1. Ecology
Unit 10- Chapters 18

2. Levels of Organization
Old People Can’t Eat Beans
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Biotic components only
All biotic and abiotic parts
All life-13 miles thick, 5-6 of those above sea level.
Begin chapter 18

3. Biotic and Abiotic Biotic Biosphere Ecosystem Community Population
Organism
Biotic and Abiotic
Biotic

4. Organism to Community Organism- single living organism
Population- single species living in the same place at the same time
Community- a variety of species all living in the same place at the same time

5. Biotic vs. Abiotic Biotic includes Abiotic includes all living
Once living-wood table, fallen leaves, etc.
Potential for life- eggs, etc.
Abiotic includes
All non-living- air, temperature, water, rocks, sunlight, etc.

6. Tolerance curve
Taken another way, how does food supply, size of habitat, etc. affect how well an organism survives?
(hence the physical and chemical environment can affect the stability of a population)

7. Energy Transfer
Producers-manufacture their own food through photosynthesis (green plants, some bacteria and protists) or chemosynthesis (hydrothermal vents at ocean bottom)
Also called autotrophs
Consumers
Also called heterotrophs

8. Consumers These heterotrophs include:
Herbivore- eat producers for energy
Carnivore- eat other consumers for energy
Omnivore- eat consumers or producers for energy
Detritovores- feed on wastes (fallen leaves, dead organisms, animal waste)
Decomposers- cause decay by breaking complex molecules into simpler molecules. Return nutrients to soil.

9. Energy Flow Digestion of food=metabolism=energy transfer.
Example: if a snake eats a mouse, the snake gains vitamins and minerals that aid in the snake’s own energy availability to be able to pump blood, breath, move, etc.
Where each organism lies within the sequence of these energy transfers (food chain) is its trophic level.

10. Energy pyramid
Energy typically decreases by 90% between levels which explains why there is not enough energy for more than 3-5 trophic levels. 2 20
200
2000

11. Removing links
What happens when you remove an organism from a food chain/web?
It affects everything else above and below it.
Example: If you remove the herbivore in level 2, level 1 will increase until it runs out of space, while level 3 and above will decrease because their food source has been eliminated.

12. Species relationships
Commensalism-relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is unaffected.
Mutualism-relationship between two species of organisms that benefits both species.
Parasitism-relationship between two species of plants or animals in which one benefits at the expense of the other.
Amensalism-relationship between two species that involves one impeding or restricting the success of the other while the other species has no effect on it.
Symbiosis-close and often long-term interactions between different biological species. Examples include the for mentioned.

13. Water Cycle

14. Carbon Cycle

15. Nitrogen Cycle

16. Phosphorus Cycle

17. Population
All the same species, living together in the same place at the same time.
Population density- how crowded the population is.
1,000,000 people living in the US vs. same number living in Michigan vs. same number living in Shelby Twp.
Begin chapter 19

18. Biodiversity helps maintain ecosystem sustainability.
Disease Invaders
Biodiversity helps maintain ecosystem sustainability.
Farmer 2
(corn, wheat alfalfa)
Corn disease appears
Farmer loses only a portion of crop
Farmer 1
(all corn)
Corn disease appears
Farmer loses whole crop

19. Succession The gradual, sequential (re)growth of a community.
Example: Abandoned farm land
Weeds perrenialssmall shrubsdeciduous forest large oaks
The potential for life has to be present, there is no spontaneous appearance…no oak if the “seed” isn’t there or can’t be “brought in”.
Begin chapter 20

20. Primary Succession Life where it never existed.
Example: on a rock
Lichen as a pioneer species-
sometimes are composite organisms consisting
of a symbiotic association of a fungus with a
photosynthetic partner, usually either a
green alga or cyanobacterium)
rock
weathering
cracks
Soil blows in
mosses
More soil
Bigger plants
Etc.

21. Secondary Succession Life after crisis
Example: regrowth after forest fire…progression similar to abandoned farm field example.
Once succession through the stages reaches a stable end point (still minor changes occuring) this is called the climax community.

22. Human impact on the environment
Pollution
Ozone depletion
Global warming
Acid rain
Ecosystem disruption
Deforestation
Extinction
Begin chapter 22