1. 13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships
Remember cellular levels of organization?
Atom, molecule, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism
Environments have levels of organization too:
Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome

2. Experimentation- direct study of organisms
Observations
Remember: QuaLitative and QuaNtitative Data
Short-term or Long-term studies (Darwin!!!)
Visual Surveys: direct (scope) or indirect (footprints)
Experimentation- direct study of organisms
Lab: more control, less complex results
Field: more accurate results (not always cause/effect)
Modeling
Computer/math-based
Uses lots of data to make predictions
Quick lab/estimations

3. 13.2 Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Biotic- living
Abiotic- “a”=not, nonliving
Match the following environmental factors as biotic or abiotic:
Rock Oxygen Salinity
Sponge Fern Mulch
Shark Squirrel Lilly
Sunflower Sand Panther
Water Mangrove Tree Apple

4. Biodiversity Keystone Species Variety of life in an ecosystem
Why do we care? __________________________
Keystone Species
Keystone holds up an arch
Species has great effect on/in ecosystem
(Multimedia activity)WebQuest: Keystone species
Use the information you’ve learned to predict what would happen if sea otters went extinct.
keystone

5. 13.3 Energy in Ecosystems Producers = Autotrophs (make own food)
Remember photosynthesis??
Also chemosynthesis: use chemical instead of sun
Consumers = Heterotrophs (must eat something else)
Herbivores- eats plants (herba = vegetation)
Omnivores- eats plants and animals (omna = all)
Carnivores- eats animals (carnus = flesh)
Detritivores- eats dead organic matter
Decomposers-break down organic matter

6. (Animation/simulations: visual concepts- 13.3)
2 facts from each visual you watch

7. 13.4 Food Chains and Food Webs
Hey don’t write this first note you already did
Consumers = Heterotrophs (must eat something else)
Herbivores- eats plants (herba = vegetation)
Omnivores- eats plants and animals (omna = all)
Carnivores- eats animals (carnus = flesh)
Detritivores- eats dead organic matter
Decomposers-break down organic matter
Food chains show energy flow
Food webs show complex feeding relationships
Specialist- specific food type (1 or few organisms)
Generalists- eat variety of foods in diet

8. Online: Animation- Build a food web (sketch web)
Trophic Levels
Primary: autotrophs/producers
Secondary: herbivores
Tertiary: omnivores and carnivores
Online: Animation- Build a food web (sketch web)

9. 13.5 Cycling of Matter Attach bunches of those little pictures 
Next to each picture we are going to write how elements enter/exit the system
Hydrologic Cycle
Enter: evaporation (bodies of water), transpiration
Exit: condensation/precipitation, used plants/animals
Biogeochemical Cycle
How elements are cycled through biotic and abiotic parts of environment

10. Oxygen Cycle Carbon Cycle: Nitrogen Cycle: Phosphorous Cycle:
Enter: autotrophs from photo-/chemo-synthesis
Exit: used by humans or in soil as nutrients
Carbon Cycle:
Enter: CO2 (atm), HCO3 (in water), fossil fuels/in ground, oil, natural gas, rocks, dead organic matter
Exit: burning fossil fuels, plants, evaporation
Nitrogen Cycle:
Enter: bacteria, atmosphere, decomposing plants
Exit: animals, plants
Phosphorous Cycle:
Enter: geologic movements, decomposition
Exit: leaching, weathering, sedimentation

11. 13.6 Pyramid Models Energy pyramid- E used by producers/consumers
energy transferred
energy
lost
Energy pyramid- E used by producers/consumers
Biomass- total dry mass of all organisms in area
Each tier loses 90% of E = ONLY 10% of E is transferred from each trophic level!!!

12. Biomass pyramid Pyramid of Numbers Dry mass of tropic levels
Mass of comsumers needed to support levels above them
Pyramid of Numbers
Numbers of individuals
Vast #’s of producers are needed to support even just a few tertiary consumers
Animations: Visual concepts 13.6 (2)
tertiary
consumers
secondary
primary
producers
75 g/m2
150g/m2
675g/m2
2000g/m2
tertiary
consumers
secondary
primary
producers 5
5000
500,000
5,000,000