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Principles of Ecology

Principles of Ecology. Ecology – what is it?. Scientific discipline that studies the relationships of organisms with each other and their environments. Ecologists perform experiments to understand why these relationships might occur. Biotic v. Abiotic Factors.

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Principles of Ecology

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  1. Principles of Ecology

  2. Ecology – what is it? • Scientific discipline that studies the relationships of organisms with each other and their environments. Ecologists perform experiments to understand why these relationships might occur.

  3. Biotic v. Abiotic Factors • Biotic factors – living things! • Other organisms • Abiotic factors – non-living things… • Temperature • Air or water currents • Sunlight • Soil type • Nutrients • Still important for survival!

  4. Levels of Organization • Organism – bear • Population (of one species) – group of bears • (biological) Community (interacting, living populations) – bears and other organisms that live nearby • Ecosystem (living and non-living) – woodland ecosystem • Biome (many ecosystems – similar climate) – temperate forest • Biosphere (all biomes on earth) – earth

  5. Ecosystems and Their Energy

  6. Ecosystem Interactions • Competition (resources) v. predation (plants too!) • Due to competition, chances for survival are increased when any one species uses the available resources in different ways. • Niche – role or position that an organism has in its environment • Habitat – area where an organism lives

  7. Symbiotic Relationships • All examples of symbiosis – two (or more) species living closely together • Mutualism – two or more organisms that benefit from each other. • Commensalism – one organisms benefits, the other neither benefits nor is harmed (Nemo!). • Parasitism – one organism benefits, the other is harmed.

  8. Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem • Autotroph – collects energy from the sun to produce food • Heterotroph – gets its energy by consuming other organisms • Herbivore • Carnivore • Omnivores • Scavengers – hyena • Detritivores or decomposers – eat and break down parts of dead organisms and retain their nutrients so they can be reused • What would happen if detitivores didn’t exist?

  9. Models of Energy Flow • Food chains and food webs • Have different trophic levels • Where does energy begin? • Producers, Consumers (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary) • Each step in the food chain/web • Arrows represent the flow of energy • Why would we use webs instead of chains?

  10. Energy and Biomass Pyramids

  11. Nutrient Cycles

  12. Nutrient cycles • Nutrients are chemical substances that an organism must obtain from its environment to sustain life and undergo life processes. • These nutrients are recycled so they can be reused! • Water cycle • Carbon cycle • Nitrogen cycle • Phosphorous cycle

  13. Water cycle – review!

  14. Carbon Cycle

  15. Nitrogen cycle

  16. Phosphorous Cycle

  17. Energy Pyramids – Instructions • Pick a food chain and go to page 72-73 in your textbook (4 extras) • Trophic Level – using the appropriate term • Example – drawing (include word if not clear) • Side three • Numbers – how many organisms? (given for you) • Energy (Joules – unit of energy) and Biomass (total mass for one trophic level) – you are given base level, how will you find the rest? • Color, Cut, Fold, Affix, and you’re done!

  18. cut here fold here Flow of energy: Example Pyramid 10,000n kg (biomass) 1,000n kg 100n kg 10n kg 10,000 J (energy) 10 J 100 J 1,000 J 3 40 250 6000 (numbers) Example food chain MAY NOT USE this one fold here fold here

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