WHAT IS ECOLOGY?

The study of how organisms interact with the environment

How do they do this?

• Food web• Nutrient cycles• Water cycle

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE ENVIRONMENT

Biotic factors: the interacting living things- plants, animals, bacteria

Abiotic : the nonliving influences; soil, water, habitats, energy

A Population is: All of a given species in a given area.

COMMUNITYAll of the interacting populations in a given area.

ECOSYSTEM

- Combination of the living community (biotic) and the physical environment (abiotic)

-Cycle of energy

CARRYING CAPACITY

the maximum number of organisms the resources of an area can support

The carrying capacity of the environment is limited by the available abiotic and biotic resources, as well as the ability of ecosystems to recycle the residue of dead organisms through the activities of bacteria and fungi.

BIOSPHEREThe portion of earth in which life exists

NUTRITION

Autotroph• An organism that makes its own food

examples: Plants, provide heterotrophs with glucose

“LIFE RUNS ON SUGAR”

heterotroph:

•An organism that obtains food by eating other organisms

•Examples: humans, horses, lions

CLASSES OF HETEROTROPHSA. Herbivores: a consumer that eats only producers

Examples- horses eating flowers

B. Carnivores: consumers eating other consumers

Examples- lions eating antelope

C. Predators: an organism “hunting” whom feeds on its prey “attacked”

Examples: lion- buffalo wolf- deer

D. Scavengers: carnivores/ herbivores feeding behavior- search out dead animals/ plants to feed on

Examples: vultures, raccoons

E. Omnivores: consumer that eats producers/ consumers

Examples: bear eating plants and mice

F. Decomposers: Help break down dead things and put the nutrients back into the soil.

Examples: mushrooms

SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS

What is a symbiotic relationship?

- Close interaction between species in which one species lives in or on the other

Mutualism: BOTH BENEFIT!!!

Moss on rocks

Sea plant protects fish, and plants receives nutrients from fish

COMMENSALISM: ONE BENEFITS, ONE IS NOT AFFECTED.

Whales and barnacles

PARASITES: ONE BENEFITS, ONE HARMED!!!!

COMPETITION IN ECOSYSTEMSWhat is a habitat?

the species’ specific environment

What is a niche?

the role in the ecosystem- “the job they do”

Competition between species will result in one species occupying the niche

TYPES OF COMPETITION

Interspecific- two or more species rely on the same limited resources

Intraspecific- members of the same species fight for the same resources

PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS, DECOMPOSER

What are producers?-Green plants producing organic compounds from the inorganic; the autotrophs

What are consumers?-Obtain nutrients from other organisms ; “us”

What are decomposers

- Organisms of decay

TYPES OF CONSUMERS

1.Primary- first level; insects and birds that eat seeds and fruits.

In addition “gazing mammals” such as deer

2. Secondary- second level; eat primary consumers; small mammals and reptiles

3. Tertiary- third level; eat secondary consumers; a snake eating a mouse

FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS

Food chain: a series

of organisms through

which food

energy is passed.

FOOD WEBThe food chains that are interconnected at various points

PYRAMIDS OF ENERGY AND BIOMASS

Energy Pyramid: shows the energy loss from one trophic level to the next.

•The amount of energy available in an ecosystem

•10% Rule- An average of only 10% of the energy in one trophic level is passed to the next trophic level.

The energy is converted to biomass- the earth’s organic matter

•This is the mass of the organisms at each feeding level

Succession:• replacement of populations in habitat as it

moves toward a stable state

(determined by changes in plants)

• The environment may be altered in substantial ways through the activities of organisms, including humans, or when the climate changes.

• Although these alterations are sometimes abrupt (ex. Natural disasters), in most cases species replace others, resulting in long-term gradual changes in ecosystems.

• Ecosystems tend to change with time until a stable system is formed.

• The type of ecosystem that is formed depends on the climatic limitations of a given geographical area.

Pioneer Organisms:

• The first organisms to inhabit a given location (ex. lichens on bare rock)

• Pioneer organisms modify their environment, thus establishing conditions under which more advanced organisms can live.

• (ex. seasonal dieback and erosion, for example, would create pockets of "soil" in the crevices and hollows of the bare rock inhabited by the lichen)

• Primary Succession: the development of plant communities on newly formed habitats that previously lacked plants (ex. a lava flow)

Primary Succession: “pioneer species” colonize bare rock

• Secondary Succession: return of an area to its natural vegetation following a disruption or removal of the original climax community

Succession (Secondary): Annual-Grasses-Shrubs-Young Forest-Mature

Forest

An example of a PRIMARY SUCCESSION ex. (Adirondack Bog Succession)

1. water plants at pond edge

2. sedges and sediments begin to fill pond

3. sphagnum moss and bog shrubs fill pond (Labrador tea & cranberries)

4. black spruce and larch

5. birches, maple, or fir

An example of a SECONDARY SUCCESSION

1. plowed field

2. annual grasses

3. shrubs and briers

4. cherries, alders, and birches

5. climax community –

- Northern N.Y. (hemlock, beech, maple)

- Southern N.Y. (oak, hickory)

Climax Community

• a self-perpetuating community in which populations remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment

• ** The climax community of a region is always its dominant plant species.

• Altered ecosystems may reach a point of stability that can last for hundreds or thousands of years.

• A climax community persists until a catastrophic change of a major biotic or abiotic nature alters or destroys it.

• (ex. forest fires, abandoned farmlands, floods, areas where the topsoil has been removed)

• After the original climax community has been destroyed, the damaged ecosystem is likely to recover in stages that eventually result in a stable system similar to the original one.

• Ponds and small lakes, for example, fill in due to seasonal dieback of aquatic vegetation and erosion of their banks, and eventually enter into a terrestrial succession terminating in a terrestrial climax community.

• FLORA - plant species - dominate in the sense that they are the most abundant food sources

Succession in Aquatic Ecosystems:

Pond Succession (lake-pond-marsh-swamp-forest)

Eutrophication: where high nutrient concentrations stimulate blooms of algae

(e.g., phytoplankton).

MATERIAL CYCLES

• ** In a self-sustaining ecosystem, materials must be cycled among the organisms and the abiotic environment.

• Thus the same materials can be reused.

• Materials constantly need to be recycled from the living and non-living environment so that materials can be reused by different living organisms.

Estimated major stores of carbon on the Earth.

Sink Amount in Billions of Metric Tons

Atmosphere 578 (as of 1700) - 766 (as of 1999)

Soil Organic Matter 1500 to 1600

Ocean 38,000 to 40,000

Marine Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

66,000,000 to 100,000,000

Terrestrial Plants 540 to 610

Fossil Fuel Deposits 4000

OXYGEN CYCLE                                                                           

                                                                   

NITROGEN CYCLE

Water Cycle

• involves the processes of photosynthesis, transpiration, evaporation and condensation, respiration, and excretion

The Water Cycle

Biomes Of The Earth

Biomes of the Earth: • BIOME - a large geographical community that

has a particular type of Climax community (a dominant type of plant (flora) and animal (fauna) life).

BIOMES OF THE EARTH: BIOME - a large geographical community that has a particular type of Climax community (a dominant type of plant (flora) and animal (fauna) life).

There are two types of Aquatic Biomes:

Marine Biomes-Oceans• Salt water• Composes 70% of the earths surface• Contains many different organisms• Provides most of the earths food nutrients• Most oxygen is produced here

Fresh water Biomes - ponds, lakes, rivers and streams

TUNDRA

TUNDRA

The Tundra is a region that lies south of the ice caps of the Arctic and extends across North America, Europe, and Siberia.

The tundra has a low average temperature and a short growing season (about 60 days)

During the long cold winters the ground is completely frozen this is called (permafrost).

Tundra Continued • Average precipitation is only about 12cm

per year.• Vegetation is limited to lichens, mosses,

grasses, sedges and shrubs. (No Trees)• Animals include: reindeer, musk oxen,

caribou, wolves, artic hares, artic foxes, lemmings, and snowy owls.

• During the warm season many insects and birds migrate here.

The Taiga

• The Taiga is a belt of Evergreen forest which extends across North America, Europe and Asia.

• The Taiga has long cold winters which cover the ground in deep snow.

• The growing season is about 120 days.

• The average precipitation is between 50 and 100 cm.

Taiga Continued

• Vegetation: Pines, Firs, and Spruce are the dominant vegetation (however some deciduous trees are also present)

• There are many shrubs and herbaceous plants.

• Animal life: Moose, wolves, bears, lynx, deer, elks, wolverines, martens, snowshoe hares, porcupines, rodents, birds, and insects.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Located in Eastern North America and Europe.

• This biome has all four seasons (summer, fall, winter, spring)

• Precipitation is about 75-150cm per year.• Vegetation: Oak, Maple, Hickory, Beach,

Chestnut, and Birch.• Smaller trees, shrubs, ferns and mosses are

also present.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Animal life: Wolves, gray foxes, bobcats, deer, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and insects.

Grasslands

• Two main types of grasslands: 1) Tropical and 2) Temperate.

• Geographic location: Interior of North America, Asia, South America, and Africa.

• Precipitation: ranges from 25-75 cm per year.

• Grass is the dominant vegetation. Many wild flowers are also present.

Grasslands Continued• In wetter areas (around rivers) the

vegetation may be dense and include various shrubs.

• Animal life

• North America: coyotes, badgers, rattlesnakes, prairie dogs, jackrabbits ground squirrels, pheasants, and prairie chickens.

• African grasslands: zebras, giraffes, gazelles and predators such as lions.

Deserts

Deserts

• Soil is Sandy and poor

• Precipitation: is less than 25 cm per year.

• Geographic location: North America Mexico, Northeastern Part of Washington State, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

• Temperature Varies greatly throughout the day.

Desert Continued.

• Desert plants and animals have adapted to survive the hot days, cold nights, and little water.

• Vegetation: Cacti, small shrubs, and sedge brush

• Animal Life: Foxes, Coyotes, tarantulas, scorpions and snakes.

• Most animals are nocturnal.

Tropical Rain Forest

• Location: Most rain forests are located around the equator.

• Precipitation: 200-400 cm per year. (Humidity is very High)

• Temperature is constant around 25C.• Enormous Variety of plants and animals.• Tree Cover is thick and little light reaches

the ground (a canopy of trees is about 150m high)

Tropical Rain Forest Continued

• Most nutrients in a tropical rainforest are found within organisms.

• That means the soil is nutrient poor.