Ecology

An Introduction…

Ecology– the study of the interactions that take

place between organisms and their environment

What would be considered an organism’s environment?

2 factors that make up the environment…

Biotic Factors – all of the living organisms that inhabit an environment

all organisms depend on others directly or indirectly for:foodshelterreproductionprotection

what else?

Abiotic Factors – the non-living parts of an organisms environment

air currentstemperaturemoisturelight

what else?

Food Chain

• Shows one pathway of energy flow

Food Web

• Shows all of the energy pathways in an ecosystem

Trophic Levels

Literally means “energy levels” or “feeding levels”

Energy is lost at each trophic level

How much?

Energy Loss

Food Chain In Action

Levels of Organization

From simplest to most complex…

Organism individual living thing

Levels of Organization

Population

group of organisms

all of one species which live in the same place at the same time

Community

all of the populations of different species that live at the same place at the same time

Ecosystem

populations of plants and animals that interact with each other in a given area at the same time and with the abiotic components of that area

Biosphere

the portion of the earth that supports life

Biosphere

- the portion of the earth that supports living things

- extends from high in the atmosphere to the bottom of the oceans

- Shrink the earth to the size of an apple, the biosphere would be thinner than the apple’s peel.

Levels of Organization

Organism▼Population▼Community▼Ecosystem▼Biosphere

Symbiosis

- Long term relationship that exists between organisms of different species (memorize this)

- Animal/Animal?yes

- Animal/Plant?yes

- Plant/Plant?yes

Symbiotic Relationships

• Mutualism – both benefit (+1,+1)

• Commensalism – one benefits, one is unaffected (neither benefits nor harmed) (+1,0)

• Parasitism – one benefits, one is harmed (+1,-1)

Bees drink the nectar from flowers. In doing so, pollen grains from the flowers collect on the legs of the bees and are then carried to other flowers.

Mistletoe gets the nutrients that it needs to survive from the tree that is hosting it. If there are too many mistletoe on one tree, the tree could die.

Some species of wasp actually lay their eggs inside the body of a caterpillar. As they grow and become larvae, they begin to eat the caterpillar and eventually kill it.

Cattle Egrets (the birds) live on and around livestock. They eat the mites, ticks, and fleas off of the cattle.

The clown fish can swim into the tentacles of the sea anemone but will not be paralyzed by its sting. By staying within the tentacles of the anemone, it is protected from fish that may prey on it. However, the anemone does not apparently benefit from this relationship.

Labroides dimidiatus inspecting the mouth of a giant moray eel.

L. dimidiatus is better known as a cleaner fish. It cleans the mouth of the eel of lodged fish particles…kinda like a dentist.  

Ants and Aphids. The Aphid (plant) gets protection from the ants, while

the ants live off of the honeydew type nectar the plant produces.

Lampreys have disc shaped mouths by which they attach themselves to fish and literally eat the fish alive.

Pin Worms in Humans

tapeworms

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