Environmental Science Living Things in Ecosystems

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Environmental ScienceLiving Things in Ecosystems
LaVigne

• Chapter 2
• Notes 1

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The story of Borneo (in Asia)

• DDT killed mosquitoes (that carried malaria)
• DDT also ended up killing the wasps
• Effect- thatch roofs collapsed
• The caterpillars boomed because there were no
  wasps to eat them
• DDT also ended up on cockroaches
• Geckos ate the roaches, got nerve damage, got
  slow enough to be killed by house cats
• The house cats dies of poisoning, allowing the
  rat population to boom

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The story of Borneo (in Asia)

• The rats brought fleas, which brought the plague
• Healthy cats had to be shipped in!

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Ecosystems Everything is connected

• Ecosystem- all organisms in a certain area, along
  with their physical environment
• They are all in the biosphere
• Ex. Deserts, wetlands, coral reefs, etc)
• Often considered isolated unit
• However there are not clear boundaries
• (things can move from one system to another)

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Composition of Ecosystems

• biotic factors living parts of an ecosystem
• animals
• plants
• microorganisms

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Composition of Ecosystems

• Abiotic factors nonliving parts of the
  ecosystem
• Temperature
• Sunlight
• Water supply/humidity
• Soil type/Mineral nutrients

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In an ecosystem there are

• communities
• a group of interacting populations of different
  species
• Ex. In a forest plants, animals,
  microorganisms, etc
• Habitat the place where a living thing lives

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In an ecosystem there are

• population
• a group of individuals of the same species living
  in a particular place
• Ex. All the oak trees in a forest
• Ex. All white tail deer in Michigan

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In an ecosystem there are

• species
• a group of organisms that can produce fertile
  offspring/share common genes therefore resemble
  each other
• Ex. People at a gathering
• Ex. Robins in the forest
• organism
• one individual living thing

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In an ecosystem there are

• niche
• an organisms way of life
• how it fits into its environment
• Relationships
• Reproduction (when, how many)
• Shelter/actuary, etc
• Ex. A dog has puppies, barks at strangers, wants
  to get positive attention from his master, gets
  fleas, sleeps at the foot of the bed, eats dog
  food, etc.)

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In an ecosystem there are