Unit 3 - Ecology Ecology of Organisms

Ecosystem Components Biotic vs Abiotic Alive vs Not Alive What’s alive? What’s not alive? What elements are here?

Organisms in a Changing Environment ALL ENVIRONMENTS CHANGE!! Day vs night Seasonal changes Tempertaure Humidity Shade vs direct sunlight

Organisms in a Changing Environment vs

Organisms in a changing Environment Tolerance curve: organisms can survive, and perform, ideally, in a specific range of conditions. This curve expresses that range.

Organisms in a Changing Environment What happens to weed yield (number of weed plants) with increased weed density? Draw a temperature vs homework productivity curve for you, a human.

Organisms in a Changing Environment Acclimation: adjusting their tolerance to abiotic factors Acclimation vs Adaptation?

Organisms in a Changing Environment Environmental fluctuations ◦ Temperature ◦ Light ◦ Moisture ◦ Salinity ◦ Others? Conformers cannot change with the environment. Regulators can.

Organisms in a Changing Environment What kind of environmental conditions are needed for conformers? What kind of changes can a regulator undergo to acclimate to their environment?

Organisms in a Changing Environment Escape from unsuitable conditions. ◦ Dormancy – examples? ◦ Migration – examples?

The Niche The specific role, or way of life, of an organism ◦ Generalist – organism with a broad niche  Examples? ◦ Specialist – organism with a small niche  Examples?

The Niche Everything that a species interacts with in the environment. What is your niche? ◦ How far have you travelled? ◦ What other organisms do you interact with? ◦ Where do you get your food? ◦ Can two humans have a different niche?