CP Biology Name 2014-2015

UNIT 1B: Introduction to Ecology

Science is a body of knowledge and skills acquired through systematic experimentation and observation to describe natural

phenomena; or, more simply, it is a “way of knowing”. The process of science helps biologists investigate how nature works at all

levels, from the molecules in cells to the biosphere.

3.1 What is Ecology?

Biosphere: all life on earth and all parts of earth in which life exists including land, water and air or atmosphere.

Ecology: the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environment.

Interactions within the biosphere produce a web of interde-pendence between organisms and the environments in which they live. Organisms respond to their environments and can also change their environments; therefore, biosphere is dy-namic and ever-changing.

How is economics linked with ecology?

The existence of life on Earth depends on interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment. There is a great diversity

among living organisms yet there are similar characteristics that all organisms share.

Where is the biosphere located AND what does it include?__ It extends from 8km above the Earth’s surface to as far as 11km below the surface of the oceans.____________

How is economics linked with ecology? Humans live within the biosphere and depend on ecological processes to provide such essentials as food and drinkable water that can be bought and sold or traded.______________

Levels of Organization in the biosphere : (use #s to label from USG)

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*Practice Task:In the space below, fill in the blanks with the

appropriate levels of organization using the word bank below.

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Word Bank

Biome Population EcosystemCommunity Biosphere Organism

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Environment: all conditions or factors surrounding an organism

**Environmental conditions include both biotic and abiotic factors**

Biotic Factors _____ Biological (living) influences on an organism____________________________________________________________Pick any organism and name 4 biotic factors relating to it:

Organism: __deer____________1. ___grass___________________________2. ___wolves__________________________3. ___trees__________________________4. ___squirrel________________________

Abiotic Factors _____ Physical components of an ecosystem______________________________________________________________Using the same organism you picked earlier, name 4 abiotic factors relating to it

1. ___water___________________________2. ____climate / weather______________3. ____rocks__________________________4. ____oxygen_________________________

Abiotic and Biotic factors are closely linked. Many physical (abiotic) factors can be strongly influenced by the activities of organisms. The dynamic mix of biotic and abiotic factors shapes every environment.

Is a mucky shoreline around a pond strictly part of the physical

(abiotic) environment? Explain.

_____No, there are living organisms within the muck/mud (i.e.,

bacteria, algae, snails, etc.)_______________________

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3.2 Energy, Producers, and Consumers

Energy is needed to power life's processes (including growth, reproduction, metabolism, etc.). No organism can "create" energy. Organisms can only use energy from other sources. You may have wondered where this energy comes from and how it is transferred from one organism to another.

For most life on Earth, sunlight is the ultimate energy source. However, for some organisms, chemical energy stored in inorganic chemical compounds serves as the ultimate energy source for life processes.

The following are the only organisms that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and convert it into forms that living cells can use, therefore they are essential to the flow of energy through the biosphere. They store energy in forms that make it available to other organisms that eat them.

Autotrophs: organism that is capable of capturing energy from sunlight or chemicals and use to produce its own food from inorganic compounds;

Also Known As: Producers

The next process is how the best-known and most common primary producers harness solar energy

Photosynthesis : captures light energy and uses it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

What would happen to the amount of oxygen in our atmosphere without the presence of photosynthetic producers?___ the amount of oxygen would decrease (it is a byproduct of photosynthesis) to such a low level that heterotrophs could not undergo cellular respiration!._______________

Name three examples of organisms which are autotrophs (primary producers):

1. __plants_____________________

2. __some protists – like algae

3. __cyanobacteria (formerly, blue-green algae)

Photosynthesis

Chemosynthesis: Chemosynthetic autotrophs do not need sunlight. Often they may be found in extreme environments such as tidal marshes along the coast, or around hot springs or volcanic vents on the ocean floor. Here they utilize the energy stored in chemical bonds of inorganic molecules such as hydrogen sulfide to make energy-rich carbohydrates.

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