What is Ecology?  How organisms interact with one another and with their nonliving environment  Study of CONNECTIONS

What are Organisms? EukaryotesProkaryotes

Ecological Organization Individual Species are groups of organisms that resemble one another Populations Group of interacting individuals of the same species Communities Populations of different species occupying the same place Ecosystems Community interacting with one another and nonliving environment Biomes Regions made up of ecosystems Biosphere Zone of earth where life is found Fig. 4-2 p. 66

Earth’s Life-Support Systems  Atmosphere  Troposphere 11 miles above sea level  Stratosphere miles  Hydrosphere  Lithosphere  Biosphere

Sustaining Life on Earth

THE Source of Energy

Greenhouse Effect  Not the same thing as global warming!  Unreflected solar radiation degraded to infrared radiation  Greenhouse gases reduce heat flow back to space  What are some greenhouse gases?

Abiotic Components Terrestrial Ecosystem Aquatic Life Zone Nonliving, physical and chemical factors that influence organisms in land ecosystems and aquatic life zones

Law of Tolerance  Presence of a species determined by abiotic factors falling within the range of tolerance  Individuals in a population may have slightly different tolerance ranges because of genetic differences, health, age

Tolerance Limits

Limiting Factors Terrestrial Ecosystem Aquatic Life Zone Limiting Factor Principle: Too much OR too little of any abiotic factor can limit/prevent growth, even if all other factors are at or near optimum range

Biotic Components  Producers (autotrophs) Living organisms in land ecosystems and aquatic life zones, producers or consumers chemosynthesis photosynthesis

Biotic Components ConsumerExamples Herbivore Carnivore Omnivore Scavenger

Biotic Components  Detritivores: feed on parts of dead organisms, cast-off fragments, and wastes of living organisms

Using Energy Aerobic Respiration  Use oxygen to convert organic nutrients back into carbon dioxide and water Anaerobic Respiration  Break down glucose without oxygen  End products vary

Biodiversity Genetic Diversity Species Diversity Functional Diversity

Biodiversity Ecological Diversity

Ecotone

Trophic Levels

Food Webs Human Blue whaleSperm whale Crabeater seal Killer whale Elephant seal Leopard seal Adélie penguins Petrel Fish Squid Carnivorous plankton Krill Phytoplankton Herbivorous zooplankton Emperor penguin

Biomass  Each trophic level contains a certain amount of organic matter which is transferred from one trophic level to another Second Law of ThermodynamicsFirst Law of Thermodynamics

Ecological Efficiency

Energy Input: 20, ,679,190 1,700,000 (100%) Energy Output Total Annual Energy Flow Metabolic heat, export Waste, remains 1,700,000 kilocalories Producers Herbivores Carnivores Top carnivores Decomposers, detritivores Energy Transfers 20,810 (1.2%) Incoming solar energy not harnessed 1,679,190 (98.8%) 4,2453,36813, , Top carnivores Carnivores Herbivores Producers 5,060 Decomposers/detritivores 20,810 3,

Abandoned FieldOcean Tertiary consumers Secondary consumers Primary consumers Producers Pyramid of Biomass

Pyramid of Numbers Grassland (summer) Temperate Forest (summer) Producers Primary consumers Secondary consumers Tertiary consumers

Primary Productivity Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Primary Productivity Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

1.Explain why food chains are typically short 2.Make an argument for vegetarianism based on the second law of thermodynamics