 Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment  Term “ecology” was coined by Ernst Haeckel in 1866, Greek term “oikos” meaning house  Nature has many “houses” cells, tissues, biosphere, etc.

 Atoms/ Molecules make-  Cells which combine to make-  Groups of cells/tissues/organs/organ systems, which combine to make-  Organisms which group together to make  A population, which can combine together to make -  Communities which live together in a defined area can combine to make-  An ecosystem which combine together with abiotic (non-living) surroundings to make a(n)-  Biosphere

 Species: a group of organisms so similar that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. A member of a species is one individual.  A population is a group (species) that lives in one area, such as the population of grizzly bears in Yellowstone or the population of moose in northern Minnesota

 A community is the collection of the populations that live in a defined area  An ecosystem is the collection of all of the organisms in one place along with their physical environment  A biome is a group of ecosystems with the same climate and similar dominant communities.

 Step 1: Observe and develop a focus question: Example:“What species live here?”  “How many bald eagles are nesting here?”  Step 2: Experimenting: Set up an artificial experiment in the lab or go into the field  Step 3: Modeling: Set up a mathematical simulation or experiment to simulate what is happening in nature

 Energy flows in one direction through an ecosystem, from the sun or inorganic compounds to producers (organisms that can make their own food) through various levels to consumers (organisms that rely on other organisms for food).  Your body gets the energy and materials it needs for growth and repair from the foods you eat.  While energy is NOT recyclable, the nutrients (organic and inorganic matter) must be recycled or the ecosystem will NOT be sustainable.

 Sunlight is the main energy source for life on Earth  Less than 1% of the sunlight that reaches Earth is actually used by living organisms  Only plants, some algae, and certain bacteria can turn sunlight and chemicals in to food (photosynthesis)  These producers are called autotrophs  Autotrophs are a type of producer

 Some autotrophs can produce food without light  “Auto”= self, “troph” =feeding  Some autotrophs can convert inorganic molecules such as hydrogen sulfide into carbohydrates  Chemosynthetic autotrophs include certain types of bacteria.

 Organisms that get their energy from other organisms are consumers (heterotrophs)  Herbivores get energy by munching plants  Carnivores get energy by munching other consumers  Omnivores eat just about anything (almost!)  Detritivores feed on dead matter (detritus)  Decomposers break down organic matter (bacteria and fungi)

Photosynthesis- autotrophs use sunlight to power chemical reactions which produce carbohydrates (energy) and oxygen “Photo”=light “synthesis”=to make or put together CO 2 + H 2 O = sugar (glucose) + oxygen

 The tools (teeth) or other features relate directly to how the consumer does it’s consuming.  Herbivores have grinding teeth, carnivores have tools appropriate for how they “consume”

 1˚ Consumers (primary) – get energy from eating plants  2˚ Consumers (secondary) – get energy from eating 1˚ consumers  3˚ Consumers (tertiary) - get energy from eating 2˚ consumers

 Food chain-a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten  Example: prairie grass(producer) is eaten by a pronghorn antelope (herbivore/consumer) which is in turn, eaten by a coyote (carnivore/consumer)

 The complex interactions between the various food webs and organisms in an entire ecosystem  A food web links all of the various food chains in an ecosystem together

 Each step in a food web is called a “trophic level”  Producers make up the first trophic level  Consumers make up the 2 nd, 3 rd, or higher trophic levels  Each organism depends on the trophic level below it for energy

 In theory, there is no limit to the number of levels in an ecological/energy pyramid  Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next trophic level  Grass stores about 10% of the sunlight it receives  Cows pass on about 10% of the energy that they get from the grass to the next level. (hamburgers)  So do the math. Only about 10% of 10% is passed on to the burger eater (1% of original energy amount.)  The more levels there are between the producers and the top level consumer

 Biomass is the total amount of living tissue within a trophic level  Greatest amount of biomass is at the base of the pyramid, and it decreases with each level

 Some ecosystems will have a typical pyramid of numbers, with a decrease in numbers of individuals with each trophic level  Some systems may not look that way, such as a forest for example, may have trees as the base of the pyramid, but each tree may support large numbers of organisms.

 Water cycle-the sun provides the energy for water on the Earth to go from evaporation to condensation to precipitation to collection in bodies of water to evaporation, etc, etc, etc.

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 Carbon is an essential element to all life  4 processes involved in the Carbon cycle.  Biological processes – photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition  Geochemical processes-CO2 release into atmosphere (volcano)  Biogeochemical processes-burial of carbon-rich remains converted over time to fossil fuels  Human activity-using and releasing CO2

 N 2 makes up about 78% of the atmosphere  Nitrogen is in the waste of many living organisms, also found in dead/decaying organic matter  Also nitrogen is commonly found in human used fertilzers  Nitrogen fixation occurs when certain bacteria contained in/on the roots of certain plants can convert ammonia and N 2 gas into nitrates and nitrites, which can be used by plants

 The phosphorus cycle differs from the nitrogen and carbon cycles because phosphorus is unable to achieve the gaseous state in the atmosphere.  Phosphorus is mainly found in water, soil and sediments. In the atmosphere, phosphorus is found as fine dust particles. The phosphorous used by plants is predominantly in the form of phosphate salts.  Phosphate salts are released when phosphate rocks are eroded by rainfall, weathering and runoffs.phosphate rocksrunoffs 

 The release of phosphate salts into the soil results in a constant phosphorus supply for plants. Phosphate salts are absorbed through the roots of plants and used to make organic compounds.  As animals eat these plants, phosphorus is also consumed and passed up the food chain.  The decomposition of these animals or the excretion of organic phosphate returns phosphorus into the soil or water thereby completing the cycle.