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Ecology

Ecology. Ch. 3 – The Biosphere. 3.1 - What is Ecology?. It is the scientific study of interaction among organisms and between organisms and their environment. What is the Biosphere?. The biosphere is the combined portions of the entire planet where life exists. Levels of Organization.

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Ecology

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  1. Ecology Ch. 3 – The Biosphere

  2. 3.1 - What is Ecology? • It is the scientific study of interaction among organisms and between organisms and their environment

  3. What is the Biosphere? • The biosphere is the combined portions of the entire planet where life exists.

  4. Levels of Organization • To understand relationships within the biosphere ecologists ask questions about events and organisms that range in complexity from a single individual to the entire biosphere

  5. Levels (con’t.) • Species: a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. • Populations: a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. • Communities: different populations that live together in a defined area.

  6. Levels (con’t.) • Ecosystems: all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving or physical environment. • Biomes: a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities.

  7. Levels of Organization

  8. Biotic and Abiotic Factors • Biotic Factors – Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact • Ex. – animals, plants, mushrooms & bacteria • Abiotic Factors – Any nonliving part of the environment • Ex. – sunlight, heat, water, soil, etc.

  9. Biotic and Abiotic Factors Together • The differences between biotic and abiotic factors are not always clear and simple • Many physical factors can be strongly influenced by the activities of organisms • Ex. – pond “muck” is a combination of soil (abiotic) and leaf mold & decomposing plant material (biotic)

  10. Biotic and Abiotic Factors

  11. Ecological Methods Scientists use three basic approaches to conduct ecological research. They are: • Observing • Experimenting • Modeling

  12. 3-2 Energy, Producers, and Consumers • What happens if your car runs out of gas? • What do you need before you can play in a soccer game or run for 5 miles? • Living systems need a constant input of Energy.

  13. Primary Producers • Autotrophs • Organisms that use energy from the environment to make complex organic compounds • Also known as producers. Why? • Two types • Photosynthesis - Energy from the Sun • Chemosynthesis - Life without Light

  14. Primary Producers • Primary Producers • The first producers of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms • Energy from the Sun • Capturing light energy and using it to convert CO2 & H2O into O2 & Carbohydrates • Energy without Light • Using chemical energy to make Carbohydrates

  15. Sources of Energy

  16. Consumers • Heterotrophs • Rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply. • Also known as consumers • Why?

  17. Consumers • Types of Consumers • Herbivores • Obtain energy and nutrients by eating plant materials • Carnivores – • Kill and eat other animals • Omnivores • Eat both plants and animals • Scavengers • Consume the carcasses of dead animals • Detritivores • Feed on dead and decaying plant and animal remains • Decomposers • Chemically break down matter

  18. Beyond Consumer Categories • These simple categories often don’t express the real complexities of nature. • Examples: • Hyenas (carnivores) will scavenge if they get a chance • Aquatic animals will eat a mixture of algae, bits of animal carcasses, and detritus

  19. 3.3 Energy Flow in Ecosystems • Energy flows through the ecosystem in one direction.

  20. Energy Flow in Ecosystems

  21. Food Chain • A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.

  22. Food Web • A network of many feeding interactions

  23. Food Web

  24. Food Webs and Disturbance • Relationships in Food Webs are not simple. • Disturbances do happen and their effects can be dramatic. • Example - Marine Food Web / Krill

  25. Antarctic Food Web

  26. Trophic Levels and Ecological Pyramids • Each level in a food chain or food web is a trophic level. • Each trophic level depends on the level below it for energy.

  27. What is a Trophic Level?

  28. Ecological Pyramids • Can be used to represent energy, matter or number of individuals at each trophic level

  29. Energy Pyramid • Only 10% of the energy available at one trophic level makes it to the next level • When one organism eats another, energy is lost. Where does this energy go?

  30. Energy Pyramid

  31. Biomass Pyramid • Represents all the living tissue (food) at each trophic level.

  32. Biomass Pyramid

  33. Pyramid of Numbers • The number of individual organisms at each trophic level usually decreases as you go up the pyramid of numbers.

  34. Pyramid of Numbers

  35. 3-4 Cycles of Matter • Unlike the one-way flow of energy, matter isrecycledin the biosphere. • Where does your body get the materials, such as Carbon, it needs to function? __________ • Elements , chemical compounds and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another throughbiogeochemical cycles. Bio - ______ Geo - ______ Chemical - ______

  36. Water Cycle

  37. Other Biogeochemical Cycles • Carbon Cycle - carbon is especially important because it is thekey ingredientin all living organisms. • Carbon is found in oceans, the air, and certain types of rock.

  38. CarbonCycle

  39. Nitrogen Cycle - All organisms require nitrogen tomake amino acidswhich are used to buildproteins.

  40. Nitrogen Cycle

  41. Phosphorus Cycle - Unlike carbon nitrogen and oxygen, phosphorousdoes not enter the air, it remains mostly in rock, soil minerals, and ocean sediments. • Phosphorous is of great biological importance for molecules like DNA and RNA.

  42. Phosphorous Cycle

  43. Nutrient Limitation • Primary Productivity: the rate at which organic matter is created by a producer. • Controlled by theavailability of nutrients in the environment • How can a nutrient be a limiting factor for an ecosystem? • If even a single essential nutrient is in short supply, primary productivity will be limited

  44. Nutrient Limitation • Limiting Nutrient • the nutrient whose supply limits productivity • Ex. - If ample sunlight and water are available, the primary productivity of an ecosystem may be limited by the availability of nutrients.

  45. Nutrient Limitation • In Soil • Growth of crop plants is limited by one or more nutrients that must be taken up by plants through their roots • That’s why farmers use fertilizers! • In Aquatic Ecosystems • Sometimes receive large amounts of a limiting nutrient (runoff from fertilized fields) • The result can be an Algal Bloom which can cover the water’s surface and disrupt the ecosystem

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