Environmental Changes Ecological Succession- The natural process where a habitat changes over time

Succession Bedrock- lichens- mosses- grass- trees and shrubs- forest Gradual changes result in a stable community Climate changes, natural disasters, animal plant and human activity can alter the stable environment Example: lake to forest- lake-sediments- plant debris build up- lake fills in- swamp- forest

Succession

Lake Succession

Symbiosis- organisms live together Relationships Symbiosis- organisms live together

Symbiotic Relationships Commensalism- one organism benefits and the other is not benefited or harmed. EX. Barnacle on whale Mutualism- both organisms benefit EX. Nitrogen fixing bacteria- fix nitrogen for use by plants, protozoa in termites Parasitism- one organism benefits, the other is harmed EX. Tapeworm or fleas in dogs

The anemonefish lives among the forest of tentacles of an anemone and is protected from potential predators not immune to the sting of the anemone. The anemonefish is protected from the sting of the anomone tentacles by a substance contained in the mucous on its skin. The exact nature of this protective substance is not known, but is believed to be a combination of a partial natural secretion and chemicals the fish harvests by rubbing up against the anemone's tentacles. What ever the case may be, the anemone treats the fish as part of itself and does not sting it. Commensalism

Mutualism Bees and many species of flowering plants interact with each other in a mutualistic fashion. In this interaction, the flower becomes pollinated by the insect, while the bee receives food in the form of pollen and nectar.

Parasitism Mosquito: Females ingest blood for the protein. Male mosquitos ingest plant juices.

Very few animals have a diet that is restricted only a single food source, so the concept of a linear food chain is extremely simplistic.  In reality, trophic relationships within a community are more like a food web in which dozens of plant species support a wide variety of herbivores which in turn are consumed by numerous predators and parasites.  If one species within a food chain becomes scarce (perhaps due to bad weather or over-exploitation), there will be serious repercussions on all other species in the chain.  But in a complex food web, changes in individual populations are likely to have a smaller impact because they are buffered by the availability of an alternative prey or host species.                                            

Material Cycles The recycling of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and Hydrogen in an ecosystem from living organisms to soil and back to living organisms

Cycles Photosynthesis- O2- Respiration- CO2-photosynthesis Water- evaporation- water- condensation Nitrogen in air- converted to nitrates in soil for use by plants by nitrogen fixing bacteria Nitrates in soil converted to protein by plants Nitrogenous waste and dead organisms release ammonia when decomposed

Nitrogen cycle

Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide

Water Cycle