1. Ecology

2. Ecology
The study of interactions among & between organisms and their environment.

3. Levels of Ecology
Species: group of organisms that can produce fertile offspring.
Populations: group of the same species
Communities: group of different populations
Ecosystem: all of the organisms living in a particular place & their nonliving environment
Biome: group of ecosystems with the similar climate and communities
Biosphere: portions of the planet where life exists.

4. Energy Flow: Producers
Sunlight is the main energy source
Autotrophs: use energy from the environment to assemble simple inorganic compounds into complex organic molecules.
Photosynthesis - use light energy
CO2 + H2O  O2 + sugars
Chemosynthesis - use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
volcanic vents on the deep ocean floor,
hot springs in Yellow Stone park

5. Energy Flow: Consumers
Heterotrophs: rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply
Herbivores: only plants; cows, caterpillars, deer
Carnivores: eat animals; snakes, owls, cats
Omnivores: both plants and animals; humans, bears, crows
Detritivores: plant and animal remains and other dead matter; mites, earthworms, snails, and crabs
Decomposers: breaks down organic matter; bacteria and fungi

6. Feeding Relationships
Energy flows one direction in an ecosystem
sun/inorganic compound (autotroph)producers  (heterotroph) consumers
Food Chain: steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating or being eat
Grass antelope  coyote

7. Food Web
complex relationship in an ecosystem that links all food chains together
Trophic Level – each step in a food chain
Producers – first level
Consumers – second, third, or higher level
Each consumer depends on the level below for energy

8. Food Web

9. Ecological Pyramids shows the energy/matter in each trophic level
Energy Pyramid: ~10% of the energy in each tropic level is transferred to the next level
Most is used for life processes; respiration, reproduction, movement, & some is released as heat

10. Biomass Pyramid
Biomass: amount of living tissue within a given tropic level (g organic matter/area)
Biomass Pyramid: amount of potential food available for each trophic level

11. Pyramid of Numbers number of individual organism at each trophic level
Exception: forest: a single tree has many organisms, insects, that live in/on it and there are fewer producers than consumers in a forest