Ecology. Mrs. Flannery

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Ecology. Mrs. Flannery"

Transcription

1 Ecology Mrs. Flannery

2 What is ECOLOGY?? Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments. Biotic factors = living components of the environment. Abiotic factors = nonliving components of the environment

3 Levels of Organization Species (organism) Population Community Ecosystem Biome Biosphere

4 Energy Flow and Trophic Levels Sunlight is the main energy source on Earth!!! Producers use the energy from sunlight to make food, and are known as autotrophs. PHOTOSYNTHESIS!!

5 Life without Light Some autotrophs can use other sources of chemical energy to produce food (carbohydrates). Giant Tube Worms Feed on bacteria that is capable of harnessing energy from thermal vents deep on the ocean floor. The bacteria is using chemosynthesis to make food! Chemosynthesis

6 Consumers Heterotrophs rely on other organisms for food. Herbivores Carnivores Omnivores Detritivores Decomposers

7 Food Chains Trophic Levels

8 Feeding Relationships Food Chains sequence of food transfer between trophic levels. Food Webs feeding relationships in a community.

9 Energy Flow Biomass ecological pyramids

10 Energy Flow Biomass ecological pyramids It takes 5000 grams of grain to feed 500 grams of cattle which will only feed 50 grams of human tissue.

11 Nutrient Cycles While ENERGY FLOWS through an ecosystem, NUTRIENTS are passed between organisms and the environment through BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES. REMEMBER that MATTER is neither CREATED nor DESTROYED!!!!

12 Biogeochemical Cycles Chemical cycles involve both BIOTIC and ABIOTIC components. 1. Producers integrate elements from the abiotic reservoir into organic compounds 2. Consumers feed on producers integrating some of the elements into their own bodies 3. Both producers and consumers release some elements back to the environment through waste products. 4. Decomposers break down complex organic molecules.

13 Water Cycle

14 Carbon Cycle

15 Greenhouse Gas CO2

16 Greenhouse Gas CO2

17 Nitrogen Cycle 80% of the Earth s atmosphere is made up of Nitrogen gas (N 2 ). Organisms need nitrogen to make amino acids in order to build proteins. Plants cannot use N 2 gas directly. Nitrogen Fixation = converts N 2 gas into a usable form of nitrogen that plants can then use. Denitrification = converts nitrogen compounds back into N 2 gas.

18 Nitrogen Cycle

19 Community Ecology Interspecific interactions- interactions between species Interspecific competition competition between species. Ecological niche full range of the biotic and abiotic resources an organism uses in its environment.

20 The Competitive Exclusion Principle Two species cannot occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time.

21 Symbiosis A relationship in which two species live closely together

22 Relationships Among Organisms in a Community Symbiotic Relationships Predation cryptic and warning coloration mimicry Parasitism host/parasite Commensalism Mutualism

23 Cryptic Coloration

24 Population Ecology Focuses on changes in population size and the factors that regulate populations over time. Size (# of individuals) Age structure Density (# of individuals/unit area or volume) What do you think are some things that could cause a population to change size?

25 Exponential Growth Model

26 What is the carrying capacity? Logistic Growth Model

27 Regulation of Population Growth Density-dependent factors competition predation parasitism disease

28 Regulation of Population Growth Boom and Bust Cycles of Predators and Prey

29 Keystone Species A species whose impact on the community is much larger than the population s total mass or abundance.

30 Regulation of Population Growth Density-independent Factors weather human activity

31 Threats to Biodiversity Human Activity Climate Change Natural Disasters Introduction of invasive, non-native species

32 Non-Native Invasive Species

33 Non-Native Invasive Species

34 Non-Native Invasive Species

35