What do you know? You may have heard the term Eco-Friendly. Do you know what Eco stands for? What is Ecology?

Transcription

1 Semester 1: Unit 3

2 What do you know? You may have heard the term Eco-Friendly Do you know what Eco stands for? What is Ecology? What do you think they mean by Eco-Friendly?

3 Ecology is the scientific study of organisms and the interactions between them and the environment. Levels of organization Biosphere Biome Ecosystem Community Population Individual

4 3.1- What is Ecology? biotic factors- biological influences on organisms (living factors) Examples of biological influences on a bullfrog- algae it eats as a tadpole, herons that eat bullfrogs, & other species competing for food or space.

5 3.1- What is Ecology? Abiotic factors- physical components of an ecosystem (nonliving factors) Ex: a bullfrog could be affected by abiotic factors such as water availability, temperature, & humidity.

6 3.1- What is Ecology? abiotic & biotic factors- some substances may be a mix of both Ex: pond muck contains nonliving particles, mold, & decomposing plant material that is food for bacteria & fungi

7 Ch. 4.1: Climate

8 What do you know? Is there a difference between weather and climate? What do you think causes climates to be different in different parts of the world?

9 Weather vs Climate

10 4.1- Climate Weather - day-to-day conditions of Earth s atmosphere Climate- year-after-year patterns of temperature & precipitation.

11 4.1- Climate-Solar Radiation main force in climate= solar energy from sun Some energy absorbed & converted into heat Some heat is trapped in the biosphere & determines average temperature

12 4.1- Climate-Greenhouse effect Earth s temperature controlled by 3 atmospheric gases: CO 2 Methane Water vapor Called greenhouse gases - allow light to enter but trap heat (via the greenhouse effect ) Without greenhouse effect, Earth would be 30 C cooler than it is today. (WE HAVE TO HAVE GREENHOUSE EFFECT TO LIVE!)\ More Greenhouse Gases= more heat trapped= Earth warms More Carbon Dioxide = Earth warms (CLIMATE CHANGE!)

13 4.1- Climate-Greenhouse Effect Some light from the Sun is reflected back to space and some is absorbed by the surface Absorbed light is then reradiated from the ground as heat. -This is where most heat on Earth comes from. -Greenhouse gases help keep this heat from being all lost to space.

14 4.3: Community Interactions

15 What do you know? What ways do organisms interact with each other? What impact on ecosystems could these interactions have?

16 Community Interactions

17 4.2- Niches & Community Interactions Each species has its own tolerance: Ability to survive & reproduce under a range of environmental circumstances. Temperature/Water Level/Food Availability/Toxicity Levels etc Cannot survive past upper & lower limits

18 4.2- Niches & Community Interactions Habitat- place an organism lives. (address) Niche- conditions in which a species lives & how it obtains what it needs to survive & reproduce. (job) Resource - necessity of life- water, nutrients, light, food, mates, space Competition- organisms try to use the same limited resource in same place at same time Competitive exclusion principle- no 2 species can occupy exactly the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

19 4.2- Niches & Community Interactions Showing different species in different niches in same habitat Competition: Winner? Loser?

20 4.2- Niches & Community Interactions Predation- one animal (predator) captures & feeds on another (prey) Symbiosis- relationship in which 2 species live closely together 3 types of symbiotic relationships: mutualism- both species benefit parasitism- 1 organism lives in/on another & harms it commensalism- 1 organism benefits & other is not helped or harmed

21 4.3: Ecological Succession

22 Ecological Succession

23 4.3- Succession Ecological succession- series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time 1. primary succession- begins in areas with no soil or life (ex- volcanic explosion) pioneer species- 1 st to colonize barren areas -Usually simple photosynthetic plants (moss/lichens)

24 4.3- Succession 2. secondary succession- begins where soil remains after destructive event rebuilds faster than primary Ex: wildfire, hurricane, natural disturbance, or human activities (logging & farming)

25 4.4- Biomes Biomes- consist of abiotic & biotic factors Seasonal patterns of temp & precipitation Cover large areas of land Ex: Desert/Rainforest/Tundra Climate Diagram: Temp- line graph Precipitation- bar graph

26 5.1/5.2: Populations

27 5.1- How Populations Grow Exponential Growth: Ideal conditions & unlimited resources, population grows exponentially the larger a population, faster it grows on a graph over time, a J-shaped curve Human Population

28 5.1- How Populations Grow Logistic Growth: Population s growth slows & then stops, following exponential growth. Natural populations do not grow exponentially forever; something stops growth On a graph, curve has an S-shape

29 5.1- How Populations Grow Carrying capacity- maximum # of individuals that a particular environment can support. Where dotted line intersects the y-axis = carrying capacity.

30 5.2- Limits to Growth: Density Dependent limiting factor- factor that controls the growth of a population Density-dependent limiting factors -operate strongly when population density is large. D-D L F: competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, stress from overcrowding 1. Competition: Populations become crowded, individuals competefood, water, space, sunlight, -Lower birthrates & Higher death rates= 2. Predation: Population gets smaller Predator population affects prey population

31 5.2- Limits to Growth: Density Dependent 3. Herbivore Effects: To plants, herbivores are predators 4. Parasitism and Disease: Parasites & Disease-causing Organisms: feed & harm host- weaken, cause disease, or death more dense host population = easier to spread 5. Stress From Overcrowding: species fight if overcrowded; increase stress & weaken body s ability to resist disease Females neglect, kill, or eat own offspring decrease births, increase deaths, & increase emigration

32 5.2- Limits to Growth: Density Independent Density-Independent limiting factors- affect all populations regardless of size & density D-I L F include: Unusual weather- hurricanes, droughts, floods, & natural disasters- wildfires

33 6.1 & 6.2: Sustainability

34 What do you know? What does sustainable mean? Why is it important for something to be sustainable?

35 6.1- A Changing Landscape Sustainable development- provides for human needs & preserves ecosystems that produce natural resources. Goods- items that can be bought & sold Services- processes or actions that produce goods. ecosystem goods & services- produced by ecosystems that benefit human economy. Healthy ecosystems provide goods & services naturally & free of charge: air, water

36 6.2 Using Resources Wisely Biological magnification- a pollutant is picked up by an organism & is not broken down or eliminated from its body. pollutant collects in body tissues & build as it moves up trophic levels Predators have the largest concentration

37 6.3: Biodiversity

38 What do you know? Break the word Bio-Diversity down what do you think it means? What organisms do you think ecosystems couldn t survive without? Do you think there are any organisms that could go extinct and it wouldn t matter?

39 Biodiversity

40 6.3 Biodiversity Biodiversity- total of all the genetically based variation in all organisms in biosphere. Ecosystem diversity- variety of habitats, communities, & ecological processes in the biosphere Species diversity- number of different species in the biosphere or particular area Genetic diversity- sum total of all different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or all organisms on Earth.

41 6.3 Biodiversity Humans reduce biodiversity by: *altering natural habitats *hunting *introducing invasive/exotic species *releasing pollution into food webs *contributing to climate change

42 6.3 Biodiversity To conserve biodiversity, we must protect species, preserve habitats & ecosystems Ecological hot spot- place where large numbers of species & habitats are in immediate danger of extinction. Habitat fragmentation- Development splits ecosystems into pieces, leaving habitat islands - patch of habitat surrounded by a different habitat. Problem: Solution:

43 6.4 Meeting Ecological Challenges Ecological footprint- total area of functioning land & water ecosystems needed to provide the resources an individual or population uses & to absorb the wastes that it generates. Ecology can guide humans toward a sustainable future & have a positive impact on the global environment by: (1) recognizing a problem in the environment (2) researching the problem to determine its cause (3) using scientific understanding to change our behavior