Ecology

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Ecology
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What is Ecology?

• Study of interactions between organisms and
  between organisms and their environment.

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What is the biosphere?

• Those portions of the earth ( above, below and
  in) where living things are found.

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Web of Interdependence?

• How we are dependent upon each other and the
  environment around us.
• What nonliving things in their environment do
  organisms interact with?

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• In what ways are these nonliving things essential
  to organisms?

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• What evidence do you see that people in our
  society today are aware of the interdependence of
  living things?

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Levels of Organization

• Organism
• Species
• Population
• Community
• Ecosystem
• Biome

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Ecological Methods

• Observing
• Experimenting
• Modeling

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Compare/Contrast Table
Section 3-1
Ecological Methods
Observation
Experiment
Model Building
Sites
Measuring Tools
Magnifying Tools
Written Record
Chemical Testing
Computer/ Calculators
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Assignment for Tomorrow!

• Answer questions 1-3 on page on page 65. Due
  tomorrow at the beginning of the period.

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Feeding Relationships in an Ecosystem!!!

• Remember
• Energy only flows in one direction it cannot be
  recycled

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What does this mean to You?

• Once it is used it is gone. We need to be good
  stewards!

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What is a Food Chain?

• A series of steps where energy is transferred
  from one organism to the next.
• Give Examples

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Look at Figure 3-7 What kind of Food Chain?
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What is a Food Web?

• All the food chains in a particular area
• Ex. Give an example of a forest ecosystem.

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What is a trophic Level?

• trophic food or nourishment
• each level of the food chain or food web is
  called a trophic level.

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• 1st Trophic level ?
• 2nd, 3rd, 4th Trophic levels
• Food Chain grass?pheasant?coyote? cougar
• Berries?Bear
• Algae?phytoplankton?fish?squid?Whale

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Ecological Pyramids

• Energy show amount of energy.
• Biomass
• Numbers

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Energy Pyramid

• 1/10 of the energy available in one trophic level
  is passed on to the organisms at the next trophic
  level.

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• Ex. 1/10 of energy made by plants ends up stored
  in the muscles of cows.
• AND 1/10 or 1 of that energy is the meat is
  transferred to us when we eat their meat.

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Biomass Pyramid

• Biomass the total amount of living tissue in a
  trophic level.
• Measured in grams/ unit area.
• Represents amount of food available at each level.

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biomass
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Pyramid of Numbers

• Based on numbers of organisms at each trophic
  level.
• Not always are the numbers the same as a biomass
  and energy pyramid.
• Ex. Forest fewer producers than consumers.
  Why?

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Numbers
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Cycles of Matter

• Matter can be recycled

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Basic Information

• 95 of body made up of oxygen carbon, hydrogen
  and nitrogen.
• All are common but must in a form living things
  can use.

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• Matter can be recycled between ecosystems
• a. Matter is changed between organisms.
• b. Ex. Oxygen you are breathing may have been
  breathed in many years ago.

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Water Cycle

• Water moves between ocean, land and air
• Water enters atmosphere from soil, leaves and
  water via EVAPORATION!

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• Water leaves plant leaves via TRANSPIRATION
• Water cools and becomes a liquid again via
  ?CONDENSATION
• Water falls to ground via?PRECIPITATION

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• Finally water runs off or seeps into the soil.
• What are two ways water can enter the atmosphere?
• What process moves water through the cycle from
  air to ground?

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Nutrient Cycles

• Nutrient a chemical substance and organism
  needs to live

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Basic information

• Producers get nutrients from the soil
• Consumers get it from eating other organsims.
• Nutrients get recycled

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• Nutrient Cycles
• a. Carbon
• b. Nitrogen
• c. Phosphorus

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Carbon Cycle

• Carbon main element in living tissue.
• 1. ex. Calcium carbonate makes up animal
  skeletons.

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• Biological processes
• 1. photosynthesis takes in CO2
• 2. Respiration releases CO2
• 3. Decomposition releases and takes up
  CO2

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• Geochemical processes
• 1. volcanic activity and erosion release
  CO2 to the atmosphere and the oceans.
• Biochemical Processes
• 1. breakdown of dead organisms and pressing
  into fossil fuels store carbon

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• Human Activities
• 1. Burning fossil fuels (homes, cars,
  factories), cutting and burning forests, mining
  release carbon dioxide to air.

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Phosphorus Cycle

• Phosphorus is part of DNA and RNA
• Phosphorus not common in biosphere and does not
  enter the atmosphere

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• Remains mainly in land, rock, and ocean
  sediments.
• Two main cycles ocean to land cycle and land to
  animal to land cycle

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Nitrogen Cycle

• Nitrogen necessary to make amino acids build
  proteins
• Nitrogen 78 in atmosphere,
• NH3 ammonia, NO3 nitrate ions, NO2 wastes of
  many organisms.

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• Only certain bacteria can use nitrogen in the air
  animals and plants cant
• Nitrogen fixing bacteria live in roots of
  legumes take nitrogen out of air and fix it
  into ammonia

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• Other bacteria change the ammonia into nitrates
  and nitrites which can be used by the plant to
  make proteins.
• Consumers use proteins to make their own proteins.

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• Dead organic matter is broken down and nitrogen
  returned to the soil and bacteria return some of
  it back to atmosphere process called
  denitrification.

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Nutrient Limitation

• Primary Productivity the rate at which organic
  matter is created by producers.
• Look at available nutrients limited supply,
  then matter cant be produced.

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• Limiting Nutrient a nutrient that is in short
  supply which limits and organisms growth.
• Oceans are considered nutrient poor.
• Too much of a nutrient nitrogen can produce an
  algal bloom