Ch. 3 & 4 Ecology Notes

1. Ch. 3 & 4Ecology Notes

2. I. What is Ecology? A. Ecology – study of interactions between organisms and their environment Everything is connected to everything else

3. I. What is Ecology? 1. Out of ALL of nature’s “houses”, the largest one is the biosphere. a. Biosphere – all the portions of Earth where life exists (including land, water, and air/atmosphere) 2. The study of ecology ranges from studying an individual organism up until the entire biosphere.

4. I. What is Ecology? B. Let’s break it down . . . 1. Organism – any individual living thing a. Species – organisms that breed and produce fertile offspring

5. I. What is Ecology? b. Habitat – where an organism lives Example: A zebra lives in the African Savanna. c. Niche – an organism’s role in the environment Example: Zebras eat grass.

6. I. What is Ecology? 2. Population – group of same species living in the same area a. Example: Elephants in the Savanna.

7. I. What is Ecology? 3. Community – populations of different species living in the same area a. Example: Elephants, lions, and zebras in the Savanna. • Community

8. I. What is Ecology? 4. Ecosystem – all the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) parts of an environment a. Example: Soil, water, air, rock, lions, zebras in the Savanna. • Ecosystem

9. I. What is Ecology? 5. Biome – group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant vegetation a. Example: Savanna

10. I. What is Ecology? b. What major biomes are found throughout the world?

11. Rainforest • high biodiversity • lots of rain, lots of sunlight, always warm • many plants & animals

12. Savanna • mid biodiversity • dry season/wet season, always warm • frequent fires in dry season • many herbivores

13. Desert • low biodiversity • very dry, hot in day & cold at night • very few plants & only small animals:reptiles, insects, rodents, birds

14. Temperate Grassland (Midwest U.S.) • mid biodiversity • dry season/wet season, cold winters/hot summers • frequent fires in dry season • many herbivores

15. Temperate Deciduous Forest • high biodiversity • 4 seasons: warm summer with rains, cold winter with snow • deciduous trees, many mammals, insects, birds, etc.

16. Coniferous Forest (Taiga) • mid biodiversity • northern forest, drier, cooler • evergreens, mammals, birds, insects, etc.

17. Tundra • low biodiversity • cold year round, dry, permafrost • only lichens & mosses & mostly migrating animals

18. II. How does an ecosystem work? A. For life to continue within the ecosystem, three things must take place. 1. The sun is the main source of energy for all life on Earth. 2. The cycling of matter and nutrients. 3. Gravity helps to hold everything in place, including the atmosphere and helps to movenutrients through their cycles.

19. II. How does an ecosystem work? B. All things in an ecosystem can be classified as biotic or abiotic. 1. Biotic – anything living (or once living) Example: 2. Abiotic – anything nonliving (never alive) Example:

20. II. How does an ecosystem work? C. Classification of Organisms 1. Producers/Autotrophs – organisms who make their own food, usually through photosynthesis a. Example: Plants, algae, some bacteria

21. II. How does an ecosystem work? b. Chemosynthesis – method used by bacteria to create food in the absence of light using hydrogen sulfide gas Example: Bacteria that live in deep sea vents.

22. II. How does an ecosystem work? 2. Consumers/Heterotrophs – organisms who cannot make their own food, and must consume food to survive a. Herbivores - feed on plants/producers - Also called primary consumers. - Example:

23. II. How does an ecosystem work? b. Carnivores – feed on other animals/consumers - Secondary Consumers – feed nly on primary consumers - Example: - Tertiary Consumers – feed only on secondary consumers - Example:

24. c. Omnivores – feed on both producers and consumers - Example: Raccoons, bears, rats II. How does an ecosystem work?

25. d. Detrivore Consumers – feed only on detritus - Detritus – parts of dead organisms, wastes of organisms - Example: Earthworms, crabs, ants II. How does an ecosystem work?

26. e. Decomposers – break down organic matter so that it can be recycled - Example: Bacteria, Fungi II. How does an ecosystem work?

27. A. Remember, energy can only flow in one direction. 1. Energy flows from sunproducersconsumers. III. How does energy move through ecosystems??

28. 2. Methods to examine energy flow through an ecosystem: a. Food Chain – a series of steps where organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten; shows one feeding relationship - Example: III. How does energy move through ecosystems??

29. b. Food Web – multiple linked food chains demonstrating the complex interactions in a community; shows many feeding relationships - Example: III. How does energy move through ecosystems??

30. III. How does energy move through ecosystems??

31. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? c. Each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level. - Producers – 1st trophic level - Consumers – 2nd, 3rd, 4th trophic levels

32. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? d. Trophic levels - Each consumer depends upon the trophic level belowit for energy! - Only 10 % of the energy is transferred from level to level. - The other 90% is used by the organism for metabolism, respiration, movement, reproduction, growth, and given off as body heat.

33. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? • secondary consumers • (carnivores) • loss of energy • sun • loss of energy • primary consumers • (herbivores) • loss of energy • producers (plants)

34. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? e. Ecological Pyramids – illustrate the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level • Numbers • 1 • 100 • 100,000 • 1,000,000,000

35. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? - EnergyPyramid – illustrates the amount of energy usually in kCals or Joules (J), available

36. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? - BiomassPyramid – illustrates the total amount of living tissue in a trophic level, usually in g/unit area

37. III. How does energy move through ecosystems?? - NumbersPyramid – illustrates the actual numberof individual organisms in each trophic level

38. III. How does energy move through ecosystems??

39. IV. Community Interactions IV. Community Interactions A. Symbiosis – relationship in which two species live closely together 1. Mutualism – a relationship where both species benefit a. Example: Flowers depend on bees to pollinate them. - Flowers  Reproduce - Bees  Get food b. Example: Birds on back of buffalo. - Birds  Food - Buffalo  Get cleaned/protections from parasites

40. IV. Community Interactions 2. Commensalism – a relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected a. Example: Barnacles attaching to a whale. - Barnacle  Filters water to get food - Whale  Unaffected b. Example: Orchids growing up trees in Rainforest. - Orchids  More sunlight - Tree  Unaffected

41. IV. Community Interactions 3. Parasitism – a relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed a. Example: Tick (parasite) on a deer (host). b. Example: Tapeworms (parasite) in animal intestines (host).

42. IV. Community Interactions B. Other interactions 1. Competition – Organisms attempt to use a resourceat the same time in the same place

43. IV. Community Interactions 2. Predation – one organism (predator) captures and killsanother organism (prey) a. Example: Lion hunts and kills wildebeest.

44. V. How is matter cycled? • n • u • t • r • i • e • n • t • s A. Remember, there is only one way energy can flow through an ecosystem, but matter must be recycled throughout the ecosystem. 1. Energy is moved through parts of an ecosystem through biogeochemical cycles. a. Example: Water, Sulfur, Phosphorous, Carbon, Nitrogen Cycles • decomposers

45. V. How is matter cycled? • n • u • t • r • i • e • n • t • s B. Nutrients – molecules that an organism needs to sustain life 1. Used to build tissues and carry out metabolism. a. Example: CHONPS • decomposers

46. V. How is matter cycled? C. Important Cycles 1. Hydrologic Cycle a. Importance: Every living thing requires water.

47. V. How is matter cycled? b. Key Processes: - Evaporation – liquid gas - Transpiration – evaporation from plant leaves - Condensation – gasliquid

48. V. How is matter cycled? - Precipitation – rain, sleet, snow, hail - Runoff – water moving downhill into streams/rivers - Infiltration – water soaking into the soil

49. Condensation • Precipitation • Transpiration • Evaporation • Runoff

50. V. How is matter cycled? 2. Carbon Cycle a. Importance: - Carbon is used in making living tissues and animal skeletons.