Ecosystem Ecology

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Ecosystem Ecology

• Studying biotic and abiotic factors, and how they
  interact

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Habitat

• Place where an organism gets its food, shelter
  and water

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What are biotic parts of a habitat?

• For a parasite, thats the host!
• For many other organisms, its the tree, grass or
  root that it lives in
• Under the water, it could also include living
  corals, kelp (sea floor forests) and anemone

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Biotic Habitats Living and deceased organisms
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Living Habitats trees, grasses
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Underwater biotic habitats Living coral
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More underwater biotic habitats Kelp forest
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Importance of Biotic parts of a habitat

• These provide a home, things to eat and
  protection
• They can even change the abiotic parts of an
  ecosystem so organisms can survive better

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what makes up the abiotic parts of a habitat?

• Sunlight
• Air
• Climate
• Currents
• Nutrients and minerals
• Salinity
• Soil, sand, clay, rock
• and thats just the beginning!

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sunlight

• Biotic interactions
• Producers need it
• It has the biggest affect on climate on the
  planet
• Nifty note In water, sunlight is only strong
  enough to allow producers to make food in the
  first 80 m (260 ft)

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climate

• Climate is the average, highs and lows of weather
  in an area over long periods of time.
• How do we describe weather?
• Temperature
• Precipitation (water, hail, snow, sleet)
• Wind speed

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Temperature
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Precipitation
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Windspeed
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Climate and living things

• All organisms are limited by the types of
  climactic conditions they can handle
• populations become adapted to their climates over
  millions of years

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Which is why Global Climate Change is a big
concern
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air

• Whats in it?
• Gases
• Humidity
• heat
• Pollution ?
• Biotic interactions

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currents

• Definition
• Found in
• Importance currents can change temperature,
  moisture, nutrients, minerals, making it possible
  or impossible to live

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Nutrients and minerals

• Nutrient
• Mineral
• Where to find them living things ground, in
  rocks, or dissolved in water
• Importance living things need things like
  proteins, fats, carbs, sodium, calcium, zinc,
  iron, and much more to live

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salinity

• Definition
• Water types
• Brine
• Saline water (sea or ocean water)
• Brackish
• Fresh
• Importance most aquatic organisms are adapted to
  be able to use or get rid of salt if they live in
  salt water

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Salinity continued
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Soil, sand, clay and rock

• Organisms are adapted to these some get
  minerals, some get shelter in it, some cling to
  them

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Sum up

• Biotic and abiotic parts of an organisms habitat
  make up its ecosystem
• These include

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Final Things

• Theres a word that describes ALL these
  interactions for an organism
• Interactions with its population
• Interactions with its community
• And interactions with its ecosystem

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Niche

• The relationship of an organism to its biotic and
  abiotic ecosystem
• Population interactions social
  organization/behavior, mating and child-rearing
  behavior
• Community interaction How it interacts in the
  food web (predators/prey), with parasites and
  competitors
• Ecosystem interaction where it lives (biotic and
  abiotic habitat)

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Niche Behavior, Interactions and Habitat
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1 Species per Niche!

• Only 1 species can occupy a niche in an ecosystem
  at a time.
• 2 species can share parts of a niche (i.e. both
  live in the same tree) and coexist
• If 2 species have the same niche, one will be
  superior to the other in using the niche and the
  other will die out or have to move out/change

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The end