Ecology

• the study of the relationships between organisms and their physical

environment

Lion King Clip

Living Non-Living

BIOTIC FACTORS

Consists of BOTH

BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC

FACTORS

ABIOTIC FACTORS

Ecosystem

Name the abiotic and biotic factors here!

Ex. One giraffe

Ex. All the giraffes

Ex. All the living things in African plains

Ex. African Plains, Coral Reefs, etc

Ex. Desert, Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous Forest

Ex. Earth

Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem

Biosphere – includes all the inhabitable space on earth

is made up of many different…

Biomes - a large geographical area characterized by certain types of plants and animals

are made up of many different…

Ecosystems – includes all living AND non-living (biotic & abiotic) parts of a community

are made up of many different…

Communities – all of the LIVING things that inhabit an ecosystem

are made up of many different…

Populations – one type (species) of living thing in a ecosystem. Ex. Homo sapiens or Tursiops truncatus

are made up of many different…

Individual Organisms– each one play an important role (its “niche”)

What do these different ecosystems have in common?

Requirements of All Ecosystems

1. Energy must be constantly added (usually from the sun). Energy cannot be recycled!

2. Cycling of Materials like minerals, CO2, O2, nitrogen, & H20. These are recycled (used over and over) between the living and non-living things in an ecosystem

3. Limiting factors determine the types of species that can survive in a particular environment

Each ecosystem has its own distinct limiting factors.

Ex. temperature

Ex. Amount of water

Ex. Pressure and light availability

Ex. pH (level of acidity)

Nutritional Relationships between Organisms

1. Producers (Autotrophs)• Go through

photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to make their own food

• More of them than any other organism in an ecosystem!

• Ex. Trees, seeds, algae, grass, phytoplankton

2. Consumers (Heterotrophs)

• Must obtain their food from another source (another organism)

Types of Consumers

Herbivores

Feed only on autotrophs like plants, leaves, grass, or seeds

Ex.

CarnivoresFeed only on other animals

• Predator: kill & eat their prey

• Prey: killed by predators

• Scavengers: feed on animal remains

Ex.

Omnivores

Feed on producers as well as consumers (plants and animals)

Ex.

Detrivores/Decomposers

• obtain nutrients from “detritus” - the remains of dead or decaying organisms

• Recycle nutrients back into the earth

Ex.

The flow of energy between producers and consumers can be organized in a number of ways…

• Food Chain

• Food Web

• Energy Pyramid

Food Chains

• Diagram showing one chain of energy existing between organisms in an ecosystem

• Arrows point in the direction of energy flow!

• Ex.

Food Webs• All of the interconnected

food chains in an ecosystem

The mouse population would most likely decrease if there were (1) an increase in the frog and tree populations(2) a decrease in the snake and hawk populations(3) an increase in the number of decomposers in the area (4) a decrease in the amount of available sunlight

Identify two producers in this food web.

Which organisms feed on both producers and decomposers? (1) amphipods (2) crayfish (3) catfish (4) protozoa

Which organism is a producer in this food web? (1) algae (2) amphipod (3) snail (4) catfish

What would happen to the diving beetle population if there were fewer snails?  Justify your response.

Energy Pyramids• Represent the decrease in

biomass & energy as one moves up the food chain

• 90% energy loss at each level, 10% transferred

A food pyramid is represented by the diagram. Which statement best describes one of the levels of this pyramid?  (1.) The organisms in level B obtain food directly from level A.  (2.) Level D contains the greatest number of heterotrophs in the pyramid.  (3.) level C contains the largest group of consumers in the pyramid.  (4.) Level A contains the largest producers in the pyramid.

The secondary consumers in this pyramid would be found at level  (1.) A  (2.) B  (3.) C  (4.) D

APEX PREDATORS

PRODUCERS – Always in the greatest amount, highest “biomass”

PRIMARY CONSUMERS

SECONDARY CONSUMERS

Which organisms would contain the greatest amount of available energy? 

(1.) rabbits and deer  (2.) grasses and shrubs  (3.) hawks    (4.) lice

The primary consumers include 

(1.) insects and seed-eating birds  (2.) rabbits and snakes  (3.) rats and frogs  (4.) spiders and coyotes

Which group of organisms is missing from this food web? 

(1.) decomposers  (2.) omnivores  (3.) producers  (4.)  heterotrophs

Non-feeding Relationships Between Organisms

1. Competitiveorganisms that have a similar niche (food source and habitat) will compete more for resources Give one possible explanation for the results

shown in graph C.

What will most likely happen if the culture containing the two species together(graph C) is maintained for an additional week?

Information concerning nests built in the same tree by 2 different bird species over a 10-year period is shown in the table below.

Which inference best describes these 2 bird species?

1)They most likely do not compete for nesting sites because they occupy different niches2) They do not compete for nesting sites because they have the same reproductive behavior3) They compete for nesting sites because they build the same type of nest4) They compete for nesting sites because they nest in the same tree at the same time

Distance of Nest Above Ground (m)

Total # of Nests built by 2 different species

A B

Less than 1

5 0

1-5 10 0

5-10 5 0

Over 10 0 20

2. Symbiotic

Organisms living in close association with each other

• Mutualism (+/+)

both organisms benefit from their association

Ex. Cleaning associations

• Commensalism (+/0)

one organism benefits, but the other is NOT affected at all

Ex. Barnacles on a whale, anemone and clown fish

• Parasitism (+/-) one organism

benefits (parasite) while the other is harmed (host)

Ex. Athlete’s Foot fungus and humans!Ex. Ticks on deer/dogs

video

Symbiosis Video

10 & 9

• 2:01

• 6:51

8 (1:00)

6

4 & 3

2 & 1

Material Cycles• Although ENERGY must be

CONSTANTLY ADDED by the sun, many materials are used over and over again by organisms in a food web–Carbon: components of living organisms (carbs,

lipids, proteins), also CO2

–Oxygen: needed for cell respiration, produced by plants

–Water: used for transport within all organisms

–Nitrogen: important part of proteins (amino acids), released as waste from dead organisms

Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles:

The Water Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

The Carbon-Oxygen Cycle

OXYGEN

Respiration in Plants and Animals

Dead OrganismsCombustion

Decomposition

Photosynthesis

Events that take place in a biome are shown in the diagram below. Which information is represented in the diagram?

 1. Respiration and photosynthesis are interrelated. 2. Transpiration and condensation are related to the water cycle. 3. Decomposers release a material that is acted on by other organisms. 4. Predators and their prey are involved in many interactions

An ecosystem, such as an aquarium, is self-sustaining if it involves the interaction between organisms, a flow of energy, and the presence of

 1. equal numbers of plants and animals

 2. more animals than plants

 3. materials cycles

 4. pioneer organisms

Brainpop

Carrying Capacity• maximum # of organisms that can be supported in one ecosystem

•Once carrying capacity is reached, competition for resources will increase and many organisms will die

•Once the population decreases, more resources will become available and populations will increase again

•Homeostasis / dynamic equilibrium

Extra Credit – Answer ALL1. All of the following are true of protista EXCEPT A) all are heterotrophs B) all are eukaryotes C) include ameoba, paramecium, & euglena D) they include the widest variety of any kingdom

Choose from…A) Platyhelminthes B) Nematodes C) Cnidarians D) Echinoderms

2. Includes the sea stars and sea urchins3. Organisms in this phyla contain stinging cells4. Roundworms and are parasitic!