• Biotic - living organisms
of an ecosystem (bio- =
life)
–
–
–
–
–
Plants
Animals
Fungi
Insects
…etc.
• Abiotic - nonliving
components of an
ecosystem (a- =
without, bio- = life)
–
–
–
–
–
Water
Wind
Precipitation
Soil
…etc.
Organization of Ecosystem
• Population - all the individuals of the same
species living in the same area.
– Area = habitat – place where organism lives
• Community - all the populations living in a
certain area.
• Ecosystem – all the biotic and abiotic parts of an
area.
• Biome – well characterized type of ecosystem
• Biosphere - zone of the Earth that supports all
life.
Interaction of individual and
environment
• Can only live in a certain range of each
environmental factor
– Ex. Temperature, pH, salt, air content, type of diet
etc.
• Graph showing the range which an individual
can live in = Tolerance curve
http://library.thinkquest.org/28343/media/graphics/rangtole.gif
Niche
• Role or job each species has in the ecosystem
• Sum of all the tolerance curves and
interactions with biotic and abiotic factors
– The ranges in which an organism can live for every
abiotic factor
– Interactions with other species
http://nichefinder.maxupdates.tv/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/micro-niche-websites1.jpg
Populations of organisms
• Populations of a species in an area are limited
in number.
– By what?
– Biotic
• Predation, competition, some disease, food
– Abiotic
• Temperature, terrain, elevation, sunlight, water
Limiting Factors – restrict organisms in certain
environments. Affect numbers, distribution,
reproduction, and even existence.
http://digitaljournal.com/img/6/8/7/0/1/4/i/9/5/7/o/Emperor_Penguins.jpg
Populations
• Carrying capacity – based on limiting factors,
the number of organisms in a population that
the environment can support.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d2/SimCity_4_cover.jpg/250px-SimCity_4_cover.jpg
HonorsBiology-ville
• Limiting Factors?
• Carrying capacity?
Population Growth
• How do populations grow when there is a
carrying capacity (there are limiting factors)?
• How would a wild animal population grow?
Our HonorsBiology-ville population?
• What affects population growth
– Birth rate, death rate, immigration, emigration
• S-shaped curve
– Logistic growth
Population Growth
• How would a population grow with no
carrying capacity? No limiting factors?
• What kind of population is this the case for?
– Human population, bacteria, cancer cells
• J-Shaped Curve
– Exponential growth
Everything but humans and bacteria…
• Logistic growth
– Isle Royale National Park – moose and wolves
http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/PressReleases/feature/wolves/moosewolf
Interactions with other species
• In what possible ways can two species
interact? In what ways can two organisms
interact? (relationships at community level)
• Competition
• Symbiosis
– Mutualism
– Commensalism
– Parasitism
• Predation
Interactions with other species
• Competition – organisms who use the same
resources compete for those resources limited amount
– Animals?
– Plants?
http://www.andymumford.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/tree.jpg
Symbiosis
•
•
•
•
Sym- (together), bio- (life), -sis (state of)
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Species One
Effect
Species Two
Effect
+
+
Commensalism
+
0
Parasitism
+
-
Interactions with other species
• Predation
– One animal kills and consumes the other for
energy
http://wallpaper.imcphoto.net/animals/hawk/hunting-hawk.jpg
Mutualism
Species One
Effect
Species Two
Effect
+
+
Commensalism
+
0
Parasitism
+
-
Competition
-
Predation
+
-
Energy Flow
• How do organisms acquire energy?
• Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
– Producer – autotroph, make their own food with
energy from the sun, or earth
• Plants, giant tube worms
http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/deepsea/level-2/geology/vent.jpg
http://campuskitchens.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/plant.jpg
http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/chess/science/images/riftia_crabs_hq.jpg
Energy Flow
• Consumers – heterotrophs, depend on other
organisms for food
– Herbivores
– Carnivores
– Omnivore
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/images/i
c/credit/640x395/h/he/herbivore/herb
ivore_1.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y81iYTkqIA/TkKa7fqBC_I/AAAAAAAAAbI/IWf
NHKdFDAg/s1600/lion-attacks-zebra-calf1.jpg
http://cucinadicarrie.files.wordpress.com/20
11/04/salad.jpg
Energy Flow
• Decomposers – break down and absorb
nutrients from dead organisms
– Ants, vultures, fungi, bacteria
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PVsgqPyZW8/TMuBERW2WkI/AAAAAAAAjb8/0qeIWFCSNW0/s1600/Oyster+mushrooms+on+log.jpg
• Organization of organisms into producers and
consumers = energy pyramid
– Divided into trophic levels
• Higher levels support
fewer organisms – have
less biomass
• 10% rule – only 10%
of the energy in a
trophic level is
transferred to the
above level
http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodweb/xfoodchains.gif
http://schoolworkhelper.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/EnergyPyramid-26a65z5.gif
Food chain
• Shows energy flow from one organism to
another
– The arrow points in the direction of energy flow
Producer
C1
C2
Sun
C4
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rJudWIXTJQ/Tt_BPza86TI/AAAAAAAAAEU/2a9QD4FEoIY/s1600/foodchain.gif
C3
Food web
• Combination of multiple food chains
– All the organisms that eat one organisms, all the
organisms that organism eats, etc.
http://img.sparknotes.com/content/testprep/bookimgs/sat2/biology/0002/foodweb.gif
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2288621.stm
How are organisms impacted by their
environment?
• Air
– Oxygen and
carbon
dioxide
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Water
– Precipitation
and rainfall
http://www.deshow.net/d/file/cartoon/2008-12/bob-ross-landscape-painting-281-28.jpg
Nitrogen Cycle
• Bacteria in soil change nitrogen
into nitrates and nitrites – used to
make proteins. Nitrogen is then
released during decomposition.
http://spacecollective.org/userdata/40gNgVku/1176753936/root_nodules.jpg
http://need-media.smugmug.com/Graphics/Graphics/i-dSkxsCL/0/L/nitrogen-cycle-L.jpg
Phosphorous Cycle
Phosphorus shows up in soil from rock erosion.
The plants obtain P from the soil, animals get
P when they consume plants and when the
animals die they decompose and the P is put
back in the soil.
http://vceenviroscience.edublogs.org/files/2009/09/phosphoruscycle.jpg
Balance
• Species interactions, environmental factors
• Important environmental factors
– Fire
– Flood
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/LodgepolePine_6915.jpg
Succession
• Primary - rise of a community in an area with
virtually no soil and no living organisms. Ex:
volcano, retreating glacier
• Secondary - a disturbance has left soil and a
community arises from that
– Climax community – final stable state of
community
– Eutrophication – energy/nutrients
http://hs-science-systemsibsl.ism-online.org/files/2011/11/eutrophication.jpg
Human Impacts
• Remove predators
• Transfer organisms to new habitats
– Invasive species
• Kudzu
• Upset physical environment
– Habitat destruction
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2011/01/28/2014070369.jpg
http://www.theresilientearth.com/files/images/kudzu-covered-house.jpg
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/images/invasive_species/northern_snakehead_tramm
ell.jpg
http://conservation-issues.co.uk/CIUK%20Gallery/1.%20Environmental%20Issues/slides/Habitat%20Destruction.jpg
Human Impacts
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/02
/assisted-migration/
Global Warming
http://web.ncf.ca/jim/ref/inconvenientTruth/index.html
Biodiversity
• Biodiversity-having a variety of different types
of organisms in an area. Tropical rainforests
and coral reefs are areas with high
biodiversity. (the warmer and more even the
climate the higher the biodiversity).
Biodiversity is important in keeping
ecosystems balanced. (removing certain
species can destroy ecosystem) Humans
prosper from biodiversity: more food, meds,
resources (clothes, furniture)
Human Population as of 2010
World – 6,840,507,000 (over 7 billion now)
U.S. –
308,745,538
N.C. –
9,535,483
Forsyth –
350,670
Kernersville township –
30,386
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/
2011-10-30/world-population-hits-sevenbillion/51007670/1