Start-Up: 1. Find the definition of biotic and abiotic in your text.

2. Identify the abiotic and biotic features in this picture.

3. Is this a population or a community? 4. Describe some of the interactions shown.

Explore This Ecosystem

Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments

The goal of ecology is to understand the biological principles of how natural systems operate.

Note! Ecology is not environmentalism!

Ecology – science, not value based Environmentalism – value based

Practice: Ecology or Environmentalism?

1. A population of rabbits begins to decline in number as

coyotes are introduced into the area.

2. A citizen group is formed to protest the contamination of a river by a nearby factory.

3. Climate change is causing a shift in the migration patterns of many species.

4. World fish stocks are expected to be depleted by 2050.

5. Overfishing will lead to the economic collapse of the fishing industry.

Climate Determines Ecosystem Patterns in the Biosphere

-Earth’s climate patterns are produced by the uneven heating of the planet by the sun

-causes a varying range of temperature, wind, and amount of rainfall

The major types of terrestrial ecosystems that cover the Earth are called biomes.

The major biomes are named after their climax vegetation.

Tropical forest – enormous productivity & diversity

Gorillas•All species endangered•Habitat loss•Poaching•Warfare•Disease (Ebola virus)

Savanna – grasslands with scattered trees

Common Hippopotamus•Found near lakes and streams•Threatened•Poaching

Desert – extreme temperature variation

Kangaroo Rat•Incredible adaptations•Many species endangered•Habitat loss•Habitat fragmentation

Chaparral – coastal, dense evergreen shrubs, dry in summer

Quagga•Went extinct in 1883•Habitat loss•Habitat fragmentation

Temperate grassland – deep, nutrient rich soil

Prairie Milkweed•Endangered•Insects dependant on nectar•Introduced species competition•Agriculture

Temperate broadleaf forest – wide variety; we live here!

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker•Threatened•Many other species dependent on nest cavities•Logging•Agriculture

Coniferous forest – cone-bearing evergreen trees

Woodland Caribou•Endangered•Hunting•Logging

Tundra – cold, covered in permafrost

Harlequin Duck•Endangered or threatened•Habitat loss•Oil pollution•Hunting

High mountains

Snow Leopard•Endangered•Poaching•Habitat loss•Prey population declines

Polar ice

Polar Bear•Threatened•Habitat Loss (melting ice)

Aquatic Ecosystems

Ponds & Lakes – freshwater

Lake Sturgeon•Threatened•Overfishing•Dams•Pollution

Streams & Rivers - freshwater

Estuaries – where rivers & streams meet the ocean

West Indian Manatee•Endangered•Habitat loss•Pollution•Entanglement in fishing nets•Boat collision

Ocean Zones

Northern Right Whale•Critically endangered•Commercial whaling•Pollution•Boat collision•Net entanglement

Coral Reefs – extreme diversity

Elkhorn Coral•Threatened•Climate change•Pollution•Cruise ships

Deep-sea – no light; chemosynthetic prokaryotes are producers

Very little is known about the population status of deep sea species