgt.
• "Dreamstime for Free Images and Stock Photos".
  Dreamstime. August 2010 lthttp//www.dreamstime.com
  /free-photosgt.
• Erbe, Eric. "Insect Images The Source for
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• Evans, Howard Ensign. "Insect Images The Source
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• "Heartworm Disease in Dogs and Cats". Minster
  Veterinary Service . August 2010
  lthttp//www.minstervet.org/heartworm.htmlgt.
• "How Well Do You Know The Energy Pyramid".
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• "Insect Images The Source for Entomology
  Photos". Center for Disease Control Archive,
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  August 2010 ltwww.Bugwood.orggt.
• Kapitola, Petr. "Insect Images The Source for
  Entomology Photos". State Phytosanitary
  Administration. August 2010 ltwww.Bugwood.orggt.
• Linnean Society of London, The Darwin-Wallace
  Celebration held on Thursday, 1st July, 1908 .
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  ltwww.archive.org/details/darwinwallacecel00linn
  gt.
• Meyer, John R. . "General Entomology Trophic
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  lthttp//www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/library/tu
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• Spike, "YUCK! Worms, Part 1 Of 3, Tapeworms and
  Hookworms". Ask Spike Online. August 2010
  lthttp//www.askspikeonline.com/tag/tapeworms/gt.
• Wild, Alex. "Alex Wild Photography". SmugMug,
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• All other images from Microsoft clip art.