Chapter 54 Intro to Ecology ecology: the study of interactions among organisms and their environments Abiotic Biotic

2 Ecosystem Community Population Organism Organismal Ecology: study interactions of organisms with their abiotic and biotic environments Broken down into 2 areas Physiological Ecology: How they are Physiologically adapted to their environment, and how the environment impacts distribution of species Behavioral Ecology: How behavior of an organism contributes to their survival and reproductive success which can affect the population Why do we study?

Population Ecology: Groups of interbreeding individuals; understand factors that affect a populations growth This includes studying species interactions (predation, competition, and parasitism) Community Ecology studies how populations of species interact and form a community. I.E. Succession; how a community structure changes over time (disturbance) Ecosystem Ecology; formed by interactions between a community and their physical environment Flow of energy and cycling of chemical elements

4 Depiction of factors that might influence locust population size

Examples of abiotic factors Natural predators/enemies Competitors Host plants Outbreak of locusts destroy crops

6 Correlation of locust numbers with predation How would you develop an experiment to test this How many times would you replicate it

7 Actual predator removal experiment Bars = avg. # of locusts Vertical lines give an indication of how tightly the individual results are clustered around the mean. (shorter the lines the tighter the cluster = more confidence)

8 Temperature is an important factor in distribution of organisms Frost is a huge issue for plants Picture shows Saguaro cacti in freeze-free zones Coral Bleaching is caused by High temps Fires can be harmful or helpful depending on the species

9 Earth is warmed by the Greenhouse Effect Solar radiation (short wave) passes through the atmosphere to heat the Earth Long-wave infrared energy radiated back into the atmosphere and absorbed by the atmospheric gases and reflected again to Earth

10 Global Warming/Climate Change You can deny all you want, however leading scientists and the intergovernmental panel on climate change shows that warming of the climate is unequivocal (leaving no doubt) -Increases in global average air and ocean temps (ocean is a heat sink) Present range of sugar maple (blue) potential range with doubled CO2 (red) CO2 levels have increased by 24%

11 Abundance of water effects abundance of organisms Need it to live, form chemical rxns in the body, eliminate waste, support in plants and animals, etc. Light, concentration of salts in soil and water, and PH of soil and water also critical Relationship between amount of rainfall and density of buffalo Based on grass in the Serengeti which depends on rainfall

12 Climate: Includes temperature, wind, precipitation, and light Different latitudinal differences vary incoming solar radiation Canada rays hit obliquely and spread out over more surface than equatorial areas (40% less)

13 Generally temperatures increase as the amount of solar radiation increases However cloudiness and rain play a role at the equator to keep temperatures from being too high

14 Global patterns of atmospheric circulation and precipitation are influenced by solar energy Warm air near the equator create cumulus clouds that provide rainfall As the cells move they encounter dryer less hot air which has little precipitation

15 Elevation of a region influences temperature Mountains? less air pressure Precipitation

16 With the rotation of the Earth winds create ocean currents. i.e. Gulf stream brings warm water from Caribbean and the U.S. across the Atlantic where it meets with the North Atlantic Drift to moderate the climate of Europe.

17 Major Biomes are based on differences in climate Robert Whittaker classified biomes according to the physical factors of average annual precipitation and temperature

18 Geographic location of terrestrial biomes 10 terrestrial biomes

19 Continental Drift and Biogeography (evolution and geological change) Biogeography study of the geographic distribution of extinct and living species Certain continents have same types of climate yet different species of animals and plants Continental drift: slow movement of the Earth’s surface plates (can explain similar fossil animals and plants on different continents) 4 living species of Tapir; fossil evidence shows a European origin ancestor and then a dispersal of Paleotapirus and evolving of Protapirus. Red dot = dying out of Tapirs

20 Alfred Russel Wallace created picture below based on certain plant and animal taxa being restricted to certain geographic areas of Earth

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