Topic 1: Interactions in Ecosystems

Introduction

- ___________________ is the study of relationships between living organisms and their

____________________

- Ecology comes from the Greek word for ________________

- _________________ are the scientists who study these relationships

- Humans have a huge ________________________ on the environment

Needs

A _________________ is something an organism ___________________ live without.

- All organisms have four basic needs:

o __________________________

o __________________________

o __________________________

o __________________________

- Living things are always __________________ with each other and the non-living things

in their environment.

Give an example for each type of need:

Adaptations

Living things are _________________, so they fit into their surroundings to ensure survival.

- An adaptation is an ____________________ characteristic that helps and organisms

survive and reproduce in its environment.

- An adaptation may help an organism:

o Get food and water, ____________________, survive a certain climate, hide from

predators

o Adaptations are _____________________ abilities and characteristics

o Some skills may be __________________ to survive better, but the qualities for

that skill are ___________________, not learned.

How are these birds adapted differently?

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

Ecosystem

An _____________________ is the interaction between the living and non-living things in a

particular environment

- An Ecosystem is the place where ________________________ take place.

- Describe some of the living and non-living parts of the prairie ecosystem:

Living Non-Living

Ecosystem continued

- All parts of an ecosystem are __________________ interacting and adjusting as each

other part changes

- Ecosystems vary in size and _________________

Symbiosis

Symbiosis is when_________________________ live closely together in a

_______________________ that lasts ______________________________

1. _______________________ is a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit

o + +

o List three examples of mutualism

2. _______________________ is a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits

and the other is ____________________

o + 0

o List three examples of Commensalism:

3. _______________________ is a symbiotic relationship in which one organism

benefits and the other is ______________________

o + -

o Parasites need a ____________

o List three examples of parasitism:

For every action and change in an ecosystem, the rest of the ecosystem also ________________ and

____________________ with change.

Topic 2: Human Impacts on EcosystemsIntroduction

We are constantly affecting the environment to get __________________________________.

We use natural resources to meet our __________________.

Before industrialization After industrialization

What are needs and wants?

______________ are basic to survival, ___________________ make survival comfortable.

Natural resources are materials or food that we get directly from nature.

Renewable resources are materials or food that can be used or grown over and over again.

Resource Use Impact on the Ecosystem

Simple Answers?

Is a forest fire a good or bad thing? Why?

DDT is a _________________

- DDT stands for _______________________________________

- It is used to kill off mosquitoes and prevent malaria

- It has saved millions of lives

- It is a powerful ___________________, herbicide and _________________ that has

saved farmers millions of dollars

- _________ is no longer used and is banned in most countries

- It made the ________________ of birds of prey __________________

- The peregrine falcon and bald eagle populations became endangered

Topic 3: Environmental ChoicesEcological Foot Print

- All living things depend on

_________________

- Ecological ___________________ is

calculated by taking all of the resources

(__________________________ and

_________________) you use to meet your needs and to break down your

______________________

- _______________________ means:

o Resources are being ________________ as fast as they are being used

o Wastes are being __________________ _____________ as quickly as they are

being made.

Materials Needed Energy Includes

Interesting Facts

North Americans produce __________ as much garbage that all other continents combined

North Americans use _______ more electricity than any other continent

North Americans use _____________ as much fossil fuel as other continents.

Over ___________ of CO2 produced in the world comes from North America

List 5 ways you can reduce your ecological foot print and promote sustainability

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

____________________- create less waste or require less

material.

____________________- Instead of throwing something

away use it again.

____________________ - Raw materials in wastes can be made into new products.

- Worldwide we would need ________ planets for our needs, wants and wastes.

List 3 strategies, for reduce, reuse and recycle to help reduce your impact on the environment.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Topic 4: How Organisms React

An Ecosystem

_______________ the living things in the ecosystem

_______________ the non-living things in an ecosystem

Roles of Organisms

A ______________ is the role of an organism in an ecosystem

- What it ___________

- What eats ___________

- ____________ it lives

- How it interacts with other ________________ (symbiosis)

- Producers vs. Consumers

- _____________________ photosynthesize and use carbon dioxide, water, and the sun’s

energy to produce glucose (food) and oxygen

- _____________________ eat other living things for energy and breathe out carbon

dioxide

- _________________ are animals that eat mainly plants

o Some examples are: _________________________________________

- _________________ are animals that eat mainly meat

o Some examples are: _________________________________________

- _________________ are animals able to eat plants and animals

o Some examples are: _________________________________________

Some consumers will be:

- ___________________ do the eating (the hunters)

- ___________________ are eaten by predators (the hunted)

Producers Consumers Herbivores Carnivores Omnivores Predators Prey

Food Chains

- _________________ show how stored energy passes from organism to organism

Create a Prairie Food Chain:

Energy

Not all the energy we eat gets stored within us.

- Some energy we eat is converted to ____________ and _______________

- _____________________________ is the movement of energy, starting with the sun

and moving from one organism to the next.

Food Webs

- A food web is a ________________ of interconnected food chains

- A food web normally starts with a shared _______________

A Pyramid of Numbers

- Shows the organisms of a food chain but represents the ________________ of

organisms to meet the ________________ needs of the next level

A Pyramid of Biomass

- __________________ is the total mass of all the organisms in an ecosystem.

- Biomass can also be represented in a _________________ form.

Scavengers and Decomposers

- ___________________ eat and live off of dead organisms and wastes (Coyotes and

Vultures)

- ___________________ are small organisms that live on or in dead materials to absorb

___________________

o They recycle dead organic matter back to the earth

o Bacteria and _____________, worms, maggots, ____________

Composts

- Composts are a way to speed up natural ____________________

- Many kitchen wastes can be broken down in a compost

- Small ________________________ bacteria break down the wastes into ____________

rich soil called top soil.

Topic 5 – Cycles in the EnvironmentCarbon Footprint

- Burning __________________ that contain carbon is linked to global climate because it

produces _______________________, a greenhouse gas

The Carbon Cycle

All living things are made from _______________ it is necessary for life to exist

- As living organisms die and break down the carbon breaks down and _______________.

The Water Cycle

All living things need ______________

- We are _________ water

- Water:

o Helps to break down food for _________________

o Makes up much of our cells

o _____________ away wastes

______________________ is the continuous movement of water through and ecosystem

- Water cycles as:

o _________________ - liquid to gas

o _________________- liquid to gas by plants (tree ______________)

o _________________ - gas to liquid (_____________)

o _________________ - gas to liquid but as rain or snow

o _________________ also moves on the surface as run-off

Pollution and the Environment

________________- occurs when a substance added to the environment cannot be

broken down, stored or recycled by the air, land or water to be converted to non-

damaging forms.

If pollution gets too high is harms organisms.

_________________- are substances that cause pollution.

Carbon dioxide is natural but burning fossil fuels has caused to accumulate in the

atmosphere

______________ and ________________ comes from burning coal and fossil fuels, as

well as from our cars.

These produce too much sulfur and nitrogen.

When sulfur and nitrogen mix with water in the atmosphere the rain _______________.

When this rain falls and damages crops, corrodes metals, and is especially toxic to

fish eggs.

If the pH falls below 5.6 many of the organisms in a lake will die

Pollution – Bioaccumulation (or Biomaginification)

________________ become more and more concentrated as you move up the food chain.

Topic 6: Succession & Changes in EcosystemsSuccession

_________________ are constantly occurring in an ecosystem.

A landslide can quickly destroy an ecosystem

Other changes are _________________: wind moves seeds, which cause grass to

grow in a parking lot

If strong enough certain plants can establish themselves and replace old plants

that were already growing.

_____________________- is the gradual process by which some species replace

other species in an ecosystem.

_____

______________________________- is the

gradual growth of organisms in an area

that was previously bare, such as on bare

rocks.

As they become established and

grow they change the landscape of the area they are in

____________________________________- Is like primary succession but it is the

change of an already existing ecosystem where life had existed.

Adapting to Change – by people

What are some effects that people have on the environment?

When humans ________________ an environment the ecosystem responds – some organisms

succeed while others cannot

Adapting to Change

The clearing of land for farming has led to the decline of songbirds

The brown-headed cowbird spread and ________________________ song bird nests

The cowbird babies quickly take over the smaller birds

The brown-headed cow bird is very well adapted to the prairies and ________________

with song birds

The coyote can survive in cities, but the __________ cannot.

The wolf is being forced into smaller and smaller _________________.

Pest Control

A side effect of using pesticides like DDT is it can kill beneficial organisms for farmers.

_______________________ are a natural way to kill of pests by using natural predators

The leafy spurge is a weed that infests land and cattle will not eat it

The black dot spurge beetle will feed on it returning the land back to its normal state.

Biological control can be risky especially if a species that is

not native to an area is introduced.

If it has no natural predators then it can be become a pest

itself.

Introduced Species

Species _____________________ to an area can be a huge risk if they are not normally

found there.

Without predators, some species _____________________can get so large they cannot

be controlled.

They can take over an entire ecosystem

Species in Danger

Many species in Alberta and worldwide are ____________________________.

The loss of _____________ is the number one reason why species are at risk of going

extinct.

Other reasons include:

_________________ with non-native species

Over use and overhunting

Pollution and Climate Change

Topic 7 – Environmental MonitoringEcosystem Monitoring

Scientists monitor the _______________ of ecosystems much like a doctor monitors the

health of a patient.

Scientists monitor the health and understand the impact of _____________________

and changes of an ecosystem in order to try and reverse or reduce them.

Scientists do:

_________________ monitoring using satellites and maps

_________________ monitoring watching the climate, temperature and weather.

_________________ monitoring testing air, soil and water quality

_________________ monitoring looking for changes in organisms or populations

of organisms.

When do we monitor?

Environmental_______________ will begin because of:

Natural changes/disturbances

Earthquake, forest fires, storms, landslides, volcanic eruptions

Human development - Clearing land for forestry.

Building of roads or housing developments

Scientists attempt to _______________ what changes will happen to an ecosystem and

balance our needs with that of the ecosystem and minimize our impact on an

ecosystem.

Long Term Monitoring

__________________- frogs, toads, and salamanders breathe both through their

mouths but also through their skin.

Amphibians populations are rapidly declining because of _______________ their

environments

They are biological ________________and can tell us about the health of an ecosystem.

Scientists are trying to find out what changes have caused such a decline in amphibians

Populations fluctuate from year to year, but overall amphibian populations

are _____________________

Baseline Data

__________________________ is the starting point of an investigation, and is used to

compare how changes happen over time.

Scientists use ______________________ to study changes.

Baseline data can also be used to ___________________ changes in the environment.

If we want to drain a wetland for a housing project, studies tell us that most of

the natural species in the area will die off.

Often new developments will set aside_________________ areas for natural

wildlife (reserves, green spaces)

A report that outlines how an activity will affect the environment is called an

Environmental ____________________.

Environmental Monitoring

Tracking _______________ species gives scientists lots of feedback about an ecosystem

Invertebrates are important to most ecosystems and need to be present

Producers provide the energy of all food chains and need to stay in balance