ECOLOGY

WHAT IS ECOLOGY? 1. Ecology comes from the GREEK Words OIKOS (HOUSE OR PLACE WHERE ONE LIVES) and LOGOS (STUDY OF). 2. Ecology then means the Study of the “House” in which We Live. 3. Ecology can be defined more specifically as a living HOUSEHOLD with an economy in which EACH ORGANISM PLAYS A ROLE.

4. The Earth includes a tremendous variety of living things 4. The Earth includes a tremendous variety of living things. Each organism Depends in some way on other living and nonliving things in its Environment. 5. Ecology involves collecting information about organisms and their environment, looking for patterns, and seeking to explain these patterns.

LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION (PAGE 64)

Biosphere The surface of the Earth as a whole is an Ecosystem.  We call the Surface of the Earth the BIOSPHERE. The Biosphere is the surface of the Earth (AIR, WATER, and LAND) Where Living Things Exist.

Ecosystems The Biosphere is composed of smaller units called ECOSYSTEMS. An Ecosystem includes all the Organisms and the Nonliving Environment found in a particular place. Ecosystems can be as large or as small as we decide.  Any area you decide to Study can be considered an Ecosystem. SEE the Movie

4. You may choose to study your backyard or a Wildlife refuge.

Populations A Population includes all the members of the Same Species that Live in one place at one time.

Community Populations are individual species, all the interacting Organisms (All The Different Populations) that live in a particular area make up a COMMUNITY. The Physical Location of a Community is called the HABITAT.

Organism The simplest Level of Organization in Ecology is that of the ORGANISM.

Diversity The Diversity of an Ecosystem is a measure of the number of different species there, and how common each species is. Ecosystems are very Complex.  They can contain hundreds or even thousands of interacting species.

THE ROLE OF CLIMATE 1. Weather is day to day whereas CLIMATE is year to year averages of temperature and precipitation in a region. Three major influences on CLIMATE are Greehouse effect – which is? Location on globe Air currents

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Draw this into your notes and label * Page 87

Greenhouse Effect Different Latitudes Figures 4-1 and 4-2 Heating of the Earth’s Surface and Some Factors That Affect Climate Section 4-1 Greenhouse Effect Different Latitudes 90°N North Pole Sunlight Sunlight 66.5°N Arctic circle Some heat escapes into space Sunlight Tropic of Cancer 23.5°N Equator Most direct sunlight 0° Greenhouse gases trap some heat Tropic of Capricorn 23.5°S Sunlight Atmosphere Arctic circle 66.5°S Sunlight Earth’s surface 90°S South Pole

LOCATION ON GLOBE Due to angle of heating by the sun there are three main climate zones: polar, temperate and tropical POLAR TEMPERATE TROPICAL TEMPERATE POLAR

AIR CURRENTS Unequal heating and cooling of Earth’s surface drives winds and ocean currents.

BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS (PAGE 90) 1. An Ecosystem possesses both LIVING COMPONENTS OR BIOTIC FACTORS and NONLIVING OR ABIOTIC FACTORS.

Abiotic factors 2. The Nonliving Factors, called Abiotic Factors, are Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the environment. They include Solar Energy (Amount of Sun Light), Oxygen, CO2, Water, Temperature, Humidity, pH, and availability of Nitrogen.

Biotic Factors 3. The Living Components of the environment are called Biotic Factors. They include all the Living Things. Biotic Components are often categorized as Producers, Consumers, and Decomposer. They also included organic matter, like animal waste or a dead plant or animal.

4. The area in which an organism lives = habitat CHANGES in the Environment * Big and small differences in abiotic factors such as temp. make a huge impact on organisms living in a particular habitat.

THE NICHE (page 91) Each organism or species in the community has a ROLE or PROFESSION in that community and in ecology this is the organisms NICHE. A species’ NICHE is it’s way of life, or role the species plays in the environment.

3.The Niche includes the range of conditions that the species can tolerate, resources it obtains and number of offspring, its time of migration, etc.

Figure 4-5 Three Species of Warblers and Their Niches Section 4-2 Cape May Warbler Feeds at the tips of branches near the top of the tree Bay-Breasted Warbler Feeds in the middle part of the tree Yellow-Rumped Warbler Feeds in the lower part of the tree and at the bases of the middle branches Spruce tree

Species Interactions PAGES 92-93

Competition -/- Both organisms are competing for the same resources

Predation +/- Most familiar interaction Natural selection has allowed a lot of these organisms to evolve together

Symbiosis Two species living close together 3 main types Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism

Mutualism +/+ Both organisms get a benefit

Commensalism +/0 One species benefits; the other one is not effected

Parasitism +/- Ectoparasites- outside of body Endoparasites- inside of body

Mimicry A way to avoid predation An organism looks like a distasteful or poisonous organism Sometimes both organisms are distasteful

Succession Movie See Movie

Ecological Succession Succession - the process where an existing community is gradually replaced by another one. May take hundreds or thousands of years.

B. Types of succession Primary Succession - occurs on surfaces where no soil exists, e.g. lava flows and glacial melts Pioneer Organisms - first to populate the area e.g. lichens, grasses and mosses help build-up the soil. Secondary Succession Occurs in an established ecosystem after it is destroyed or damaged by a disaster. E.g. Fires, floods, agriculture, etc. Climax Community - is a somewhat stable, permanent community.

Succession in Marine environment Use pages 96-97 to discuss the steps involved in Marine ecological succession.

Density-dependent factors Have a greater effect the larger the population. Competition for limited natural resources. Predation -predator/prey relationships. Parasitism - hosts are easier to find and infect. Crowding - territorial stress. Disease- increased chance of getting sick.

Density-independent factors The population’s size doesn’t matter. Usually natural disasters like severe storms, drought or other climatic conditions.

Fundamental Niche 4. The FUNDAMENTAL NICHE is the Range of Conditions that a species can Potentially Tolerate and the Range of Resources it can Potentially Use.

Realized Niche 5. The REALIZED NICHE of a species is the Range of Resources It Actually Uses.

Generalist Niche 6. GENERALIST are species with Broad Niches; they can tolerate a range of conditions and use a variety of resources. Species that have narrow Niches, such as the Koala, are called SPECIALIST.

Producers 2 Types 1. Photosynthetic Producers 2. Chemosynthetic Producers

Changes in the Environment Abiotic factors are not constant Temperature: changes day by day, season by season and even hour by hour Big differences in temperature are important to organisms, as well as, slight variations in temperature

Tolerance Curve Graphs an organisms performance versus values of an environmental variable (such as temperature) An organism cannot survive in areas outside of its tolerance limits Fig 19-8; pg. 369

Acclimation Some organisms adjust to their tolerance to abiotic factors through the process of acclimation Figure 19-9; pg. 370

Control of Internal Conditions Conformers – do not regulate internal conditions but change as their external environment changes Ex lizards Regulators- use energy to control their internal homeostasis Ex Humans Both – some animals use both controls Ex Tuna

Escape Dormancy- reduced activity over long periods of time to avoid unfavorable environmental conditions Migration – move to a more favorable environment

Resources The energy and materials required by an organism to survive Ex: food, water, shelter