The Scope of Ecology

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The Scope of Ecology

• Chapter 34

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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.
• Oikos- greek for house

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vizRvPaAWgyw
• 1614 (ecology rules of life CC)

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Ecology is primarily a descriptive science but
is becoming more experimental
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• 1.  very difficult to control experiments
• 2.  some research done in laboratories
• 3.  most done in the field

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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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Interaction

• interaction includes how the environment affects
  the organism and how the organism can alter the
  environment

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Interaction

• 1.        photosynthetic organisms use sunlight
  (abiotic factor) and produce oxygen as a
  bi-product which is used by organisms for
  cellular respiration

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Interaction

• 2.        shading of the forest floor by trees
  can make the environment less suitable for their
  offspring to grow, yet more suitable for other
  organisms

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Levels of Ecology

• ecological research ranges from studying
  adaptations of organisms to the dynamics of
  ecosystems

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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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• 1.  organismal ecology study of the way
  organisms meet the challenges of abiotic
  environmental factors
• e.g., reptiles retreat to shaded areas to
  maintain body temperature

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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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• 2.        population ecology study of
  populations and interaction with environment
• e.g., what environmental factors affect
  population size and composition?

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• Community- several interacting populations that
  inhabit a common environment and are
  interdependent.

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• 3.        community ecology study of all
  organisms that inhabit an area
• e.g., study of predator prey relationships,
  competition, disease

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• 4.        ecosystem ecology study of all
  abiotic factors as well as all organisms in an
  area
• e.g., study of energy flow and chemical cycling
  among the biotic and abiotic components

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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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• 5. Biosphere ecology studying the global
  system of living things
• e.g. humans effect on the ozone layer or climate
  change

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Biosphere
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
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Abiotic factors 

• temperature1.        most organisms are NOT able
  to regulate their body temperature i.e., theyre
  ectothermic as apposed to endothermic 2.       
  temperature has a tremendous affect on
  metabolism3.        even endotherms function
  best within a temperature range

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Abiotic factors 

• water 1. essential for life2. poses osmotic
  challenges for organisms

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Abiotic factors 

• wind amplifies the effects of temperature by
  increasing heat loss and evaporation

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Abiotic factors 
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Climate

• Weather over a long period of time
• most important components
• Precipitation
• Temperature
• Wind

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Convection

• Heat transfer in a fluid (liquid or gas)
• Heat rises
• The current formed is a
• Convection Cell

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v5QOVwX-6g-Q
• 81Video 76 (Global winds)

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Desert Latitude

• 30 degrees N or S
• Cool dry falling air limits precipitation

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Rain-Shadow Effect
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Rain Shadow Effect

• Air flowing over mountain ranges rises and cools,
  losing moisture
• Climate is much dryer on the backside of the
  mountain range

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Coriolis Effect

• Coriolis effect is the apparent curvature of
  global winds, ocean currents, and everything else
  that moves freely across the Earth's surface.

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Videos77,78,79Coriolis effect, Force, CC

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vi2mec3vgeaI
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vaeY9tY9vKgs
• 83
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vrdGtcZSFRLk

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• "The tendency of a circulation in a fluid to
  develop in a clockwise direction in the Northern
  Hemisphere and a counterclockwise direction in
  the Southern Hemisphere can be traced to the
  earth's rotation. Imagine a cannon fired
  southward from any latitude above the equator.
  Its initial eastward motion is the same as that
  at a point on the spinning earth. This initial
  eastward velocity is less than that at a point
  later in its trajectory, because points closer to
  the equator travel in a bigger circle as the
  earth rotates. Therefore, the cannon shell is
  deflected westward (to the right), from the
  perspective of a person standing on the earth. A
  gunner firing a cannon northward would find that
  the shell is also deflected toward the right.
  These sideways deflections are attributed to the
  Coriolis force, although there really is no force
  involved--it is just an effect of being in a
  rotating reference frame."

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• The Coriolis force accounts for why cyclones are
  counterclockwise-rotating storms in the Northern
  Hemisphere, but rotate clockwise in the Southern
  Hemisphere. The circulation directions result
  from interactions between moving masses of air
  and air masses moving with the rotating earth.
  The effects of the rotation of the earth are, of
  course, much more pronounced when the circulation
  covers a larger area than would occur inside your
  bathtub.

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• Northern Hemisphere- everything turns right
  causing counterclockwise rotation of weather
  systems

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Polar Easterlies
Westerlies
Northeast Tradewinds
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Seasons

• Seasons are caused by the Earths tilt on its axis

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Terrestrial Biomes
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80 (Biomes Biology)

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vRFEV-hiP2gQ

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Terrestrial Biomes

• Biome- geographic areas that have similar
  climates and ecosystems

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Terrestrial Biomes

• The most common biomes are
• Tundra
• Taiga
• Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Tropical Rain Forest
• Grassland
• Savanna
• Desert

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Terrestrial biomes

• Tundra is located in areas where temperatures
  minimize plant growth but not covered completely
  with ice

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Tundra
Found in parts of Canada, Alaska, and Siberia
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http//www.youtube.com/watch?v3pp4hIg4JjQ15
(Arctic Tundra)
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• Tundra
• The Cold Desert
• Found at latitudes around the North Pole
• Less than 25 cm precipitation yearly
• Very cold year round (-40ºC in winter)
• Cold, dry, treeless region

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• Tundra
• The Land of the Midnight Sun
• Winter lasts 6 to 9 months with no daylight
• Summer is short and cold with 24 hours of
  sunlight a day

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• Tundra-
• Soil is poor
• Permafrost
• Layer of permanently frozen soil

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Plants of the Tundra

• Tundra plants are resistant to drought and cold

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Plants of the Tundra

• Reindeer moss Its a lichen!

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Plants of the Tundra

• Lichens

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Plants of the Tundra

• Lichen

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Plants of the Tundra

• True Mosses

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Plants of the Tundra

• Small shrubs and flowers

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Plants of the Tundra

• Small shrubs and flowers

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Plants of the Tundra

• Small shrubs and flowers

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Plants of the Tundra

• Grasses

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Animals of the Tundra

• Many animals of the tundra migrate there during
  the short summer

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Animals of the Tundra

• Biting insects
• Mosquito Blackfly

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Animals of the Tundra

• Snowy owl

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Animals of the Tundra

• Arctic hare

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Animals of the Tundra

• Caribou Reindeer

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Animals of the Tundra

• Musk oxen

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Animals of the Tundra

• Lemmings

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Animals of the Tundra

• Lemmings