Ecology

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Ecology
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ology
Ec

• ology study of
• oikos home
• Literally means the study of home.
• The study of the environment, the related
  community, and the interactions between them

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Environment

• All of the abiotic (non-living) components of an
  ecosystem
• Weather
• Water
• pH
• Salinity
• Soil
• Rainfall
• Climate

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Community

• All of the biotic components of an ecosystem
• Living
• Comes from a living thing

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Biotic or Abiotic
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What is a species?

• Species organisms that are so closely related
  they can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
  

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Species
Polar Bear
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Species
French Angelfish
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Species
Lion
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Species
Dog
Rottweiler is a breed of dog, not a species.
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So what happens when animals of two different
species mate?
Mules are a cross between a horse and a donkey.
They have traits of both parents. This is called
a hybrid. They are sterile.
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Liger cross between a lion and tiger
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How do animals avoid mating with the incorrect
species?

• Sight
• Sound
• Pheremones (scent used to attract mates or
  communicate)
• Behavior

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Reproductive Goals

• Female
• Goal Healthy, strong offspring
• Mechanism mate with the biggest, strongest male
• Male
• Goal To pass on genes
• Mechanism mate as often as possible

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Levels of Organization within the Community

• Organism One individual of a specific species

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Levels of Organization within the Community

• Organism an individual of a specific species
• Population a group of interacting organisms of
  a specific species, living in a specific area

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Levels of Organization within the Community

• Organism an individual of a specific species
• Population a group of interacting organisms of
  a specific species, living in a specific area
• Community a group of interacting populations

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The community would include the fish, corals,
sponges, algae, and other invertebrates on the
reef.
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Levels of Organization within the Community

• Organism an individual of a specific species
• Population a group of interacting organisms of
  a specific species, living in a specific area
• Community a group of interacting populations
• Ecosystem the community and the surrounding
  environment

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The ecosystem would include the fish, corals,
sponges, algae, and other invertebrates on the
reef AND the temperature and salinity, and water
clarity and pH, etc.
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Levels of Organization within the Community

• Organism an individual of a specific species
• Population a group of interacting organisms of
  a specific species, living in a specific area
• Community a group of interacting populations
• Ecosystem the community and the surrounding
  environment
• Biosphere the layer of the Earth that contains
  all living organisms

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Feeding Strategy

• Autotroph
• self feeding uses sunlight to convert
  inorganic compounds (like water, carbon dioxide
  and nutrients) into complex organic compounds.
• In other words producers
• Plants
• Algae
• Bacteria

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Feeding Strategy

• Autotroph
• Heterotroph
• other feeding eats other organisms.
• In other words consumers
• Animals
• Fungus
• Protozoans (like amoebas, paramecium, etc)

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Feeding Strategy

• Heterotroph
• Herbivore eats plants

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Feeding Strategy

• Heterotroph
• Herbivore eats plants
• Carnivore eats only other animals

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Feeding Strategy

• Heterotroph
• Herbivore eats plants
• Carnivore eats only other animals
• Omnivore eats both plants and animals

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Feeding Strategy

• Heterotroph
• Herbivore eats plants
• Carnivore eats only other animals
• Omnivore eats both plants and animals
• Scavenger eats dead organisms that it did not
  catch and kill

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Feeding Strategy

• Heterotroph
• Herbivore eats plants
• Carnivore eats only other animals
• Omnivore eats both plants and animals
• Scavenger eats dead organisms that it did not
  catch and kill
• Decomposer breaks down waste and dead organisms
  into inorganic compounds. Bacteria and Fungus.

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Interactions
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Interactions

• Reproduction

Exponential Growth AKA J-Curve Occurs when
there are unlimited resources
Population
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Time
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Interactions
Exponential Growth does not occur indefinitely
because resources are NOT unlimited.
Population
5
Time
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Interactions
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Carrying Capacity The maximum number of
individuals that the environment can support.
Population
5
Time
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Things that keep carrying capacity down

• Predation
• Lack of resources
• Space
• Food
• Water
• sunlight
• Disease

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Reproductive Strategies
Few Offspring Highly Developed Lots of parental
Care
Many Offspring Not Highly Developed No parental
Care
Lays 100 eggs each year for 20 30 years. Eggs
are well developed. No parental care.
Produces 3 to 8 babies every 3 weeks. Cares for
babies for several weeks after birth.
Can produce 100,000 larvae every two
years. Larvae released into plankton.
One calf every 4-5 years. Nurse calf for 2-5
years.