2 Principles of Ecology
ENCOUNTER THE PHENOMENON
Write the Encounter the Phenomenon question for this module.
Use the “What I Know” column to list the things you know about the Encounter the Phenomenon
question. Then list the questions you have about the Encounter the Phenomenon question in the
“What I Want to Find Out” column. As you read the module, fill in the “What I Learned” column.
K
What I Know
thorns
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birds
W
What I Want to Find Out
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L
What I Learned
ants
Principles of Ecology
1 Organisms and Their Relationships
NEW VOCABULARY
abiotic factor
Use the vocabulary words in the left margin to complete the graphic
organizer below. List the biological levels from largest to smallest.
biological community
Levels of Organization
biome
biosphere
biotic factor
commensalism
ecology
ecosystem
habitat
limiting factor
Compare the terms in the tables by defining them side by side.
habitat
niche
abiotic factor
biotic factor
mutualism
niche
parasitism
population
predation
symbiosis
tolerance
symbiosis
mutualism
parasitism
predation
Get It? Describe some of the interactions that occur between living
and non-living things in your community.
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commensalism
1 Organisms and Their Relationships (continued)
Get It? Explain how physical and computer models can help design
a solution for an ecological problem.
Get It? Define the term biosphere.
Get It? Compare and contrast abiotic and biotic factors for a plant
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or animal in your community.
Identify each level of organization that is described.
a group of organisms of the same species in
the same geographic location
interacting populations
an individual living thing made of cells
a community and abiotic factors that affect it
a group of ecosystems with the same climate
and similar communities
Get It? Infer what other types of biomes might be found in the
biosphere if the one shown in Figure 7 is called a marine biome.
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1 Organisms and Their Relationships (continued)
Create a tolerance graph similar to the Tolerance of Steelhead Trout
figure in your book. Title your graph Tolerance of Plant A. Label the
zones. Then label the limits of each zone according to the facts about
Plant A listed below.
• can live at an elevation
between 1,000 and 2,000 m
• can live at an elevation
between 5,000 and 6,000 m
• cannot live above 6,000 m
• grows best between 2,000
and 5,000 m
• cannot live below 1,000 m
Get It? Compare and contrast a habitat and a niche.
Describe mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism by providing an
example of each term.
1.
2.
3.
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Community Interactions
1 Organisms and Their Relationships (continued)
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Predict how unfavorable abiotic and biotic factors affect a species.
2. Identify how temperature is a limiting factor for polar bears.
3. Describe how ranges of tolerance affect the distribution of a species.
4. Differentiate between the habitat and niche of an organism that is found in your
community.
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5. Interpret Figure 6 and predict the general growth trend for steelhead trout in a
stream that is 22˚C.
6. Graph the following data to determine the range of tolerance for catfish. The first
number in each pair of data is temperature in degrees Celsius; the second number is
the number of catfish found in the stream: (0, 0); (5, 0); (10, 2); (15, 15); (20, 13); (25, 3);
(30, 0); (35, 0). Choose an appropriate scale and units for your graph.
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Principles of Ecology
2 Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem
NEW VOCABULARY
autotroph
Use your book to fill in vocabulary terms in this paragraph about
food chains.
biomass
In a
carnivore
detritivore
food chain
food web
herbivore
, matter and energy move from
to
. A food chain is made of several steps; each organism
in the food chain represents a step called a
A(n)
.
is a heterotroph that eats only plants, whereas a
preys on other heterotrophs. A(n)
eats both
heterotroph
plants and animals. Nutrients are returned to the soil, air, and water by
omnivore
. A model that shows all the possible feeding
trophic level
relationships at each trophic level is called a
. If you were a
scientist and you wanted to determine the weight of living matter at a
certain trophic level, you would measure the
.
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Science Notebook • Principles of Ecology
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2 Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem (continued)
Energy in an Ecosystem
Summarize three ways that organisms get energy by completing
the table.
Type of
Organism
Autotrophs
Other
name(s) for
this type
Food
comes
from
Chemical
reactions
that occur
consumers, herbivores, no other
carnivores, scavengers, name
omnivores
1.
2.
3.
The organisms that are
eaten release energy
and molecules for the
consumer’s body.
The organisms
that are
decomposed
release
energy and
molecules for
the
decomposer’s
body.
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Examples
Classify each of the following organisms as an autotroph or a
heterotroph. Put an A in front of those that are autotrophs and an
H in front of those that are heterotrophs.
1. Alligator
5. Moss
9. Dandelion
2. Squirrel
6. Siberian tiger
10. Rabbit
3. Maple tree
7. Daffodil
11. Tomato
4. Whale
8. Rhinoceros
12. Cockroach
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2 Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem (continued)
Models of Energy Flow
Contrast a food chain with a food web.
State three things that an ecological pyramid shows that food webs
and food chains do not show.
Create a food web and name the organisms you include. Indicate
each organism’s trophic level.
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SUMMARIZE
Analyze your place in the food chain in which you participate. Use the vocabulary terms from
this section that apply to you.
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2 Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem (continued)
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Distinguish producers, consumers, and decomposers from one another.
2. Illustrate the flow of energy through a simple food chain that ends with a lion as the final consumer.
3. Classify a pet dog as an autotroph or heterotroph and as an herbivore, carnivore, or
omnivore. Explain.
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4. Create and use a simple food web to identify producers, consumers, and
decomposers in your community.
5. Draw an energy pyramid for a food chain made up of grass, a caterpillar, tiger
beetle, lizard, snake, and a roadrunner. Assume that 100 percent of the energy is
available for the grass. At each stage, calculate and show how much energy is lost
and how much is available to the next trophic level.
6. Write a paragraph that explains the pathway of energy transfer through the pyramid
of energy shown in Figure 16.
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Principles of Ecology
3 Cycling of Matter
REVIEW
VOCABULARY
cycle
Recall the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
cycle
NEW VOCABULARY
Use your book to define each vocabulary term.
matter
matter
nutrient
biogeochemical cycle
nitrogen fixation
nutrient
denitrification
biogeochemical cycle
nitrogen fixation
denitrification
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Science Notebook • Principles of Ecology
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3 Cycling of Matter (continued)
Create mini-models for each cycle of matter in nature. Use words or
pictures to sketch a simple example for each type of cycle to show
the movement of matter.
A. The Water Cycle
B. The Carbon Cycle
C. The Nitrogen Cycle
D. The Phosphorus Cycle
(short-term and long-term)
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Cycles in the Biosphere
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3 Cycling of Matter (continued)
Describe each of the cycles in nature. Identify where each cycle is
found, how organisms use them, and what key words relate to them.
Water
Carbon/
oxygen
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Where
found
How
used
Key
words
in the
cycle
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Get It? Identify three processes in the water cycle.
3 Cycling of Matter (continued)
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Name four important biogeochemical processes that cycle matter.
2. Analyze the movement of carbon through the abiotic and biotic parts of the carbon cycle.
3. Identify the living and non-living parts of the nitrogen cycle.
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4. Compare and contrast the role of plants in the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
5. Describe how phosphorus moves through the biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem.
6. Describe the role of sunlight and other forms of energy in the water and carbon
cycles.
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