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*What is Ecology??
The study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment.
It explains how living organisms affect each other and the world they live in.
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2. The Nonliving Environment
*Abiotic factors- the nonliving parts of an organism’s environment.
Examples include air currents, temperature, moisture, light, and soil.
Abiotic factors affect an organism’s life.
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3. The Living Environment
*Biotic factors- all the living organisms that inhabit an environment.
All organisms depend on others directly or indirectly for food, shelter, reproduction, or protection.
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4. Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem
Food Chains, Food Webs, Energy Pyramids
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*Begins with the SUN
Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight & chlorophyll C6H12O6 + 6O2
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Photosynthesis
DO NOT COPY
Chemical reaction where green plants use water & carbon dioxide to store the sun’s energy in glucose
ENERGY is stored in glucose
Glucose is stored as starch in plants
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*Organisms that can make glucose during photosynthesis are called PRODUCERS.
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8. Producers use most of the energy they make for themselves.
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*Producers use cellular respiration to supply the energy they need to live.
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6O2 + C6H12O6 -->  6H2O + 6CO2 + energy
*CELLULAR RESPIRATION is the chemical reaction that releases the energy in glucose.It makes energy in the form of ATP.
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The energy that is not used by producers can be passed on to organisms that cannot make their own energy.
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12. *Organisms that cannot make their own energy are called CONSUMERS.
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13. *There are 4 general types of consumers:
Herbivores eat only plants
Carnivores eat only animals
Omnivores eat plant and animals
Decomposers break down decaying organisms

14. Zebras eat grass. They are herbivores.
Cows are herbivores.

15. Herbivores
Hippos are herbivores.
Rhinos are herbivores.

16. Not all carnivores have razor sharp teeth.
Lions definitely eat meat!
Not all carnivores have razor sharp teeth.

17. *Consumers that eat producers to get energy:
Are primary consumers
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18. *A Consumer that Eats Another Consumer for Energy:
Is called a secondary consumer
May be a carnivore or a omnivore
May be a predator
May be a scavenger
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19. *A consumer that eats a consumer that already ate a consumer:
Is called a tertiary consumer
May be a carnivore, a omnivore, predator or a scavenger

20. *Consumers that eat other dead consumers are called scavengers

21. *The transfer of energy from the sun to producer to primary consumer then to higher order consumers can be shown in a FOOD CHAIN.

22. A lot of the energy is lost as heat, but some energy is stored and can passed on to another consumer.
**10% rule – only 10% of the energy at one level is transferred to the next
level.

23. More Food Chains

24. *Food Webs: Are interconnected food chains
They show the feeding relationships in an ecosystem

25. Food Chains Show Available Energy

26. Another way of showing the transfer of energy in an ecosystem is the ENERGY PYRAMID

27. Energy Pyramids Show ?? What can you tell me about this pyramid
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28. *Energy Pyramids Show
Amount of available energy decreases for higher consumers
Amount of available energy decreases down the food chain
It takes a large number of producers to support a small number of primary consumers
It takes a large number of primary consumers to support a small number of secondary consumers

31. How Many Chains are in this web? copyright cmassengale

32. Identify the Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers:
Count the Food Chains!
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33. We can show what goes on with the help of a Food Web

34. What would happen if a disease killed off many of the hawks?

35. There will be nothing to eat the snakes, so their numbers will increase.

36. All the frogs get eaten

37. No frogs.
More crickets

38. Most of the cattail gets eaten by the crickets

39. Now the crickets don’t have enough food so their numbers go down

40. ..and so on. Numbers of each species have an effect on the numbers of the other species in the web.

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What is ecological succession?
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This series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time is called ecological succession.
Sometimes, an ecosystem changes in response to an abrupt disturbance.
At other times, changes occur gradually.
There are two types: primary and secondary.
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*Primary Succession
On land, succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists is called primary succession. For example, primary succession occurs on rock surfaces formed after volcanoes erupt.
The first species to populate the area are called pioneer species
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44. In this example, a volcanic eruption has forms an island.

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Mosses soon appear, and grasses take root in the thin layer of soil.
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Eventually, tree seedlings and shrubs sprout among the plant community.
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Secondary Succession
All or part of an ecosystem can be changed by natural events, such as fires.
When the disturbance is over, community interactions that replace the ecosystem to its original condition are called secondary succession.  (Think of this as a replacement community.)
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