1. What is Ecology?

2. 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.

3. Habitat & Niche
Habitat is the place a plant or animal lives. The area for its food, water, shelter and space.
Niche is an organism’s way of life, its job, its role or place in an ecosystem

4. copyright cmassengale
Niche
copyright cmassengale

5. Businesses have niches too
Businesses have niches too. Think about McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Subway…
How are their niches similar? Different?

6. The Nonliving Environment
Abiotic factors- the nonliving parts of an organism’s environment.
Examples include air currents, temperature, water, light, and soil.
Abiotic factors affect an organism’s life.

7. The Living Environment
Biotic factors- all the living or once living organisms that inhabit an environment.
All organisms depend on others directly or indirectly for food, shelter, reproduction, or protection.

8. Abiotic or Biotic?
Biotic

9. Abiotic or Biotic?
Abiotic

10. Abiotic or Biotic?
Abiotic

11. Abiotic or Biotic?
Biotic

12. Levels of Organization

13. What are the Simplest Levels?
Atom
Molecule
Organelle
Cell
Tissue
Organ
System
Organism

14. Levels of Organization
Ecologists have organized the interactions an organism takes part in into different levels according to complexity.

15. 1st Level of Organization
Organism: An individual living thing that is made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds, grows, and develops

16. 2nd Level of Organization
Population: A group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.

17. 3rd Level of Organization
Biological Community: All the populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time.

18. 4th Level of Organization
Ecosystem: Populations of organisms that interact with each other in a given area with the abiotic components of that area. (terrestrial or aquatic)

19. 5th Level of Organization
Biosphere: The portion of Earth that supports life.

20. The Biosphere
Life is found in air, on land, and in fresh and salt water.
The BIOSPHERE is the portion of Earth that supports living things.

21. Populations and Relationships in a Community

22. Characteristics of Populations
Three important characteristics of a population are its:
geographic distribution
population density
growth rate 22

23. Population Growth Factors that affect population size:
the number of births
the number of deaths
the number of individuals that enter or leave the population 23

24. Population Growth
Immigration, the movement of individuals into an area, is another factor that can cause a population to grow. Emigration, the movement of individuals out of an area, can cause a population to decrease in size. 24

25. Exponential Growth
Under ideal conditions with unlimited resources, a population will grow exponentially.
Exponential growth occurs when the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate.
The population becomes larger and larger until it approaches an infinitely large size. 25

26. Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Exponential Growth
Exponential Growth
In the presence of unlimited resources and in the absence of predation and disease, a population will grow exponentially. Both hypothetical graphs show the characteristic J-shape of exponential population growth.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall 26

27. Logistic Growth
As resources become less available, the growth of a population slows or stops.
Logistic growth occurs when a population's growth slows or stops following a period of exponential growth. 27

28. Logistic growth is characterized by an S-shaped curve.
This graph shows the S-shaped curve of logistic growth. As resources become less available, the population growth rate slows or stops. The growth of this population has leveled off at its carrying capacity.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall 28

29. Carrying Capacity
The death rate increases and the birth rate declines causing the growth rate of the population to slow way down.

30. Carrying Capacity can be seasonal!

31. Limiting Factors
In the context of populations, a limiting factor is any factor that causes population growth to decrease.

32. Density-Dependent Factors
If it depends on the population size it is called a density-dependent limiting factor:
competition
predation
parasitism
disease

33. Density-Dependent Factors
Competition
When populations become crowded, organisms compete for food, water, space, sunlight and other essentials.

34. Moose and wolves depend on each other to keep their populations stable
Wolf and Moose Populations on Isle Royale
The relationship between moose and wolves on Isle Royale illustrates how predation can affect population growth. In this example, the moose population was also affected by changes in food supply, and the wolf population was also affected by disease.
Moose Wolves

35. Density-Dependent Factors
Predation
An interaction between two species in which one species (predator) feeds on another species.

36. Density-Independent Factors
If it directly effects the environment it Density Independent
unusual weather
natural disasters

37. Density-Independent Factors
seasonal cycles
certain human activities—such as damming rivers and clear-cutting forests

38. Natural changes in the Environment
Succession

39. Succession What does this mean?
Can the ecological environment evolve? Or change over time?

41. Ecological Succession: when ecosystems change over time when one community replaces another.

42. Ecological Succession
Consists of 2 types:
Primary Succession
Secondary Succession

43. Primary Ecological Succession
-When a community begins to establish from bare soil. This occurs after a glacier recedes or after a volcanic eruption.

44. Primary Ecological Succession
After a volcanic eruption or a glacier recession, Pioneer species are the first organisms to arrive these are usually lichens or mosses. They secrete acids that can break down rock to soil!

45. Primary Succession
After the pioneer species (mosses and lichens). Eventually small weedy plants begin to form and animals start to live there. As these organisms die, additional soil is created and becomes enriched.

46. Primary Succession
Seeds brought in by animals, water and wind begin to grow in the soil.
Eventually enough soil is present for shrubs and trees to grow.

47. Primary Succession
The stable, mature community that eventually develops from bare rock is called a climax community.

48. Secondary Succession
Disturbances like: fire, flood, or windstorms can disrupt a community.
After a disturbance, new species of plants and animals might occupy the habitat.

49. Secondary Succession
Pioneer species in secondary succession are usually plants that begin to grow in the disturbed area.
This is much faster than primary succession

50. Relationships in a Community

51. Symbiotic Species
In symbiosis two or more species live together in a close relationship.
At least one organism will benefit.

52. Types of interactions that leads to
Co-Evolution
depends on the interactions between two species.
Types of interactions that leads to
co-evolution:
Competition
Predation
Commensalism
Mutualism
Parasitism

53. Competition & Predation
when two species fight for the same resources.
Predation: (+/-)
when one species hunts and eats another.
A type of symbiosis

54. Competition Example: Zebras, Wildebeests and Gazelles have evolved a taste for different parts of the same plant.
Behavioral Isolation: “Zebras migrate with well over a million wildebeests and gazelles. A taste for different plant parts keeps the grazing competition down.” -NatGeo sept

55. Predation example: Snake can detach its jaw to fit a mouse inside.
Behavioral Isolation: “Zebras migrate with well over a million wildebeests and gazelles. A taste for different plant parts keeps the grazing competition down.” -NatGeo sept

56. Predator-Prey Interactions
Make a T chart…
Survival Adaptations in Prey
…in Predators

57. Some Adaptations in Predators
Speed
Weapons
Stingers
Venom
Sensors
Agility
Camouflage
Intelligence

58. Some Adaptations in Prey
Speed
Weapons
Poison
Sensors
Camouflage
Deceptive markings
Warning coloration
Mimic a harmful species

59. Which adaptation?
Camouflage: canyon tree frog

60. Deceptive markings: False eyespots
Which adaptation?
Deceptive markings: False eyespots

61. Which adaptation?
Poison Arrow Frog
Warning coloration

62. Which adaptation? Mimicry Green parrot snake (venomous)
Hawk moth larva (non-venomous
Insect larva)
Mimicry

63. Another example of Mimicry
Cuckoo bee (tastes bad)
Yellow jacket
(tastes bad)
Two inedible species mimic each other

64. Which adaptation? What does this look like to a bird?
Deceptive coloration

65. Deceptive Coloration
Deceptive coloration

66. Other Interactions that lead to Co-Evolution:
Parasitism: (+/-) When one species uses and harms another species, but keeps it alive. Mutualism: (+/+) When both species benefit from the interaction. Commensalism: (+/0) One species benefits and the other is unaffected.

67. Parasitism
In parasitism one organism feeds on and usually lives on or in
another organism.
flea
Parasites do not usually kill their prey (known as the “host”). Rather, they depend on the host for food and a place to live.

68. Parasitism
leech
lamprey

69. Parasitism
tapeworm

70. The guinea worm is coiled under the skin of an 18 year old man
The guinea worm is coiled under the skin of an 18 year old man. This is not good for the man. What type of interaction?
Dracunculiasis, more commonly known as Guinea worm disease (GWD), is an infection caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis (also known as "Guinea worm"). Dracunculus comes from the Latin "little dragon".
parasitism

71. Mutualism
Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both participating species benefit.
Examples:
ants and acacia tree butterflies and flowers

72. Both ants and acacia trees benefit. What type of interaction?
Mutualism

73. The green color is from photosynthetic algae that live in the tissue of this anemone. What type of interaction?
And, for review, what is the anemone’s phylum, and what are its stinging cells called?
Mutualism

74. Mutualism
eel/shrimp
Remora fish/sea turtle

75. Commensalism
A third form of symbiosis is commensalism, one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
barnacle and whale clown fish/sea anemone

76. Egret gets a perch and a free ride. Water buffalo is unharmed
Egret gets a perch and a free ride. Water buffalo is unharmed. What type?
Commensalism

77. Commensalism
orchid/tree
egret/cow

78. What type of interaction?
Predation
Lioness snags a kudu

79. What type of interaction?
Commensalism