Connections in Nature
A. Ecology – from the Greek oikos (“house”
or “place to live”)
B. Ecology is the study of how organisms
interact with one another in their
environment.
C. Ecology deals
mainly with the
interactions
between organisms,
populations,
communities,
ecosystems, and
the biosphere.
A. An organism is a form
of life. Organisms can
be classified into
species.
B. Scientists have no
concrete idea how
many species exist on
earth.
Barking Tree Frog
C. Estimates range between 5 million to 100
million species exist (most microscopic
organisms and insects)
D. So far scientist have named only about 1.4
million species.
A. A population is a
group of individuals of
the same species
occupying a given area
at the same time
B. Ex. Cactus in the
desert, frogs in a pond
C. In most populations individuals of the same
species vary in their genetic make up – they
don’t all look or act alike.
D. This is called genetic diversity
E. Genetic diversity is crucial if a population
is to survive.
F. The place where an
organism normally
lives is its habitat.
G. Populations of all the
different species
occupying a particular
habitat make up a
biological community.
A. An ecosystem is a
community of
different species
interacting with one
another in a non-living
environment
B. The size of an ecosystem is arbitrary and
defined by the system being studied
C. All of the earth’s ecosystems together make
up the biosphere
D. Climate – long term
weather – is the main
factor in determining
what type of life can
live in a certain area.
How is this organism
adapted to the climate
it lives in?
E. Scientists have divided the terrestrial
portion of the the biosphere into biomes.
F. Biomes are large regions characterized by
certain climates and inhabited by certain
types of animals and vegetation.
Tropical rain forest
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest
Tundra
Tropical dry forest
Desert
Northwestern
coniferous forest
Mountains and
ice caps
Tropical savanna
Temperate woodland
and shrubland
Boreal forest
(Taiga)
A. Biodiversity (biological diversity) means
different kinds of life.
1. Genetic diversity – the variability in genetic
make up within a population
2. Species diversity – the variety of species on
earth
3. Ecological diversity – all the different types
of biological communities on earth. Ex.
Wetlands, forests, estuaries.
B. We depend on the “bio-capitol” to survive.
C. All organisms on Earth are interdependent
D. We rely on the environment for water, air,
energy, food, and medicine.
E. The Earth is a precious resource that we
should work to preserve.
Ecology Rocks,
Uh Huh !!
What Do We Find in
Ecosystems
I. The Biosphere can be broken
into two parts
A. Living or biotic
components
Ex. Chameleons,
plants
B. Non –living or abiotic
components
Ex. Rocks, air , water
A. Sometimes called autotrophs (self feeders)
B. Producers can make the nutrients they need to
survive from the compounds in their environment.
C. In land ecosystems most producers are green
plants
D. In aquatic ecosystems most are
phytoplankton (floating
bacteria and protists – mostly
microscopic)
E. Most producers use sunlight to make
food by photosynthesis.
6CO2 + 6H2O + energy -- C6H12O6 + 6O2
F. Though plants do most of the planet’s
photosynthesis, bacteria invented the
process. Photosynthetic bacteria still
exist.
G. A few producers – mainly specialized
bacteria produce nutrients without using
sunlight.
H. Chemosynthesis – heat is used to convert
inorganic compounds into nutrients.
– Ex. Bacteria that live near hot vents on ocean
floor
Producers… Yeah, Yeah,Yeah !
Riftia Tube
Worms:Larvae
attach themselves to
the lava near vents
then build long,
white tubes as they
grow. Each tube
absorbs sulfurous
water that a sac of
bacteria inside the
worm uses to
generate energy and
food for the worm.
A. Consumers or
heterotrophs get their
nutrients from feeding
on the other
organisms.
B. There are several classes of consumers
depending on their food source.
1. Herbivores- plant eaters, called primary
consumers because they feed directly on
other producers
2. Carnivores – meat
eaters, feed on other
consumers
3. Omnivores – eat both
plants and animals
Tertiary consumers
Secondary Consumers
(ex. Fox)
Primary Consumers (ex. Rabbit)
Producers (ex. Grass)
A. The survival of any organism depends on
the flow of energy through its body
B. The community of organisms in an
ecosystem survives by matter recycling and
one way energy flow.
C. Decomposers complete the cycling of
matter by breaking down detritus into
usable nutrients.
We got the
flow!!
A. Too much or too little of any factor in the
environment can limit the growth of a
population, even if all other factors are
present.
B. Limiting factors in land ecosystems
include: temperature, water, light, nutrients.
C. Limiting factors in
aquatic ecosystems
include: salinity,
dissolved oxygen
content, nutrients,
light,and temperature.
D. Carrying capacity is the number of
organisms an area can support based on the
limiting factors present
My, how
Interesting!
A. Symbiosis “living together”
B. Kinds of Symbiosis
1. Mutualism - both species benefit
a. Ex. Ants and the Acacia Tree
i. Ants protect the tree
ii. Tree provides nectar and home
for ants
2. Commensalisms – one organism benefits while the
other is neither helped nor harmed.
a. Ex. Clownfish and Sea Anemones
i.the clownfish is protected
by the nematocysts of the
sea anemone
ii. the sea anemone is
neither helped or harmed.
3. Parasitism – one organism is helped while
the other is harmed.
a. ex. Mosquitoes feed on
the blood of other
animals
That’s the End …Uh!