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SF Bay Estuary Ecology Notes

SF Bay Estuary Ecology Notes. I. What is Ecology?. A. Definitions: 1. Ecology - The study of the interactions of organisms with one another and their environment . 2. Ecosystem -a self-sustaining collection of organisms and their environment .

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SF Bay Estuary Ecology Notes

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  1. SF Bay Estuary Ecology Notes

  2. I. What is Ecology? A. Definitions: 1. Ecology- The study of the interactions of organismswith one another and their environment. 2. Ecosystem-a self-sustaining collection of organisms and their environment. 3. Estuary-a partially enclosed body of water wherefresh river water mixes with salty ocean water. http://www.niot.res.in/

  3. The Ecology of the SF Bay • Abiotic (Non-Living) Factors 1. Factors in SF Bay include: • Temperature • Water • Sunlight • Wind • Salinity: • varies from 0 to 33 parts salt per 1000 parts water depending on the location in the estuary. • 0 is typically for freshwater rivers • 33 is for the saltiest parts of the ocean • Rocks and soil • Natural Catastrophes: fires, floods, earthquakes

  4. B. Biotic (living) Factors 1. Normal biotic factors, including in the SF Bay, fall into the five kingdoms: • Plants, Animals, Protists, Fungi, Bacteria (Monera)

  5. Biotic (living) Factors - Continued 2. Organisms are classified as follows: • Producers- organisms that make their own food using photosynthesis (Ex: plants and phytoplankton) • Consumers-organisms that receive their energy from consuming other organisms (Ex: animals and zooplankton)herbivores-eat plants (Ex: Deer)carnivores-eat herbivores and each other (Ex: Mountain Lion) omnivores-eat both plants and animals (Ex: Raccoons) • Decomposers -organisms that obtain their energy from non-living organic matter (Ex: earthworms and bacteria)

  6. C. Human Impacts 1. Factors in SF Bay include: • Endangered or threatened plants and animals • 97 species of endangered or threatened plants and animals use the Estuary during at least a part of their lives. • Diversion of Fresh Water • approximately 50% annual flow of fresh water is diverted for agriculture. • Waste and Run-Off • From local industry (waste and trace metals) • From urban runoff (roadways and gutters) • Destruction of Tidal Marshes • 85% of the tidal marshes have been destroyed for construction of homes, etc.

  7. III. Energy in the Ecosystem A. The Sun is the Source of Energy for Every Ecosystem 1. Producers convert the sun’s energy into chemical energy through a process called photosynthesis. 2. Equation Carbon Dioxide + Water  Glucose + Oxygen (from the air) (plant sugar/food) (plant waste)

  8. III. Energy in the Ecosystem Food Chains and Food Webs 1. Consumers receive energy by eating producers or other consumers. 2. A food chain is a diagram showing the flow of energy through individual organisms. 3. Example: diatoms sea lion shrimp salmon Trophic level Energy Source Secondary Consumers Top consumers Primary Consumers Producers

  9. III. Energy in the Ecosystem Food Chains and Food Webs 4. A food web is a diagram illustrating the flow of energy through an entire ecosystem. 5. Example: *Arrows show direction of energy flow

  10. III. Energy in the Ecosystem • Ecological Pyramids -An ecological pyramid represents energy relationships among trophic levels. • Pyramid of Energy • Ten Percent Rule: • A consumer gets energy from a producer, but only 10% of the energy in the producer that was consumed gets stored as energy in the body of the animal that eats it • 90% of energy in the producer is lost as heat or is used up by the body as it processes the organism that was eaten

  11. III. Energy in the Ecosystem • Ecological Pyramids 2. Pyramid of Biomass and Numbers Biomass: The total mass of all the living organisms in an ecosystem

  12. IV. Questions to Consider 1. Suggest an explanation why there are fewer lions than zebras on the African plains. *90% of energy is lost at each level so there isn’t as much energy available for top consumers. Also, it is easier to get food as a producer so population numbers are higher. More agricultural land would be available to provide food for the growing human population if humans did not eat meat. Explain why. *A person gets the same amount of energy from eating the same amount of either meat (cow) or grain. But due to the 10% rule, much more grain will be used if the person eats the cow for energy. Making more grain uses land and resources that could be available to feed more people. Person 1 Grain 10 or Cow 10 Grain 100

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