Unit 2: Ecology and Biodiversity

Remember!!!!! Write all notes in your note book, using the indents and titles If the title repeats, then you do not need to rewrite it again Highlight all vocab words that are bolded, and highlight all things that say definition so you will be able to find them later If there are directions for you to draw something, you must draw that in your notes.

How is the biosphere related to ecology? What is the biosphere? Definition All living things on this planet Examples: Animals, plants, insects, bacteria, fungi, humans What does ecology study? Definition The study of relations between organisms and their physical environment So ecology studies all the organisms in the biosphere and the places that they live

Ecology studies Ecosystems Definition A community of organism and the environment they live in Ecosystems are made of abiotic and biotic factors Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors Definition A living factor that affects an organism Examples: Food Predators Diseases Definition Nonliving condition that affects an organism Examples: Climate Water Gases Soils

Ecosystems are everywhere Ecosystems have their abiotic and biotic interact with each other all the time Examples Plants (biotic) need sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients (abiotic) to survive Animals (biotic) need food (biotic), water, and oxygen (abiotic) to survive

Food webs Because all of the organisms in an ecosystem are connected, they are all joined together in large food webs of interconnectedness. Definition as collections of food chains, where one species is eating another, which eats another, which eats another until you reach a top predator Minor to major changes in food webs can lead to ripples that can flow from one part of the web to the next If a top predator dies, then there will be an increase in the population that it eats If a drought occurs, then your producers (plants) die off which means a lot of animals that each plants is have a decrease in their populations

Food webs Producers  Plants located at the bottom of a food web Get their energy from the sun and make their own food Primary Consumers  Organisms that are located in the second level of a food web Get their energy from eating producers (plants), and are known as herbivores Secondary/Tertiary Consumers Animals located in the upper levels of the food web Get their food from eating lower levels of food Most are carnivores (meat eaters) but some can be omnivores (eats both animals and plants)

Biodiversity Definition The total amount of species living in a given area This accounts from the single celled bacteria to the largest of the top consumers What causes biodiversity? Differences in our genetic code are what make us unique and special (mutation in our DNA change the way that we look) This is called genetic variation, which is the driving force of evolution (Best genetics survive for the next generation

Adaptations from Genetic Variation Each biome has created their own adaptation through genetic variation Tundra  thicker leaves on plants and more fat/fur on animals Taiga  needles and cones on plants and more fat/fur on animals Temperate Forest both animals and plants adapt to seasonal changes Grassland  Plants require less water and animals are mostly herbivores Desert Both animals and plants require very little water Tropical Rainforest Plants learned to absorb water out of the air and animals have bright colors to be seen by mates

Loss of Biodiversity Biodiversity is very important to humans because many of our resources have come from the different animals and plants on this Earth But because of the extinction of 3-4 species a day, we are losing resources that could have ben used in the future Resources that are being lost include Cures for Diseases Food Resources Building materials Natural pesticide and fertilizers