ecology
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Ecology. WHAT IS ECOLOGY?. Ecology- the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments, focusing on energy transfer Ecology is a science of relationships. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ENVIRONMENT?. The environment is made up of two factors: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Ecology
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WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
Ecology- the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments, focusing on energy transfer
Ecology is a science of relationships
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ENVIRONMENT?
The environment is made up of two factors:
• Biotic factors- all living organisms inhabiting the Earth
• Abiotic factors- nonliving parts of the environment (i.e. temperature, soil, light, moisture, air currents)
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Organism
Population
Community
Biosphere
Ecosystem
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Organism - any unicellular or multicellular form exhibiting all of the characteristics of life, an individual.
•The lowest level of organization
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POPULATION
a group of organisms of one species living in the same place at the same time that interbreed
Produce fertile offspring
Compete with each other for resources (food, mates, shelter, etc.)
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Community - several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and are interdependent.
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Ecosystem - populations in a community and the abiotic factors with which they interact (ex. marine, terrestrial)
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Biosphere - life supporting portions of Earth composed of air, land, fresh water, and salt water.
•The highest level of organization
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Habitat vs. Niche
Niche - the role a species plays in a community; its total way of life
Habitat- the place in which an organism lives out its life
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Habitat vs. Niche
A niche is determined by the tolerance limitations of an organism, or a limiting factor.
Limiting factor- any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment.
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Examples of limiting factors -
•Amount of water•Amount of food•Temperature•Amount of space•Availability of mates
Habitat vs. Niche
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Feeding Relationships• There are 3 main types of
feeding relationships
1. Producer - Consumer
2. Predator - Prey3. Parasite - Host
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Feeding Relationships
Producer- all autotrophs (plants), they trap energy from the sun
• Bottom of the food chain
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Feeding Relationships
Consumer- all heterotrophs: they ingest food containing the sun’s energy
HerbivoresCarnivoresOmnivoresDecomposers
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Feeding Relationships
CONSUMERS 1.Primary
consumers•Eat plants•Herbivores
• Secondary, tertiary … consumers
•Prey animals•Carnivores
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Feeding Relationships
Consumer-Carnivores-eat meat
•Predators– Hunt prey animals for food.
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Feeding Relationships
Consumer- Carnivores- eat meat
•Scavengers– Feed on carrion, dead animals
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Feeding Relationships
Consumer- Omnivores -eat both plants and animals
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Feeding Relationships
Consumer- Decomposers
•Breakdown the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be absorbed
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Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiosis- two species living together
3 Types of symbiosis:
1. Commensalism
2. Parasitism
3. Mutualism
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Symbiotic Relationships
Commensalism- one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped
Ex. orchids on a tree
Epiphytes: A plant, such as a tropical orchid or a bromeliad, that grows on another plant upon which it depends for mechanical support but not for nutrients. Also called xerophyte, air plant.
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Symbiotic Relationships
Commensalism- one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped
Ex. polar bears and cyanobacteria
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Symbiotic Relationships
Parasitism- one species benefits (parasite)
and the other is harmed (host)
•Parasite-Host relationship
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Symbiotic Relationships
Parasitism- parasite-hostEx. lampreys, leeches, fleas,ticks, tapeworm
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Symbiotic Relationships
Mutualism- beneficial to both species
Ex. cleaning birds and cleaner shrimp
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Symbiotic Relationships
Mutualism- beneficial to both species
Ex. lichen
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Type of relationship
Species harmed
Species benefits
Species neutral
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
= 1 species
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Trophic Levels
•Each link in a food chain is known as a trophic level.
•Trophic levels represent a feeding step in the transfer of energy and matter in an ecosystem.
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Trophic Levels
Biomass- the amount of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a habitat.
• As you move up a food chain, both available energy and biomass decrease.
• Energy is transferred upwards but is diminished with each transfer.
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Trophic Levels
Producers- Autotrophs
Primary consumers- Herbivores
Secondary consumers-small
carnivores
Tertiary consumers-
top carnivores
E
N
E
R
G
Y
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Trophic LevelsFood chain- simple model that
shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
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Trophic Levels
Food web- shows all possible feeding relationships in a community at each trophic level
•Represents a network of interconnected food chains
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Food chain Food web(just 1 path of energy) (all possible energy
paths)
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Nutrient Cycles
Cycling maintains homeostasis (balance) in the environment.
•3 cycles to investigate:
1. Water cycle
2. Carbon cycle
3. Nitrogen cycle
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Water cycle-
•Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation
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Water cycle-
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Carbon cycle-
•Photosynthesis and respiration cycle carbon and
oxygen through the environment.
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Carbon cycle-
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Nitrogen cycle-
Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) makes up nearly 78%-80% of air.
Organisms can not use it in that form.
Lightning and bacteria convert nitrogen into usable forms.
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Nitrogen cycle-
Only in certain bacteria and industrial technologies can fix nitrogen.
Nitrogen fixation-convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonium (NH4
+) which can be used to make organic compounds like amino acids.
N2 NH4+
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Nitrogen cycle-
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria:
Some live in a symbiotic relationship with plants of the legume family (e.g., soybeans, clover, peanuts).
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Nitrogen cycle-
•Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria live free in the soil.
•Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are essential to maintaining the fertility of semi-aquatic environments like rice paddies.
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Atmospheric nitrogenLightning
Nitrogen fixing
bacteria
Ammonium Nitrification by bacteria
Nitrites Nitrates
Denitrification by bacteria
Plants
Animals
Decomposers
Nitrogen Cycle
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Toxins in food chains-
While energy decreases as it moves up the food chain, toxins increase in potency.
•This is called biological magnification
Ex: DDT & Bald Eagles
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Changes in Ecosystems:Ecological Succession
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Definition:
• Natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary
• The gradual replacement of one plant community by another through natural processes over time
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Primary Succession
• Begins in a place without any soil – Sides of volcanoes– Landslides– Flooding
• Starts with the arrival of living things such as lichens that do not need soil to survive
• Called PIONEER SPECIES
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http://botit.botany.wisc.edu
http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/
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Primary Succession
• Soil starts to form as lichens and the forces of weather and erosion help break down rocks into smaller pieces
• When lichens die, they decompose, adding small amounts of organic matter to the rock to make soil
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http://www.life.uiuc.edu
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Primary Succession
• Simple plants like mosses and ferns can grow in the new soil
http://uisstc.georgetown.edu
http://www.uncw.edu
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Primary Succession
• The simple plants die, adding more organic material
• The soil layer thickens, and grasses, wildflowers, and other plants begin to take over
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu
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Primary Succession
• These plants die, and they add more nutrients to the soil
• Shrubs and tress can survive now
http://www.rowan.edu
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Primary Succession
• Insects, small birds, and mammals have begun to move in
• What was once bare rock now supports a variety of life
http://p2-raw.greenpeace.org
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Secondary Succession
• Begins in a place that already has soil and was once the home of living organisms
• Occurs faster and has different pioneer species than primary succession
• Example: after forest fires
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Climax Community
• A stable group of plants and animals that is the end result of the succession process
• Does not always mean big trees– Grasses in prairies– Cacti in deserts
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http://www.geo.arizona.edu
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http://www.ux1.eiu.edu
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http://www.agen.ufl.edu