1. Warm-Up #33 Complete 3-1 Section Assessment #1-3 on page 65.
Complete 3-2 Sections Assessment #1-5 on page 73.

2. The Biosphere
What is Ecology?

3. Objectives Identify the levels of organization that ecologists study.
Describe the methods used to study ecology.

4. Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
German biologist Ernst Haeckel based this term on the Greek work oikos, meaning house.
Haeckel saw the living world as a household with an economy in which each organism plays a role.

5. Levels of Organization
Biosphere
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
The study of ecology ranges from the study of an individual organism to populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes—and, finally, to the entire biosphere. The information that ecologists gain at each level contributes to our understanding of natural systems.
Population
Individual

6. Organisms and Species
the different forms of life on earth, can be classified into different species based on certain characteristics.

7. Other animals 281,000 Known species 1,412,000 Insects 751,000 Fungi
69,000
Prokaryotes
4,800
Figure 3.3
Natural capital: breakdown of the earth’s 1.4 million known species. Scientists estimate that there are 4 million to 100 million species.
Plants
248,400
Protists
57,700
Fig. 3-3, p. 52

8. Ecosystems
Ecosystems are made up of not only the living organisms (biotic) but the non-living, or abiotic components as well.
The biotic would be the plants, insects, birds, and
humans.
The abiotic would be the soil, air, sunlight and water.

9. Ecological Methods Observing Experimenting
Modeling—ecologists make models to gain insight into complex phenomena such as the effects of global warming on ecosystems.
Many ecological models consist of mathematical formulas based on data collected through observation and experimentation.

10. Summary What are the levels of organization that ecologists study?
What methods do ecologists use?

11. The Biosphere
Energy Flow

12. Objectives Identify the source of energy for life processes.
Trace the flow of energy through living systems.
Evaluate the efficiency of energy transfer among organisms in an ecosystem.

13. Producers Autotrophs Organisms that use energy from the sun or
energy stored in chemical compounds to
manufacture their own nutrients
Producers
Autotrophs

14. Consumers Heterotrophs
Organisms that obtain nutrients from other organisms

15. Heterotrophs
that only
feed on
Autotrophs
Herbivores

16. Scavengers Carnivores
Heterotrophs that only feed on other Heterotrophs
Scavengers
Carnivores

17. Heterotrophs that feed on both Autotrophs and Heterotrophs
Omnivores
Heterotrophs that feed on both Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

18. Decomposers Heterotrophs that obtain nutrients from
breaking down dead Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

19. Feeding Relationships
Energy moves along a one-way path from sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs (producers) and then to various heterotrophs (consumers).
This flow of energy can be described using
Food chains—simple descriptions, not the most accurate
Food Webs—more realistic description of energy interactions.

20. Food Chains Food chains simple track of energy flow through ecosystem
Coyote
Pronghorn
Grass

21. 1st Order (Level) Consumer
2nd Order (Level) Consumer
3rd Order (Level)
Consumer
Producer
Autotroph
Heterotroph
Heterotroph
Heterotroph
Herbivore
Carnivore
Carnivore

22. Food Webs
Food Webs offer a more realistic track of energy flow through an ecosystem

25. Humans Blue whale Sperm whale Crabeater seal Elephant seal
Killer whale
Leopard
seal
Adelie
penguins
Emperor
penguin
Squid
Figure 3.18
Natural capital: a greatly simplified food web in the Antarctic. Many more participants in the web, including an array of decomposer organisms, are not depicted here.
Petrel
Fish
Carnivorous plankton
Krill
Herbivorous
plankton
Phytoplankton
Fig. 3-18, p. 65

26. Impala
Vulture
Cheetah
Dung Beetle
Lion
Hyena
Termites
Giraffe
Hunting Dog
Wildebeest
Trees
&
Grass
Fungi
Zebra

27. 9. What is one food chain of the food web?
Identify the: 1. Producers   2. Primary (1st Level) Consumers   3. Secondary (2nd level) Consumers
4. Tertiary (3rd level) consumers   5. Herbivores   6. Carnivores   7. Omnivores   8. What elements are missing from this food web?
9. What is one food chain of the food web?
10. How would a toxin sprayed on the producers in which they can’t break it down and it stays in their tissues influence the other trophic levels?

28. Ecological Pyramids There are 3 basic types of ecological pyramids
Energy
Numbers
Biomass

29. Energy Pyramid
Notice the change in the amount of energy that is available as you move up a trophic level

30. What pattern do you see?

31. It is referred to as the 10% rule
What happened to all the energy?

32. Again notice the pattern we saw earlier

33. Pyramid of Biomass
Size of boxes indicates the amount of biomass

34. Pyramid of Numbers Shows relative number of individuals at
each trophic
level.

35. Summary What is the source of energy for all life processes?
How does energy flow through living systems?
What two ways to we use to describe this energy flow?
What are the three types of energy pyramids?
How much energy is conserved from level to level?

36. Homework
Read Text 74-84
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