Heat Transfer in the Biosphere – Winds and Currents
Similar patterns of heating
and cooling occur in
Earth’s _______.
oceans Cold
water near the poles
______
sinks and then flows
parallel to the ocean floor.
It eventually _____
rises again when it reaches warmer regions
upwelling
in a process called __________.
surface water
At the same time, winds are pushing the _____________
to new areas.
The temperature of the surface currents affects the
weather and climate of nearby ___________.
landmasses
Levels of Ecological Organization
Scientists recognize a
hierarchy of organization in
the environment. Each level
has unique properties that
result from the interactions
among its components.
From broadest to most
specific, these levels are:
1. The biosphere
2. Ecosystems
3. Communities
4. Populations
5. Organisms
The Biosphere
The biosphere is the broadest level of
ecological organization and includes all
other levels.
The biosphere contains the combined
portions of:
the planet in which all life exists,
including land, water, and air.
All organisms are found within the biosphere.
5 to 6 miles above the Earth’s surface to
The biosphere extends _________________
deepest parts of the ocean
the _________________________.
Life is not distributed evenly throughout the biosphere. Most
organisms are found within:
a few meters of the surface of the land or ocean.
Ecosystems
The biosphere is
composed of smaller
units called
ecosystems
___________.
An ecosystem is a
collection of:
all the organisms that
live in a particular
place, together with
their nonliving, or
physical, environment.
As an example, consider a
pond ecosystem.
What living organisms might live
in this ecosystem?
Fish, insects, turtles, plants, algae,
bacteria, protists, amphibians.
List some of the nonliving components of this ecosystem.
a) The level of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in the water.
b) The supply of nitrogen and phosphorous.
c) The pH of the water.
d) The amount of sunlight received by the pond.
The interaction between the physical environment and the
living organisms will affect their survival.
Communities
A community is:
all of the living organisms
found in a particular area.
A community may
contain thousands of
species.
A scientist who studies
communities studies the
interactions between
these living organisms.
In the pond ecosystem
used as an example above,
the fish, insects, turtles,
plants, algae, bacteria,
protists, and amphibians
make up a community.
Populations
•A population includes:
all the members of a
single species that live
in an area.
•Communities are
composed of many
different populations.
Organisms
• This is the ________
simplest level
of organization in
ecology.
• An organismal scientist
would concentrate on
the adaptations that
allow organisms to
overcome the challenges
of their environment.
The Theme
of Ecology
The theme of ecology is
interconnectedness
“_________________”.
No organism is ________.
isolated
All organisms interact with other
___________
organisms in their surroundings and
with the _______________
nonliving portion of their
environment.
The survival of the organism depends on
these interactions.
There is
“interconnectedness”
in each ecosystem.
There is a network in which organisms are
linked to other organisms and to the
nonliving parts of their surroundings.
There is ________________.
interdependence
The members of an ecosystem
are dependent on one another
for their _______.
survival The plants
depend on animals to give off
______________
carbon dioxide so they can
photosynthesis
use it in ______________.
The theme is
interconnectedness
and interdependence.
The animals depend on the
plants as a source of food
_____ as
well as a source of _______
oxygen for
cellular respiration
_________________.
This balance is affected when
“_____________”
disturbances occur.
A disturbance is an event that:
changes a community by removing
organisms from it or altering the
availability of resources.
Disturbances might include:
Fires, floods, droughts, storms, or
human activities.
Disturbances
Ecosystems are affected by a variety of factors.
These factors are divided
into two classes:
1. Biotic factors
2. Abiotic factors
Biotic factors
These include
every living
thing an
organism might
interact with.
Biotic factors are the _______
living
components of the environment and
include all of the:
living things that affect the organism.
Biotic factors affecting a bird
might include:
•
•
•
•
Parasites
Pathogens
Tiny seeds the bird eats
The competition with
other birds for nesting
sites
• A hawk that might prey
on a smaller bird.
Abiotic factors
These are the nonliving
factors that influence or
affect the ecosystem.
Abiotic factors would
include:
Which two abiotic
factors are the major
determiners of the
distribution of
organisms?
Answer:
Temperature and the
availability of water.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
temperature
humidity
pH
salinity
oxygen concentration
amount of sunlight
soil type
rainfall
climate
wind and precipitation.
Abiotic factors and biotic factors are __________
dependent upon
one another.
• The growth of a plant is dependent on getting
nitrogen from the soil.
• The amount of nitrogen in the soil is affected by the
plants that are absorbing the nitrogen.
Biotic and abiotic factors determine the survival and growth of the
organisms and the productivity of the ecosystem.
Habitat -vs- Niche
This
woodpecker
pecks the
tree trunk to
get insects
for food.
This is its
niche.
An organism’s
habitat is its address.
An organism’s niche
is its occupation.
A habitat is where an organism lives.
A habitat involves both _______________
biotic and abiotic factors.
The niche is….
…. a way of life or the role the species plays in
its environment.
The niche is the full range of physical and biological conditions in
which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses
those conditions.
The range of
conditions the
organism can
tolerate.
The type of food
the organism eats.
The number of
offspring it has.
The organism’s
place in the food
chain.
How the organism
obtains its food.
The physical
conditions the
organism needs in
order to survive.
When and how
the organism
reproduces.
No two species can share the
___________________________,
same niche in the same habitat but
they can occupy niches that are very
_______.
similar
Three species of North American
warbler live in the same spruce trees,
different elevations and in
but feed at _________________,
_____________
different parts of those trees.
Each warbler has a different ______
niche
within the forest.
As far as niches go, some organisms are called
“__________”,
__________.”
generalists while others are specialists
The “generalists” are species with broad
_____ niches. They can tolerate:
a range of conditions and use a variety
of resources.
The opossum is a great example of a
generalist. The opossum can live most
anywhere in the United States, and it
will eat whatever is available.
The “specialists” have _______
narrow
niches.
The koala bear eats only one type of
food – the eucalyptus leaves, and can
survive on nothing else.