Date post: | 25-Jan-2015 |
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Start-Up: 1. Find the definition of biotic and abiotic in your text.
2. Identify the abiotic and biotic features in this picture.
3. Is this a population or a community? 4. Describe some of the interactions shown.
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments
The goal of ecology is to understand the biological principles of how natural systems operate.
Note! Ecology is not environmentalism!
Ecology – science, not value based Environmentalism – value based
Practice: Ecology or Environmentalism?
1. A population of rabbits begins to decline in number as
coyotes are introduced into the area.
2. A citizen group is formed to protest the contamination of a river by a nearby factory.
3. Climate change is causing a shift in the migration patterns of many species.
4. World fish stocks are expected to be depleted by 2050.
5. Overfishing will lead to the economic collapse of the fishing industry.
Climate Determines Ecosystem Patterns in the Biosphere
-Earth’s climate patterns are produced by the uneven heating of the planet by the sun
-causes a varying range of temperature, wind, and amount of rainfall
The major types of terrestrial ecosystems that cover the Earth are called biomes.
The major biomes are named after their climax vegetation.
Tropical forest – enormous productivity & diversity
Gorillas•All species endangered•Habitat loss•Poaching•Warfare•Disease (Ebola virus)
Savanna – grasslands with scattered trees
Common Hippopotamus•Found near lakes and streams•Threatened•Poaching
Desert – extreme temperature variation
Kangaroo Rat•Incredible adaptations•Many species endangered•Habitat loss•Habitat fragmentation
Chaparral – coastal, dense evergreen shrubs, dry in summer
Quagga•Went extinct in 1883•Habitat loss•Habitat fragmentation
Temperate grassland – deep, nutrient rich soil
Prairie Milkweed•Endangered•Insects dependant on nectar•Introduced species competition•Agriculture
Temperate broadleaf forest – wide variety; we live here!
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker•Threatened•Many other species dependent on nest cavities•Logging•Agriculture
Coniferous forest – cone-bearing evergreen trees
Woodland Caribou•Endangered•Hunting•Logging
Tundra – cold, covered in permafrost
Harlequin Duck•Endangered or threatened•Habitat loss•Oil pollution•Hunting
High mountains
Snow Leopard•Endangered•Poaching•Habitat loss•Prey population declines
Polar ice
Polar Bear•Threatened•Habitat Loss (melting ice)
Aquatic Ecosystems
Ponds & Lakes – freshwater
Lake Sturgeon•Threatened•Overfishing•Dams•Pollution
Streams & Rivers - freshwater
Estuaries – where rivers & streams meet the ocean
West Indian Manatee•Endangered•Habitat loss•Pollution•Entanglement in fishing nets•Boat collision
Ocean Zones
Northern Right Whale•Critically endangered•Commercial whaling•Pollution•Boat collision•Net entanglement
Coral Reefs – extreme diversity
Elkhorn Coral•Threatened•Climate change•Pollution•Cruise ships
Deep-sea – no light; chemosynthetic prokaryotes are producers
Very little is known about the population status of deep sea species