Ecology

What is a biosphere? The part of the Earth that supports living

organismsIncludes the topmost crust, the water and

the surrounding atmosphere.

What is ecology?

The study of interactions that take place among organisms and the interactions between organisms and the physical features of the environment.

Define Abiotic factors

Non-living physical features of the environment.

What are the different abiotic factors?

WaterSoilSunlightTemperatureAir

Why is water important?

All living things are made up of about 50-95% water.

Important part of the cytoplasmProcesses such as respiration,

photosynthesis and digestion cannot take place without water.

Why is soil important? Helps determine what kind of plants are

going to grow in an areaAlso going to help determine what kind

of animals are going to be living in an area

Why is light important?

Light is needed in photosynthesisDetermines what plants lives where and

where algae can live based on the availability of sunlight.

Why is temperature important?

The warmer the area, the more plants and animals there will be

Define biotic factors. Living organisms in the biosphere.

What are the levels of biological organization

for an organism? Cell Tissue Organ Organ system Organism Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere

What is a population?

Organisms of the same species that live in the same place and can produce young.

What is special about members of a population?

They compete with each other for food, water, mates, and space

How the organisms use the resources that are available will determine how large the population can get.

What is a community?

Groups of populations that interact with each other in a given area.

What is special about members of a community?

Populations depend on each other for food, shelter and other needs.

What is an ecosystem?

Made up of the biotic communities and the abiotic factors that affect it.

Another thing that might affect a population is another population. How do you think this might be?

What is an example of a predator-prey relationship?

There are three kinds of ways that organisms can live together. They can have what is called symbiotic relationships.

Symbiosis: any close relationship between two or more different species.

One relationship is Mutualism: a symbiotic relationship that benefits both species.

Another relationship is commensalism: symbiotic relationship that benefits one partner and does not harm or help the other.

And the last one is parasitism: symbiotic relationship that benefits the parasite and does harm the host.

What is the physical place where an organism lives? It’s habitat!!

What is the role of an organism in an ecosystem? It’s niche!! This can be what a species eats, how it gets its food, and how it interacts with other organisms.

In every ecosystem there is a flow of energy from one individual to another. Firstly you need to know about a few more things before we start talking about energy.

Food chain: simple way of showing how energy from food passes from one organism to another.

There are usually 3 or 4 animals that are in one food chain. There is a portion of energy lost as you go from one part of the food chain to another. Plants are going to have the most energy and as you go up the food chain, the amount of energy that the animal gets is cut in half.Example:

Food web: series of overlapping food chains The food web works the same way as far as energy is concerned.

An ecological pyramid: shows the transfer of energy. Example:

Energy pyramid: shows the availability of each level of a food chain in an ecosystem.

Cycles of matter:Water is cycled through the environment.

Water cycle: involves the processes of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and run off. The heat from the sun makes the water in lakes, streams, and oceans evaporate (liquid to gas). The water molecules that evaporate then travel upwards into the sky. When the molecules reach a certain height, the air temperature gets cooler causing the molecules to condense (gas to liquid). This is when clouds form. When the clouds are full of water, precipitation happens in the form of rain or snow. When there is a lot of water, run off occurs back into the lakes, streams and oceans.

Climate:There are certain things that can determine what kind of climate an area has. Temperature: sun supplies heat. Temperature is regulated by how much sun a region gets. This is determined by elevation and latitude.

Latitude: the closer you get to the North or South poles, the less energy the region gets from the sun and the colder the climate. Season changes also have to do with latitude.

Elevation: the higher you go the thinner the atmosphere (Earth’s insulation) so heat escapes easily so the climate is colder.

Precipitation: the amount of water that condenses and falls in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail or fog.

Others: Mountain ranges can effect how much rain falls. Will rain on one side of a mountain and not on the other. Deserts are usually found on one side of a mountain.

What is a biome?

Large geographic areas with similar climates and ecosystems.

Examples: Grasslands, Deserts, Tundra, Taiga

What is a tundra?

Cold, dry, treeless biome, with a short growing season.

Where is a tundra found?

North Pole and South Pole and high elevations

How long are the winters in a tundra?

6-9 months

Tell me about the sun in the tundra.

In winter, you do not see it. In summer, it is out all the time.

Plants in the tundra

Lichens, grasses, mosses, and wild flowers

Animals in the tundra

Caribou, reindeer, Arctic wolves, polar bear and brown bears.

What is a taiga?

Largest Biome Long cold winters

Where is a taiga found?

South of the tundra

Climate in taiga vs. tundra

Both have long cold winters but taiga is a little warmer and wetter.

Plants found in taiga

Balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch

Animals found in taiga

Black bear, bald eagle, gray wolf, canadian lynx

What is a temperate deciduous forest?

Biome that has 4 seasons

What are the 4 seasons?

Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring

Where is this biome found in the US?

North eastern United States

Plants in the Temperate Deciduous Forest

White birch, White oak, lady fern, carpet moss

Animals in the Temperate deciduous Forest

White tailed deer, chipmunks, coyote, and squirrels

What is a Temperate Rainforest?

Forests full of trees with needlelike leaves

Climate in Temperate Rainforest

9 degrees to 12 degrees Celsius 200 to 400 centimeters of rain

Where is it found?

New Zealand, Southern Chile, and Pacific Northwest

Plants in a temperate rainforest

Douglas Fir, western red cedar, western hemlock

Animals in a temperate rainforest

Elk, gray wolf, mountain lions

What is a Tropical Rainforest?

Most Diverse Biome

Climate in a tropical rainforest

Around 25 degrees Celsius Around 200 to 600 centimeters

Where is it found?

Parts of South America and Africa

Plants in a tropical rainforest

Mangrove forests, jambu, bengal bamboo

Animals in a tropical rainforest

Monkeys, cobras, Toucans

What is a desert?

Driest Biome Not a lot of organic matter in the soil

Climate in a desert

Less than 25 centimeters of rain Hot days and cold nights

Where is it found?

Parts of almost every continent

Plants found in a desert

Cactus, Yucca, brittle bush

Animals found in a desert

Armadillo, kangaroo rat, eastern diamondback

What is a grassland?

Considered Temperate and tropical

Climate in a grassland

Have a dry season and a wet season

Plants in a grassland

Cornflowers, Rye, corn

Animals in a grassland

Bison, Zebra, Giraffe, Prairie Dogs

What is a flowing freshwater environment?

Rivers, Streams, Creeks and brooks

Nutrients and plant growth in a water biome

Nutrients get into the water from the surrounding land. The moving water washes them in the water.

Very high plant growth

Animals in river and stream biomes

Leeches and minnows

Lakes vs. Ponds

Lakes are larger and deeper than ponds Lakes have less plant life Lakes are colder but sometimes do not freeze

What is a wetland?

Land region that is wet most or all of the year.

Plants in a wetland

Cattails, Grasses (that have adapted to a lot of water)

Animals in a wetland

Beavers, alligators, Bog turtle

Zones of the open ocean

Lighted zone Dark zone

Foundation of the food chain in open ocean

Plankton

What is a coral reef?

Diverse ecosystem formed from the calcium carbonate shells secreted by corals.

Does a seashore have fresh water or salt water?

Saltwater

What is an intertidal zone?

Part of the shoreline that is under water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide.

What is an estuary?

Extremely fertile area where a river meets an ocean; contains mixture of freshwater and saltwater and serves as a nursery for many species of fish.

Plants on or in an estuary

Mosses, Grasses

Animals in an estuary

Snails, worms, fish