1. Part 3 – Chapter 4: Ecosystems & Communities
ECOLOGY
Part 3 – Chapter 4:
Ecosystems & Communities

2. Ecosystem: interactions among populations in a community
Consists of:
A community of organisms
The soil, water, and weather
Energy

3. Niche: the role and position a species has in its environment
What it eats
Where it eats
When it eats

4. The physical location in which a given species lives.
Habitat:
The physical location in which a given species lives.

5. Population: a group of organisms of one species that interbreed
and live in the
same place at the
same time.

6. Community:
A group of organisms of different species living together in a particular place.

7. How energy flows . . . Sun - main source of energy
Autotrophs / producers… can make their own food
Heterotrophs / consumers… must eat other organisms
Decomposers / saprophytes… fungi & bacteria break down dead materials

8. How Energy Flows …. Autotrophs/Producers
Photosynthesis: (12:27 minutes)

9. Dead Stuff; It’s What’s for Dinner:
(3:51 min)

10. Competition (pg. 100)
Predator – Prey Relationships Predation – one animal captures and feeds on another animal Predators can affect the size of prey populations in a community and determine the places prey can live and feed. Example: birds of prey.

11. Competition (pg. 100)
Herbivore – Plant Relationships Herbivory – interaction in which one animal (H) feeds on producers (P)

12. Keystone Species
Keystone Species – single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community.
Examples:

13. Mutualism – both benefit (Insects & Plants)
Symbiosis: close association between two or more organisms of different species.
Commensalism - one benefits, one isn’t affected (Whale & Barnacles)
Parasitism – one benefits, one is harmed (Ticks & Dogs)
Mutualism – both benefit (Insects & Plants)

14. Chapter 4.3 Succession – changes over time
Ecological Succession – a series of changes that occur in a community over time.
Ecosystems change over time, especially after disturbances, as some species die out and new species move in. Number of different species increases.

15. Primary succession
– gradual growth of an ecosystem over a long period of time. Example: Rock -> Lichen -> moss -> grass -> shrub -> tree -> vines

16. Succession:
Pioneer species – first species in an area

17. Secondary succession
Previously supported vegetation – sequence of life after natural disasters
Examples: Forest fires, glaciers, avalanches, flood, hurricane, tsunami, tornadoes
1988 forest fire in
Yellowstone Nat’l Park

19. Climax Community
– shows little or no change over time.

20. 4.4 Biomes (pg. 110)

21. Biome - a major ecosystem that shares the same type of climate and has similar life forms.
Salt water
Freshwater
Estuary - (mix of salt and fresh water)
Terrestrial (dry land)

22. CLIMATOGRAM - Measures two things:
Average Temperature
Average Precipitation

23. Adaptation: the process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment.
Coloration
Speed
Migration
Thick fur
Chemical defenses
Hibernation/ Estivation
Size
Thorns and stickers

24. 1. Canopy 2. Understory 3. Ground
Tropical Rain Forest
Arboreal - tree-dwelling animals, camouflage. Trees / Plants: large leaves, roots.
1. Canopy Understory Ground

25. Desert Estivation - sleeping during hot days.
Plants have waxy leaves, spines, conserve water.
Most desert animals are nocturnal, regulate body temperature.

26. Grasslands (Temperate – plains/prairies; woodland/shrubland; Tropical –Savanna/shrubland)
Plants have underground stems/survive fires, grow from their base, not tips.
Animals – browsers; have good vision, speed, use camouflage, and burrowing.

27. Temperate / Deciduous Forest
Animals
Plants
Broad-leaved trees lose their leaves yearly.
Hibernate, some migrate or use camouflage in the winter.

28. Taiga / Boreal Coniferous Forest
Conifers - cone-bearing trees, bending branches, needles, dark green color.
Animals also have thick fur / body fat.

29. Tundra (Alpine and Arctic)
Permafrost - permanently frozen ground, soggy in summer.
Plants - short roots; fast growing; perennials.
Animals - thick fur, body fat, coloration, migrate.

30. Biome Comparisons

31. Which biome is South Dakota?

32. Aquatic Biomes
Freshwater – Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands.

33. Marine – Oceans, coral reefs, estuaries.

34. Review

35. The End!