Introduction to Ecology

Biotic and Abiotic Factors Basic Ecology Terms Ecology – Study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment. Ecosystem – A complex, self-regulating system in which living things interact with living and non-living things. Ecosystems have Biotic and Abiotic Factors

Biotic vs Abiotic Biotic – Living things in the ecosystem Plants Animals Bacteria Fungi Algae Abiotic – Non-living things in the ecosystem Physical - rocks, air and water Quantitative Measurements – Temperature, hours of daylight, salt concentration in water

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Observations In Science, observations can be classified as qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative observations can be described, but cannot be measured. Example: The colour of the substance is blue The temperature of the air outside is cold The texture of the snow is powdery Quantitative observations are stated as measurements The mass of the substance is 42 grams The temperature of the air outside is -8.6° C The average snowflake is 10 millimetres in size

List as many biotic and abiotic Factors as you can from the image below. Then make qualitative and quantitative observations.

Sustainability and Biodiversity Sustainability in the environment means that populations of plants, animals, and other living organisms can continue to interact and to reproduce indefinitely. It also means that biodiversity is preserved. Biodiversity is the number of different types of organisms in an area. The more types of organisms there are in an area, the more biodiversity the area has. High levels of biodiversity are associated with a healthy, sustainable environment. Example: Would you say the city has high or low biodiversity? Would you say this is sustainable or unsustainable?

Sustainability and Biodiversity When humans destroy ecosystems, this threatens populations of all living things: plants, animals, and humans too. This decreases biodiversity. As a consequence, fewer living organisms can continue to survive indefinitely. This decreases sustainability. Sustainability is needed so that ALL living things can continue to survive. Not only are we threatening other species sustainability, but human’s sustainability as well.

Examples of Ecosystems Terrestrial ecosystem Aquatic ecosystem

This picture shows a both a land and a water ecosystem. Ecotone – The ecotone is the transition area between two ecosystems, contains species from both ecosystems

Ecology Definitions: Organism: A living thing Species: A group of similar organisms within an ecosystem. E.g. blue jay is a species. “Bird” is not a species, since there are about 10000 bird species! Population: A group of members of the same species that live in the same area Community: Made up of populations of different species that live and interact in an area. Example: A park contains populations of species of robins, worms, squirrels, mice, grasses and shrubs. All these organisms interacting make up their community. The interactions within communities and with the abiotic factors in that area make up the ecosystem.

Which is the correct term? Provide the correct term for each example. The choices are: organism, species, population, community, and ecosystem. Answers are on the next slide. Example Term A white-tailed deer 20 black squirrels An insect A forest Birds and insects living in a tree

Example Term A white-tailed deer Species 20 black squirrels Population An insect Organism A forest Ecosystem Birds and insects living in a tree Community

Niches All living things interact with biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem. The abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem are very important to each other. The plants and animals (biotic) in the forest are nourished by the sunlight and water (abiotic). When they die, bacteria and fungi (biotic) in the soil break them down into their most basic nutrients that become part of the soil (abiotic). This soil will then grow more plants (biotic). Niche: Every living thing has a role in an ecosystem. A niche is how ONE species interacts with its ECOSYSTEM. For example, a frog lives in wetlands. Its prey are flies and its predators are snakes. (Note: it has many more prey and predators)

Describe the species’ niche

Why do niches matter? An ecosystem is an area where living things interact with biotic and non-biotic factors Since every species has a niche, if biotic or non- biotic factors change or are disturbed in an ecosystem, it can have many effects of the rest of the ecosystem. This is a cause-effect relationship.

Why do niches matter? Cause and effect For instance: Cause: A disturbance Humans log a forest The soil is exposed. When it rains, the topsoil washes away and floods the forest. Effect: Consequences Many earthworms in the soil die because the soil is flooded, and also because their food source is gone (dead leaves from trees). The birds who eat the earthworms have now lost their food source Also, the earthworms helped aerate and break down nutrients in the soil. Without the earthworms, the soil now lacks nutrients and air, making it harder for new plants to grow.

Size of an ecosystem An ecosystem is any system where living things interact with biotic and abiotic factors. Therefore, an ecosystem can come in all sizes: as tiny as a drop of water or as large as a desert

Biomes A BIOME is a very large geographical region that contains many similar ecosystems The ecosystems in one biome are similar because they have similar climate and weather patterns, and therefore similar plants and animals. There are 8 land biomes and 2 aquatic biomes throughout the world. In Canada we have 5 of the land biomes.

Canada’s Biomes: Deciduous Forests – have trees that lose their leaves. Ex. Southern Ontario Boreal Forests – has trees with cones and needles and thin soil cover. Ex. Northern Ontario Tundra – no trees, only shrubs and grasses, often snow and ice covered. Has a deep layer of “permafrost” Earth that never thaws. Ex. Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, far north Ontario Grasslands – has few trees but many grasses and shrubs due to drier climate. Ex. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta Temperate coniferous forests / Temperate rainforest – lush vegetation due to wet and moderate climate. Different types of needle and cone bearing trees (Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock - very large). Ex. West Coast British Columbia

Guess the Biome…

Guess the Biome…

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Aquatic Biomes Freshwater Biomes – include lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands. Can be very small or very large. Marine Biomes – found in the oceans Coral reefs Open ocean Ocean floor Intertidal zones

Biosphere It is VERY small in comparison to the whole Earth – If Earth were an apple, the biosphere would be the peel. All of the biomes on Earth make up the Biosphere – the area on Earth in which life can exist Includes land, water and air

Biosphere The biosphere contains: Atmosphere Lithosphere Hydrosphere The layer of gasses surrounding Earth. Lower atmosphere contains oxygen, upper atmosphere contains ozone to protect us from harmful UV rays Lithosphere Earths solid outer layer. Includes crust and upper mantle (directly below crust). Contains soil – home to microorganisms, plants, animals and fungi Hydrosphere All the water on Earth. 97% of Earths water is salt water 3% is fresh water and includes all glaciers, lakes and streams. All living organisms depend on the hydrosphere

Homework Page 21 # 1-6, 8-13