Ecology is the study of relationships and interactions of living things with one another and their environment. Ecologists have divided the world into ecosystems…

Ecosystem An Ecosystem is all the __Living___and _______Non-living____things in a given area that interact with one another. For Example: Three types of Animals that interact in a Pond ecosystem are__frogs_, _turtles__, and ____beavers____. Two types of Plants found in a pond ecosystem are ________water lilies__ and ____cattails__. Insects found in a pond ecosystem may be___________________ and_____________________. Some of the Non-living things in a pond ecosystem are _____water, air, sun_ and ______gravel_.

A Community is the ____living_____ part of an ecosystem, it is all the different organisms that live together and interact in an area. Some of the living things found in a Meadow Community are Animals such as ______rabbits____________, ____mice_______, and ______sparrows______; Insects such as ___butterflies,____ bees, ____and ____grasshoppers___. Plants such as___________grasses,_________clover,__ and ______ferns____; Soil Organisms such as_______worms________ and _______fungi_____.

Populations

A Population is a group of the same types or __same species_ of organisms, living together in the same area. Organisms have to be close enough to breed with each other to be considered in the same population. Some examples of local populations are______mice__________in the same field, _______bass____________ in the same lake, and________pine trees_______ in the same forest.

Habitats

Habitats… The place where an organism lives – is called a Habitat. Habitats provide_______food___________, ______water______________, and ____shelter_________ for an organism and may provide other necessary resources needed to survive. Animals have different habitats because they have different requirements for survival. For instance, the habitat for a humpback whale is the _____open ocean_______________while the habitat for a clown fish is the shallow ocean waters of a _______coral reef__________________. My habitat is_____________________________________________________________.

Niche                                                                           Niche – is a term to describe a species’ role in an ecosystem – includes all that a species does and all the resources it uses. No two species can have the same exact niche, but can move into another species niche if left unoccupied. For migratory species, the niche can include several different types of ecosystems over a large land area. Example - a pine warbler eats _____insects___________, ___fruits__________, and ___seeds____________ found in the middle and upper canopies of a forest. They build a deep cup-like nest of grass, pine needles, twigs, and plant fibers bound together with spider web or caterpillar silk, lined with fine plant parts, hair and feathers. Placed high in pine tree. So, the Pine warbler’s niche resources include:____food, __water, __pine needles, __spider web silk,__ hair, and_ feathers. What are some of the things that the pine warbler might do as part of their role in the ecosystem?

Niches Polar bears and Grizzlies are related species but occupy different Niches… What would the niche be for a polar bear? How would a grizzlies niche be different?

Producers

How do organisms get energy How do organisms get energy? – The energy that organisms get from all types of foods starts with producers. Producers – are autotrophs such as plants and algae that are the source of all the food in an ecosystem. Producers have special cells called____ chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have energy trapping pigments called ___chlorophyll___, which enable plants to chemically produce their own food by a process called _____photosynthesis__.

6 CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6 O2 carbon + water glucose + oxygen dioxide Using Photosynthesis, producers take carbon dioxide from the air, water from the soil, and photons from sunlight to create high energy substances called______sugars (such as glucose)____________________. ________oxygen_________ is expelled as a waste product of photosynthesis. 6 CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6 O2 carbon + water glucose + oxygen dioxide

Primary Consumers can not make their own food so they eat _______producers_(plants)__________ for energy. Primary consumers are typically ___Herbivores___ who have mainly a vegetarian diet. Cows, rabbits, ducks and grasshoppers are examples of herbivorous, primary consumers. Some other organisms that would be considered primary consumers are:__________________________________________________ Primary Consumers

Secondary Consumers – Eat_____other consumers_____ and may also eat _____producers_____as well. Bears, coyotes and humans eat both ___producers (plants) ___________and ______consumers_______ and therefore are called ____Omnivores___. Organisms such as sharks, owls and mountain lions, are called ______carnivores___________ because they eat mainly other consumers (meat eaters). Secondary Consumers

Decomposers are organisms that break down ___dead____ plants and animals into simpler substances and return ___nutrients_____to the soil. Decomposers might be considered “the lowly clean-up-crew” ,but are essential for proper functioning of an ecosystem. Decomposing microbes such as ____fungi_and bacteria______ help to clean our drinking water. What would happen if dead organisms never broke down?____Similar to when you forget to put the trash out – it piles up also, nutrients would not return to the soil. Would plants be able to survive for long without the nutrients?

Food Web The way organisms feed in an ecosystem can be shown using a Food Web. Food Webs also show how energy made by producers moves to other organisms within the ecosystem

Meadow Food Web

Antarctic Food Web

Trophic(Feeding) Levels Trophic Level 3 Secondary Consumers – 30 calories available (Carnivores) Trophic Level 2 Primary Consumers – 150 calories (Herbivores) Feeding levels show how energy moves along a food chain. Level 1 - Plants, (producers), get energy from the sun and are the most abundant source of energy in an ecosystem – plants offer the greatest number of calories because they store much of the food that they manufacture. Level 2 – Herbivores (consumers), store some of the food-energy they consume in their bodies as fat, but most is used for movement, growth and reproduction. There are larger populations of herbivores in nature because they have an abundant source of calories (plants). Level 3 – Carnivores – most of the energy they get from food is used for movement, growth and reproduction. Since they do not eat plants, they can only get energy from the limited number of low-calorie, herbivores that live in their community. Carnivore species tend to have small populations in nature because of the small supply of calories available to them. Trophic Level 1 Producers - 1000 calories available (Plants)