Ecology

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Ecology
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
 Ecology
then means the Study of the
“House” in which we live.
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
 Ecology
then means the Study of the
“House” in which we live.
 Study of the interactions between
organisms and the nonliving
components of their environment.
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
 Ecology
then means the Study of the
“House” in which we live.
 Study of the interactions between
organisms and the nonliving
components of their environment.
(The Earth includes a tremendous
variety of living things. Each organism
depends in some way on other living
and nonliving things in its
environment.)
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
Ecology then means the Study of the
“House” in which We Live.
 Study of the Interactions between
Organisms and the Nonliving Components
of their Environment.
(The Earth includes a tremendous variety of
living things. Each organism depends in
some way on other living and nonliving
things in its environment. )
(Ecology involves collecting information
about organisms and their environment,
looking for patterns, and seeking to explain
these patterns.)

BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS
 An
Ecosystem possesses both
LIVING COMPONENTS OR BIOTIC
FACTORS and NONLIVING OR
ABIOTIC FACTORS.
The Nonliving Factors, called
Abiotic Factors
 Physical
and Chemical Characteristics
of the environment.
 They include Solar Energy (Amount
of Sun Light), Oxygen, CO2, Water,
Temperature, Humidity, pH, and
availability of Nitrogen.
The Living Components of the
environment are called
Biotic Factors
 They
include all the Living Things
that affect an organism.
 Biotic Components are often
categorized as Producers,
Consumers, and Decomposer.
All the things that go into an
Ecosystem
Earth's Biomes:
 very
large geographical areas
described by their climate, soil,
flora, and fauna.
Terrestrial Biomes/Land biomes
 Terrestrial
biomes are described
the by their average rainfall,
temperature, and major plants
and animals.
Terrestrial Biomes/Land biomes
 Terrestrial
biomes are described
the by their average rainfall,
temperature, and major plants
and animals.
 Because environmental factors
change gradually over a landscape,
biomes seldom have distinct
boundaries.
Terrestrial Biomes/Land biomes
 Terrestrial
biomes are described
the by their average rainfall,
temperature, and major plants
and animals.
 Because environmental factors
change gradually over a landscape,
biomes seldom have distinct
boundaries.
 As climate varies, one biome
gradually changes into another.
Terrestrial Biomes/Land biomes
Terrestrial biomes are described the by their
average rainfall, temperature, and major
plants and animals.
 Because environmental factors change gradually
over a landscape, biomes seldom have distinct
boundaries.
 As climate varies, one biome gradually changes
into another.
 Your textbook lists eight "major" biomes and
their characteristics.
(Scientists do not even agree on the number of
terrestrial biomes represented on Earth.)

Terrestrial Biomes/Land biomes




Arctic Tundra
is found across
northern Alaska,
Canada, and
Siberia.
This biome has
long cold winters
and short cool
summers.
The Arctic tundra
has low
precipitation (less
than 10 inches per
year) and dry
winds.
These conditions
make the Arctic
tundra a desertlike climate
Tundra
Tundra is dark green
One unique characteristic of the
Arctic tundra is permafrost
Permafrost is ground that is permanently
frozen
 Because the permafrost has no cracks or
pores, nothing can penetrate it--neither
plant roots nor water.
 The surface layer above the permafrost
thaws each summer- active layer.
 Thickness of the active layer depends on
its location in the tundra.
 The more northerly the location, the
thinner the active layer is.

Arctic Tundra: Animals
 Not
many kinds of
animals live year-round
in the Arctic tundra.
 Most birds and
mammals only use the
tundra as a summer
home.
Arctic Tundra: Animals
Animal adaptations


Migration and hibernation
are examples of behavioral
adaptations used by
animals in the Arctic
tundra.
The fact that many animals
do not live year-round in
the tundra means they
leave or migrate for a
length of time to warmer
climates.
Arctic Tundra: Animals




Hibernation is a combination of
behavioral and physical
adaptations.
For example, during the
summer the brown bear's
behavior is to eat just about
anything it can find; then it
hibernates, or sleeps, during
the winter.
The bear's physical adaptation
allows the food eaten during
the summer to be stored as a
layer of fat underneath its skin.
The layer of fat insulates the
bear from the cold. While in
hibernation the fat is slowly
converted into energy that
maintains life.
A physical adaptation used by the
Musk Ox




A physical adaptation
used by the Musk Ox is
the growth of two layers
of fur--one short and the
other long.
Air is trapped in the short
layer of fur and is warmed
by body heat.
The warmed air, trapped
close to the body, acts as
insulation from the cold.
The layer of long fur
protects the Musk Ox from
the wind and water.
A physical adaptation used by the
Musk Ox


In addition to thick
layers of fur, the Musk
Ox relies on another
physical adaptation to
help it survive.
The hooves of the
Musk Ox are large and
hard. During the
winter months, this
adaptation allows the
Musk Ox to break the
ice and drink the
water underneath.
Arctic Tundra: Plants


Only plants with shallow
root systems grow in
the Arctic tundra
because the permafrost
prevents plants from
sending their roots
down past the active
layer of soil.
The active layer of soil
is free from ice for only
50 to 90 days.
Arctic Tundra: Plants
Arctic plants have a very short growing
season.
 However, in spite of the severe conditions
and the short growing season, there are
approximately 1,700 kinds of plants that
live in the Arctic tundra.
 mosses, lichens, low-growing shrubs, and
grasses--but no trees.
 "tundra" is a Finnish word which means
"treeless".

Arctic Tundra:
Plant Adaptations
Growing close together and low to the
ground.
 This growing pattern helps the plant
resist the effects of cold temperatures
and reduce the damage caused by the
impact of tiny particles of ice and snow
that are driven by the dry winds.

reindeer moss
Cottongrass
Labrador tea
Reindeer on the tundra
Tundra- the end
Ol' MOSSY HORNS!
He either neutered
himself jumping over a
fence or his privates
never developed.
 Either way the end
result was a very
untypical growth of his
horns.
 The imbalance in
hormones seems to
have prevented him
from dropping his horns
each season.

Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
 Mid-latitude
temperate forests have
both a warm and a cold season.
 Precipitation ranges from 30 to 60
inches
 Much of the human population lives
in this biome.
 Although evergreens are found in
this biome, this biome is
characterized by an abundance of
deciduous trees.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Just as the name implies, these deciduous
trees shed their leaves each fall.
 Lying on the forest floor, the leaves decay.
As the leaves decompose, the nutrients
contained in the leaves are absorbed by
the soil.
 The soils of this biome tend to be very
fertile. Because this biome has fertile soil
and a long, 5 to 6 month, growing season,
many deciduous forests have been
converted into agricultural regions.

Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Plants
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Flora

Deciduous" means
to fall off, or shed,
seasonally.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Animals

A wide variety of
mammals, birds,
insects, and
reptiles can be
found in a
temperate forest
biome.
Animal Adaptations
 While a wide variety of birds migrate, many of
the mammals hibernate during the cold winter
months when food is in short supply.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Animals
Animal Adaptations
 Another behavioral
adaptation some animals
have adopted is food
storage. The nuts and
seeds that are plentiful
during the summer are
gathered by squirrels,
chipmunks, and some
jays, and are stored in
the hollows of trees for
use during the winter
months.
 Cold temperatures help
prevent the
decomposition of the
nuts and seeds.
Fauna: Temperate Deciduous
Forest
North American herbivores include whitetail deer, gray squirrel, and chipmunk.
 Omnivores include raccoon, opossum,
skunk, and black bear.
 Carnivores have been largely eliminated
through the deliberate effort of humans
but should include timber wolves,
mountain lions, and bobcats. The coyote,
native to the western grasslands and
deserts, has recently dispersed east and
taken over the niche of its departed
cousin, the timber wolf.

Fauna:
Temperate
Deciduous
Forest
Fauna: Temperate Deciduous
Forest

Animal
Adaptations
Migration and
hibernation are two
adaptations used
by the animals in
this biome.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Desert or Desertscrub
 Depending
on its
geographical
location, the annual
precipitation in a
desert varies from
half an inch to as
much as 15 inches.
Deserts cover about one fifth of the
Earth’s surface
Desert

Deserts can be either hot such as the
Australian Desert or cold such as the Gobi
Desert
Desert: Climates of the Earth
Deserts of North America
Mohave Desert
Sonoran Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Great Basin Desert
Desert: Animals
 deserts
are home to
many reptiles,
insects, birds, and
small mammals
Desert: Animal adaptations
The most universal behavioral adaptation
used by small mammals, reptiles, and
insects to deal with high temperatures is
staying in the shadow of plants or rocks
 These animals also seek shelter by
burrowing into the ground.
 Another behavioral adaptation used by
desert animals is to remain inactive during
the hot daylight hours.
 They hunt at night when temperatures are
cool and when there is less risk of losing
precious body water- nocturnal.
 Some animals get all of the water they
need from the insects, bulbs, and seeds
they eat.

Desert: Plants
 Short
grasses, sagebrush, creosote
bushes, and cacti
Desert: Plant adaptations
Because of the dry climate, plants have
developed a number of different methods
of capturing water.
 Some plants have developed long (20-30
foot) taproots that go deep into the
ground and tap into groundwater sources.
 Horizontal root systems lie just below the
surface and extend far beyond the plant
canopy. When it rains the numerous tiny
roots capture the water.
Desert: Plant adaptations
Another common physical
adaptation is the ability of
desert plants to store
water in their roots,
stems, leaves, or fruit.
 Plants that store water in
this way are referred to
as succulents, and they
include cacti.

Desert: Plant adaptations
Desert plants retain moisture by limiting water loss
through their leaf surface.
Many plants accomplish this by adapting the size,
sheen, or texture of their leaves.
Small leaves or spines limit the amount of surface
area exposed to the drying heat.
Glossy leaves reflect the Sun's radiant heat
reducing leaf temperatures and evaporation
rates.
Waxy leaves prevent moisture from escaping.
Water escapes from leaves through the stomata,
or leaf pores.
A behavioral adaptation used by some plants is to
only open leaf pores during the night when air
temperature is cool and evaporation rate is low.
Desert
Desert
Camel Spiders in the Desert of Iraq
Tropical Forest
The tropical rainforest
is a hot, moist biome
found near Earth's
equator.
 Tropical rainforests
receive from 60 to
160 inches of
precipitation annually
 Tropical rainforests
contain the greatest
biodiversity in the
world.
 15 million species of
plants and animals
live within this biome.

Tropical Rainforest: Animals
One of the reasons for this great variety of
animals is the constant warmth.
 Tropical rainforests also provide a nearly
constant supply of water and a wide variety
of food for the animals.
 monkeys, birds, snakes, rodents, frogs, and
lizards are common in the tropical rainforest.
 Many of these animals and a multitude of
insects never set foot on the ground.
 The animals use the tall trees and understory
for shelter, hiding places from their
predators, and a source of food.

Tropical Rain Forest



Toucans have adapted
by developing long,
large bill.
This adaptation allows
this bird to reach fruit
on branches that are
too small to support
the bird's weight.
The bill also is used to
cut the fruit from the
tree.
Tropical Rainforest: Plants


Although tropical
rainforests receive 12
hours of sunlight
daily, less than 2% of
that sunlight ever
reaches the ground.
The tropical rainforest
has dense vegetation,
often forming three
different layers--the
canopy, the
understory, and the
ground layer.
Tropical Rainforest: Plant
adaptation


Plant survival in a
tropical rainforest
depends on the plant's
ability to tolerate
constant shade or to
adapt strategies to
reach sunlight.
Fungus is a good
example of an
organism that
flourishes in warm,
dark places created by
the forest canopy and
understory.
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga
This is where you live!!!
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga
 boreal
forest or taiga.
 The taiga biome is found in the
northern hemisphere close to the
polar region.
 This cold biome stretches across the
northern portions of North America,
Europe, and Asia.
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga
 Winters
are long and cold, and the
summers are short and cool.
 Precipitation is moderately high
throughout the year with snow
occurring during the winter months.
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga
Taiga or boreal forest is home to
thriving mosses
Taiga: Animals
 moose,
deer, and
bears, bobcats,
squirrels,
chipmunks, ermine,
and moles.
Taiga: Animals
Animal adaptations
Most animals migrate to warmer climates
once the cold weather begins.
 Some animals have adapted to life in the
taiga by hibernating when temperatures
drop.
 Other animals have adapted to the
extreme cold temperatures by producing a
layer of insulating feathers or fur to
protect them from the cold.

Taiga: seasonal change


adaptation of a seasonal
change in color of feathers
or fur protects the animal
from its predators
The ermine, a small
mammal, is a good
example of this adaptation.
Its dark brown summer
coat changes to white in
the winter. This adaptation
helps the ermine blend into
its surroundings and makes
it more difficult for the
ermine's predators to spot
them.
Taiga: Plants
 conifer-trees
that have
cones.
 Three of the common
conifers are evergreens;
spruce, fir, and pine.
 broadleaf trees- birch
and aspen
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga Larch/Tamarack
The
fourth common conifer is the tamarack, or larch, a deciduous tree.
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga
 Plant
adaptations
 Growing new leaves takes a lot of
energy.
 By keeping their leaves, the
evergreens are able to use that
limited energy for structural growth
rather than producing leaves.
Temperate Coniferous Forest or
Taiga
Spruce-bog of the taiga.
Typical glacial lake of the taiga
Savanna
A
savanna is a rolling grassland
scattered with shrubs and isolated
trees, which can be found between a
tropical rainforest and desert biome.
Not enough rain falls on a savanna to
support forests. Savannas are also
known as tropical grasslands. They
are found in a wide band on either
side of the equator on the edges of
tropical rainforests.
Savanna
Savanna

Savannas have warm temperature year
round. There are actually two very
different seasons in a savanna; a very
long dry season (winter), and a very wet
season (summer). In the dry season only
an average of about 4 inches of rain falls.
Between December and February no rain
will fall at all. Oddly enough, it is actually
a little cooler during this dry season. But
don't expect sweater weather; it is still
around 70° F.
Savanna

In the summer there is lots of rain. In Africa the
monsoon rains begin in May. An average of 15 to
25 inches of rain falls during this time. It gets hot
and very humid during the rainy season. Every
day the hot, humid air rises off the ground and
collides with cooler air above and turns into rain.
In the afternoons on the summer savanna the
rains pour down for hours. African savannas have
large herds of grazing and browsing hoofed
animals. Each animal has a specialized eating
habit that reduces compitition for food.
Savanna
Savanna
Savanna

There are several different types of savannas
around the world. The savannas we are most
familiar with are the East African savannas
covered with acacia trees. The Serengeti Plains of
Tanzania are some of the most well known. Here
animals like lions, zebras, elephants, and giraffes
and many types of ungulates(animals with
hooves) graze and hunt. Many large grass-eating
mammals (herbivores) can survive here because
they can move around and eat the plentiful
grasses. There are also lots of carnivores (meat
eaters) who eat them in turn.
Savanna
Savanna Plants
Savanna Animals
Temperate Grasslands
Temperate Grasslands
Temperate Grasslands
Temperate Grasslands
Chaparral
Chaparral
 The
chaparral biome is found in a
little bit of most of the continents the west coast of the United States,
the west coast of South America, the
Cape Town area of South Africa, the
western tip of Australia and the
coastal areas of the Mediterranean.
Chaparral
Chaparral
 Lay
of the land: The chaparral biome
has many different types of terrain.
Some examples are flat plains, rocky
hills and mountain slopes. It is
sometimes used in movies for the
"Wild West".

Most chaparral areas formed where humans once destroyed
forests and ruined soil. Because these forests could not
regrow in the nutrient poor soil, chaparral plants took over.
Most of the Macchia was formed this way. Although
scientists believe that the Macchia probably always existed
on the Mediterranean coast, it later took over inland regions
and mountain slopes only after forests were destroyed by
humans. More than 3,000 years ago as the Mediterranean
became more populated, people started rapidly cutting
down forests to use the land for grazing their animals. The
land was eventually over-grazed the soil lost all of its
nutrients. With no plants left to hold the soil together, it
was easily eroded away by wind and rain. This was when
the Macchia took over the thin, almost desert-like soil.
Succession caused by humans put the Macchia right into
the climax stage, where it thrives today.
Chaparral
 Chaparral
is characterized as being
very hot and dry. As for the
temperature, the winter is very mild
and is usually about 10 °C. Then
there is the summer. It is so hot and
dry at 40 °C that fires and droughts
are very common.
Chaparral
 Fortunately,
the plants and animals
are adapted to these conditions.
Most of the plants have small, hard
leaves which hold moisture. Some of
these plants are poison oak, scrub
oak, Yucca Wiple and other shrubs,
trees and cacti.
Chaparral Plants
Chaparral Animals
 The
animals are all mainly grassland
and desert types adapted to hot, dry
weather. A few examples: coyotes,
jack rabbits, mule deer, alligator
lizards, horned toads, praying
mantis, honey bee and ladybugs.
Chaparral Animals
Ocean Zones
Marine regions cover
about three-fourths of
the Earth’s surface and
include oceans, coral
reefs, and estuaries.
 Marine algae supply
much of the world’s
oxygen supply and take
in a huge amount of
atmospheric carbon
dioxide.
 The evaporation of the
seawater provides
rainwater for the land.

Freshwater wetlands
The end
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