Preserving the Animal Kingdom Ecology Preserving the Animal Kingdom

The Abiotic Environment Ecology- the study of Animals and their relationship to their environment and other organisms Habitat- includes all living things and non living characteristics Environmental factors have physiological values , tolerance Range, range of optimum, and Limiting Factor Combinations of abiotic factors are necessary for and organism to survive

Abiotic Factors Energy- organisms supply their energy needs in various ways Heterotroph- ingest other organisms, carnivores and herbivores Autotroph- Convert energy from the sun, photosynthesis, plants- algae- some protists Energy Budget- accounting of an animals total energy intake and how it is used

Tolerance Range of Organisms

Temperature Regulating Body temperature Temperature determines rates of chemical reactions in a body (metabolic rate) When food becomes scarce in winter animals must alter metabolic activity Torpor-Bats, Hummingbirds and some rodents decrease body temp and metabolism daily Hibernation-Small mammals (rodents), shrews and bats, decreased body temp and metabolism for weeks or months

Temperature cont. Winter Sleep-larger animals, energy reserves sustain these mammals thru winter inactivity. Can awaken very quickly if disturbed Estivation- period of inactivity to survive dry periods. Enter burrow does not eat or drink until moisture returns. invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians Other abiotic factors include moisture, light, geology and soils

Population Growth Change over time as a result of birth, death and dispersal Survivorship curves: Type 1 convex, humans survive to old age and die Type 2 diagonal, constant probability of death through out life Type 3 concave, high juvenile mortality, adults much lower mortality

Survivorship Curves

Population Growth The potential for populations to increase in numbers is remarkable Populations experience exponential growth but not indefinitely Capacity for growth determined by : climate, food, space and other environmental factors Carrying Capacity- population size that a particular environment can support

Logistic Growth Curve

Population Regulation/ Density Density- independent factors: influence the size of a population regardless of size, weather Density- dependent factors: influence when population is very high, competition for food, disease, predation, and parasitism Intraspecific competition- competition between members of the same species, usually very intense because resource requirements are the same

Population Regulation/ Density Interspecific competition- between members of a different species, one may be forced to move, become extinct or they coexist Coevolution- predator prey relationships, flowering plants and insect or hummingbird pollinators Symbiosis- two different species living in continuous intimate associations, 3 types Parasitism, commensalism and mutualism

Interspecific Adaptations Camoflage- color patterns help hide animal, stripes on zebras Cryptic coloration- animal takes on a color pattern in its environment Countershading- dark back and light belly Aposematic coloration- warning coloration of poisonous or deadly animals Mimmicry- looking like a poisonous animal

Cryptic Coloration

Cryptic Coloration

Camoflage

Countershading

Countershading/ Stripes to blend with sunlight

Aposematic Coloration

Aposematic Coloration

Mimicry

Mimicry

Mimicry

Communities All the populations living in an area make up a community Species have a unique organization in the community it is not a random mixture Keystone species control the characteristics of the community Community Diversity (species) is determined the variety of resources, high productivity, climate stability, moderate levels of predation

Trophic Structure of Ecosystems Communities and their physical environment are called Ecosystems Ecosystems need a constant supply of energy usually in the form of sunlight, energy is not recycled Primary production is the total amount of biomass produced in a given area Biomass is the total mass of all organisms

Trophic Levels Plants convert less than 1% of the suns energy to chemical energy, 60% of this is converted to new biomass, 40% lost to respiration, Autotroph, primary producer Herbivores convert 10% into new biomass, 90% lost to respiration, Heterotroph, primary consumer Carnivores convert 10% to new biomass, Heterotroph, secondary consumer

Trophic Levels

Marine Trophic Levels

Soil Trophic Levels

Marine Food Chain

Food Chain

Biogeochemical Cycles All matter is cycled from nonliving reservoirs to living systems and back to nonliving reservoirs. Nutrients are elements essential for life 97% of living matter is made of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen Sulfur, phosphorous, and calcium are less abundant but also important

Biogeochemical Cycles cont. The nonliving reservoir for these cycles is the Earth (atmosphere or ground) Fixation is the process of incorporating these nutrients into living tissue Cycling involves moving from plant to herbivore to carnivore to decomposer and back to the Earth Ideally the rate of return equals the rate of fixation

Carbon cycle

Water Cycle