“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” - Shakespeare First Photo of a Living Giant Squid September 2005
Ecology The study of distribution and abundance of species and their relationship to the environment. (The study of ecosystems.) The study of distribution and abundance of species and their relationship to the environment. (The study of ecosystems.)
Ecology Organic Compounds Cell Individual Organism Population Community Ecosystem
Controlled environment with the ability to gather energy, store information, and reproduce. Cell DNA
Ecology Organic Compounds Cell Individual Organism Population Community Ecosystem
Organisms Species: A group of organisms capable of interbreeding with each other & producing fertile offspring (a closed “gene pool”.)
Population “the number of individuals of a single species that occupy a defined area at a given time”
Community “all the individuals of all species that occupy a defined area at a given time” Hoh Rainforest, Olympic Peninsula
Ecosystem “the community plus all the non-living things (soil, air, water, climate, etc.) that occupy a defined area at a given time” North Cascades
Ecology The study of distribution and abundance of species and their relationship to the environment. (The study of ecosystems.) The study of distribution and abundance of species and their relationship to the environment. (The study of ecosystems.)
Describing a Community What is the total number of each species in a community (i.e., population of all the species)? 1.Abundance 2.Diversity 3.Productivity 4.Complexity 5.Stability 6.Structure
Population Ecology
Describing a Community How diverse is the community? 1.Abundance 2.Diversity 3.Productivity 4.Complexity 5.Stability 6.Structure For example, how many different species are in the community (biodiversity).
Taxonomy: How do we sort life? Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Subspecies Carl Linnaeus
6 Kingdoms of Life Single Celled - prokaryotes and eukaryotes Archaea (“extremophiles”) Bacteria (“germs” & blue-green algae) Protista (one-celled eukaryotes) Metazoans - multicellular, eukaryotes Fungi Plantae Animalia Single Celled - prokaryotes and eukaryotes Archaea (“extremophiles”) Bacteria (“germs” & blue-green algae) Protista (one-celled eukaryotes) Metazoans - multicellular, eukaryotes Fungi Plantae Animalia Prokaryote - small cell with no nucleus Eukaryote - large cell will nucleus
Extremophiles (Archea) Thermophiles Halophiles Methanogens Cryophiles
Bacteria
Protista
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia
Taxonomy: Assigning Names Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Subspecies Scientific Name Homo sapiens
Taxonomy: Relationships Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Subspecies Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primates Homididae Homo sapiens Animalia Chordata Osteichthyes Salmoniformes Salmonidae Onchorhynchus tshawytscha Plantae Pinophyta Pinopsida Pinales Cupressaceae Sequoia sempervirens HumanKing SalmonCoast Redwood
Describing a Community 1.Abundance 2.Diversity 3.Productivity 4.Complexity 5.Stability 6.Structure Often describe biodiversity at the species level (because it is a closed gene pool) But we could also discuss family diversity, or subspecies diversity, etc.
Species Biodiversity Million on Earth (only about 2 million identified) Introduced (alien/exotic) Species Native Species
Abundance & Diversity 1.Abundance 2.Diversity 3.Productivity 4.Complexity 5.Stability 6.Structure