Do Now Study the ecologists at work. What might they be observing or measuring? Be Specific! Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3

Objectives: Explain what ecologists study. Determine the difference between abiotic and biotic factors. List and describe the different levels of organization.

Ecologists….. Scientifically study the interactions of organisms with their environment Identify environmental variables: abiotic or biotic Look at the organisms habitat Study environmental interactions at several levels

ECOLOGY Chapter 2-5 So what do you think the meaning of Ecology is?

What is Ecology? Ecology Study of relationships among living organisms and the interaction the organisms have with their environments Ecologists observe, experiment, and model using a variety of tools and methods

Levels of Environmental Organization Activity Each group will be given a set of pictures and a set of terms. Study the terms and discuss their meaning. Look at the pictures. Discuss what you see with each other. Assign a term to each of the pictures. Once you have assigned a term, call me over to double check your progress

Levels of Environmental Organization Activity Now put them in order from least inclusive to most inclusive. Write a supportive paragraph in your notebook for each. Anyone in the group should be to explain/support during the large group discussion.

Levels of Organization Levels increase in complexity as the numbers and interactions between organisms increase. For your activity, which seemed to be the LEAST inclusive? Why?

1. Organism A single living thing Ex. Adapted to abiotic and biotic factors by natural selection

2. Population Several organisms of the same species sharing space at the same time Ex. Rely on same resources Influenced by same environmental factors Are likely to bred and interact with one another

Community or Ecosystem? Which one comes first? Why? What did you notice that was different between the two?

Abiotic vs. Biotic Biotic Factors: Abiotic Factors: Living factors in an organism’s environment Ex. Abiotic Factors: Nonliving factors in an organism’s environment *Organisms depend on and adapt to survive in the abiotic factors present in their natural environment.*

3. Community Group of interacting organisms sharing space at the same time Ex.

4. Ecosystem Biological (living) Community and abiotic factors in it Ex.

5. Biome Tundra Marine Desert Rainforest Deciduous Forest Ex. Large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and similar types of communities Ex. Tundra Marine Desert Rainforest Deciduous Forest

6. Biosphere Part of Earth that supports life Most complex level Affected by human interactions

Do Now Please put phones into organizer  Hand in your graphs into the bin. Then come up with an analogy for each level of organization.

Objectives Understand the study of how and why populations change over time Observe different population density and dispersion patterns and determine their importance in the survival of a population Use models to predict patterns of population growth

Population Ecology Population ecology Study of the changes in population size and the factors that regulate populations over time. Why is this important for us to study? 20

Think-Pair-Share What are at least 3 things a population ecologist might study?

Population Ecologists Ecologists learn the structure and dynamics of natural populations With this information they are better equipped to Develop sustainable food sources Assess the impact of human activities Balance human needs with the conservation of biodiversity and resources

Population Ecology Population Dynamics Complex interactions between abiotic and biotic factors Causes variations in population sizes. Emigration and Death # of individuals moving away Decreases population size Immigration and Birth # of individuals moving into Increases Population size

Density vs. Dispersion Population density Number of organisms per unit area Examples: Number of oak trees per square km in a forest Number of earthworms per cubic meter in forest soil 24

Determining Population Density Quadrat Method of Sampling: A square area, marked with boundaries for studying the populations size and density of plants and sessile animals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuG-UjpQzm0

Determining Population Density Mark and Recapture: Used for mobile organisms and involves marking a sample of individuals and then estimating population size from the number of marked individuals in subsequent sample. The higher the sample, the more accurate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKyj7gEAAS8

Do Now You are an ecologist that wants to study the density of ferns and cottontail rabbits in the forest. What method(s) could you use to determine their population density? Why would you use that method(s)?

Do Now Looking at the pictures below (besides the type of animal in the picture) what else do you see that’s different? What do you think causes this difference?

Population Dispersion Pattern in which individuals are spaced within their area 3 Types: Uniform – equally spaced (Why?) Clumped- grouped in patches Most common (Why?) Random- spaced in an unpredictable way Rare (Why)? 29

Think-Pair-Share What kind of pattern do you think dandelions would exhibit? Why? What kind of pattern might a population of territorial lions exhibit? Why? What kind of pattern might organisms that fear predators exhibit? Why?  

Do Now What are some factors that would directly affect a population size, and in what way?

Objectives Use graphs and models to portray survivorship and predict growth rates of different populations To identify limiting factors affecting population size and growth

Population Growth Limiting factors Any abiotic or biotic factor that restricts the numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms Abiotic Ex: sunlight, climate, water, nutrients Biotic Ex: Other plant and animal species 34

Limiting Factors Green = density independent Purple = density dependent

Population Growth Density-independent Factors: Factors that do NOT depend on the number of members in a population. Abiotic factors (climate, natural disasters, human disturbance) Density-dependent factors: Factors that DO depend on the number of members in a population Biotic factors (Disease, parasites, competition, predation) 36

Moose Population on small island in Lake Superior Population Growth Starvation Wolves Winter Loss Why so unstable? Moose Population on small island in Lake Superior

Population Growth The population growth rate (PGR) explains how fast a given population grows. Change in population = births - deaths Natality: the ratio of the number of births to the size of the population; birth rate Mortality: the number of death that occur in a population during a given time period; death rate 38

Population Growth Exponential Growth Rate of population increases under ideal conditions No limiting factors, no competition, perfect habitat, etc. Takes growth rate, population size, and rate of increase into account Rapid growth J – CURVE! 39

Population Growth Logistic Growth Model Takes limiting factors into account Population growth slows and ceases as population density increases Increasing population density results in: Decrease in birth rate Increase in death rate Or both - S- SHAPE! 40

Population Growth Carrying Capacity The maximum number of individuals in a species that an environment can support. Not fixed; varies with changes in resources