Ecology

1. Ecology By: Amber Tharpe

2. Ecology • The study of the interactions of living things and their environment

3. Levels of Organization(from smallest to largest) • Organism- individual living thing • Population- group of the same species that lives in an area • Community- all the different species that live in an area • Ecosystem- all the living and nonliving things in an area • Biome- major regional ecosystem characterized by climate and species that live there

4. Parts of an Ecosystem Biotic factors Abiotic Factors Nonliving things Ex: moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, soil • Living things • Ex: plants, animals, fungi, bacteria

7. Biodiversity- variety of living things in an ecosystem • Keystone species- species that has an unusually large impact on its ecosystem • Loss of it would have a ripple effect on the entire ecosystem • Ex: beaver makes dams, changing streams to ponds, wetlands, and meadows

10. Producers Consumers Organisms that eat other living organisms for energy Aka heterotrophs Depend on producers directly or indirectly • Organisms that make their own food from nonliving resources • Aka autotrophs • Do photosynthesis or chemosynthesis • Turn energy from the sun or compounds into usable energy for organisms

11. Botharrow shows the flow of energy for an ecosystem Food Chain Food Web Model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships • Single sequence that links species by their feeding relationships

12. Food Chain

14. FOOD WEB

15. Food Chains and Webs • must begin with a producer • ultimately ends with a decomposer

16. Types of Consumers • Herbivores- only eat plants • Carnivores- only eat animals • Omnivores- eat plants and animals • Detritivores- (scavengers) eat dead organic matter • Ex: vultures • Decomposers- eat dead organic matter and break it down into simpler compounds • Return vital nutrients back into the environment • Ex: fungi

18. Trophic Levels • Levels of nourishment in a food chain • Producer- makes own food • Primary consumers- herbivores • Secondary consumers- carnivores that eat herbivores • Tertiary consumers- carnivores that eat secondary consumers

19. Energy in the Trophic Levels • Energy is lost as you go up • Only 10% of the energy on a level moves up to the next level • There are fewer animals in the higher trophic levels, due to the small amount of energy available at the higher levels • Energy pyramid- diagram that compares energy used by the different trophic levels

21. Hydrologic Cycle • Aka water cycle • Circular pathway of water on Earth from the atmosphere, to the surface, below ground, and back • Processes- transpiration, precipitation, evaporation, condensation

22. 4 Water Cycle Processes • Transpiration- water loss through plant leaves • Precipitation- waterfall in the form of rain, sleet, snow • Evaporation- liquid water converting to gas • Condensation- gaseous water converting to a liquid

24. Biogeochemical Cycle • Movement of a particular chemical through the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem • O, C, N, P

25. Oxygen Cycle • Processes- photosynthesis and cellular respiration • O is given off by plants and breathed in by animals

26. Carbon Cycle • Processes- respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition, combustion • Combustion- the breakdown of fossil fuels, releasing CO2 • C found in carbon dioxide, fossil fuels, living things, rocks, and dissolved in water

28. Nitrogen Cycle • Most abundant gas in the atmosphere, but most living organisms cannot use it in its raw form • Nitrogen fixation- the process of converting gaseous nitrogen into ammonia- a usable form by bacteria

29. Phosphorus Cycle • Processes- weathering, erosion, runoff • P found in rock, living things, and fertilizers

30. 6 Major Biomes • Tropical rain forest • Grassland • Desert • Temperate rain forest • Taiga • Tundra

31. Tropical Rain Forest • Hot and lots of rainfall • Lush thick forests with diverse organisms • Soil is thin and low in nutrients • Canopy- uppermost branches of the trees • Blocks most light

32. Grassland • Grass is primary plant • Tropical- aka savannas • Warm with seasonal rainfall • Tall grasses with scattered trees and shrubs • Hoofed herbivores like gazelles are predominant • Temperate- aka prairie • Dry with seasonal temperatures • Many animals live below ground

33. Desert • Dry • Plants that store water • Ex: cacti • Many animals are nocturnal to limit activity during the day

34. Temperate Forest • Deciduous- drop leaves in the winter • Seasonal temperatures and even rainfall • Ex: oaks, beeches, maples (broadleaves) • Coniferous- retain needles all year • Seasonal temperatures, long rainy winter • Ex: spruces, firs, redwoods

35. Taiga • Aka boreal forest • Long cold winters • Conifers and mammals with thick coats

36. Tundra • Subzero temperatures with little precipitation • Permafrost- permanently frozen ground • Mosses and few animals

37. Minor Biomes • Chaparral- aka Mediterranean shrubland • Hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters • Small evergreen shrubs with short roots