What is Ecology?
1. Definition:
2.It ______how living organism affect each other and the world they live in.
3.______is the place a plant or animal lives in.
4.______is an organism’s total way of life (its job)
5.______factors are the nonliving parts of an organism’s environment.
6.4 Examples of abiotic factors are:
7.______factors are all the living organisms that inhabit an environment.
8.Some things that organism’s rely on each other are ______, ______, ______or ______
9.What are the levels of simple organization from simplest to most complex?
10. ______have organized the interactions an organism takes part in to different levels according to ______
11.Level 1 Organism:
12.Level 2 Population:
13.Level 3 Biological Community:
14.Level 4 Ecosystem:
15.Level 5 Biosphere:
16. Where can you find life?
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem Study Guide
1. Energy in an ecosystem originally comes from the ______.
2. Energy flows through ecosystems from ______to ______.
3. Producers ______.
4. Consumers ______.
5. ______is the main source of energy for most life on ______.
6. ______contain ______& can use energy directly from the sun.
7. An Autotroph is ______.
8. ______are also called Producers
9. ______, ______, some ______, & some ______are examples.
10. A ______is an organism’s role in its environment.
11. Your niche is ______.
12. A producers niche is ______.
13. Producers may be ______using light energy (e.g. ______).
14. Producers may be ______using chemical energy (e.g. cyanobacteria)
15. An ______is a producer that captures energy from the sun by ______.
16. Name 2 ways they help the earth:
______
17. Describe 3 habitats of photoautotrops and give an example of an organism in each habitat.
______
18. ______capture energy from the bonds of inorganic molecules such as ______.
19. The process is called ______and occurs in deep sea vents or gut of animals.
20. ______are also called heterotrophs.
21. ______eat other organisms to obtain energy. (e.g. ______)
22. ______eat only plants.
23. ______eat only other animals.
24. ______(Humans) eat plant and animals.
25. ______(Scavengers) feed on dead plant & animal remains (______)
26. ______break down wastes and recycle nutrients back into the earth.
27. Fungi & Bacteria are examples of ______.
28. Heterotrophs eat other organisms to obtain ______.
29. Energy flows through an ecosystem in ___ direction from ______to various levels of ______.
30. A ______is a simple energy path through an ecosystem.
31. A ______is a more realistic path through an ecosystem made of many food ______.
32. Draw a simple marine food chain:
33. Name the producers, consumers, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores in this food chain.
a. producers-
b. consumers-
c. decomposers-
d. herbivores-
e. carnivores-
34. Each level is a food chain or food web is a ______.
35. ______are always on the first trophic level.
36. Energy enters the system through the ______.
37. ______are always on the second trophic level.
38. ______make up the remaining levels.
39. Each level depends on the one below it for ______.
40. As you travel up the energy pyramid energy is ______, mostly as ______.
41. Approximately ______of level’s energy is lost.
Biomes
1. What is biogeography? ______
2. What is continental drift? ______
3. What is a native species? ______
______
4. What is an exotic species? ______
______
5. What 2 things does our climate depend on? ______and ______
6. What is climate? ______
7. What is a biome? ______
8. Where are the rainforests found? ______
9. What is an epiphyte? ______
10. Diversity ______
11. Deciduous ______
12. Coniferous ______
13. Nocturnal ______
14. Diurnal ______
15. Deserts are _____ during the day and ______at night.
16. ______do not get enough rainfall to support trees.
17. ______are grasslands that do get enough rain to support some trees.
18. Permafrost ______
19. The ______gets the same amount of precipitation as a desert, but it is mostly snow.
20. Precipitation ______
21. Algae ______
22. Brackish ______
23. Estuary ______
24. Intertidal Zone ______
25. Primary succession ______
______
26. Pioneer species ______
27. Secondary succession ______
28. Keystone species ______
29. Extinct ______
30. Endangered ______
31. Threatened species ______
32. Name 4 things that can cause extinction
a. ______
b. ______
c. ______
d. ______
33. What is the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource and give 2 examples of each? ______
34. Biodiversity ______
35. What are some factors that affect biodiversity in an ecosystem? ______
Use the Internet to complete this chart:
Biome Name / Temperatures / Precipitation / 5 OrganismsWrite the name of the biome that best matches each statement
______ / 1. / The biome also known as the “Bread Basket”______ / 2. / The biome that receives the most snow
______ / 3. / The biome that has one season – summer all year round
______ / 4. / The biome also known as the “Cold Desert”
______ / 5. / The biome that receives the greatest amount of sunshine & rainfall
______ / 6. / The biome in which we live
______ / 7. / The biome with the shortest growing season
______ / 8. / The biome where cereal grains are grown (corn, wheat, etc)
______ / 9. / The biome where the majority of trees lose their leaves seasonally
______ / 10. / The biome located near the equator
______ / 11. / The biome with soil that is almost all sand
______ / 12. / The biome also known as the “Coniferous Forest”
______ / 13. / Lichens and mosses are the dominant plants
______ / 14. / This biome has very rich soil due to millions of decomposing leaves
______ / 15. / Major animal adaptations include molars for grinding plant material
______ / 16. / The soil is called “Permafrost” – the ground is permanently frozen
______ / 17. / Many animals in this biome are nocturnal due to high daytime temps
______ / 18. / The soil is very poor due to leeching – washing away of materials
______ / 19. / Few trees grow here due to a short growing season and cold temps
______ / 20. / Pine, spruce, & fir are the major types of trees
When you are done: Play this matching game for 10 bonus points. Just show me when you are done!
LIMITING FACTORS
OBJECTIVES:
- to learn about various limiting factors that influence population dynamics
- to investigate which factors affect yellow perch in Lake Winnipeg
KEY TERMS:
- natural disasters: disasters caused by nature
- density: organisms per unit area
- toxic: poisonous
- tail races: area of water located behind a dam
- aquatic: taking place in or on the water
- penetrate: to enter or force a way into
- depletion: the use or consumption of a resource
- turbid: degree of cloudiness of water
- tributaries: a stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water
- invasive: moves in without right or permission, intrusive
TASKS:
Read the notes on limiting factors. Then, using the knowledge you have gained, read the
next set of notes to find all of the limiting factors that affect yellow perch in Lake Winnipeg.
Using the work sheet provided on page 4, try to identify as many limiting factors as possible
and classify them as density independent or density dependent factors. Then answer the
questions on pages 4 and 5.
NOTES:
LIMITING FACTORS
All living things need food, water, shelter and space to survive. As long as organisms have all of these things available to them their population will continue to grow. However, populations cannot grow forever. Some form of environmental resistance will stop the population’s growth. The form of environmental resistance is called a limiting factor since it limits the population. However, limiting factors may also increase a population. We will look at many different limiting factors and classify them into density independent factors and density dependent factors.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
DENSITY INDEPENDENT FACTORS
Density independent factors can affect a population no matter what it’s density is. For example: natural disasters, temperature, sunlight, human activities, physical characteristics and behaviors of organisms affect any and all populations regardless of their densities. Natural disasters such as droughts, floods, hurricanes and fires can be devastating to aquatic life. For example, a severe drought could lower the water levels of Lake Winnipeg and decrease its carrying capacity. Thus, the fish population would decrease.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Temperature influences the activity and growth of organisms. Temperature also determines
which type of organisms can live in a lake. Usually, the higher the water temperature, the greater the activity in a lake. However, all aquatic species have a preferred temperature range. If temperatures vary too much out of this range the species will either die or move to a different location. Temperature also influences the chemical properties of water. The rate of chemical reactions
in the water increases as temperature increases. For example, warm water holds less oxygen
than cool water, so even though there is more activity in warm water there may not be enough
oxygen for the activity to continue for long periods of time.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Sunlight can only penetrate to a depth of 30 meters in water. Thus most phosotsynthesis in
aquatic environments occurs near the surface. This means that most plants cannot grow if they
are at the bottom of a deep lake.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Human activities can also affect population dynamics. For instance, lake sturgeon spawn in
fast water and sometimes use the “tailraces” of hydroelectric dams. However, the water level in this location often drops suddenly and the eggs die because they become exposed.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Physical characteristics of organisms can affect their population. Many organisms have
adapted and evolved in order to increase their chance of survival. For example, some species
of fish have colored markings to warn predators that they may be toxic. Or, some species use
camouflage colors to help them hide and avoid being eaten.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Behaviors of organisms can also affect their population. For example, some species migrate to find new food sources or to mate. Some organisms create societies or feeding territories. For instance, white bass live in schools and work together to drive emerald shiners to the surface for feeding. Some species may have mating or courtship behaviors that affect their population.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
DENSITY DEPENDENT FACTORS
Density dependent factors can only affect a population when it reaches a certain density. For
example, competition, predation, disease, parasitism, crowding, and stress are all factors that
only affect populations with high densities.
Competition can occur between many organisms that live in the same habitat. Resources
are limited in a habitat so organisms must compete for food, water, space, and shelter. For
example, both northern pike and walleye prey on yellow perch and so they compete for the same
food source. However, this competition is only apparent when the populations of northern pike
and walleye have high densities OR the population of yellow perch has a low density.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Predation occurs when the population density of predators is high. The predators will
consume their prey and increase their own population. However, the population of the prey will
decrease. On the other hand, the lack of predation (when the population density of predators is
low) will cause problems for the prey’s population. When there are few predators, the prey’s
population increases very quickly and this can lead to the depletion of resources and increase
disease.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Disease in a population increases with the density of that population. High densities makes it
easier for parasites to find hosts and spread the disease.
Parasitism is a relationship in which one species benefits at the expense of the other. A
parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism (called a host) to get nourishment.
While the parasite benefits from this relationship the host is harmed or killed.
Crowding only occurs at high densities. Over-crowding can cause depletion of resources,
disease and stress.
Stress usually has a negative effect on populations. Stress can make organisms weak and
more prone to disease.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
YELLOW PERCH IN LAKE WINNIPEG
Located 217 m above sea level, Lake Winnipeg is a shallow lake composed of two basins: a wide north basin and a narrow south basin. On average, Lake Winnipeg is only 12 meters deep and receives 517 mm of precipitation annually. Lake Winnipeg provides a habitat for over 50 different species of fish including yellow perch, chestnut lampreys and rainbow smelt. Yellow perch prefer water that has little current. They can tolerate moderate tubidity. Also, they prefer a temperature range of 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature of the water varies too much above this range, yellow perch will either move to a new location or die. Yellow perch spawn in May or early June when water temperatures are above 6 degrees Celsius. First, they migrate to tributaries and then several males attend a female while she releases her eggs.
Jot Notes: ______
______
______
Yellow perch can grow to 302 mm in length. Their life span is approximately 9 years. If there is a lack of resources or too many of them (over-population), yellow perch adapt by stunting. This means that instead of starving, they simply do not grow as large as normal. Thus, they are able to live off less food.
Yellow perch feed in midwater or on the bottom of Lake Winnipeg. They eat a wide variety of invertebrates, and fish such as emerald shiners. The eyes of yellow perch allow them to see almost 360 degrees around them. Thus, they are better able to spot their prey and evade predators.
In Lake Winnipeg, yellow perch are eaten by northern pike and walleye. They are also
caught for food by commercial fishers and anglers. Chestnut lampreys are also found in Lake Winnipeg. Lampreys are parasitic fish that attach to other species of fish (such as yellow perch) to feed on their blood and tissues.