Ecology Chapter 19 Pages 575 - 618

Ecology

Ecology Ecology is the study of how an animal relates to its environment Ecology includes studying what an animal eats, what eats the animal, where the animal lives, and what effect man has on the area where the animal lives This includes the study of pollution Pollution means man’s actions hurting the environment

How to use Ecology

How to use Ecology Ecology is important because: We can study the relationships between organisms (living things) and their environment (where they live) We can predict (guess) what will happen if something is changed We can get ideas for how to change the situation to help the animals and the environment

Ecosystem

Ecosystem An ecosystem is all of the living things and nonliving factors and how they all interact within a limited area One pond, one forest, one ocean, etc Ecosystems are made up of two interacting parts: The Abiotic Environment – all of the things in the ecosystem that are not living Pollution, man-made buildings, dead things, weather conditions (wind, snow, rain, sunlight, etc) The Biotic Community – all of the living organisms in the ecosystem Bacteria Fungi Plants Animals

Abiotic Environment

Abiotic Environment Radiation Atmosphere Rotation of the Earth Wind What season is it? How hot does it get? How cold does it get? Wind Topography How deep is the water? Soil and geological substrate What minerals and rocks are in that place? Gravity Fire Fire acts like a “reset” button for that ecosystem. When was the last fire?

Biotic Community

Biotic Community The biotic community can be divided into two groups: Producers – they make things; autotrophic Green plants Algae Consumers – they eat or take things; heterotrophic Feeders – eat living things Animals Protists Decomposers – eat dead things Fungi Bacteria

Populations

Populations A population means all members of the same type of living thing (species) Many individuals make up a population (one fly makes up a population of flies) A community is made up of populations that interact (the grass is food for the rabbit that is food for the bird that is food for the human) Communities interacting (in one place) make up an ecosystem Ecosystems interacting make up the biosphere

The Food Chain

The Food Chain - levels

The Food Chain The food chain means “what eats each thing inside an ecosystem” If you eat a producer (plant or algae), you are a primary consumer. You are probably an herbivore (herbivorous) If you are a carnivore that eats herbivores, you are a secondary consumer If you are a carnivore or omnivore that eats other carnivores, you are a tertiary consumer. These are also called second-level carnivores Grass – Rabbit – Bird - Human

Species Interactions Two different species will interact in one of 7 ways Neutralism – there is no direct relationship – a snake and a spider Competition – these two species need the same thing in the environment, and there may not be enough of that thing for both species – rhinoceros and zebra both need to eat the grass in one place Predation – one species kills and eats the other species – lions and zebras

Symbiotic Species Interactions Symbiosis means any close, long-term relationship between two species – 4 of the 7 interactions are symbiotic Amensalism – one species is harmed by the other species, but the second species is not harmed or helped by the first species Parasitism – one species depends on the other species for food and is helped, while the second species is harmed by the first species

Symbiotic Species Interactions Continued Commensalism – one species is helped by the other species, but the second species is not helped or harmed by the first species Mutualism – both species are helped by the other species – they are helping (benefitting) each other

Habitat and Niche Habitat – the area where a kind of organism lives The habitat of the bear is the forest The habitat of the frog is the pond Niche – the role that only that one species can play within its ecosystem Only the grasshopper will eat certain kinds of plants in one ecosystem Only the lion keeps the zebra population from getting too large

Biological Rhythms Biological rhythms – things that cause organisms to change their location (place), activities, or both regularly There are three kinds of rhythms Diurnal Rhythms – they happen every 24 hours You sleep at night and get up in the morning Seasonal Rhythms – they happen over 1 year Trees lose their leaves every year in the fall Lunar Rhythms – they are related to the phases of the moon Ocean tides are related to the moon

Man's Niche Man effects his environment in two ways: Consumer – man takes things from the ecosystem to eat and to build things We kill pigs to eat them We cut down trees to make paper If man consumes (uses) too much of one thing, he may hurt the ecosystem Manager – man changes the environment to make the environment meet his needs The farmer cuts down trees to make room his field We blow up mountains to make highway *We have dominion over the ecosystems, but with dominion comes responsibility to take care of the ecosystems*

Pollution Pollution occurs when man puts things into the environment that hurt the environment in a big way There are two kinds of pollutants (things that pollute) Energy pollutants Heat Light Sound Substance pollutants Biodegradable – breaks down in the environment – paper, wood Nonbiodegradable – does not break down in the environment – plastic, glass