Ecology

The study of the relationship between an organism and its’ environment is called Ecology

Quotes to Think About:• We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and

everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit. ~David Suzuki

• Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us. ~Henrik Tikkanen

• Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle, 1855

The components of our environment are broken down into 2 main subgroups:

1) Biotic Factors- factors in an environment created by the

presence and roles of living thingsExamples:vegetation, predators, prey

2) Abiotic Factors- factors in the environment created by non-living thingsExamples:sunlight, temperature, landscape,

minerals, moisture, air

The study of the relationship between all of the BIOTIC and ABIOTIC factors in the environment is known as:

ECOLOGY

ECOSYSTEM – is an area or region in which specific biotic and abiotic factors are linked and related

What can be considered an ecosystem?All of the following can be classified as ecosystems.Google Earth Demo What changes?

Earth

North America

Ontario

Cootes Paradise

Rotting log

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.062491,-95.677076&spn=66.711008,158.027344&t=f&z=3&ecpose=37.06250381,-95.67706712,19119373.11,0,0,0

All ecosystems are found in the…

• While Earth is huge, life is found in a very narrow layer, called the Biosphere.

If the Earth could be shrunk to the size of an apple, the biosphere would be no thicker than the apple’s skin.

Biosphere

•The biosphere, like the human body, is made up of systems that interact and are dependent on each other.

Our BiosphereThe biosphere is a relatively thin layer of Earth

that has conditions suitable for supporting life.• It is composed of all living things and

the physical environment that supports them.

The biosphere is made up of three interacting abiotic components: • the atmosphere – the gaseous portion• the lithosphere – the solid portion• the hydrosphere – the liquid portion

The Biosphere

The lithosphere is the solid portion of Earth, composed of rocks, minerals, and elements.

Composed of the crust (8 – 70 km thick) and the rigid upper mantle (25 km thick).

The lithosphere varies in thickness from 8 km under the oceans to 100 km under the mountains found on continents

The lithosphere is warmed mainly by the Sun’s energy and to a lesser degree, by the molten material in the mantle

The Lithosphere

Lithosphere = Crust + Upper most Mantle

The HydrosphereThe Hydrosphere is all the water on Earth, whether it is

present as liquid, water vapour, or ice.

About 97% of the water is salt water, 3% is fresh waterThe fresh water includes lakes, streams, snow and

glaciers

Many organisms live in the water, but the vast majority of organisms found in the atmosphere or lithosphere need water to survive, so depend on the hydrosphere as well.

World’s Water Supply(Fresh and Saline)

The Atmosphere The atmosphere rises over 500km from the surface of Earth,

and is mainly composed of a mixture of different gases:

The main gases are:

Gas Percent of Atmosphere by Volume

Nitrogen (N2) 78.08%

Oxygen (O2) 20.95%

Other Gases 0.97%

Gases in the Atmosphere

Quick Lab: Natural vs. Artificial

• Complete the activity on page 20 to determine the differences between artificial and natural ecosystems that you may find in your community.

Home Fun :

1. Read page 59.

a) Define invasive species.

b) Answer #4 on page 60.