1. Unit 11 – Organization of Life
Ecology – study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

2. Ecosystem Structure
Biosphere – part of the Earth in which life exists including land, water, air and atmosphere
Ecosystem – different communities and their non-living environment
Community – different populations living in the same area
Population – many members of 1 species living in the same area
Species – group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
Organism – 1 member of a species
Which is the biggest or broadest?
Which is the smallest or most specific?

3. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

4. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

5. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

6. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

7. Factors in Ecosystems
Ecosystems are influenced by biological and physical factors.
Biotic Factors (Biological)
Living organisms that influence an ecosystem
Ex Predator and Prey
Abiotic Factors (Physical)
Non-living factors that influence an ecosystem
Ex Soil, Water, Temperature, Sunlight

8. What is an ecosystem composed of? Living & Non-Living Together
Mountain, clouds, water & rocks
Non-Living ONLY
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors
Living ONLY
Trees, bird, grass, rabbit, & moose
ECOSYSTEM
Living & Non-Living Together

9. Roles in Ecosystems
Niche – an organisms role in its ecosystem - full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
If an organism dies, another organism will take over its niche
Your niche right now is being a student
Habitat – the environment in which an organism lives
Your habitat is your house

10. Relationships - SYMBIOSIS
Symbiosis – organisms that live together
3 types
Mutualism – both organisms benefit
Ex bee and flower
Commensalism – one organism benefits and the other is not hurt
Ex bird nest in a tree
Parasitism – one organism benefits and the other is harmed
Mistletoe growing on a tree

11. Parasite Example Cuckoo Egg!
The cuckoo lays eggs in other species of bird’s nests. It hatches first and pushes out the other bird’s eggs. Then the mother bird raises the cuckoo rather than her own babies!

12. Land Biomes
Biome = large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities

13. What determines the different types of biomes?
Latitude – distance of any point on the surface of the Earth north or south from the Equator
Impacts weather and climate

14. Climate vs. Weather
Climate – average weather conditions in an area including temperature and precipitation
Weather – condition of the atmosphere at a specific place and time
We listen to the weather report everyday on the news

15. Why we have different seasons and different biomes

17. Different Land Biomes Tundra Boreal Forest Temperate Foreest
Temperate Woodlands/ Shrubland
Temperate Grasslands
Desert
Tropical Savanna
Tropical Seasonal Forest
Tropical Rain Forest

18. Tundra Just below the polar ice caps No trees
Soil only thaws a couple of cm during the spring/ summer, so it is impossible for tree roots to grow
Permanent layer of frozen soil
Called PERMAFROST

19. Boreal Forest South of the tundra Evergreen forest
Also called Coniferous Forest or Taiga

20. Temperate Forest Directly south of the Boreal Forest
Covers most of southern Canada, the eastern US, most of Europe, Asia and Australia
We live in this biome
Composed mostly of DECIDUOUS trees
Trees that lose their leaves in the fall

21. Temperate Woodland/ Shrubland
Also called the Chaparral
Open woodlands (trees) and shrubs (small plants that have woody stems)

22. Temperate Grassland Also called the prairie, pampas, savannah
Drought, grazing animals and fires keep the grassland from becoming forests
Fertile soil

23. Desert Exist on every continent except for Europe
Any area in which the rate of evaporation is greater than the rate of precipitation
Very little precipitation
Coldest Desert – Polar Ice Caps

24. Tropical Savanna
Grasses, scattered trees, get less precipitation than other tropical areas
Africa, South America, Australia

25. Tropical Seasonal Forest
Has a dry season and a rainy season
During the dry season, the trees drop all of their leaves
Like the jungle

26. Tropical Rain Forest
Warm temperatures, large amounts of rainfall throughout the year
Found in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia
Most diverse of all biomes

27. Aquatic Biomes

28. Aquatic Biomes Two Types – Marine (Salt) and Freshwater
Cover more than 75% of the biosphere
97% of water on earth is salt water
3% of water on earth is fresh water

29. Freshwater Biomes
Ponds and lakes
Rivers and streams
Wetlands

30. Ponds and Lakes
If they don’t have a connecting river, they were formed by glaciers.
Life: Plankton, Algae, Insects, Fish, Crustaceans (crawfish), floating aquatic plants
Climate can vary depending on Geographic location

31. Rivers and Streams
Bodies of flowing water, moving in one direction

32. Wetlands Areas of standing water that support aquatic plants
Also called Marshes, Swamps, Bogs

33. Marine Biomes
Coral Reefs
Oceans
Estuaries

34. Coral Reefs Warm, shallow waters
Usually barriers around continents or islands
Very many different species of plants and animals

35. Oceans
Largest biome of the world

36. Estuaries Where freshwater streams or rivers meet the ocean
Higher salt concentration than freshwater, but less than marine biomes

37. Population Ecology

38. Population Characteristics 1) Population Density 2) Spatial Distribution 3) Population Range

39. Population Characteristics -
Population Density is the number of organisms per unit of area

40. Population Characteristics
Spatial Distribution – also called Dispersion – pattern of spacing of a population within an area
Uniform – black bears are spaced out pretty evenly
Clumped – animals found in herds - cattle
Random – deer – found clumped and uniform – no predictable pattern

41. Population Characteristics
Population Ranges – can be affected by temperature, humidity, rainfall, or sunlight. Also can be affected by predators, competition, parasites, threats to survival
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors

42. Things that Effect a Population
Predation
- Predators: as the number of prey increase, the number of predators will too
Disease
Outbreaks occurs when population density is high
Disease is transmitted easier
Parasites
Similar to disease, when population density
is high, parasites are
transmitted easier
Competition
- Individuals compete for:
Food, water, shelter, & space

43. Population Limiting Factors
Two Types
Density-Independent
Abiotic Factors
Density-Dependent
Biotic Factors

44. Density-Independent Factors
Any factor in the environment that does not depend on the number of members in a population.
Usually abiotic – weather events

45. Before After

46. Density-Dependent Factors
Any factor in the environment that depends on the number of members in a population
Usually biotic factors – predation, disease, parasites, competition

47. Predation – what happened to the moose population as the wolf population increased?

48. Disease – when the density of a population is too high, diseases are transmitted more easily than a low-density population

49. Competition – Competition increases when density increases Parasites – populations can be limited by parasites

50. Population Growth Rate
Growth Rate, Emigration, Immigration, Exponential Growth, Logistic Growth, Carrying Capacity

51. Population Growth Rate
Definition – explains how a population grows
Formula to calculate growth rate
Births – Deaths = Growth Rate
Time

52. Factors Effecting Growth Rate of a Population
Natality – number of births
Mortality – number of deaths
Emigration – leaving or exiting a population
Immigration – moving into a population

53. Types of Growth in a Population
Logistic – population level balances out
Births < deaths and/ or…
Emigration > immigration

54. Types of Growth in a Population
Exponential
Births > Deaths and/ or…
Emigration < Immigration

55. Carrying Capacity
Definition – Maximum number of individuals in a species that an environment can support for the long term.

56. Carrying Capacity

57. What type of growth is this?

58. Human Population Growth Rate