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EcologyNotes Pt. 1: Biomes and Succession

Ecology & Biodiversity

� Ecology: is the study of the relationships between living organisms.

� Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

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Review

� Populations: Groups of the same species

� Communities: All of the living things interacting in a specific region

� Biomes: The living things interacting with the non-living environment

Biotic vs. Abiotic

Biotic

� Living� Plants� Animals� Bacteria

Abiotic

� Non-living� Water� Oxygen� Temperature

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Energy Flow

� Nutrients cycle but energy does not. It is lost from the community as heat.� Food Chains: Single chain of events that passes energy

from the sun through a community� Example:

� Sun à Algae à Gizzard Shad à Walleye� Food Web: Many interacting food chains

� Example:

Energy Flow

� Cast Members: Energy related roles within the community� Producers: Convert abiotic

energy into biotic energy; uses sun or chemicals from the earth to produce glucose� Photosynthesis: Uses light

energy to convert CO2 and H2O to glucose

� Chemosynthesis: Uses chemicals from the deep sea vents.

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Energy Flow

� Cast Members� Primary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy

from producers� Example: Cows eat grass

Energy Flow

� Cast Members� Secondary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy

from primary consumers� Example: Robin eats a worm

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Energy Flow

� Cast Members� Tertiary Consumer:

Organisms that get their energy from secondary consumers� Example: Hawk that eats

the snake that ate the mouse that ate some grass

Energy Flow

� Cast Members� Scavenger: Organisms that get their energy from dead

organisms� Example: Turkey Vulture

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Energy Flow

� Cast Members� Decomposers: Organisms that get their energy from

other living things; they return nutrients back to the system� Example: mushrooms, bacteria, worms

Energy Flow

� Energy Pyramids: Not a food pyramid. Shows how much energy is passed from level to level.

Producer

Primary Consumer

SecondaryConsumer

Tertiary Consumer 90% energy

lost

90% energy lost

90% energy lost

10% energy passed on

10% energy passed on

10% energy passed on

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90% energy lost

90% energy lost

90% energy lost

10% energy passed on

10% energy passed on

10% energy passed on

Energy Flow

� Example: Producers have 100 units of energy.

100

10

1

0.10

Energy Flow

� Energy is lost as heat as you go up the pyramid.

� Why is there not a 4th level of consumer?� Because there is not enough energy to pass on.

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Succession

� Two types of succession� Primary Succession� Secondary Succession

� Succession creates biodiversity within an ecosystem

Primary Succession

� Begins on rock formations – volcanoes or mountains. Usually in a place with no organisms or soil.

� Pioneer species : lichen, algae & fungi and other abiotic factors like wind and water will start to normalize the habitat.

� This creates a condition for optimum plant growth.

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Primary Succession

Secondary Succession

� Starts from an event such as a forest fire, harvesting or hurricane (natural disasters).

� Reduces the already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species.

� Occurs on preexisting soil.� Primary succession occurs in a place

lacking soil.

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Secondary Succession

Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification

� Bioaccumulation:� Gradual build up of pollutants in living

organisms

� Biomagnification� Gradual build up of pollutants in a

food chain.

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