1. ECOLOGY

2. WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
1. Ecology comes from the GREEK Words OIKOS (HOUSE OR PLACE WHERE ONE LIVES) and LOGOS (STUDY OF).
2. Ecology then means the Study of the “House” in which We Live.
3. Ecology can be defined more specifically as a living HOUSEHOLD with an economy in which EACH ORGANISM PLAYS A ROLE.

3. 4. The Earth includes a tremendous variety of living things
4. The Earth includes a tremendous variety of living things. Each organism Depends in some way on other living and nonliving things in its Environment.
5. Ecology involves collecting information about organisms and their environment, looking for patterns, and seeking to explain these patterns.

4. LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION (PAGE 64)

5. Biosphere
The surface of the Earth as a whole is an Ecosystem.  We call the Surface of the Earth the BIOSPHERE.
The Biosphere is the surface of the Earth (AIR, WATER, and LAND) Where Living Things Exist.

6. Ecosystems
The Biosphere is composed of smaller units called ECOSYSTEMS. An Ecosystem includes all the Organisms and the Nonliving Environment found in a particular place.
Ecosystems can be as large or as small as we decide.  Any area you decide to Study can be considered an Ecosystem.
SEE the Movie

8. 4. You may choose to study your backyard or a Wildlife refuge.

9. Populations
A Population includes all the members of the Same Species that Live in one place at one time.

10. Community
Populations are individual species, all the interacting Organisms (All The Different Populations) that live in a particular area make up a COMMUNITY. The Physical Location of a Community is called the HABITAT.

11. Organism
The simplest Level of Organization in Ecology is that of the ORGANISM.

12. Diversity
The Diversity of an Ecosystem is a measure of the number of different species there, and how common each species is.
Ecosystems are very Complex.  They can contain hundreds or even thousands of interacting species.

13. THE ROLE OF CLIMATE
1. Weather is day to day whereas CLIMATE is year to year averages of temperature and precipitation in a region.
Three major influences on CLIMATE are
Greehouse effect – which is?
Location on globe
Air currents

14. GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Draw this into
your notes and label
* Page 87

15. Greenhouse Effect Different Latitudes
Figures 4-1 and 4-2 Heating of the Earth’s Surface and Some Factors That Affect Climate
Section 4-1
Greenhouse Effect
Different Latitudes
90°N North Pole
Sunlight
Sunlight
66.5°N
Arctic circle
Some heat
escapes
into space
Sunlight
Tropic of Cancer
23.5°N
Equator
Most direct sunlight 0°
Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
Tropic of Capricorn
23.5°S
Sunlight
Atmosphere
Arctic circle
66.5°S
Sunlight
Earth’s surface
90°S South Pole

16. LOCATION ON GLOBE
Due to angle of heating by the sun there are three main climate zones: polar, temperate and tropical
POLAR
TEMPERATE
TROPICAL
TEMPERATE
POLAR

17. AIR CURRENTS
Unequal heating and cooling of Earth’s surface drives winds and ocean currents.

18. BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS (PAGE 90)
1. An Ecosystem possesses both LIVING COMPONENTS OR BIOTIC FACTORS and NONLIVING OR ABIOTIC FACTORS.

19. Abiotic factors
2. The Nonliving Factors, called Abiotic Factors, are Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the environment. They include Solar Energy (Amount of Sun Light), Oxygen, CO2, Water, Temperature, Humidity, pH, and availability of Nitrogen.

20. Biotic Factors
3. The Living Components of the environment are called Biotic Factors. They include all the Living Things. Biotic Components are often categorized as Producers, Consumers, and Decomposer. They also included organic matter, like animal waste or a dead plant or animal.

21. 4. The area in which an organism lives = habitat
CHANGES in the Environment
* Big and small differences in abiotic factors such as temp. make a huge impact on organisms living in a particular habitat.

22. THE NICHE (page 91)
Each organism or species in the community has a ROLE or PROFESSION in that community and in ecology this is the organisms NICHE.
A species’ NICHE is it’s way of life, or role the species plays in the environment.

23. 3.The Niche includes the range of conditions that the species can tolerate, resources it obtains and number of offspring, its time of migration, etc.

24. Figure 4-5 Three Species of Warblers and Their Niches
Section 4-2
Cape May Warbler
Feeds at the tips of branches
near the top of the tree
Bay-Breasted Warbler
Feeds in the middle
part of the tree
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Feeds in the lower part of the tree and
at the bases of the middle branches
Spruce tree

25. Species Interactions
PAGES 92-93

26. Competition
-/-
Both organisms are competing for the same resources

27. Predation +/- Most familiar interaction
Natural selection has allowed a lot of these organisms to evolve together

28. Symbiosis Two species living close together 3 main types Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism

29. Mutualism
+/+
Both organisms get a benefit

30. Commensalism
+/0
One species benefits; the other one is not effected

31. Parasitism +/- Ectoparasites- outside of body
Endoparasites- inside of body

32. Mimicry A way to avoid predation
An organism looks like a distasteful or poisonous organism
Sometimes both organisms are distasteful

33. Succession Movie
See Movie

34. Ecological Succession
Succession - the process where an existing community is gradually replaced by another one.
May take hundreds or thousands of years.

35. B. Types of succession
Primary Succession - occurs on surfaces where no soil exists, e.g. lava flows and glacial melts
Pioneer Organisms - first to populate the area e.g. lichens, grasses and mosses help build-up the soil.
Secondary Succession
Occurs in an established ecosystem after it is destroyed or damaged by a disaster. E.g. Fires, floods, agriculture, etc.
Climax Community - is a somewhat stable, permanent community.

36. Succession in Marine environment
Use pages to discuss the steps involved in Marine ecological succession.

37. Density-dependent factors
Have a greater effect the larger the population.
Competition for limited natural resources.
Predation -predator/prey relationships.
Parasitism - hosts are easier to find and infect.
Crowding - territorial stress.
Disease- increased chance of getting sick.

38. Density-independent factors
The population’s size doesn’t matter.
Usually natural disasters like severe storms, drought or other climatic conditions.

39. Fundamental Niche
4. The FUNDAMENTAL NICHE is the Range of Conditions that a species can Potentially Tolerate and the Range of Resources it can Potentially Use.

40. Realized Niche
5. The REALIZED NICHE of a species is the Range of Resources It Actually Uses.

41. Generalist Niche
6. GENERALIST are species with Broad Niches; they can tolerate a range of conditions and use a variety of resources. Species that have narrow Niches, such as the Koala, are called SPECIALIST.

42. Producers 2 Types 1. Photosynthetic Producers
2. Chemosynthetic Producers

43. Changes in the Environment
Abiotic factors are not constant
Temperature: changes day by day, season by season and even hour by hour
Big differences in temperature are important to organisms, as well as, slight variations in temperature

44. Tolerance Curve
Graphs an organisms performance versus values of an environmental variable (such as temperature)
An organism cannot survive in areas outside of its tolerance limits
Fig 19-8; pg. 369

45. Acclimation
Some organisms adjust to their tolerance to abiotic factors through the process of acclimation
Figure 19-9; pg. 370

46. Control of Internal Conditions
Conformers – do not regulate internal conditions but change as their external environment changes
Ex lizards
Regulators- use energy to control their internal homeostasis
Ex Humans
Both – some animals use both controls
Ex Tuna

47. Escape
Dormancy- reduced activity over long periods of time to avoid unfavorable environmental conditions
Migration – move to a more favorable environment

48. Resources The energy and materials required by an organism to survive
Ex: food, water, shelter