Ecology

Define Ecology

Define Ecology

• study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment

Describe each of the following terms:

• Biosphere

• Biotic

• Abiotic

Describe each of the following terms:

• Biosphere - part of Earth that supports life, including the top portion of Earth's crust, the atmosphere, and all the water on Earth's surface

• Biotic - living

• Abiotic – non-living

Describe each of the following terms:

• Biome

Describe each of the following terms:

• Biome - large geographic areas with similar climates and ecosystems

• Includes:– TUNDRA– TAIGA– DESERT– TROPICAL RAINFOREST– TEMPERATE RAINFOREST– DECIDUOUS FOREST– DESERT– GRASSLAND

Describe each of the following terms:

• Organism

• Population

• Community

Describe each of the following terms:

• Organism – one of any living thing

• Population - all the organisms that belong to the same species living in a community

• Community - all the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem

Describe each of the following terms:

• Ecosystem

• Habitat

• Niche

Describe each of the following terms:

• Ecosystem - all the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment

• Habitat - place where an organism lives and that provides the types of food, shelter, moisture, and temperature needed for survival

• Niche - in an ecosystem, refers to the unique ways an organism survives, obtains food and shelter, and avoids danger

Describe each of the following terms:

• Limiting factor

• Carrying capacity

Describe each of the following terms:

• Limiting factor - anything that can restrict the size of a population, including living and nonliving features of an ecosystem, such as predators or drought

• Carrying capacity - largest number of individuals of a particular species that an ecosystem can support over time

Describe each of the following terms:

• Producer

• Consumer

• Decomposer

Describe each of the following terms:

• Producer - organism, such as a green plant or alga, that uses an outside source of energy like the Sun to create energy-rich food molecules

• Consumer -  organism that cannot create energy-rich molecules but obtains its food by eating other organisms

• Decomposer – consume wastes and dead organisms

Describe each of the following terms:

• Predator

• Prey

Describe each of the following terms:

• Predator – an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food. A predator is a consumer [carnivore or omnivore]

• Prey – an animal that is hunted and caught for food. Prey is a consumer; it may be a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore.

Describe each of the following terms:

• Carnivore

• Herbivore

• Omnivore

Describe each of the following terms:

• Carnivore – eat omnivores or other carnivores [other consumers]

• Herbivore – eat producers

• Omnivore – eat producers and consumers

Describe each of the following terms:

• Adaptations of consumers:– Carnivore - meat-eating animal with sharp

canine teeth specialized to rip and tear flesh – Herbivore - plant-eating mammal with incisors

specialized to cut vegetation and large, flat molars to grind it

– Omnivore - plant- and meat-eating animal with incisors specialized to cut vegetables, premolars to chew meat, and molars to grind food

Review food chains, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores,

decomposershttp://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html

Describe each of the following terms:

• Energy flow through an ecosystem

Describe each of the following terms:

• Energy flow through an ecosystem - the movement of energy through an ecosystem through food webs. The transfer of energy from one organism to another.

Review the flow of energy through plants and animals here:

http://www.ftexploring.com/me/me2.html

Describe each of the following terms:

• Food chain

• Food web

Describe each of the following terms:

• Food chain - chain of organisms along which energy , in the form of food passes. An organism feeds on the link before it and is in turn prey for the link after it.

• Food web - Complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding relationships; a group of interconnecting food chains

Review food chains here:

http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm

Describe each of the following terms:

• Energy pyramid

Describe each of the following terms:

• Energy pyramid – a way of showing energy flow. As the amount of available energy decreases, the pyramid gets smaller. Each layer on a pyramid is called a trophic level.

Describe each of the following terms:

Review energy pyramids here:

http://www.ftexploring.com/me/pyramid.html

Describe each of the following terms:

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Symbiosis

• Parasitism

Describe each of the following terms:

• Mutualism - a type of symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

• Commensalism - a type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is not affected

• Symbiosis - any close relationship between species, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism

• Parasitism -a type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed

Describe each of the following terms:

• Succession

• Primary succession

• Secondary succession

Describe each of the following terms:

• Succession - natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary

• Primary succession – takes where no soil exists

• Secondary succession – takes place where soil is already present

Describe each of the following terms:

• Pioneer species

• Climax community

Describe each of the following terms:

• Pioneer species - a group of hardy organisms, such as lichens, found in the primary stage of succession and that begin an area's soil-building process

• Climax community - stable, end stage of ecological succession in which the plants and animals of a community use resources efficiently and balance is maintained by disturbances such as fire.

Review succession here:

http://library.thinkquest.org/17456/succession1.html

List the types of biomes:

List the types of biomes:

• Tundra• Taiga• Desert• Tropical rain forest• Temperate rain forest• Grasslands• Freshwater• Saltwater

Describe each biome

• Taiga - world's largest biome, located south of the tundra between 50° N and 60° N latitude; has long, cold winters, precipitation between 35 cm and 100 cm each year, cone-bearing evergreen trees, and dense forests

Describe each biome

• Tundra - cold, dry, treeless biome with less than 25 cm of precipitation each year, a short growing season, permafrost, and winters that can be six to nine months long

Describe each biome

• Temperate rainforest - biome with 200 cm to 400 cm of precipitation each year, average temperatures between 9°C and 12°C, and forests dominated by trees with needlelike leaves

Describe each biome

• Tropical rain forest - most biologically diverse biome; has an average temperature of 25°C and receives between 200 cm and 600 cm of precipitation each year

Describe each biome

• Grasslands - temperate and tropical regions with 25 cm to 75 cm of precipitation each year that are dominated by climax communities of grasses; ideal for growing crops and raising cattle and sheep

Describe each biome

• Desert - driest biome on Earth with less than 25 cm of rain each year; has dunes or thin soil with little organic matter and plants and animals specially adapted to survive extreme conditions

Describe each biome

• Deciduous forest - biome usually having four distinct seasons, annual precipitation between 75 cm and 150 cm, and climax communities of deciduous trees

Describe each biome

• Freshwater - flowing water such as rivers and streams and standing water such as lakes, ponds, and wetlands

Describe each biome

• Saltwater - oceans, seas, a few inland lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah, coastal inlets and estuaries

Review biomes here:

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/biomes.html

More information on biomes can be found here:

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/