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

2. Ecology Focus ?
How do organisms contribute to the functioning of the environment as a system?
How is energy captured, stored, and transferred in an ecosystem?
What specific impacts do humans have on the environment?

3. Abiotic – Biotic Nonliving factors of an ecosystem
Climate, land conditions, etc.
Biotic
Living factors of an ecosystem
Plants, animals, fungi, etc

4. Hierarchy of Life Complexity & levels of organization:
Species / Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem / Biome
Biosphere

5. Energy Transfer through an Ecosystem
All organisms need energy to carry out their life functions: growth, movement, reproduction, etc.

6. Energy flows through the TROPHIC Levels of a Food Chain
Sun - primary source of energy to the
to the
Producer (autotrophs)– capture sunlight & convert it to a usable form (plant material)
to the heterotrophs
Primary Consumers – feed on producers
Secondary Consumers – feed on primary consumers

7. Energy Flows through each Trophic Level or Step of the Food Chain

8. Food Web- a more accurate model of the complex network of feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

9. Energy Transfer through Trophic Levels is NOT 100% efficient
Pyramid Models
Energy Transfer through Trophic Levels is NOT 100% efficient

10. Pyramid of Energy Transfer
10%
Efficient
transfer
at each level

11. Biomass organic matter in an ecosystem
Gross Primary Productivity
Rate at which producers capture energy
Net Primary Productivity
Rate of biomass accumulation into plant material
photosynthesis – respiration in plants
Varies by light, temperature, precipitation, availability of nutrients

12. Approximate dry weight of biomass at each level
Pyramid of Biomass
Approximate dry weight of biomass at each level

13. Approximate number of organisms supported at each level
Pyramid of Numbers
Approximate number of organisms supported at each level

14. Ecosystem Recycling Water, Carbon,and Nitrogen Travel
Through a Biogeochemical Cycle to be recycled and reused

15. The Law of Conservation of Matter & Energy
Matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed but only change in form

16. The Water Cycle

18. New terms you should know…
Precipitation –water vapor converting to liquid. Ex: Rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog
Evaporation – liquid water converting to water vapor in the atmosphere
Transpiration – releasing of water by plants into the atmosphere

19. The Carbon Cycle

21. New terms you should know…
Decomposition—the release of CO2 from the breakdown of dead matter
Fossil Fuels—decaying remains of living things containing carbon that after years of heat and pressure that release CO2 when burned

22. The Nitrogen Cycle

23. New terms you should know…
Nitrogen fixation—conversion of atmospheric nitrogen by bacteria into a nitrogen containing compound that can be used by plants and animals
Excretion—nitrogen containing animal waste that is absorbed by soil
Decomposition—breakdown of dead organisms which add nitrogen to the soil
Denitrification—conversion of nitrogen trapped in the soil and dead animals back into atmospheric nitrogen

24. The Dynamics of Communities

25. What is a Community? A collection of interacting populations
A groups of various species living in the same area at the same time

26. Communities Need Homeostasis
State of equilibrium
Stable communities require:
constant source of usable energy
organic and inorganic materials must be recycled constantly

27. Symbiosis A close relationship between two organisms Examples:
Mutualism
Commensalisms
Parasitism

28. Mutualism Both organisms benefit Examples: Butterflies & flowers
food
pollination

29. Commensalisms One organism benefits
Other organism is relatively unaffected
Examples:
barnacles
attached to whales

30. Parasitism One organism benefits Other organism is harmed Examples:
fleas and mammals
viruses
pathogenic bacteria
round worm

31. Predator & Prey One member kills and eats another
One benefits while the other is harmed (in the short term!!!)
But one may adapt to the pressure of predation

32. Predator & Prey Pattern

33. Preventing Predation
Camouflage
Warning color
Mimicry

34. natural changes in a community over time
Succession:
natural changes in a community over time
Examples:
increase in:
--population
--biomass
--productivity

35. Pioneer Species First species in new community: Reproduce Rapidly
Small
Survive harsh conditions

36. Example: Lichen

37. Pioneer Forest

38. Changes Continue Until
Homeostasis is reached:
Called Climax Community:
Stable and mature
At equilibrium

39. Climax Community

40. 2 Types of Succession

41. Type 1: Primary Example / Causes: Creating a NEW Community
Volcanic eruptions
Clearing of Glaciers

42. Primary Succession

43. Type 2: Secondary Regrowth of a Previous Existing Community
Examples / Causes:
Natural Disasters
hurricanes
forest fires
Human Activities
Abandoned farmland
Construction / real estate

44. Example: Forest Fire
Yellow-
stone
National
Park

45. Secondary Succession
1998
1988: Bunson Peak and the area around it was scorched by the North Fork fire, but has recovered nicely.

46. Secondary Succession

47. Secondary Succession

48. Population Patterns

49. Limiting Factors in a Community
Any biotic or abiotic factor that limits growth of a population
Restrictions on populations:
Coexistence of other populations
Size / Numbers
Reproduction
Distribution

50. Examples of Limiting Factors
depletion of resources like food, water & shelter
appearance of predators, parasites, & disease
natural disasters such as fire, flood, and drought

51. Carrying Capacity
stabilizing of population growth due to limiting factors

52. Density-Dependent Factor
Limiting factors that depend on or response to an increase or decrease in population size
Examples:
Food
Water
Shelter
predators

53. Density-Independent Factor
Not affected by population size
Have the same affect on the population with many or few members
Examples:
Fire
Drought

54. Distribution Patterns
Patterns of organisms in a population
Location of each organism in a populations
Types of Distribution
Random
Clumped
Uniform

55. Random Organisms are located in NO order / pattern
Habitat has abundant resources throughout

56. Clumped Organisms are grouped together in various locations
Habitat resources are located only is certain areas

57. Organisms are found at roughly equal distance from each other
Uniformed
Organisms are found at roughly equal distance from each other
Resources equally spread throughout the habitat (typically man-made)

58. 3 Age Structure Diagrams of population patterns over time
Population drastically increases over time
Examples:
Population drastically decreases over time
Examples:
Population do NOT increase or decreases
Examples:

59. Organisms and their Environment

60. Habitat
the environment in which an organism lives or grows

61. Niche The functional ROLE a species plays in its community depends on:
WHERE an organism lives
AND
WHAT it does & need for survival

62. Competition two organisms striving for the same resource
no one obtains 100% of the resources, so they are all negatively affected

63. 2 Results of Competition and Niche Overlap
One species will NOT survive OR
Species must change to reduce overlap

64. Competitive Exclusion Principle
Competition for the same limiting resource will eliminate the weaker species

65. Therefore…. No two organisms can have 100% identical niches
use the same resource, at the same time, in the same place

66. So, fundamental niche is reduced to realized niche

67. Fundamental vs. Realized ???

68. Fundamental Niche
the potential ability of a species to receive all possible resources

69. Realized Niche
the resources that the species actually uses

70. Example: Warbler Birds

71. Warbler Bird Example: Fundamental niche – Realized niche –
each warbler bird is capable of inhabiting the whole tree
Realized niche –
each bird limits their habitat to a portion of the tree to:
reduce niche overlap
reduce competition
Fundamental niche is reduced to realized niche to ensure coexist survival