Ecolog

y

Two

Community Interactions

Habitat- place where organism livesNiche- role and position a species has in its

needs for food and shelter• all interactions with living and non-living

parts of its environment• Only one organism can occupy a niche in

an ecosystem• Example: a predator feeding on weak or

sick animals in an ecosystem

Habitat vs niche

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L6N2diE8jc&feature=related

Nutrition and Energy Flow

• The ultimate source of energy is…

the SUN!

Nutrition and Energy Flow

Autotroph/Producers use sun’s energy to create chemical compounds (photosynthesis)

Ex. – plants and algae

• Food Chains- shows how matter and energy flow from autotroph to heterotroph to decomposer

Herbivores/1st Order Consumers- feeds on plants

Carnivores/ 2nd and 3rd Order Consumers- feed on other animals

Heterotrophs/Consumers- organisms that feed on other organisms

Nutrition and Energy Flow

• Decomposers- break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms

•Ex.- fungi

and bacteria

Food chain

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyszfWU1C2E&feature=related

Nutrition and Energy Flow

• Food Webs- all possible feeding relationships in a community

Food Web

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyefVtxY-oI&NR=1

Nutrition and Energy Flow

• Trophic Levels- a feeding step in a food chain

• only pass on approximately 10% of energy to next trophic level

Nutrition and Energy Flow

Trophic level

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_710147&feature=iv&src_vid=qtZcN4bzsrA&v=qUZkWZ12A8s

• Abiotic factors- non-living parts of the environment

Ex.- air temp.,water, light, soil

• Biotic factors- all living organisms that inhabit an environment

Parts of the ecosystem

Abiotic and abiotic factors

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woSO0D94VGA

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-wpbhnom70&feature=fvsr

Nutrition and Energy Flow

• Energy flows through an ecosystem, cannot be recycled

• Matter (Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen) cycles in an ecosystem

Cycles in an

Ecosystem

Carbon Cycle

Cycles in an

Ecosystem

Water Cycle

• What would a football field look like in thirty years if it was not cared for or played on?

?

Changes in an Ecosystem

• Succession- orderly, natural changes and species replacements that take place in the communities of an ecosystem

Changes in an Ecosystem

Primary Succession• colonization of a new site from rock; can occur after volcano eruption

Lichen & Mosses ferns grasses & shrubs pines hardwoods

Succession• Begins with:• Pioneer plants- first

organisms to inhabit an area

• Ex. Moss and lichen

• Ends with:• Climax community-

remains stable over long periods of time with little or no change

Secondary Succession

• sequences of changes that take place after a community is disrupted by natural or human actions.

• Ex.- abandoned building, fire, hurricane

Succession Links

Mount St Helen’s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaRAGzjSkzo&feature=related

Student project succession

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=vNHnwHaSolA&feature=fvwp

Succession Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzE6BNNLew0

Biomes of the World

• Biome- a large group of ecosystems that share the same type of climax community

– Tundra

– Taiga

– Temperate forest

– Tropical Rainforest

– Grasslands

– Desert

Terrestrial Biomes

3 factors that influence type of biome

Latitude

Altitude

precipitation

} Influences temperature

Sample Climatograph

Tundra

• Permafrost -soil remains permanently frozen

• Long winters and darkness, Short summers

• Low temperatures

• Very little rainfall

• Plants- fast life cycles

• Animals-thick fur

Taiga• Foggy, wet climate, acidic soil• Plants- large coniferous forest

(firs, pines)

• Flexible branches of conifers to bend with ice and snow

• Animals- Moose, elk, wolves , caribou, porcupines, black bear

• has definite seasons• mixture of trees

(pines and hardwoods-deciduous trees)

• Plants- shed leaves in winter• Animals- Deer, opossum,

black bear, fox, squirrel, many bird species and insects

Temperate Forest

Tropical Rainforest• At equator• almost constant temperature of 25 oC• most rain fall • very humid • greatest biodiversity• Soil is nutrient poor

• Plants- large variety, adapted to grow tall to find light, vines, canopy

• Animals-Toucans, monkeys, gorilla, snakes, lizards, parrots

Grasslands

• steppe, plains, savanna, or prairie

• Uneven rainfall • Plants- Scattered trees,

grass varies in length

• Animals-Bison, antelope, gophers, jackrabbits, sheep

• African savanna- lion, tiger, elephant, cheetah, zebra, antelope

Desert• low rainfall • long droughts• Plant

– shallow root systems– absorb little rainfall quickly

– leaves are needles to prevent water loss

– Cuticle- waxy coating on needles (leaves)

– Cacti• Animals- small, active at night

to prevent dehydration – lizards, kangaroo rat, scorpions, snakes

Biome links

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuejxJttBqo&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=dTaWsFct32g&NR=1

PLANT RESPONSES & ADAPTATIONS:

• Tropism: Plant’s response to its environment• Geotropism- Response to gravity; roots down,

stems up• Phototropism- Response to light; sunflower

“heads” turning toward sun• Thigmotropism- Response to touch; vine

climbing trellis• Hydrotropism- the way a plant grows in

response to water

• http://leavingbio.net/plant%20responses.htm#tropisms