Ecology

1. Ecology

2. WHAT IS ECOLOGY? Ecology-the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments, focusing on energy transfer Ecology is a science of relationships

3. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ENVIRONMENT? The environment is made up of two factors: • Biotic factors- all living organisms inhabiting the Earth • Abiotic factors- nonliving parts of the environment (i.e. temperature, soil, light, moisture, air currents)

4. Biotic—living factors that influence an ecosystem Abiotic—non-living factors that influence an ecosystem

5. Ecological Interactions between organisms Competition—when two organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time. Biotic/Biotic interactions Ex: food, water, shelter

6. Monkeys compete with each other and other animals for food. INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION Rams compete with each other for mates. INTRASPECIFIC COMPETITION

7. Until Americans introduced gray squirrels into parts of England in the early 20th century, red squirrels had been the only species of squirrel in the country. The gray squirrels were larger and bred faster and successfully competed for resources. Within a couple years of overlap in an area, the red squirrels disappeared.

8. Niche—the ecological niche involves both the place where an organism lives and the roles that an organism has in its habitat. Biotic/Abiotic interactions Example: The ecological niche of a sunflower growing in the backyard includes absorbing light, water and nutrients (for photosynthesis), providing shelter and food for other organisms (e.g. bees, ants, etc.), and giving off oxygen into the atmosphere.

9. The ecological niche of an organism depends not only on where it lives but also on what it does. By analogy, it may be said that the habitat is the organism’s “address”, and the niche is its “profession”, biologically speaking. “Address”—Soil, Ground, etc. Worm’s Niche “Profession”– Mix-up soil

10. Dealing with changes in environmental conditions Conformers: organisms that do not regulate their internal conditions; they change as their environment changes Regulators: organisms that use energy to control some of their internal conditions

11. Niche -the role a species plays in a community; its total way of life Habitat- the place in which an organism lives out its life Habitat vs. Niche

12. Each organism is able to survive within a limited range of environmental conditions. Habitat vs. Niche

13. A niche is determined by the tolerance limitations of an organism, or a limiting factor. Limiting factor- any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment. Habitat vs. Niche

14. Habitat vs. Niche Examples of limiting factors - • Amount of water • Amount of food • Temperature • Amount of space • Availability of mates

15. Habitat vs. Niche • Generalists are species with broad niches • Specialists are species with narrow niches

16. Biosphere Biome Ecosystem Community Population Organism

17. Biosphere - life supporting portions of Earth composed of air, land, fresh water, and salt water. • The highest level of organization

18. Biome –Large areas of land with similar abiotic and biotic factors

19. Ecosystem -populations in a community and the abiotic factors with which they interact (ex. marine, terrestrial)

20. Community -several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and are interdependent.

21. POPULATION • a group of organisms of one species living in the same place at the same time that interbreed • Produce fertile offspring • Compete with each other for resources (food, mates, shelter, etc.)

22. Organism -any unicellular or multicellular form exhibiting all of the characteristics of life, an individual. • The lowest level of organization