Intro to Ecology

(The last unit of the year!!)

What Is Ecology?

What Is Ecology?

• Ecology = Study of Home – Ecos = home– ology = study of

• This includes:– Plants– Animals– Decomposers– Microorganisms– Interactions with abiotic and biotic factors!

Interdependence

Interdependence

• All organisms interact with other organisms in their surroundings and non-living portions of their environment

Organization

Organization• Biosphere

– The thin volume of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life.

• Ecosystem– Smaller units which include all the organisms and the

non-living environment found in a specific place.

• Community – All the interacting organisms of an area.

• Population– All the members of a species that live in one place at

one time.

• Organism– An individual member of the population.

Ecosystem Components

Ecosystem Components• Biotic Factors

– All living things that affect an organism

• Abiotic Factors– All non-living things that affect an organism

• Physical and chemical characteristics of the environment

• Organisms can live within a limited range of environmental conditions– Temperature, pH, salinity, etc

– Some animals can acclimate (adjust within their lifetime)

– Some animals will go dormant

– Some animals might migrate

The Niche

The Niche

• Niche is the specific role of a species within its environment.– Includes the range of conditions, the resources

used, the methods of obtaining resources, number of offspring, time of reproduction and all other interactions.

• Generalists – broad niches

• Specialists – narrow niches

Biodiversity

“Biological diversity is the key to the maintenance of the world as we know it.” E.O. Wilson

Biodiversity

• Variety of forms of life in an area– Species diversity

• Richness is the number of species.

• Evenness is the number of individuals.

– Genetic diversity• Amount of variation in the genetic material within

all members of a population.

Environmental Issues

Environmental Issues

• Ozone Thinning

• Global Warming

• Acid Precipitation

• Land and Water Pollution

Environmental Solutions

Environmental Solutions

• Conservation– Seek,protect and manage natural areas with

biodiversity

• Restoration– Restoring extreme cases of ecosystem damage

• Biodiversity Hotspots

• Ecotourism