ecology

The branch of biology that deals with the study of the relationship

between organisms and their environment.

ecology

Ecosystem Structure

organism

In a form of may be simple and one-celled or complex and multi-cellular.

populationIt consists of

groups of similar individuals found in a certain area at a given time.

The individuals that form a population may be of the same or related species.

Groups of Living Things

communityAll populations of

organisms that live together in a specific area, and depend upon one another for food and shelter.ex. A rotting log.

ecosystemAny stable

environment in which living and nonliving things interact and in which materials are used over and over again.ex. The seashore.

Defined as the major ecological grouping of organisms.

biomes

biosphere

The area in which life is possible.

Characteristics of Population

D=N/SN=number of individualsS=area

Ex. There are 40 students in a 150m2.

D=40 students/ 150m2

D=0.26 students/m2

Population density

Dangers of predatorsAvailability of food

WaterLightHeat

Nesting places

Factors of density

Well-maintained lawn

density

Semi-desert

random

distribution

uniform

clumped

Behavior of population

Communication

aggression

Visual displays

defense

coloration

Mute animals

Communicating by sound

Sound making

Use of chemicals

Physical contact

Social behaviorThe interactions of animals among

their own kind.

Social organization

Schooling

Flocking

Herding

How Populations Change

Guidelines to reach biotic potential:Must have all the foods or raw

materialsWaterSpace it needs to surviveIdeal climateAbsence of competitors and

disease

Biotic potential

Ex. A pair of housefly.

The collection of factors that reduce the growth rate of a population.

Environmental resistance

Biotic factorsThis includes the

nonliving physical elements in the environment such as: temperature, humidity, water, light, soil, slope, air and wind.

Factors affecting population growth

Abiotic factors

Living organisms or their characteristics in the environment.

Density-dependent

Density factors

Density-independent

Ex. Badger and coyote.Ex. Forest fire.

Carrying CapacityThe number of

individuals of a population a particular area can support in terms of space, food and shelter.Organisms

decrease as available food supply and living area are eliminated.

Community Structure and Function

Desert community

Species Diversity

Coastal community

Maple forest

Dominant Species

Red wood forest

Purple marsh crab

habitat

Rats

Cricket

Niche

Grasshopper

Special Relationships Among Organisms

It describes the relationship between two species which interact but do not affect each other. It describes interactions where the fitness of one species has absolutely no effect whatsoever on that of the other.

Neutralism

Competition

This is where both organisms that interact are harmed due to competition for resources.

Cooperation

Predation

This shows one organism killing and eating another organism.

Symbiotic Relationships

Amensalism It is between

two species involves one impeding or restricting the success of the other while the other species has no effect on it.

Mutualism

A relationship in which two different kinds of organisms live together to the benefit of both.

Parasitism

This is a relationship where one benefits at the expense of the other

Remora fish and shark

Commensalism Orchids on trees

• This is a kind of relationship where one of the organism is benefited, while the other is neither benefited nor harmed.

Interactions categorized by effectEffect on X

Effect on Y

Type of interaction

O O Neutralism

-- O Amensalism

+ O Commensalism

-- -- Competition

+ + Mutualism

+ -- Predation or parasitism

O = no effect-- =detrimental+

=beneficial

Trophic levels (food getting interactions)

Food Chains and Energy Flow

Primary producers(autotrophs)

Food-producing organisms in an ecosystem.

Primary consumers(herbivores)

Plant eating consumers

Secondary consumers(carnivores)

• Flesh eating consumers

They feed on dead organisms (the wastes of living organisms).

Ex. Fungi and bacteria

Decomposers(heterotrophs)

Food chainThe transference of energy in a community

from one organism to another in feeding patterns.

Food web The collection of connecting feeding patterns in a community.

Characteristics of Ecosystem

Succession The sequence of replacement of one

community of organisms with another.

This is the product of a calamity or disaster (ex. Earthquakes, lava flow, etc.) which directly affects the entire ecosystem.

Primary succession

Secondary succession

Biomes

Tundra

LOCATION: located in the far northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America.

CHARACTERISTICS: almost treeless plain. The subsoil is called permafrost.Winter: very long with short daylightSummer: very short with long daylight. The

ground is soggy because moisture cannot soak into the permafrost ground.

Because of the severe winters, many of the animals are migratory and move from one region to another with the change in seasons.

Tundra

Tundra trees and plants

Dwarf willows

Birches Mosses

sedges

Tundra herviboresCaribou

Arctic hare

Lemming

Tundra carnivores

Arctic fox

Bobcat

Polar bears

Taiga

LOCATION: 1300-1450 km. wide band south of tundra.

CHARACTERISTICS: it has long cold winters.:it’s summer season are longer

than in tundra. And summer temperatures may reach 10-21˚C. the subsoil thaws completely during this season.

Taiga

Taiga's abundant body of water

lakes

ponds

Taiga coniferous trees

Spruce tree

Pine tree

Fir tree

Taiga decidous trees

Aspen

Poplar tree

Taiga hervibores

Squirrel

Snowshoe hare

Predatory martens

Taiga migratory hervibores

Moose

Deer

Elk

Taiga predatorsTimber wolf

Grizzly bear

Wolverine

Temperate-decidous forest

LOCATION: south of the taiga in the northern hemisphere.

CHARACTERISTICS: it has hot summers, cold winters, rich soil and abundant rainfall. Trees lose their leaves during winter.

Temperate-decidous forest

Consumers and decomposersMillipedes

Snails

Fungi

Common decidous treesBeech

Maple

Oak

Hickory

Walnut

Common hervibores Chipmunks

Rabbits

Beavers

Important predatorsBlack bear

Fox

Predatory birdsHawk

Eagle

Owl

Ectothermic inhabitants

Snakes

Frogs

salamanders

Grassland

CHARACTERISTICS: :it usually have deep, rich soil. :hot summers, cold winters and irregular

rainfall.

Grassland

Important grassesIndian grass

Slough grass

Short grasses

Blue grama grass

Mesquite grass

Large hervibores

Pronghorn antelope

Wild horse

Bison

Small hervibores

Jack rabbit

Prairie dog

Ground squirrel

Desert

LOCATION :leeward side of mountain ranges, the side opposite the main wind direction.

CHARACTERISTICS: generally have hot days and cold nights.

Desert

Plants (during cold winters)Sagebrush

Saltbush

Plants (during warm winters)

Creosote bush

Yucca

Cactus

Herbivorous animalsJack rabbit

Ground squirrel

Predators

Coyotes

Badger

Kit fox

Prairie falcons

Other important biomes

Tropical rain forest

Location: within (roughly) 10 degrees north or south of the equator. They are common in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and on many of the Pacific Islands.

Characteristics: Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall. This often results in poor soils due to leaching of soluble nutrients. Oxisols, as are the soils of many seasonally flooded forests, which are annually replenished with fertile silt.

Tropical rainforest

Common animalsMonkeys

Colorful birds

Aquatic biome

Forms:

Ponds, lakes, streams

Rivers

Common inhabitantsAlgae

Flatworms

Clams

Marine biome

Marine biome

Factors influencing living things:-depth of the water-currents-tides-high penetration-temperature

The communities are made up of populations which at high tide are under water but low tide are actually on land.

Savanna

LOCATION: Savannas are frequently in a transitional zone between forest and desert or prairie. Savanna covers 20% of the Earth's land area. The largest area of savanna is in Africa.

CHARACTERISTICS: seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to one season.:tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forest.

Savanna

Chaparral

LOCATION: the west coast of the United States, the west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, the western tip of Australia and the coastal areas of the Mediterranean.

CHARACTERISTICS: very hot and dry. As for the temperature, the winter is very mild and is usually about 10 °C. Then there is the summer. It is so hot and dry at 40 °C that fires and droughts are very common.

Chaparral

Coniferous forest

FUN FACTSThe largest Coniferous forest exists in a ring in

Alaska, Canada,  northern Europe, and northern Asia, in a ring in the Northern Hemisphere.  This forest is called the "Taiga".

 Most of the world's commercial softwood

timber, used for paper, comes from the Taiga. Coniferous Forests are the largest land Biome

of the World.

Coniferous forest

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Prepared by:Rhonabelle C. Felix

For:Sir JV (gen. bio instructor)