Ecology

Energy Flow

*Food Chain

A visual representation of various organisms in an ecosystem with arrows to show how energy is transferred (usually) by consuming another.

Food Web

A visual representation of various energy systems in an

ecosystem.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/27997-assignment-discovery-the-food-web-video.htm

Energy Pyramid

A visual representation of various energy systems in an ecosystem

showing how energy is transferred at each level.

Energy is lost as you move up the pyramid.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/27995-assignment-discovery-energy-flow-video.htm

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that use the sunlight to create (produce) it’s own energy.Also called an autotroph.

Consumers/Heterotrophs

Organisms that have to consume (eat) other organisms to obtain energy.Also called a heterotroph.

Let’s Review

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29542-assignment-discovery-autotrophs-and-heterotrophs-video.htm

Herbivores

Organisms that have to primarily eat grasses/plant material.

Carnivores

Organisms that have to primarily eat meat/protein material.

Omnivore

Organisms that eat both meat/protein and plant material.

*Let’s Review

Decomposers

Organisms that break down wastes such as dead materials and recycle them in an environment.

http://vimeo.com/13258487

Scavengers

Organisms that tend to eat dead/decaying matter… garbagehttp://vimeo.com/37761995

Relationships between species

I. Competition

II. PredationIII. Symbiosis

Limiting Factors

Factors in the environment that can “limit” a population’s growth. Ex: weather, predation, lack of resources (water, food), habitat destruction, pollution…

I. Competition

The struggle for organisms to survive as they compete for natural resources including habitat.

http://www.arkive.org/turkey-vulture/cathartes-aura/video-08.html

II. *Predation

One organism killing another for food.

*Great example of perseverance, species relationships…and Mother’s Day all in one.

III. Symbiosis

*Mutualism- both species benefit (win/win) (+/+)

III. Symbiosis

Commensalism- a relationship in which 1 species benefits and the other species is neither helped nor harmed. (+/0)http://vimeo.com/25512434

III. Symbiosis

*Parasitism- a relationship in which 1 organism lives on or inside another harming it. (+/-)