Introduction to Ecology February 20 th, 2015
Ecology: deals with different levels of organization
Small to Big Atom Molecule Cell Organism/Species Populations Community Ecosystem Biomes Biosphere
Species: Individual= one living thing, one organism Species = a group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
Populations Populations = a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Community Communities = an assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area
Ecosystem Ecosystem = all the organisms that live in a place together with their physical environment
Biome = a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms Biomes
Biosphere = all the organisms and physical environments of the entire world Biosphere
8 Characteristics of Living Things 1)Made of cells 2)Have DNA 3)Maintain homeostasis (stable internal enviro.) 4)Respond to environment 5)Reproduce 6)Grow and develop 7)Obtain and use materials and energy 8)Groups of organisms evolve
Classifying Biotic Factors studying the relatedness between species is called = Taxonomy
Classifying Living Things/Biotic Factors Most familiar is the frame work created 250 years ago by Carl Linnaeus Organisms grouped in a taxon show a high degree of similarity Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Binomial nomenclature
Taxonomy Example Domain: Eukarya Kingdom:Animalia Phylum:Chordata Class:Mammalia Order:Sirenia Family:Trichechidae Genus:Trichechus Species: manatus
Binomial Nomenclature Scientific Name – Trichesus manatus Common Name –West Indian Manatee
3 Domains
Classification: The Three Domains Domain Archaea –Contains 1 kingdom – the Archaebacteria Domain Bacteria –Has 1 kingdom – the Eubacteria Domain Eukarya – Includes all kingdoms composed of organisms made up of eukaryotic cells – Protista – Fungi – Animalia – Plantae Prokaryotes: -No Nucleus Eukaryotes: DNA in nucleus
Prokaryotes = “before nucleus” 2 Domains, 2 Kingdoms: –Bacteria and Archaea (more closely related to Eukaryotes) Simplest and oldest life forms Cell wall, cell membranes No membrane bound organelles DNA not in a nucleus
Eukaryotes = “true nucleus” 1 Domains, 4 Kingdoms: –Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia Membrane bound organelles DNA in a nucleus
The 4 Eukaryotic Kingdoms Protists single celled organisms Some Photosynthetic Some Heterotrophs
The 4 Eukaryotic Kingdoms Fungi Multicellular Heterotrophs
The 4 Eukaryotic Kingdoms Plantae:Plants Mostly multicellular Photosynthetic autotrophs with true vascular tissue
The 4 Eukaryotic Kingdoms Animalia: Animals! Multicellular Heterotrophs Most are capable of movement Invertebrates vs. vertebrates
Vocab so far… Ecology Ecosystem Habitat Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors Environment Species Populations Communities Biomes Biosphere Taxonomy Binomial Nomenclature Eukaryotes Prokaryotes