Ecology

True or False 1. When we eat, 50 % of food energy is transferred from our food to our body. 2. Scavengers decompose dead organisms. 3. Biotic factors are living things. 4. The biomass of producers is less than that of consumers. 5. A community is a larger unit than a population.

Trophic Level - the way in which energy flows through an ecosystem ___________ = make their own food ___________ = eat other organisms for food ___________ = break down dead organisms

Energy Pyramid _________ = shows the energy at each level 3˚ consumers (__________) 2˚ consumers (__________) 1˚ consumers (___________) Producers (_________)

10% Rule - energy is lost through each level only _____ of energy is passed from one level to another During every transfer of energy within an ecosystem, ~ ______% of energy is lost as _____.

Food chain vs. food web _____ _____ = connected ______ ______________ ___________ = show how energy flows in one pathway Ex: corn --> chicken --> coyote --> lion _____ _____ = connected ______ ______________

Structure of ecosystem - Ecosystems have many components: 1) _________ - place where an organism lives 2) ______ - the role an organism plays in an ecosystem 3) _________ – living parts of an ecosystem (ex: organisms) 4) __________ – nonliving parts of an ecosystem (ex: temperature, water)

Symbiosis - interaction between two or more species 1) _________ = one species is harmed; one species benefits Ex: ticks (parasite) living on animals (host) 2) _________ = both species benefit Ex: bacteria living in cow’s stomach 3) _________ = one species benefits; one species is not affected Ex: smaller plants living on larger plants

Type of Relationship (continued) 4) _____________= organisms trying to use resources a) _____________ competition - between organisms of the same species - driving force of evolution (“survival of the fittest”) b) _____________ competition between organisms of different species 5) ____________ = one organism feeds on another Prey = what is being hunted Predator = what is hunting for food as one organism (prey or predator) increases, there is a direct relationship to the other.

Biomes Major _________ __________that the Earth’s continents are divided into.

Factors that create biomes _________= overall patterns of weather ___________ and ___________

Climate is affected by… 1) ____________ - vertical striations of the Earth - temperature depends on sunlight i.e. near equator = _________. near poles = ____________. 2) ____________ - flow of air carrying diff. amount of moisture - ____ air rises, _____ air sinks

Climate is affected by… 3) _____________ water has high heat capacity (heats and cools more slowly than land 4) _____________ - climatically similar to latitude - high altitude = _________. - low altitude = __________.

Types of Biomes 1) Terrestrial Biomes (on land) - Tundra ( ___________) - Taiga (____________) - Temperate Forests (_______) - Grasslands (_____________) - Deserts (____________) - Tropical Rainforests (______________) 2) Aquatic Biomes (in water) - Freshwater (lake, river, pond) – (____________) - Saltwater (ocean)- (_______________________ _______________________________)

Succession: 1) ________ Succession occurs where life has not existed before. ex: on a fresh lava flow - begins w/ __________ organisms (small, fast-reproducing) - ends w/ _______ community (large, slow-reproducing, nurturing the young) ex: evergreen trees lichens  grasses  shrubs  trees

Succession (continued) occurs after an ecosystem has suffered from a _____ _________such as fire - much faster than ___________ succession.

Succession (continued) Secondary succession of a corn field Primary succession following the retreat of a glacier.

Cycles in Nature ________ is neither ______ nor _________. It is constantly recycled in nature water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus cycles

Carbon Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Population Biology

Linear vs. Exponential _____________ a steady increase shown as a straight line Growth - not how populations grow ______________ as a population gets larger, it also grows larger; shown as a curve line how populations grow

Factors limiting a population _______________ having to do with population density (# of individual in the population) Ex: _______, ________, ________, ________, ______, ________ 2) _______________ affect all population regardless of population density Ex: abiotic factors such as _________, ______ ______, ______ ________

How are predator and prey populations inter-dependent? Prey population ________, predator population ________. Predator population ________, prey pop.__________.

Carrying Capacity The # of _________ of one species that an _____________ can support.

Population Growth Rate = ________ – ________ or doubling rate calculation

Demography The study of human population growth characteristics such as growth rate, age structure and geographical distribution.