1. Communities, Biomes and Ecosystems
EQ: How do organisms interact with their environment?

2. Chapter 2.1
Ecology Study of interactions between organisms and their surroundings

3. Ecological Levels of Organization
Figure 3-2 Ecological Levels of Organization
Ecological Levels of Organization
Section 3-1
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4. Bioshphere
The biosphere consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists.

5. Biome
Biome—a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

6. Biological Levels of Organization
Ecosystem—all the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment
Community—an assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

7. Biological Levels of Organization
Population—a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Individual Organism– one organism of a species

8. Abiotic and Biotic Factors
What are biotic and abiotic factors?

9. Abiotic and Biotic Factors
A biotic factor is any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

10. Abiotic and Biotic Factors
An abiotic factor is any nonliving part of the environment, such as sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity, wind or water currents, soil type, etc.

11. Ecosystem Interactions
Niche vs. Habitat

12. Habitat
Habitat General place where an organism lives

13. Niche
Niche—range of physical and biological conditions in which a species lives and the way the species obtains what it needs to survive and reproduce
How an organism interacts with biotic and abiotic factors

14. Niche
Instead of competing for resources species usually divide resources such as
Food, water, space, nutrients, or light (necessity of life)

15. Community Interactions
Competition Occurs when organisms attempt to use the same limited ecological resource in the same place at the same time.

16. Predator Prey Relationship
Interaction in which one animal (the Predator) captures and feeds on another animal (prey)
Predators can affect the size of prey populations in a community

17. Predator Prey Relationship

18. Camouflage to avoid predation

21. Mimicry

23. Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiosis Living together
Three main types
1. Mutualism
2. Commensalism
3. Parasitism

24. Symbiotic Relationships
Mutualism:
Organisms that benefit from a relationship with each other
Example: Pollination, clown fish and anemone
Commensalism:
One organism benefits from a relationship; the other organism is neither harmed nor helped
Example: Barnacle and Whale

25. Symbiotic Relationships
Parasitism:
Relationship in which one organism lives inside or on another organism and harms an organism
Example: Fleas, ticks, leech, tapeworms

26. Communities 3.1
Group of interacting populations that occupy the same area.
How does abiotic factors affect a community?
How does biotic factors affect a community?

27. Limiting factors
Any abiotic or biotic factor that restricts organisms (numbers, reproduction or distribution)
Abiotic examples
Water, temperature, fire, climate
Biotic examples
Other plants or animals

28. Tolerance
Tolerance—Ability to survive and reproduce under a range of environmental circumstances
When environmental conditions, such as temp, goes beyond optimal range organism experiences stress

29. Tolerance
When outside optimal range must expend more energy to maintain homeostasis
Tolerance for environment helps determine habitatgeneral place where an organism lives J

30. Succession
Ecological succession a series of more-or-less predictable changes that occur in a community over time
Two types of succession
1. Primary Succession
2. Secondary Succession

31. Primary Succession
Primary succession Life begins in an area where no community has existed before
Examples volcanic islands, bare rock from retreating glaciers S

32. Primary Succession
First species to colonize barren areas are called Pioneer Species
Examples lichen (mutualistic organism of fungus and algae), moss and certain grasses
Pioneer species break down rock, and form soil

33. Bare rock
bare rock→lichens→mosses→grasses→shrubs→trees

34. Glacial retreat

35. Man-made structures

36. Secondary Succession
Existing communities are not completely destroyed by disturbances. Then secondary succession occurs.
Faster than primary succession because soil exists

37. Secondary Succession Occurs after natural disturbances
Wildfire, hurricane, human activities such as logging and farming

38. Hurricane

39. Figure 53.18x1 Large-scale disturbance: Mount St. Helens

40. Figure 53.18x2 Forest fire

41. Climax Communities
Climax Community Stable, mature community where little change in the composition of species
Succession doesn’t always reproduce the original climax community

42. Biome 3.2
The map shows the locations of the major biomes.

43. Color coded biomes of the World
Figure 4-17 The World’s Major Land Biomes
Color coded biomes of the World
Section 4-3
Tropical rain forest
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest
Tundra
Tropical dry forest
Desert
Northwestern
coniferous forest
Mountains and
ice caps
Tropical savanna
Temperate woodland
and shrubland
Boreal forest
(Taiga)
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44. Global Distribution of the Biomes

45. Compare/Contrast Table
Ten Major Biomes
Biome
Precipitation
Temperature
Soil
Diversity
Trees
Grasses
Tropical Rain Forest
high
hot
poor
dense
sparse
Tropical Dry Forest
variable
mild
rich
moderate
medium
Tropical Savanna
clay
Desert
low
Temperate Grassland
summer hot
absent
Temperate woodland and Shrubland
summer low, winter moderate
Temperate Forest
summer moderate, winter cold
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
summer mild, winter cold
rocky, acidic
Boreal Forest
summer mild, winter cool
poor, acidic
Tundra
summer mild, winter cold
Section 4-3
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46. Freshwater Ecosystems 3.3
What are the major categories of freshwater ecosystems?

47. Freshwater Ecosystems
What are the major categories of freshwater ecosystems?
Freshwater ecosystems can be divided into three main categories: rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and freshwater wetlands.

48. Freshwater Ecosystem Freshwater Pond Ecosystem Section 4-4 Spoonbill
Frogs lay eggs in the shallow
water near shore.The eggs
hatch in the water as tadpoles
and move to the land as adults.
The shore is lined with grasses
that provide shelter and nesting
places for birds and other
organisms.
The roots of water lilies
cling to the pond bottom,
while their leaves, on long
flexible stems, float on the
surface.
The bottom of the pond is
inhabited by decomposers and
other organisms that feed on
particles drifting down from the
Fish share the pond
with turtles and other
animals. Many of
them feed on insects
at the water’s edge.
Plankton and the organisms that
feed on them live near the surface
where there is enough sunlight for
photosynthesis. Microscopic algae
are among the most important
producers.
Duck
Water
lilies
Frog
Dragonfly
Mosquito
larvae
Duckweed
Phytoplankton
Snail
Pickerel
Diving
beetle
Trout
Hydra
Crayfish
Snail
Benthic
crustaceans
Freshwater Ecosystem
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49. Marine Ecosystems
This diagram shows the different zones in an ocean.

52. Open Ocean
The open ocean is divided into two zones based on light penetration—the photic and aphotic.