ECOLOGY “No man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of a continent, a part of the main” -John Donne

What is Ecology? The study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their physical environment. Physical Environment (non-living) ex- water, air, dirt, rocks Organisms that are living (or WERE living at one time…. paper, steak) ex- animals, plants, bacteria, fungus

Individual Community Biome Ecosystem Population Biosphere 1 2 3 All Category A + B B only 1 Species 1 4 5 6 Can we go smaller ?

*self-sustaining

Major Biological communities that occur over wide areas on land are called Biomes. Distribution Climate Life/Organisms Human Impact

TUNDRA Distribution Climate Life/Organisms Human Impact

Deciduous Forest Distribution Climate Life/Organisms Human Impact

Tropical Rain Forest Distribution Climate Life/Organisms Human Impact

Desert Distribution Climate Life/Organisms Human Impact

Important Terms Producer/Autotroph (Auto = self, troph = feeder) organisms that produce their own food directly from the sun’s energy. Take in energy from their surroundings and and store it in complex molecules such as carbohydrates. Use the process of photosynthesis to make complex molecules

Consumers/Heterotrophs (hetero = other) Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms. Feed on producers & other consumers Can be: herbivores carnivores omnivores decomposers

Important Terms Primary Consumer – Feeds on plants. All are herbivores. Secondary Consumer – Feeds on primary consumers. May be omnivore or carnivore Tertiary Consumer – Feeds on secondary consumer. May be omnivore or carnivore Quaternary Consumer – Feeds on tertiary consumer. May be omnivore or carnivore.

Food Chain or Food Web?

Trophic levels: # OF Energy Steps from the Sun

Competition Inter = Between different species Intra = within one species Predation Predator Prey Pursuit, ambush Battle at Kruger 8.24 Ch 53#3, extension 1- protection of young, CH51 Extension#1,5

Pair, Share, Explain A population increase in which the population "overshoots" the carrying capacity, K, and then crashes precipitously. Note that after the crash the population rebounds somewhat and approaches a new stable size (dN/dt = 0). Note that the carrying capacity has also changed. In the case of the Kaibab deer, this would represent irreversible (or at least very long term) changes in the amount of food available.

Plant Defenses Adaptions to improve Survival & Reproduction: Mechanical, Chemical *Cuticle- keep water in, pathogens out; close the stomata! Spines! Thorns! *Polymers to reduce digestibility; Odor! *Essential oils- attract predatory insects to kill plant-feeding insects Ch 53#6, extension 1

“Cryptic Coloration” Malaysian orchid mantis Grey Cicada Camouflage “Cryptic Coloration” Malaysian orchid mantis Grey Cicada

Octopus Grizzly Bear 4.37Camouflage http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1080207/Masters-disguise-Stunning-pictures-tricks-used-creatures-camouflage-themselves.html

Aposematic “warning” Coloration The yellow banded poison dart frog Aposematic “warning” Coloration

Mimicry The harmless mimic gains the same advantage as the dangerous model. The ‘duped’ predator brings about this evolutionary change. How? While the increased # could benefit both species, the model could be disadvantaged in this process. How?

Mimicry The ‘model’ is still an aposematic prey. The Viceroy butterfly ‘mimic’(top) appears very similar to the noxious tasting Monarch butterfly (bottom). However, the viceroy is actually more unpalatable than the monarch The model benefits from being mimic- increasing numbers of toxic prey out there warning away predators The predator is not ‘duped’- both really are harmful Mimicry

Competitive Exclusion Principle p400 text No two species can co-exist in a community if they share a niche (have the same needs). Where there is overlap, competition goes on and one species will always win out. Competitive Exclusion Principle p400 text

Resource Partitioning Instead of out competing another species- they co-exist Other ways? location time of day nesting sites or times Food type plant root depth

Symbiosis Symbiosis Mutualism +/+ Commensalism +/0 Parasitism +/-(host) An intimate relationship between two or more organisms of different species. P/S: examples of each?

? Mutualism

Ectoparasite ? Parasitism Ecto or endo?

Endoparasite ? Parasitism….. ecto or endo?

Lichen: Fungus + Algae ? Mutualism

? Mutualism The “crocodile bird- Egyptian plover…subsaharan Africa

? Commensalism

Keystone vs Dominant Species Definitions: ? P/S: Humans: keystone or dominant species? Dominant: Most abundant species in a community Keystone: Species that has greater influence on community structure than you would predict based on #’s. Maintains species diversity (predation) Grey Wolf Fig Tree ?

Energy flow through ecosystems

10% Rule NPP = GPP - CR CH54#2

Most ecological pyramids are large at the base and narrow at the top. This is because every time that an organism is eaten by the next trophic level, some of the energy is lost as heat. More Energy Less Energy

Pyramid of Energy: Shows the energy available at each trophic level. The size of the blocks represents the proportion of energy Measured in Joules or Calories

Pyramid of Numbers: Illustration of the number of organisms at each level