ECOLOGY

Lesson 1

Biotic & Abiotic factors

Levels of Organization

Ecosystem Requirements

Living Non-Living

Circle of Life (clip from Lion King)

Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors

Ecology • the study of the relationships between organisms

and their physical environment

BIOTIC

FACTORS

(trees, grass,

animals,

bacteria)

Consists of

BOTH BIOTIC

AND ABIOTIC

FACTORS

ABIOTIC

FACTORS

(water, soil, air)

ECOSYSTEM

Identify the abiotic and biotic factors here!

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…

Ecosystem – includes all living AND non-living (biotic &

abiotic) factors

is made up of a…

Community – all of the LIVING organisms that inhabit an

ecosystem

is made up of many different…

Population – one species in an ecosystem. Ex. Homo

sapiens (humans) or Tursiops truncatus (bottle nose

dolphin)

is made up of many…

Individual Organisms– each one plays an important role

(its “niche”)

Ex. One

moose Ex. All the moose in

a certain forest

Ex. All of the living

things in in that forest

Ex. Forest, African Plains, Coral

Reef, Freshwater Ponds, etc.

Ex. Desert, Tundra, Taiga, Tropical

Rain Forest, Deciduous Forest, Marine

Ex. Earth’s

land & seas Levels of Organization

Requirements of All Ecosystems

1. Energy must be continuously added (usually from the

sun). Energy can NOT be recycled!

2. Autotrophic organisms to convert light energy from sun (or

chemicals from hydrothermal vents) into chemical bonds of

organic compounds (food)

Requirements of All Ecosystems

Photosynthesis Chemosynthesis

Requirements of All Ecosystems

3. Cycling of Materials: minerals, CO2, O2, nitrogen, & H20 are

recycled (used over and over) between the living & non-

living things in an ecosystem

Requirements of All Ecosystems

4. Limiting factors:

• Environmental factors that determine the types of

species that can survive in a particular environment

• Different in each ecosystem

Ex. Temperature, food availability

What is a limiting factor that

determines which organisms

can survive in this

ecosystem?

Ex. Temperature

Ex. Amount of water

What limiting factor

determines which organisms

can survive in this ecosystem?

Ex. Pressure and

light availability

What limiting factor

determines which

organisms can survive

in this deep sea

ecosystem?

Deep Sea Anglerfish

Ex. pH (level of acidity)

What limiting factor

determines which organisms

can survive in this ecosystem?

What do these different ecosystems have in

common?

sun water soil

rocks

wind fish duck butterfly

deer trees

individual

population community ecosystem

ECOLOGY

Lesson 2

Nutritional Relationships (vocab)

Food chain, food web

Energy Relationships (vocab)

Nutritional and Energy Flow Relationships

Between Organisms

1. Producers (Autotrophs) • Perform photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to make their

own food

• More of them than any other organism in a stable ecosystem

• Ex. Trees, algae, grass, phytoplankton

2. Consumers (Heterotrophs)

• Must obtain their food from another source (consuming

another organism)

Types of Consumers

feed only on producers like plants, leaves, grass, seeds,

algae, phytoplankton

Ex. Rabbit, deer, some birds, some insects

Herbivores (Primary Consumers)

Feed only on other animals

• Predators: kill & eat their

prey (animal killed by

predator)

– Ex. Lion, shark

• Scavengers: feed on

dead animal remains

– Ex. Hyena, vulture

Carnivores

Feed on both producers and consumers (plants and

animals)

Ex. Bears, humans, some birds

Omnivores

Decomposers / Detritivores

• obtain nutrients from “detritus” - the

remains of dead or decaying

organisms

• Recycle nutrients from organic

matter back into the soil

Ex. Bacteria & fungi

The flow of energy between producers and consumers can

be organized in a variety of ways…

• Food Chain

• Food Web

• Energy Pyramid

Examples of Food Chains

Food Chain

• Diagram showing one chain of energy existing between

organisms in an ecosystem

• Arrows point in the direction of energy flow

• Ex.

Food Web

• All of the interconnected food

chains in an ecosystem

Q- 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.

Trees and Grass

Which organism is a producer

in this food web?

(1) algae (2) amphipod

(3) snail (4) catfish

Which organisms feed on both

producers & decomposers?

(1) amphipods (2) crayfish

(3) catfish (4) protozoa

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

Diving beetle population will decrease because they will have less food available.

Energy Pyramids

Energy must be CONTINUOUSLY added for an ecosystem to

remain stable. Energy is NOT recycled!

Producers – use energy from

sun to make food

Primary Consumers /

Herbivores

Secondary

Consumers

Tertiary

Consumers

Quaternary

Consumers

• Only 10% of available

energy is transferred

between trophic levels

• Most energy is used for

life processes and lost

as heat to the

environment

(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.

Which level contains secondary

consumers?

(1.) A (2.) B (3.) C (4.) D

An energy pyramid is represented by the diagram. Which

statement best describes one of the levels of this pyramid?

Which organisms would contain the greatest amount of available energy?

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

The primary consumers include

(1.) insects & seed-eating birds (2.) rabbits & snakes

(3.) rats and frogs (4.) spiders and coyotes

Food Chain Game (Brainpop)

Ecology

Lesson 3

Biomass Pyramid

Material Cycles

Biomass Pyramid

(amount of organic matter)

Producers ex. grass

Primary Consumers

ex. grasshopper

Secondary Consumers

ex. frog

Tertiary Consumers

ex. snake

Quaternary

Consumers ex. hawk

• Less biomass is

supported at each higher

level

• Greatest # of producers,

less primary consumers,

even less secondary

consumers, etc.

• Organic matter is

recycled, can change

forms

Material Cycles

• many materials (NOT ENERGY) are used over and over again by organisms in a food web

– Carbon: components of living organisms (carbs, lipids, proteins), also CO2

– Oxygen: used in aerobic cell respiration, produced by autotrophs

– Water: used for transport within all organisms

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

The Carbon-Oxygen Cycle

OXYGEN

Respiration

in Plants

and

Animals

Dead Organisms

Combustion

Decomposition

Photosynthesis

Carbon

dioxide

The Water Cycle

Transpiration

Respiration

Condensation

Precipitation Evaporation

The Nitrogen Cycle

Brainpop – Nitrogen Cycle

Plants Animals

Decomposers

1) To Water - Eutrophication

• Fertilizers rich in nitrogen help

crops grow faster/bigger

• Excess nitrogen in the soil

produces run off into rivers &

lakes, speeding up growth of

algae (algal bloom)

• Oxygen supply is depleted due to

overgrowth of algae, water can no

longer support life

Disruptions of the Nitrogen Cycle

2) To Land – Soil Acidification

• excess animal waste (feces)

increases nitrogen levels of

soil, can increase acidity

• acidified soil can’t support

life

Disruptions of the Nitrogen Cycle

Disruptions of the Nitrogen Cycle

3) To Air – Acid Rain / Precipitation

• burning fossil fuels & fires during deforestation increase

nitric oxide in air

• forms nitric acid (acid rain) which is deadly for plants &

fish

Events that take place in an

ecosystem are shown in the

diagram. 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

Ecology

Lesson 4

Competitive Relationships (niche)

Carrying Capacity

Play game “Oh Deer!”

- more competition exists between

organisms that have a similar

niche (role in its habitat)

- where it lives/feeds

- food it eats

- who eats it

- when it reproduces

Competitive Relationships

Graphs show the

growth of 2 different

species of bacteria.

Give one possible

explanation for the

results shown in

graph C.

Species 1 and 2 had

to compete for

resources when

grown together.

Species 1 survived

to reproduce,

species 2 did not.

1)They most likely do not compete for nesting sites because they occupy different niches

2) They do not compete for nesting sites because they have the same reproductive behavior

3) They compete for nesting sites because they build the same type of nest

4) They compete for nesting sites because they nest in the same tree at the same time

Distance

of Nest

Above

Ground

(meters)

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

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?

Carrying Capacity

• maximum # of organisms that can be

supported in one ecosystem

•Once 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 of

an ecosystem

Ecology

Lesson 5

Symbiotic Relationships

mutualism

commensalism

parasitism

• Organisms living in close

association with each other

1- Mutualism (+/+)

both organisms benefit from

their association

Ex. Cleaning associations

Symbiotic Relationships

2. Commensalism (+/0)

one organism benefits,

but the other is NOT

affected at all

Ex. Barnacles on a

whale, anemone and

clown fish

3. Parasitism (+/-)

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

Ex. Athlete’s Foot fungus

Ex. Ticks

Ex. Heartworm, tapeworm

Lymphatic filariasis, also known as Elephantiasis, is caused by

parasitic worms

Most Extreme - Odd Couples

(symbiosis video clips)

10 & 9

• 2:01

• 6:51

8 (start at 1:00 end 3:30)

6

4 & 3 (3 at 4:30)

2 & 1 (1 at 4:33-6:15 & 7:52-8:30)

10 – snapper & tongue biter (parasitic)

9 – intestinal worms (parasitic)

8 – Hermit crab & sea anemone (mutualism)

6 – blind shrimp & Gobi fish (mutualism)

4 – badger & coyote alliance to hunt squirrel

3 - tarantula & frog (mutualism)

2 – tree ants & butterfly caterpillar (mutualism)

1 – Greenland shark & parasitic crustacean

Ecology

Lesson 6 Quiz

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession Ecological Succession -

Video

• is a series of changes in which one habitat changes into another

(more stable) one

• In each stage, the community causes modifications to its

environment

Stage 1. Lichens / Algae / Mosses:

Pioneer Organisms

• first to inhabit bare rock, can break down rock and create soil

• Add organic materials to the soil when they die & decompose

Lichens on bare rock

Lichens on a

tree

Stage 2. Grasses:

• Hold moisture in the soil

• Adds more soil & nutrients as it dies & decomposes

Stage 3. Shrubs / small trees

• Replace grasses - shade prevents grass from getting as

much light

• Continue to thicken soil & add nutrients

Stage 4. Climax Community:

• Stable end resulting environment

(organisms differ by region)

• Remains stable unless disrupted by

catastrophic change

– Ex. Forest fire, volcanic eruption,

deforestation

Examples of Climax Communities

Pioneer Organisms

Put these pictures of pond succession in order.

B A D C

There are two main types of

Ecological Succession

• Primary Succession: creating life in an area where no life previously existed

• Secondary Succession: re-stabilization after a disturbance in an ecosystem

Which type of succession is this?

Primary or Secondary?

Which type of succession is this?

Primary or Secondary?