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Ecology Unit

Ecology Unit. What is ecology?. Ecology- the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments, focusing on energy transfer It is a science of relationships. What do you mean by environment?. The environment is made up of two factors:

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Ecology Unit

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  1. Ecology Unit

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

  3. 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)

  4. Biosphere Ecosystem Community Population Organism

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

  6. Population-a group of organisms ofone species living in the same place at the same time that interbreed and compete with each other for resources (ex. food, mates, shelter)

  7. Community-several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and are interdependent on one another

  8. Ecosystem-populations in a community and the abiotic factors with which they interact (ex. marine, terrestrial)

  9. Biosphere- life supporting portions of Earth composed of air, land, fresh water, and salt water • The highest level of organization

  10. Niche -the role a species plays in a community, i.e. decomposer, predator, prey, scavenger, parasite Habitat- the place in which an organism lives out its life Habitat vs. Niche

  11. An organism’s niche is determined by it’s ability to get resources from the environment, avoid limiting factors, and avoid competition with similar and neighboring species Limiting factor- any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment Niche

  12. Limiting Factors • Examples of limiting factors- • Availability of water • Availability of food • Temperature • Amount of living space • Competition • Predation

  13. Feeding Relationships • There are 3 main types of feeding relationships 1. Producer- Consumer 2. Predator- Prey 3. Parasite- Host

  14. Feeding Relationships Producer-all autotrophs (plants)that trap energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis • Base of most food chains

  15. Feeding Relationships Consumer- all heterotrophsthat “eat” other organisms as food for energy • Herbivores • Carnivores • Omnivores • Decomposers

  16. Feeding RelationshipsCONSUMER Herbivores • Eat plants • Primary consumers • Tend to be prey animals

  17. Feeding RelationshipsCONSUMER Carnivores - eat meat • Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary consumers • Predators – hunt prey animals for food

  18. Feeding RelationshipsCONSUMER Scavengers -feed on carrion and other dead animals • Feed from many different levels of the ecosystem depending on what animal has died

  19. Feeding RelationshipsCONSUMER Decomposers • Breakdown the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be recycled into the soil and reabsorbed by the roots of plants

  20. Trophic Levels • Each link in a food chain is known as a trophiclevel • When an organism eats food, it is consuming both energy and matter (biomass) • Trophic levels represent a feeding step in the transfer of energy and matter in an ecosystem

  21. Trophic Levels ENERGY TRANSFER Tertiary consumers- top carnivores Secondary consumers-small carnivores Primary consumers- Herbivores Producers- Autotrophs

  22. Trophic Levels Food chain- simple model that shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem

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

  24. Food chain Food web (1 path of energy) (all possible energy paths)

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