AL COS – 3, 6, 23, 24, 25, 38, 39, 41 AHSGE – Standard I Objective 1 Analyze the methods of science used to identify and solve problems. – Standard II Objective 1 Trace the transfer of matter and energy through biological systems. – Standard VI Objective 1 Demonstrate an understanding of factors that affect the dynamic equilibrium of populations and ecosystems.

Principles of Ecology Outline I. Organisms and their environment a. Ecology 1. Scientific fields 2. Methods used b. Abiotic factors c. Biotic factors II. Levels of organization in ecology a. Organisms b. Populations c. Communities d. Ecosystems e. Biosphere III. Three major types of ecosystems a. Terrestrial b. Fresh water c. Salt water IV. Additional notes V. Three main types of symbiosis a. Commensalism b. Mutualism c. Parasitism VI. Nutrition and energy flow a. The sun b. Autotrophs c. Heterotrophs d. Decomposers VII. Food chain and trophic level VIII. Food web IX. Ecological pyramid X. Water cycle, Carbon cycle, Nitrogen cycle, Phosphorus cycle XI. Teacher resources

Organisms and Their Environment Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment.

Ecology combines information and techniques form many scientific fields, including math, chemistry, physics, geology, and other branches of biology.

Ecologists use both descriptive and quantitative methods.

Aspects of Ecological Study The Biosphere is the portion of Earth that supports life - It extends from high in the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean

-the biosphere is very diverse ranges from desert to tropical rain forest

The two factors that make up the biosphere are the abiotic factors and the biotic factors

The nonliving parts of an organism’s environment are the abiotic factors – Ex. Air currents, temperature, moisture, light, and soil

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment are called biotic factors.

Levels of Organization in Ecology Organisms- – are all living things

Populations – A group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.

Competition may occur if resources (food, water, etc) are in short supply.

Communities - Made up of several interacting populations.

Ecosystems - Made of the interactions among the populations in a community and the abiotic factors

Biosphere – Is made of several types of ecosystems

Three major kinds of ecosystems Terrestrial ecosystem Fresh water ecosystem Saltwater ecosystem

Terrestrial- on land – Ex. Forests, meadows, and desert scrub

Fresh water – Ex. Ponds, lakes, streams

Salt water (Marine) – 75% of the Earth’s surface

A habitat is the place where an organism lives out its life.

A niche is the role and position a species has in its environment---how it meets its need, how it reproduces, and how it survives.

Introduction to Ecosystems Movie

The relationship in which there is a close and permanent association among organisms of different species is called symbiosis.

3 Main types of symbiosis Commensalism Mutualism Parasitism

Commensalism- one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited. – Another Ex. Spanish moss Commensalism- one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited. – Another Ex. Spanish moss

Mutualism- two species of organisms benefit Mutualism- two species of organisms benefit – Ex. Ants and an acacia tree

Parasitism- one organism benefits at the expense of another, but usually does not kill the host. – Ex. Ticks

Types of Interactions within Ecosystems Movie

Nutrition and energy flow The ultimate source of energy is the sun. Producers(Autotrophs) Consumers(Heterotrophs) Decomposers

Producers(Autotrophs) - make their own food. – Ex. Plants, some unicellular organisms

Consumers (Heterotrophs)- consume other organisms for their energy Consumers (Heterotrophs)- consume other organisms for their energy – Ex. Animals, humans

Three types of heterotrophs – Carnivores – Scavengers – Omnivores

– Carnivores- kill and eat other animals Ex. Lions

– Scavengers- animals that eat animals that have already died Ex. Black vultures

– Omnivores- eat both plant material and animals Ex. Humans, raccoons, opossums, bears

Decomposers- organisms that break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms. – Ex. Most fungi, some protozoans, many bacteria

Food chain- a simple model that scientists use to show how matter and energy move through an ecosystem.

– – Only shows one route for the transfer of matter and energy. – – Usually has three links but no more than five.

– At each link a portion of energy is lost as heat, therefore, the amount of energy remaining in the 5 th link is low.

Trophic level- a feeding step in the passage of energy and materials

Food Web Food web- expresses all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level in a community. – A more realistic model because most organisms depend on more than one other species for food.

Food chain and food web movie

Ecological pyramid- shows how energy flows through an ecosystem. -The base of the pyramid, or 1 st trophic level are the autotrophs. - The total transfer from one level to the next is only about 10% because energy is lost due to heat.

A pyramid of biomass expresses the weight of living material at each trophic level. How to calculate biomass: - Find the average weight of each species at that trophic level and multiply by the estimated number of organisms in each population.

The Water Cycle In the water cycle, water is constantly moving between the atmosphere and Earth. Water cycle movie

The Carbon Cycle Carbon cycle contains both autotrophs and heterotrophs During photosynthesis Autotrophs convert carbon dioxide gas into a carbon compound called glucose

Heterotrophs eat the autotrophs and/or the glucose. When they digest the food carbon dioxide gas is released..

Plants use nitrogen to make proteins. Herbivores eat the plants and convert the nitrogen into proteins. The Nitrogen Cycle

During urination and when an organism dies nitrogen is released back to the soil. Bacteria also help put nitrogen back into the air.

The Phosphorus Cycle The phosphorus cycle is different from other cycle because phosphorus is found in sedimentary rock, not the atmosphere. Two cycles: – Short term: phosphorus is in the soil and plant life – Long term: phosphorus is washed into the sea

Teacher Activities/Labs Food web activity-Gar Gar Gator SIM Lab: Owl pellet(SIM lab disc required) SIM Lab: BioAssessment (SIM lab disc required) SIM Lab: Water Quality (SIM lab disc required) SIM Lab: Stream in a Bucket (SIM lab disc required) SIM Lab Soil Testing: (SIM lab disc required) AHSGE Pathways Lab: Grabbing for Grub(Teacher) AHSGE Pathways Lab: Gone Fishing(Teacher) AHSGE Pathways Lab: Producers-Consumers- Decomposers (Teacher) AHSGE Pathways Lab: Pass The Energy Please(Teacher) AHSGE Pathways Lab: Cycles of Nature(Teacher) Food Webs in the Bay