2017 Science Olympiad Official Ecology Presentation

1. KAREN LANCOUR National Bio Rules Committee Chairman karenlancour@charter.net 2017 ECOLOGY (B&C)

2. Ecology Events • Ecology – principles of ecology related to terrestrial environments – 2 year rotation by biomes ( 1- tundra & forests & 2-deserts & grasslands) • Water Quality – principles of ecology related to aquatic environments – 2 year rotation by aquatic biomes (1-freshwater & 2- marine & estuary) • Green Generation (Environmental Science) – man’s impact on ecology and possible solutions – 2 year rotation by problem issues (1-Aquatic, Air, Climate & 2-Terrestrial, Population Growth)

3. Event Rules – 2017 DISCLAIMER This presentation was prepared using draft rules.  There may be some changes in the final copy of the rules.The rules which will be in your Coaches Manual and Student Manuals will be the official rules.

4. Event Rules – 2017 • BE SURE TO CHECK THE 2017 EVENT RULES FOR EVENT PARAMETERS AND TOPICS FOR EACH COMPETITION LEVEL

5. TRAINING MATERIALS • Training Power Point – content overview • Training Handouts – content information • Sample Tournament – sample problems with key • Event Supervisor Guide – prep tips, setup needs, and scoring tips • Internet Resources & Training Materials – on the Science Olympiad website at www.soinc.org under Event Information • A Biology-Earth Science CD, an Ecology CD as well as the Division B and Division C Test Packets are available from SO store atwww.soinc.org

6. EVENT COMPONENTS • Ecology Content – 2017 • PART 1-Principles of Ecology (about 1/3) • PART 2- Terrestrial Ecosystem - Tundra, Taiga and Forests of North America (about 1/3) • PART 3- Human Impact on Ecosystems (about 1/3) • Process skills in data, graph and diagram analysis • Event parameters – check the event parameters in the rules for resources allowed.

7. PART I: General Principles of Ecology ECOLOGY – how organisms interact with one another and with their environment ENVIRONMENT – living and non-living components • ABIOTIC – non-living component or physical factors as soil, rainfall, sunlight, temperatures • BIOTIC – living component are other organisms.

8. ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION • INDIVIDUAL– individual organisms • POPULATION– organisms of same species in same area (biotic factors) • COMMUNITY– several populations in same area (biotic factors) • ECOSYSTEM– community plus abiotic factors • BIOSPHERE– all ecosystems on earth

9. ECOLOGY OF INDIVIDUALS • Homeostasis – delicate balance • Components • Physiological Ecology • Temperature and Water Balance • Light and Biological Cycles • Physiological Ecology and Conservation

10. ECOLOGY OF POPULATIONS • Properties of populations • Patterns of distribution and density • Intra-specific competition • Population dynamics • Growth and regulation • Altering population growth • Human impact

11. Growth Curves

12. Human Population

13. Survival Curves • Survivorshipis the percentage of remaining survivors of a population over time; usually shown graphically. Type I survivorship curve: most individuals live out their life span and die of old age (e.g., humans). Type II survivorship curve: individuals die at a constant rate (e.g., birds, rodents, and perennial plants). Type III survivorship curve: most individuals die early in life (e.g., fishes, invertebrates, and plants).

14. ECOLOGY OF COMMUNITIES • Closed vs. Open communities • Closed – sharp boundaries • Open – Lack boundaries • Species abundance and diversity • Trophic Structure of Communities • Food chains • Food web • Trophic pyramid

15. INTERACTIONS AMONG SPECIES • Interactions • Interspecific competition • Predation • Exploitation • Symbiosis

16. Types of Species Interactions • Neutral – two species do not interact • Mutualism – both benefit • Commensalism – one benefits, other neutral • Parasitism – one benefits, one harmed but not killed • Predation – one benefits, other killed

17. Predator - Prey Relationship

18. Food Chain • Producer • 1st order Consumer or Herbivore • 2nd order Consumer or 1st order Carnivore • 3rd order Consumer or 2nd order Carnivore • 4th order Consumer or 3rd order Carnivore • Decomposers – consume dead and decaying matter

19. Food Web

20. ECOLOGY OF ECOSYSTEMS • Energy Flow • Energy Flow Pyramids • Bio-mass Pyramids • Community Succession and Stability • Nutrient Recycling – nutrient cycles

21. Energy vs Nutrient • Nutrients– cyclic (Biogeochemical Cycles) • Energy flow– one way

22. Ecologic Pyramids Ecological pyramid - a graph representing trophic level numbers within an ecosystem. The primary producer level is at the base of the pyramid with the consumer levels above. Numbers pyramid - compares the number of individuals in each trophic level. Biomass pyramid - compares the total dry weight of the organisms in each trophic level. Energy pyramid - compares the total amount of energy available in each trophic level. This energy is usually measured in kilocalories.

23. Numbers Pyramid

24. Biomass & Energy Flow Pyramids

25. Biogeochemical Cycles • Hydrologic Cycle • Phosphorus Cycle • Nitrogen Cycle • Carbon Cycle

26. Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

27. Phosphorus Cycle

28. Nitrogen Cycle

29. Carbon Cycle

30. Biosphere • Types of Ecological Spheres • Biosphere • Lithosphere • Hydrosphere • Atmosphere • Biogeochemical Cycles • Disruption of Biosphere • Specie Extinction & Biosphere Destruction

31. ECOSYSTEM STABILITY • Ecosystem stability and the response of ecosystems to disturbance are of crucial importance • Biological diversity acts to stabilize ecosystem functioning in the face of environmental fluctuation. • Variation among species in their response to such fluctuation is an essential requirement for ecosystem stability • Climate change and other human-driven (anthropogenic) environmental changes will continue to cause biodiversity loss in the coming decades

32. BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

33. ADAPTATION

34. TYPES OF ADAPTATIONS Structural, Physiological and Behavioral help species to survive in their environment. Most organisms have combinations of all three types

35. Extinction There are natural causes Man’s activities have accelerated extinction rates.

36. Part 2: ECOLOGY OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS • 2017 – Terrestrial Ecosystems of NA • Tundra • Taiga (Boreal Forest or Coniferous Forest) • Deciduous Forests • 2018 – Terrestrial Ecosystems of NA • Grasslands • Deserts

37. Terrestrial EcosystemsLatitude vs. Altitude

38. Ecosystems: Temperature and Climate for Terrestrial Biomes

39. Adaptations of Plants & Animals • Not intended to be a taxonomic event • Emphasis on adaptations of common plants and animals to each biome • Common members of food chains and food webs of each biome • Limiting factors for each biome

40. TUNDRA OF NORTH AMERICA • About one fifth of the land surface of the earth is tundra. • Located next to icy zones in the arctic encircling North Pole down to Taiga. (Arctic Tundra) • Located at the top of mountains above the tree line ( Alpine Tundra)

41. TUNDRA OF NORTH AMERICA • Simple vegetation structure • Limitation of drainage • Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material • Large population oscillations

42. TUNDRA – Abiotic Factors • Angle of incidence for incoming solar radiation is low and twilight lasts many hours • Temperature - extremely cold - from -30oC to -40oC in winter; average winter temperature of - 34 degrees C ( -30 degrees F). Highest summer temperature is only about 10o C • Annual precipitation (mostly as snow) is 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) which is desert-like • Winds - often reach speeds of 30 to 60 miles (48 to 97 km/hr) • Sunlight - During the winter there are only a few hours or less of sunlight in the summer, there is sunlight almost 24 hours a day. • Ground surface - spongy, uneven as a result of freezing and thawing • Permafrost - Plains of tundra are covered with snow, ice and frozen soil most of the year • Growing Season - Short season of growth and reproduction - from 50 to 60 days

43. Tundra Energy Pyramid

44. TUNDRA of North America

45. Plants of the Tundra • About 1,700 kinds of plants • Tiny flowering plants (4 inches or less in height) • grasses • lichens – crustose and foliose • sedges • willows

46. TUNDRA – Plant Adaptations • Many of the plants are perennials so they can store food from season to season • Must adapt to strong winds and disturbances in soil • Plants are short and group together • Form little cushions or mats close to the ground where ground is warmer than the air • Carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities • Adapt to short growing seasons by reproducing by asexually rather than sexually

47. Tundra Food Web

48. Animals of the TUNDRA • Primary consumers (Herbivores) – lemmings, insects, musk oxen, reindeer • Secondary consumers ( Carnivores) – snow owls, arctic foxes, polar bears • Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and various species of gulls • Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees • Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout • Reptiles and amphibians are few or absent

49. TUNDRA: Animal Adaptations • Must adapt to extremely cold winters • Breed and raise their young very quickly during the short summers • Many as birds migrate south in the winter • Many of those that stay - hibernate during the winter • Constant immigration and emigration – Population constantly oscillates

50. Environmental Importanceof the TUNDRA • Filters millions of liters of water • Stores large amounts of carbon • Permafrost layer doesn’t normally thaw out, so the organic matter stored in them is effectively trapped forever • Global warming lowers the thaw depth, and the peat and organic matter begins decaying inputting of CO2 to the atmosphere