Ecological Relationships

Important Vocabulary 1.Biotic Factors: living things 2.Abiotic Factors: nonliving, physical things such as: a.Temperature, sunlight, precipitation, soil 3.Habitat- The place in which an organism lives. 4.Niche: An organism’s role in the ecosystem Biotic Factors ECOSYSTEM Abiotic Factors COMMUNITY

1. Its place in the food web 2. Conditions Needed for Survival a. Temperature Range it has adapted to b. Dependence on water 3. When and how it reproduces Descriptions of a Niche Include: Top Carnivore Slide # 4 Red Legged frog Yellow Legged frog The red legged frog mates from January to March but the yellow legged frog mates from late March to May

Go to Section: Five Species of Warblers and Their Niches 1.No two species can share the exact same niche in a habitat. 2.Shaded areas show where each species feeds (one factor that defines a niche).

Cold Call Questions  What is a niche?  What is the difference between a habit and a niche?  Owls and hawks are both top predators and can often be found living in the same community. What allows them to co-exist together?  Give 3 words that describe the polar bear’s niche.

Community Interactions: Competition 1.Competition: occurs when organisms of the same or different species try to use the same resource at the same time and place 2.Resource: any necessity for life a.EX: water, nutrients, light, food, or living space Clumped: more competition Uniform spacing: less competition

Barnacle Species A Barnacle Species B Competition can help define the niche.

Competitive Exclusion Predict what will happen when the two species are put together. The competitive exclusion principle states that since no two species can occupy the same niche, one species will eventually die out.

Cold Call Questions  Define and give 4 examples of resources  True / False Members of the same species compete for resources.  True / False Members of different species compete for resources.  What is the principle of competitive exclusion?

Symbiosis  Symbiosis: close relationship between 2 organisms, in which at least one of the organisms involved benefits.

Symbiosis: Parasitism   Parasitism: One organism benefits, and the other is harmed (host).  Ticks feed on the blood of the host in which they live. The closer together organisms live, the easier these parasites can spread through the population. Filled with blood

Symbiosis: Commensalism   Commensalism: One organism benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed.  Barnacles live & grow on the bodies of ocean organisms like whales. However, they do not help or cause any harm to them.

Symbiosis: Mutualism  Mutualism: Both organisms benefit from the relationship. This bird eats insects found on the zebras’ body. The bird is high above the ground and has food, the zebra is removed of pests. Bees receive food (nectar), while the flower’s pollen is spread for reproduction.

Aphids feed on sugary sap from the plant. Aphids are herded and protected by the ants because the ants feed on sugary excretions the aphids produce. -Parasitism - Mutualism

Predator -Prey Relationships 1.Which species is the predator? Explain. 2.What happens to the prey population as the predator population increases? Explain Prey Predator

Predator-Prey Relationships 1. Predation: interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism 2. Predator: organism that does the killing and eating 3. Prey: organism that is eaten (food) Who is the predator? Lynx Hare Who is the prey?

Ecological Succession 1. Occurs when an area becomes devoid of vegetation because of a disturbance. 2. Pioneer species: the first to grow in an area. Which species is the pioneer species? Which community has the greatest biodiversity and why? Hardwood forest; has the most niches Annual grasses

Primary verses Secondary Succession Primary succession the initial colonization of land that has never been colonized before. This might include areas after a volcanic eruption or after a glacier recedes. In either case, there is no starting soil. Secondary succession is the re-colonization of areas after a disturbance such as a fire or abandoned farm land or even when a large tree falls (such as in the tropical rainforest). Soil is already in place in the area.

Click on the link to start the simulation Succession Simulation

Cold Call Questions Give the Ecological Relationship  Fleas on a cat.  E.coli live in human intestines and aid in the digestive process.  A wolf hunts and eats an elk.  Cattle egrets foraging in fields among cattle or other livestock. As cattle, horses, and other livestock graze on the field, they cause movements that stir up various insects. As the insects are stirred up, the cattle egrets following the livestock, catch and feed upon the insects.

1. The diagram shows the feeding niches of three bird species. What is the advantage of these different feeding niches for the birds? EOC Practice A.less competition for food B.fewer abiotic resources for each bird species C.fewer biotic resources for each bird species D.less energy available as the birds feed higher in the tree