Ecology

  1. Ecology
  2. Is the study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their surroundings.
  3. An ecosystem is the physical features and living organisms in an area
  4. Biotic factors-living organisms
  5. Abiotic factors-non living ex. Rocks, water etc.
  6. A community is all of the organisms living together in an area
  1. Energy Flow-
  2. Energy cannot be cycled or used again!
  3. Sun is the ultimate source of energy
  4. Energy flows through an ecosystem from the sun to producers then to consumers.
  5. Producers
  6. Autotrophs-make their own food
  7. Example plants and certain bacteria
  8. Consumers (generally carnivores)
  9. Get energy from producers
  10. Primary-1st consumer-get energy from producers
  11. herbivores (eat plants)
  12. Secondary-2nd consumer (eats primary)
  13. Tertiary-3rd consumer (eats secondary or primary)
  14. Quarternary-4th consumer (eats tertiary and secondary)
  15. Ecological Pyramids
  16. Represent energy relationships among trophic(feeding) levels.
  17. 3 types
  18. pyramid of biomass
  19. pyramid of numbers
  20. pyramid of energy

E. Food chains

i. Simple feeding relationship

F. Food Webs-More complex then food chains

a. complicated network of feeding relationships

G. Cycles

i. nutrients move through the biosphere in a series of nutrient cycles.

ii. nutrients can be used over and over again

  1. Water cycle
  2. Movement of water from air to land and back to air again.

  1. Nitrogen Cycle-movement of nitrogen through biosphere
  2. Organisms require nitrogen to build protein
  3. Nitrogen makes up 78% of the air
  4. Found in wastes also
  5. Bacteria change nitrogen in atmosphere to nitrogen we can use, this is called nitrogen fixation.
  6. Plants use nitrogen to make plant protein
  7. Animals eat the plants and use the protein to make animal proteins
  8. When organisms die, the nitrogen goes back into the soil.
  9. Bacteria break down nitrogen in soil and make free nitrogen, this is called denitrification and nitrogen is returned back into atmosphere.

  1. Carbon Cycle and Oxygen
  2. Carbon is moved through the environment in the carbon cycle
  3. producers taken in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis (carbon fixation)
  4. organisms release CO2 into the air during respiration.
  5. decomposers (worms and bacteria) break down waste and dead organisms, this releases carbon into the atmosphere.
  6. Carbon can be stored in oil or gas which can be used as fossil fuels. When they are burned, carbon dioxide is released.
  7. Carbon in atmosphere helps warm our planet (greenhouse effect). Too much Carbon raises the Earth’s temperature(global warming)
  1. Oxygen is moved through the environment in the oxygen cycle
  1. Symbiosis
  2. Relationships between organisms
  3. There are 3 types of symbiotic relationships
  4. Commensalism-one member benefits and the other is not harmed
  5. ex. Shrimp living within stinging cells of sea anemone (like Nemo)
  6. shrimp are protected from predators
  7. ex 2 barnacles on a whale

ii.Mutualism-two species live together and benefit from each other.

  1. ex. Clown fish and the sea anemone
  1. the fish chase away sea anemones predators, while the fish gets protected from its predators.
  1. Parasitism-one organism benefits, the other is harmed.
  2. ex. Tapeworm living in a humans intestine
  3. ex lice living on the scalp
  1. Succession
  2. An existing community of organisms is replaced by a different community over periods of time ranging from a few decades to thousands of years.
  3. Sometimes can occur where no living organisms ever existed.
  4. Ex. When a volcanic island arises from the sea, no life exists.
  5. First organisms to arrive are known as pioneer species
  6. examples of pioneers are lichens that live on a bare rock.
  7. lichens break down the rock and then mosses start to form. Life begins in the area with plants, then small insects, animals etc.
  8. succession can dramatically change an area
  9. succession can lead to climax communities
  10. stable collection of organisms
  11. usually indicated by the ones that are most obvious in the area.
  12. Ecosystem can return to the way it was
  13. after trees are cut down
  14. land is dug up for mining
  15. environmental damage has occurred
  16. Sometimes ecosystems never return to the way it used to be.
  1. Biomes
  2. Environment that has a characteristic climax community
  3. Terrestrial (land)
  4. Tundra-thin, moist topsoil over permafrost (frozen ground)
  5. Moss community
  6. Coniferous forest(taiga)-long winters, short summers.
  7. Pine trees and moose
  8. Deciduous forest-trees lose their leaves in the fall
  9. Grassland-dominated by grasses-prairies and savanna
  10. Deserts-dry areas

6. Rain Forest-lots of precipitation

  1. Tropical- found near equator;Diverse life

b. Temperate -moderate temp. and high humidity

-Redwoods

  1. Aquatic Biomes
  2. Marine-3 parts: ocean, intertidal and estuary
  3. Freshwater-lakes, ponds, rivers and wetlands

MarineFreshwater