1. Where and how organisms live. Today
The basics of ecology.
Before
Where and how organisms live.
Today
Specifically how organisms interact.
Tomorrow

2. Today’s Objectives:
To communicate the difference between an organism’s habitat and an organism’s niche.
To identify species in competitive exclusion.
To classify species as ecological equivalents.

3. Terms for Notes
Habitat: All the biotic and abiotic factors in the area where an organism lives (living and nonliving factors)
Ecological Niche: All the factors that a species needs to survive. How it lives. Its Role. Includes food, abiotic conditions and behavior.

4. Question 1 What a species does while it is active would be a(n):
Habitat
Abiotic Factor
Behavior
Great way to stay healthy.

5. Question 2 What are the THREE parts of an organism’s ecological niche?
Food, Respiration, Parasites
DNA, Abiotic conditions, Behavior
Behavior, Food, Location
Abiotic conditions, Behavior, Food

6. What exactly is a niche? A niche is an animal’s ROLE in a community.
This could be compared to what social group you ‘ROLL’ in.
Are you the artist? The jock? The cheerleader?
Animal Example:
A Lion sleeps all day and hunts in the evening due to the heat
Uses the grass to camouflage itself while hunting for antelope.
A lion’s role is to be the top predator.

7. Is it part of a Lion’s habitat or niche. Food. Trees. Zebra. Sand
Is it part of a Lion’s habitat or niche? Food Trees Zebra Sand Grass Wildebeast Watering hole Temperature Savanna Other lions Hunting behavior
Niche
Habitat
Food
Trees
Zebra
Sand
Grass
Wildebeast
Watering hole
Temperature
Savanna
Other lions
Food
Trees
Zebra
Sand
Grass
Wildebeast
Watering hole
Temperature
Savanna
Other lions
and Hunting Behavior

8. Competitive Exclusion
A principle that states when two species are competing for the same resources, one species will be better adapted to the niche, and the other will be pushed into another niche or go extinct.
Two other results of competitive exclusion:
Niche partioning
Evolutionary Response – divergent evolution

9. Compare gangs Each gang has its own ‘niche’
Some gangs may be into auto theft
Others into dealing drugs, etc.
Consider a situation where two gangs in the same area are both stealing cars.
If we use the competitive exclusion principle two things could happen…

10. The gangs could become violent
The gangs could become violent. The more dominant gang will push the other gang to ‘extinction’
One gang may decide to take up another branch crime to avoid directly competing with the other gang.
This is similar to what niche partitioning and evolutionary response are.

11. Question 3
Which of the following is NOT a result of competitive exclusion?
Both species will happily coexist in the same niche.
One species will die off.
One species will change its food type, habitat and behavior.
One species will succeed over the other species.

12. Ecological Equivalents
A species that occupies a similar niche but lives in different geographical regions.

13. Another Example
There are multiple gangs across the US and the World. A gang that deals drugs on the East Coast is an ECOLOGICAL EQUIVALENT to a gang on the West Coast who is also dealing drugs. Both fill the same niche. Their niche is that they work in a gang, and they deal drugs. They do not have to have the same gang affiliation.

14. Question 4
In the case of the two types of frogs, which of the following explains how the species evolved into the same niche?
Adaptive Radiation
Convergent Evolution
Divergent Evolution
Natural Selection

15. Mussels Wreaking Havoc in the Colorado River
Zebra Mussels (China)
Quagga Mussels (Ukraine)
Invasive Species
How did they get here?

16. Read the Article and answer the following on your own paper
Read the Article and answer the following on your own paper. (will be collected with other classwork on FRIDAY)
1. Are the zebra and quagga mussel ecological equivalents? Explain!! 2. Is competitive exclusion at work between the two species? If so, how? 3. What kind of damage do the quagga mussels do? 4. How are people trying to manage this problem? 5. What do you think should be done?

17. Exit Questions What does the term ‘ecological equivalent’ describe?
Species that occupies the same niche in the same community
Species that occupy similar niches in different geographical regions
Species that occupy different niches in the same habitat
Species that occupy different niches in different geographical regions

18. Exit Questions Which is not part of an organism’s niche? Food Behavior
Abiotic Conditions
Population Size

19. Exit Questions What is the habitat of a zebra? African savannah
Tropical rain forest
Wetland
Mountainside

20. Exit Questions What does the principle of competitive exclusion state?
Two species cannot have the exact same habitat
If two species share the same niche, the ywill both be equally adapted
Two species cannot have the exact same niche in a community
If two species share the same niche, one will become extinct

21. Exit Questions
Which of the following behaviors will not cause competition between two bird species sharing the same tree?
Eating different kinds of insects
Ieating the same insects at the same time
Eating insects from different parts of the tree
Eating at different times of day

22. Please put your name and date on this paper and keep it until FRIDAY!
Thank you 