Can’t we all just get along? Ecology Notes Can’t we all just get along?

Chapter 2 Biosphere-All areas that sustain life   Biosphere-All areas that sustain life Biotic Factors-living factors Abiotic Factors-non living factors

Organization Revisited Population (interbreeding species) Biological Community (all species in a given area that depend on each other) Ecosystem All biotic and abiotic factors in the community Biome: Areas of similar climatic conditions Biosphere: All areas that sustain life

Communities Ex: Pond Community: Habitat: The place where a plant or animal lives. Example: Squirrel lives in several different trees in the forest, skunk lives in a single hollow log. Niche: An organisms role in the community. Example: Most green plants convert sunlight into energy and release oxygen. Other animals are dependent on the plants for survival. VERY important.

Community Interactions Competition refers two organisms or species competing for some limiting resource. be food or nutrients, space, mates, nesting sites A lion fending off a hyena for food.

Predation A predator is an animal or other organism that hunts and kills other organisms, called prey, for food in an act called predation.

OUCH!!!!

The living together of two different organisms Symbiosis The living together of two different organisms

Neutral Not taking part or giving assistance when it comes to organisms living together. Gets along with other organisms, but do not give assistance to life in any way

Commensalisms A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species one benefits the other is unaffected. Remora’s attaching to a shark

Barnacles on a whale Birds on a cow

Mutualism An interaction between two or more species in which both species benefit from the other.

Acacia Tree – Ants live in the horns and bring nutrients to the tree while the tree gives them protection off the ground.

Parasitism A symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives off of the other organism, but does not kill it. Parasites (mosquitoes & Head Lice)

Energy in an Ecosystem Autotroph- Organisms that can make their own food for energy from the sun (Plants and some protists and bacteria) Heterotroph obtain energy from other sources

Energy in an Ecosystem Herbivore : organisms that eat plants almost exclusively Carnivore organisms that eat other organisms almost exclusively Detritivore

Energy in an Ecosystem Omnivore: can utilize both plants, animals and other organisms as energy sources

Energy in an Ecosystem Detritivores: break down dead and decaying materials for energy

The figure below shows a simple food chain for land production. 1) How much solar energy does a vegetarian utilize when eating 1,000 calories of plant material?  Use the information from the figure to calculate this. 2) How much solar energy (in calories) does a meat eating person utilize when eating 1000 calories of meat?  Use the diagram above to make your determination.  The numbers below each figure are the number of calories stored at each trophic level.

Food Web= The path that energy moves along from one trophic level to the next and back again in a complex fashion.

Grassland Food Web

Ecological Pyramids

Primary Producers : Plants, Algae, Protists Consumers: Anything that uses producers for energy Decomposer Break down dead material

Biochemical Cycles The physical parts of the ecosystems cycle constantly. water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus pass from nonliving environments to living organisms, and back to nonliving environments. These paths form closed circles, or cycles, called biogeochemical cycles. biogeochemical cycle, a pathway forms when a substance enters living organisms such as trees from the atmosphere, water, or soil; stays for a time in the living organism; then returns to the nonliving environment.

The Water Cycle, Draw This

The Water Cycle, Water Shed: an area where rainwater, snow, and ice converge on a single point. Condensation: when water vapor is cooled it becomes a liquid Precipitation When enough liquid accumulates in the atmosphere, it falls back to earth. As precipitation or rain

The Water Cycle, In the living portion of the water cycle, much water is taken up by the roots of plants. Transpiration: After passing through a plant, the water moves into the atmosphere by evaporating from the leaves

The Phosphorus Cycle Phosphorus is an essential part of both ATP and DNA. Phosphorus is usually present in soil and rock as well as animal wastes We use this waste as fertilizer

The Phosphorus Cycle

The Phosphorus Cycle Eutrophication: the accumulation of biomass like phosphorous in water sheds and basins causing algae growth and killing native plants and organisms Can be caused by humans or occur naturally.

The Carbon Cycle In the carbon cycle, carbon atoms may return to the pool of carbon dioxide in the air and water in three ways: 1. Photosynthesis: CO2 goes into plants while O2 comes out of plants 2. Respiration Carbon dioxide produced because of cellular respiration. 3. Combustion Carbon also returns to the atmosphere through combustion, or burning.

Section 3 Cycling of Materials in Ecosystems Chapter 41 Carbon Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle Organisms need nitrogen to build proteins and nucleic acids.

The Nitrogen Cycle, continued The nitrogen cycle is a complex process with four important stages: 1. Nitrogen Fixation. When bacteria help provide plants with usable nitrogen 2. Ammonification ammonia is produced by bacteria during the decay of nitrogen-containing urea. 3. Nitrification is the production of nitrates from ammonia. 4. Denitrification is the conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas.

Population Density The total number of individuals living in a specific area Example person/km2

Population Distribution A. Randomly ex. Deer in the woods B. Clumps ex. Elk on Highway 52 (Before CWD) C. Uniformly ex. Birds on a wire

Gains and Losses in Population Size Immigration- Organisms that move into a population Emigration- Organisms that move out of a population Mortality-similar to death rate; the number of organisms that have died Natality- birth of organisms

Exponential Growth: growth that occurs very rapidly Doubling Time: Amount of time it takes for a population to double it’s size r-selected life strategy curve Examples (insects

Biotic Potential The rate at which a population could grow if nothing was holding it back, no limits Limiting factors: Space Water Nutrients Shelter

What will happen in the future? Density Dependent Factors: Food Water Disease Waste Density Independent Light Temperature Weather

Carrying Capacity and K-Selected Life Strategies When populations birth rate equals the death rate K-selected life strategy “K” stands for carrying capacity Examples “ humans, whales