Ecologist: _________________________________
Period: ___________
Date: ___________
ECOLOGY: The study of organisms and how they interact with their environment.
1
VOCABULARY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Biotic: Any living organism in an ecosystem
Abiotic: Nonliving (temperature, soil, water, sun, etc) in an ecosystem
Biome: A large geographic area that has a particular climate and specific plants and animals
Producer: Any organism that can complete photosynthesis
Consumer: Any organism that must consume (eat) other organisms for food
Deciduous: Trees and shrubs that drop their leaves annually
Coniferous: Trees and shrubs that are cone bearing and have needles or scale-shaped leaves
Succession: A natural process that involves a gradual change in the plant and animal communities that live in
an ecosystem
9. Pioneer species: The first species to move into an ecosystem during succession (lichens, mosses, etc)
HOMEWORK: Complete the crossword puzzle below.
Across
2. The first species to move into
an ecosystem during succession
(lichens, mosses, etc)
4. Trees and shrubs that drop
their leaves annually
7. Any living organism in an
ecosystem
8. A large geographic area that
has a particular climate and
specific plants and animals
Down
1. Trees and shrubs that are cone
bearing and have needles or scaleshaped leaves
2. Any organism that can complete
photosynthesis
3. A natural process that involves
a gradual change in the plant and
animal communities that live in an
ecosystem
5. Any organism that must consume
(eat) other organisms for food
6. Nonliving (temperature, soil,
water, sun, etc) in an ecosystem
2
What is a Biome?
A large geographical area that has a particular __________________ and specific ___________ (flora) and
______________________ (fauna).

Climate vs. Weather
o Weather is based on the “behavior” (temperature, rainfall, visibility, humidity, etc) of the
atmosphere over a short period of time (day to day, minute to minute, season to season)
o Climate is based on the average “behavior” of the atmosphere over a LONG period of time
(usually 30+ years)
Climate affects 3 abiotic factors in land biomes:
1.____________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
Use the site: http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/ to fill in the blanks below
Tundra:



Tiaga:



Soil: Permafrost
Temperature: ___________________________
Rainfall: ________________________________
Soil: Low nutrient; rocky
Temperature: ___________________________
Rainfall: ________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Desert:
Grasslands:






Soil: dry soil
Temperature: ___________________________
Rainfall: ________________________________
Soil: supports grasses; fertile
Temperature: ___________________________
Rainfall: ________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
3
Temperate Forest:



Rainforest:



Soil: fertile, supports many trees
Temperature: ___________________________
Rainfall: ________________________________
Soil: low nutrient content
Temperature: ___________________________
Rainfall: ________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Marine:

Freshwater:

Vertical zones:
o _____________
o
_____________
o
_____________
o
_____________
o
_____________
o
_____________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Producers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Consumers:
_______________________________________________
Create a bar graph
Taiga
Tundra
Desert
Grassland
Temperate
Forest
Rain
Forest
Yearly Precipitation in Biomes
Yearly
Precipitation
30-60 cm
0-25 cm
0-25 cm
25-75 cm
75-150 cm
250-400 cm
500
Yearly precipitation (cm)
Biome
Types of freshwater biomes:
o _____________
400
300
200
100
*Answer the questions on
the next page
4
1. Which biome has the most rainfall? Which has the least?
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Which biome do you think supports the largest diversity of life? Explain your answer.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
BIOMES CONTAIN MANY ECOSYSTEMS:
What is an Ecosystem?
It is the interaction of ___________ (organisms – anything living) and ____________(nonliving things
– sunlight, water, rocks, soil, temperature, oxygen) factors working as a system in a community.

COMMUNITY: All of the plants and animals (biotic) that live in an area. Example: A pond
community contains all of the plants and animals that live in that freshwater ecosystem.

HABITAT: The natural home or environment of an animal. Provides all of the resources an
organism needs to survive (both biotic and abiotic)
ECOSYSTEMS CHANGE OVER TIME:
What is Succession?
Gradual change in an ____________________ over a period of time.
2 Types of Succession:
 Primary
o
Starts on barren land with rocks (after lava flow, retreated glaciers)
o
Lichens are usually the PIONEER SPECIES
 Secondary
o Occurs after a disturbance to the land (fire, flood, etc)
o Some plants remain, and this type of succession occurs slightly faster than primary
5
SUCCESSION OF A FOREST
Complete the VENN diagram below:
PRIMARY SUCCESSION
BOTH
SECONDARY SUCCESSION
Lichen is one pioneer species. Explain why it is called a “pioneer.” Use the phrase
“primary succession” in your answer.
_______________________________________________________________________
6
VOCABULARY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Producer – Any organism that can complete photosynthesis
Consumer – Any organism that consumes (eats) another organism for food
Decomposer – Organisms that break down dead organisms (decompose) and return the nutrients to the soil
Scavenger – Organisms that eat dead organisms (*do not break down the nutrients)
Herbivore – Any organism that eats a producer
Carnivore – Any organism that eats a consumer
Omnivore – Any organism that eats both a producer and a consumer
Predator – An organism that feeds on prey
Prey – An organism that is hunted by the predator
Across
2. Any organism that eats both a producer and a consumer
6. An organism that feeds on prey
7. Any organism that eats a producer
8. Organisms that eat dead organisms (*do not break down the nutrients)
Down
1. Any organism that can complete photosynthesis
3. Any organism that consumes (eats) another organism for food
4. Organisms that break down dead organisms (decompose) and return the
nutrients to the soil
5. Any organism that eats a consumer
7
6. An organism that is hunted by the predator
WHAT’S A NICHE?
Every organism has a _____________ ___________ in the ecosystem it lives in.
EVERY ORGANISM WILL FALL INTO ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING NICHES.
1) PRODUCERS – organisms that can ____________ their own food
Example: Plants
2) CONSUMERS – organisms that eat other organisms
A. Herbivores (____________ eaters)
B. Carnivores (____________ eaters)
C. Omnivores (eat __________ AND ____________)
D. Scavenger (eats dead organisms)
3) DECOMPOSERS – organisms that ________ _________ dead organisms into simpler
substances putting nutrients back into the ground - cycling
A. Examples: Some molds, mushrooms, and bacteria
Fill in the correct Niche for each of the organisms listed (omnivore, carnivore, herbivore, etc).
Niche
Organism
Rattlesnake
What the organism eats
Mice, rabbits, toads/frogs
Rabbits
Fruits, nuts, seeds, grass
Shelf Fungus
White-tailed deer
Rotten logs, dead trees, reducing them to
smaller parts
Twigs, leaves, grass, fungus
Grass
Uses sunlight to produce food
Turkey vulture
Dead animals
Raccoon
Fruits, nuts, frogs/toads, crayfish
American toad
Beetles, earthworms, ants
Hawk
Rabbits, mice, squirrels, birds, snakes
Coyote
Deer, raccoons, rabbits, mice
Beetles
Leaves, fruits, ants, seeds, earthworms
8
1. How do you know the organisms you have listed as decomposers, are decomposers?
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. How do you know the organisms you have listed as omnivores, are omnivores?
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. How do you know the organisms you have listed as scavengers, are scavengers?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Problem: Warblers are small, brightly colored insect-eating birds that live in spruce trees in Canada
and the northeastern United States. During the winter, many warblers fly to more southern areas. As a
result, a number of species of warblers may live and feed in the same forest.
Careful observation reveals that each species of warbler looks for food in only certain regions of the
spruce tree. The Cape May warbler, for example, spends its time in the outermost branches at the very
top of the tree. The yellow-rumped warbler, on the other hand, looks for food throughout the bottom
third of the tree. The bay-breasted warbler stays for the most part in the middle branches of the
tree.
1. Are the warblers sharing the same niche? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. How does the behavior of the warblers relate to competition?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. How does the behavior enable five species of these birds to live in the same forest at the same
time? Predict what would happen if this behavior did not exist.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
9
VOCABULARY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Food Chain – Pathway of food and energy through an ecosystem
Food web – Complex network of feeding relationships made up of many interconnected food chains
Energy Pyramid – Graphical model of the flow of energy through an ecosystem
Trophic Level – hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the
food chain
Primary (1st) consumer – consume the producers
Secondary (2nd) consumer – consume the 1st level consumers
Tertiary (3rd) consumer – consume the 2nd level consumers
Top level consumer – highest level consumer
Across
1. Consumes the 2nd level
consumers
4. Pathway of food and
energy through an
ecosystem
7. Consume the 1st level
consumers
8. Complex network of
feeding relationships
made up of many
interconnected food
chains
Down
2. Hierarchical levels in
an ecosystem, comprising
organisms that share the
same function in the food
chain
3. Graphical model of the
flow of energy through an
ecosystem
5. Consume the producers
6. Highest level consumer
10
Food Chain Pathway of __________ and _________ through an Ecosystem (usually a straight line)
Producer
Primary consumer
(Herbivore)
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer
(Carnivore or Omnivore)
Use the chart on page 8 to create your own food chain. Label the trophic levels (primary,
secondary, producer, etc)
Food Web –
Complex __________ of feeding relationships made up of many interconnected food chains
(think of the shape of a spider web – not a straight line)
1. What is the producer in this web?
2. What can producers do that
consumers can not?
3. Give an example of a 2nd consumer.
11
4. Where does all of the energy originally come from in this web?
5. Where do all of the trophic levels end up? (not shown in this web)
Energy Pyramid –
Graphical representation of the flow
of _________ through an ecosystem.
An Energy pyramid’s shape shows
how the amount of useful energy that
enters each level — chemical energy in
the form of food — decreases as it is
used by the organisms in that level.
How does this happen?
10% of the energy moves on to the next
level…90% is used for life processes.
More producers are needed to
sustain a community.
12
VOCABULARY:
1. Adaptation – A process of change by which an organism/species becomes better suited to its environment
2. Natural Selection – The process where organisms better adapted to their environment survive and produce
offspring that will now be better adapted to their environment.
3. Charles Darwin – Naturalist that created the theory of evolution based on natural selection “Origin of Species”
4. Evolution – Gradual change over time, usually the change benefits the species survival
5. Selective Breeding – The intentional breeding of two animals to produce offspring with desirable traits
6. Invasive Species – A species of organism that is not native to an ecosystem and does harm to that ecosystem,
the people, or the economy
Fill in the blanks: Use the words above. They may be used more than once.
1. ___________________ wrote the Origin of Species and developed a theory of
evolution based on the process of natural selection.
2. Bacteria have become resistant to our antibiotics and other medications. These resistant
bacteria reproduce and create offspring with the same resistance. This is an example of
____________________________________________.
3. Since its arrival from Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer has killed thousands of Ash trees.
The Emerald Ash Borer is an example of an ______________________.
4. The process of an organism/species gradually changing over period of time is called
__________________.
5. Camouflage is an example of an _________________. For example, a rabbit (hare) that
lives in the arctic has white fur to blend in with its surroundings.
6. The Golden Doodle is a Golden Retriever male and a Standard Poodle female mated to
produce this mixed breed that does not shed, is intelligent and family-friendly. This is an
example of _______________________________.
7. Galapagos finches all have different types of beaks. During drought, the finches with
the larger beaks surveived better than those with smaller beaks. During rainy times,
more small seeds were produced and the finches with smaller beaks fared better. This is
an example of __________________________.
8. Birds migrating south for the winter for food and breeding grounds, is an
____________ that these animals have to survive.
13
Procedure: You are going to mimic how the variations of Darwin’s finches compete for three different types of
food sources. Natural selection happens when a population changes in response to their environment.
HYPOTHESIS: If I had the ____________________________adaptation, then I would be the most fit for
survival in the environment.
DATA:
HOOKBEAK
ROUND
# of birds
at start of
round
TOTAL # of
food pieces
“eaten”
SPOONBEAK
# of birds TOTAL #
at start of of food
round
pieces
“eaten”
MAGNETBEAK
# of birds
at start of
round
TOTAL # of
food
pieces
“eaten”
HANDBEAK
# of birds TOTAL #
at start
of food
of round pieces
“eaten”
1
2
3
4
5
ANALYSIS:
1. What characteristics, or behavior, make each bird species unique from the other bird species?
_________________________________
2. How did the birds’ characteristics affect their eating habits? Were they able to eat any type of food?
Why or why not?
14
3. If this activity is an example of how native birds lived before and after the arrival of humans to the
area, which rounds represent the “before humans” period? __________________ The “after
humans” period? _________________________________
4. What happened to the native populations after the arrival of the introduced species?
5. For the native populations, was the arrival of an introduced species harmful or helpful? Why?
6. Which bird became extinct first? Explain why it was not adapted for survival.
7. Which bird was best adapted for survival? Why?
8. Define the term extinction.
NATURAL SELECTION and CHARLES DARWIN (Brainpop)
What was Charles Darwin’s main contribution to science?
_______________________________________________________________________
When is a trait most likely to be passed on to the next generation?
_______________________________________________________________________
Use the evolution module at: http://www2.edc.org/weblabs/naturalselection/main.html and
follow the instructions below:
1. Click on the Mice.
Follow the directions in the module.
2. Explain what happened to the brown and yellow mice throughout the module.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Click on the butterfly, complete the module and then click on the finch and complete the
module. How do these modules apply to the concepts of natural selection?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
15
Population – All the members of ________ species in a particular area.
Problem: A certain forest ecosystem is able to support a population of 100 rabbits. One year, a lot of
baby rabbits are born, and the rabbit population soars to 130.
1. What will probably happen to the rabbit population over the course of a year? How might this
occur?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What will happen to the rabbit deathrate? ________________________________________
3. How might the rabbit overpopulation affect other organisms in the forest ecosystem?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
16
Carrying Capacity – a habitat can only sustain a certain ___________ of organisms
1. What is the carrying capacity for Chipmunks in Martic Township? __________________
2. When did chipmunk population grow at the fastest rate? __________________
3. What might make the chipmunk reach its carrying capacity? (in other words, what might LIMIT the
growth of the chipmunks? – why are they not increasing in population?)
____________________________________________________________________________________
Limiting factors – resources (factors) which limit the growth of a population.
Density–dependent factors:
Density-independent factors:
Competition
Unusual weather
Predation
Natural disasters
Parasitism
Seasonal cycles
Disease
Human interaction – logging, damming rivers
17
1. What happens to the lynx population when the snowshoe hare population goes up?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. How would you expect an increasing lynx population to affect the snowshoe hare
population?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What happens to the lynx population when the snowshoe hare population goes down? Why
do you think this happens?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. How can you tell that lynxes feed almost entirely on hares?
__________________________________________________________________
5. What factors, other than its interaction with the lynx might affect the population of
snowshoe hares?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
18
This activity is designed to demonstrate the effect of habitat and food restrictions on a
population. You will role-play, assuming the position of either a FISH or a LIMITING FACTOR.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
You will be placed into two groups.
Each group will go to a different side of the room.
The smaller group will act as the fish and the bigger group will act as the environment.
Hand signals will be demonstrated to class for each limiting factor: air, food, and shelter.
Groups will stand with their backs to one another.
Each person chooses a signal and all at one time students will face each other and show
their signals.
7. The fish must then find someone in the environment that matches their signal in order to
survive. The fish that find a match will take their partner to be a fish. Fish that do not
find a match will die and join the environment.
8. After each round, the teacher will count and record the number of fish.
9. At the end of the activity, record the data in Table 1.
Round Number
Fish Population Size
Round Number
Fish Population Size
1
6
2
7
3
8
4
9
5
10
1. Describe what happens to the Fish population throughout the activity.
2. Is it possible for the Fish population to go extinct? Why or why not?
3. Do you think the limiting factors in this activity (food, oxygen, and shelter) only slow the
population growth when the population reaches a high population density (gets more
crowded)? Why or why not?
19
Diversity of ______________ on Earth – including all of the swimming, flying, crawling,
running, walking and microscopic organisms.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
1. When plant communities are damaged or destroyed, so too are important biological
services that people and other living things depend on. (give off oxygen, shade and
moisture from leaves, hold on to soil prevent mudslides, remove greenhouse gases CO2)
2. _______________ important – penicillin and other antibiotics; Pacific yew tree
produces compounds helpful for cancer patients
3. ________________ ($$$) important – The dollar value of services provided by
ecosystems throughout the world is estimated to be $33 trillion per year. (The value of
all human-produced goods and services per year is about $18 trillion.)
4. Our children will inherit the planet with whatever biodiversity we pass on to them. The
decisions we make as individuals and as a society today will determine the diversity of
genes, species, and ecosystems that remain in the future.
MAJOR CONCERNS:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
________________ – catching faster than they can reproduce
____________ _________ – high demand, low wildlife supply
Heathly soil – 1/3 of soil in last 40 years has been washed away – where does it go?
__________________ – from rainforests to local parks – again, supply vs. demand
Toxic chemicals – from detergents to fertilizers – in every ocean on the planet
F. Greenhouse gases – ___________ _______________
How do we protect the organisms and ecosystems?
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS:
A. Air Pollution Control Act – PA law created to protect humans and the environment against airborne pollutants
including auto exhaust
B. Wild Resource Conservation Act – Created to protect endangered plants and animals
C. Clean Streams Law – Provided PA with the authority to protect streams from pollution and the effects of surface
mining.
D. Growing Greener Act – Funding to protect and preserve farmland and open space, maintain parks, clean up
abandoned mines, restore watersheds, and upgrade sewer systems.
20
The block tower represents an ecological community, for example, the Chesapeake
Bay Community. All of the animals and plants that make up the Chesapeake Bay
are part of the community.
Rules:
1. One member from each tribe will select a block to pull out. We will rotate through the
tribes, until the community collapses. (The class period with the most blocks pulled out,
will be rewarded)
2. When you take out a block, it represents extinction….once you take out the block,
announce the organism to the class. This organism became extinct because of
overfishing, overhunting, overpredation, disease, pollution, loss of habitat, etc. and will
not be returned to the community.
3. You CAN NOT take the top two blocks, these organisms are protected by state and
federal laws to keep them from becoming extinct.
4. You CAN NOT remove the blocks from the bottom, because these are the producers that
are found in every ecosystem – they are the foundation that all communities are built on.
DATA
List the organisms that were pulled out from the community:
1._______________
2._____________________ 3.____________________
4._______________
5._____________________ 6.____________________
7._______________
8._____________________ 9.____________________
10._______________
11._____________________ 12.____________________
13._______________
14._____________________ 15.____________________
What happened when the keystone species was removed?
What happens to the biodiversity of the community?
What was the keystone species?
21