Ecology Notes

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Ecology Notes
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Ecology

• The study of the interactions among organisms and
  their environment.

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Environment

• Abiotic Factors non-living factors (rocks, air,
  sun, water)
• Biotic Factors Living factors (plants, animals)

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Ecological Organization

• Species one type of living thing
• Population a group of a species
• Community all the populations in an area
• Ecosystem the community and the physical
  environment
• Biosphere the earth

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Autotrophs

• Organisms that make their own food (plants)

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Heterotrophs Organisms that must eat to get
energy (animals)

• Herbivores eat plants
• Carnivores eat animals
• Omnivores eat both plants and animals
• Scavengers eat dead animals
• Decomposers eat dead material/ recycles
  nutrients

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Predator/ Prey Relationship

• Predator does the eating
• Prey gets eaten

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Environmental Limits on Population Size

• Habitat Where an organism lives

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• Niche Role or job of a species. (reduces
  competition)

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• Competition competing for limited resources
  (food, water, space)

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• Growth curve for unlimited or exponential growth.
  

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• Finite resources Limited resources.
• Limiting factors any factor that limits
  population growth. (lack of food, water, space)

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• Carrying capacity The maximum number of species
  a habitat can support.

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Organism relationships

• Symbiosis organisms that live and depend on
  another organism to live.
• Commensalism One benefits, one is neutral
• Mutualism Both benefit
• Parasitism One benefits, one is harmed.

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Energy Flow

• Energy flow All energy comes from the sun.
  Plants turn it into food, animals eat plants,
  animals eat animals
• Only about 10 of energy gets passed on to the
  next organism. 90 gets used up by movement,
  growth, heat, etc.

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• Food Chain a series of organisms through which
  food energy is transferred.

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• Food Web Several interacting food chains.
• Producers autotrophs plants
• Consumers heterotrophs eat the food
• Decomposers break down food

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• Energy Pyramid a diagram showing the amount of
  energy at the different trophic levels

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• Biomass Pyramid diagram showing the amount of
  mass at each trophic level

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Material Cycles

• Carbon Cycle (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen)

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Photosynthesis light CO2 H2O ? glucose O2
Respiration glucose O2 ? energy CO2 H2O
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• Water cycle

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• Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen is in proteins
• N2 not useable
• NO3, NH3 useable by plants and animals

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Ecological Succesion

• The process by which an existing community is
  slowly replaced by another community.
• Primary Succession starts with rocks
• Secondary Succession after a disaster, starts
  with dirt.

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Human Impact

• Renewable resources
• Trees, food
• Non-renewable resources
• Coal, oil, natural gas, metals

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Air Pollution

• From factories, cars
• Problems health problems, acid rain

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Water Pollution

• From garbage, waste from factories, increase
  water temperature
• Problems chemicals are toxic to animals, heat
  decreases the amount of oxygen in the water.
• Nitrates from sewage
• too much algae growth reduces
• oxygen levels

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Biodiversity

• Creates a more stable ecosystem.
• More food options for organisms
• More potential cures for diseases

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Loss of Habitats

• Natural disasters
• Roads, buildings, pollution

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Biological Magnification

• Poison becomes more concentrated in animals as
  you go higher in the food chain.

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Exotic Species

• Foreign plants and animals
• Take food, nests, and other resources from native
  plants and animals.
• Have no predators so population levels are
  uncontrolled.

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Acid Rain

• Caused by Air Pollution
• Acidic water kills vulnerable organisms such as
  fish eggs.

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Greenhouse Effect vs. Global Warming

• Greenhouse effect good
• Our atmosphere traps heat so we dont freeze at
  night
• Global warming bad
• Increased amounts of greenhouse gasses (CO2, H2O,
  CH4) trap more heat and increase the global temp.

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Ozone Layer

• Ozone O3
• Located in upper atmosphere
• Blocks ultraviolet rays which cause cancer
• CFCs break down ozone.