Adaptations, Biomes, & Ecology Obj. 3a, 3e, & 3h

Adaptations to an Environment  Every organism has a variety of adaptations that are suited to its specific living conditions  An adaptation is a trait that an organism has inherited that helps them survive and reproduce in their habitat  Ex. Sharks sense of smell, shape of a bird’s beak, dogs can hear well, flowers have bright colors  Physical adaptations do not develop during one lifetime, but over many generations  Genes that help determine survival are passed from parent to offspring

How many traits can you find that are adaptations to this environment?

Adaptations Over Time  Natural selection is the process by which individuals who are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species.  Caused by variations among species

Variations  Variations are different ways that a trait can express itself  Some variations make individuals better fit for survival from predators allowing them to reproduce and pass the favorable trait to their offspring  Ex. Variations among turtles make some of them better able to survive. Turtles that survive to become adults will be able to reproduce.

Variations

Animal Defense Adaptations  Some animals use these methods of defense to protect themselves:  Camouflage  Snake  Mimicry  Mexican Milk Snake  Bright colors  Skunk and Poison Arrow Frog  “Hair” projections  Hedgehog quills  Deer Antlers

Natural Selection by Environment  Variations can also allow organisms to become better adapted to survive in a particular climate  Organisms expressing traits that allow them to survive & reproduce in a particular environment will become the dominant life within the environment

Biomes  Biomes are Large geographic areas characterized by a distinct climate and specific types of plant & animal life.  Climate is the weather a place has over a long period of time (50 years).

Taiga/Boreal Forest Biomes  Winters are cold and very snowy  Summers are warm and rainy enough to melt all the snow  Dominant plants adapt with needle-shaped leaves to reduce water loss by having less surface area  Ex. evergreens  Animal have adapted by camouflage, hibernating or migrating, & thick fur

Rain Forest Biomes  Wet, warm biomes that contain the greatest variety of life on earth  Plant & animal life adapts in a variety of ways  Camouflage  Poisonous  Mimicry

Desert Biomes  Receive less than 25 cm of rain per year.  Hottest temperature on Earth  The plants have many adaptations for getting and conserving water. (deep roots, needles)  Some animals have adapted by being nocturnal, burrowing under ground, & being hairless

Aquatic Biomes Adaptations

Ecology

Ecosystems o An ecosystem is all the organisms that live in an area together with the nonliving factors of the environment o Ex. Pond or pine forest o Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other & the physical environment

Populations  All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species  Ex. Mice living in a meadow or pine trees in a forest  Species are a group of organisms that can mate to produce offspring that can produce more offspring  Ex. Brown pelican or human

Community  All the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem & share resources  Ex. Pine tree forest forms a community with populations of deer, mice, raccoons, bacteria, mushrooms, & ferns

Practice  Fill in the circle & give an example as we go through the next slide Biosphere

Levels of Organization

Habitat  The natural environment where an organism lives that provides food, shelter, moisture, & temperature needed for survival  the physical environment Ex. The polar bears main habitat is on offshore pack ice, and along costs and island of the Arctic region.

Group Time! What kinds of plants & animals do you think you would find living in this habitat?

Niche The unique ways an organism survives, obtains food & shelter, reproduces, cares for its young, and avoids danger (how it has adapted)

Ex. Polar Bear Niche  Large feet and short, sharp, stocky claws are adaptations to this environment.  Thick layer of fat under a thick fur to provide protection from extreme cold temperatures  Polar bears depend on sea ice as a platform for hunting seals.  Eat seals, walrus, & fish  Care for young for 2 years

Interactions Within Communities  All organisms need ENERGY to survive.  The sun is the source of energy that fuels most life on Earth

Feeding Relationships  Two categories of organisms  Autotrophs are organisms that can make their own food for energy by capturing sunlight or other chemicals  Heterotrophs can not make their own food for energy & must obtain it by feeding on another organism  3 main types  Producers (Autotrophs)  Consumers (heterotrophs)  Decomposers (heterotrophs)

Producers  Organisms that make their own food using energy from the sun & raw materials from the environment  Most producers are plants that use the process of photosynthesis to make food

Photosynthesis  Plants use carbon dioxide and hydrogen with light-energy in the presence of chlorophyll in the chloroplast of the cells to make glucose and oxygen  Directly or indirectly produces food for almost all organisms  Phytoplankton & algae also play a huge role as producers in the environment carbon dioxide + water + sunlight oxygen + glucose (CO 2 ) (H 2 O) (energy) (O 2 ) (C 6 H )

Consumers  Organisms that cannot make their own food & Obtain energy by eating other organisms & cellular respiration  Three Types:  Herbivores: eat only plants/producers  Carnivores: eat only animals  Omnivores: eat both plant & animals

Consumers

Decomposers  Organisms that feed on the dead remains or waste products of other organisms to obtain energy  Ex. Bacteria, earthworms, & fungi

Cellular Respiration  The purpose of cellular respirations is to release energy that can be used by cells to perform their specialized function  Cellular respiration occurs in the mitochondria of cells.  The mitochondria uses glucose & oxygen and converts it in a chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy oxygen + sugar carbon dioxide + water + energy (O 2 ) (C 6 H ) (CO 2 ) (H 2 O)

Hands up, Stand up, Pair up 1. Compare & contrast Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration & make a list of what you see? 2. How are these two processes related to each other?

Food Chains  A model that shows the flow of energy through feeding relationships among organisms in a particular ecosystems

Food Webs  A model that links the organisms within an ecosystem by how they depend on each other for food.  The lines drawn represent the flow of energy through the ecosystem & show a variety of food chains

Energy Pyramid  An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy available at each level of a food chain.  Only about 10% of energy is passed to next level. Producers- bottom level- have the most energy Primary consumers- eat producers Secondary consumers- eat primary consumers Tertiary consumers- eat secondary consumers

Energy Pyramid

1. What are the secondary consumers? 2. If there are 50,000 kcal available to the giraffes, how many are available to the lions?

Relationships Between Populations  Competition: Occurs when more that one individual or population tries to make use of the same limited resources  Ex. Food, water, or space  Predation: Type of feeding relationship in which one animal captures & eats another animal for food  Animal being eaten is the prey  Animal doing the eating is the predator  Predator/prey relationships help keep an ecosystem in balance by preventing any one population from growing too large

Predation