Ecology

1. Ecology Introduction to Ecosystems

2. Planet Earth The environment includes all living and nonliving matter (including the interactions between them) that exists on earth The resources on earth are limited and so it is our duty and responsibility to use the natural environment in a sustainable way Sustainability of the environment means that populations of plants, animals and other living organisms can continue to interact and reproduce indefinitely. As well, it means that biodiversity is preserved The number of different organisms occupying any given region is referred to as Biodiversity

3. Environmental Systems Systems have components and interactions – some are positive, others are negative

4. Environmental Systems A system is a group of individual parts that interact as a whole to accomplish a task Those individual parts are called, components Examples: Cars, Body Systems, Circuits and Computers While it is important to understand each component of a system, it is just as important to understand how that system works holistically Which brings us to Ecological Systems…

5. Ecological Systems Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other as well as with their environment An ecosystem is a complex, self-regulating system in which living things interact with both each other and non-living things To analyze how ecosystems function, all parts (or factors) are classified as either biotic or abiotic Biotic Factors: Organisms (mammals, plants, fungi, bacteria and algae Abiotic Factors: Everything else (ie water, air, temperature,soil, rock formations and sediment)

6. Communities within Ecosystems A species is a group of similar species in an ecosystem. Members of a species can reproduce with each other and their offspring can reproduce A population is a group of members of the same species that live in the same area The physical environment of an organism is its habitat A community is made up of populations of different species that live and interact in an area All interactions of a given species with its ecosystem form the species niche

7. Biomes A biome is a large geographical region that contains similar ecosystems On land, biomes are defined by: • Plants • Average temperature • Amount of rainfall Since a biome usually has similar plants, animals, weather and similar precipitation patterns, it can be very helpful in the study of an ecosystem to know which biome it is in. Biomes are often divided into those on land and those in water In Canada, there are 5 major land, or terrestrial, biomes

8. Canadian Biomes Canada’s 5 main terrestrial biomes are defined by their dominant vegetation Deciduous Forests (Southern ON) have trees that lose their leeaves in the autumn (Maples, Oaks) Boreal Forests (Northern ON) have trees that have cones and needles (Spruces, Firs) Tundra (Northern ON coastline on Hudson Bay to west of James Bay) has no trees, only small shrubs, hardy grasses, mosses and lichens. Some flowers grow here as well Grasslands (MB, SK, Alta, some parts of ON) have a few trees but mainly covered in various grasses and shrubs Temperate Coniferous Forests (Western BC) have different types of needle- and cone-bearing trees than the boreal forest (Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce and western Hemlock)

9. Aquatic Biomes Water-based, or aquatic, biomes fall under 2 main categories: Marine and Freshwater Marine Biomes • have a high salt concentration • Found in the oceans (coral reefs, ocean floor, open ocean • ON has Marine biomes along Hudson and James Bay Freshwater Biomes • have a low salt concentration • Include lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands • ON has Freshwater biomes (Great Lakes, many smaller lakes and rivers)