Ecology It is the scientific study in which the relationships among living organisms and the interaction the organisms have with the environment are studied Part 1: Organisms and Their Relationships Part 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Biotic and Abiotic Factors Biotic The living or once living factors in an organism’s environment Abiotic The nonliving (never alive) factors in an organism’s environmentBio Abio Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Biotic and Abiotic Factors How would something be classified as “Biotic”? 1.They must be composed of cells. 2.Complex organization patterns are found in all living organisms (i.e., cell  tissue  organ…) 3.Living organisms use energy. 4.Living organisms must maintain a state of homeostasis. 5.All organisms develop and change over time. 6.All organisms have the potential to reproduce, either sexually or asexually. Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Levels of Organization Just to review, let’s start with the atom… Cell  Tissue  Organ  Organism  Population  Community  Ecosystem  Biome  Biosphere Atom  Molecule  Organelle  Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Ecological Levels of Organization Organism : An individual Population : Individual organisms of a single species that share the same geographic location at the same time. Community : A group of interacting populations that occupy the same area at the same time. Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Levels of Organization Ecosystem : A biological community and all of the abiotic factors that affect it. Biome : A large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities. Biosphere : All biomes together; the Earth Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Three Types of Ecosystems Terrestrial Freshwater Marine What is the NC main ecosystem?

Types of Biomes Freshwater (ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands) Marine (oceans, coral reefs, estuaries) Desert (hot, dry, semiarid, coastal, cold) Forest (temperate, tropical, boreal forest(taiga)) Grassland (savannas, temperate) Tundra (Artic and Alpine)

Ecosystem Interactions Habitat: An area where an organism lives Niche: The role or position that an organism has in its environment Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Habitat vs. Niche “The ecological niche of an organism depends not only on where it lives but also on what it does. “By analogy, it may be said that the habitat is the organism's ‘address’, and the niche is its ‘profession’, biologically speaking.” Odum - Fundamentals of Ecology Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Habitat vs. Niche limiting factor A niche is determined by the tolerance limitations of an organism, or a limiting factor. Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships Limiting factor: Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment.

limiting factors Examples of limiting factors- Limiting Factors Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships Amount of water, food, shelter, space. rks/nwep12a.htm

Left-side IntNB Reflection Differentiate between a local organism’s habitat and niche found in your community. –Refer to your notes and neighbors if you need help! Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Feeding Relationships There are 3 main types of feeding relationships 1. Producer  Consumer 2. Predator  Prey 3. Parasite  Host Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem Autotroph: An organism that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce food. (Producer) Heterotroph: An organism that gets its energy requirements by consuming other organisms. (Consumer) Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Different types of Heterotrophs Herbivore: Eats only plants (Deer, rabbits, grasshoppers, etc.) Carnivore: Prey on other heterotrophs (Wolves, lions, cats, etc.) –Scavengers feed on carrion (dead animals) (Hyenas, vultures, some crabs, etc.) Omnivore: Eat both plants and animals (Bears, humans, mockingbirds, etc.) –Detritivores: Eat fragments of dead matter (Earthworms, millipedes, etc.) Decomposers: Chemically breaks down dead matter (Bacteria and fungi) Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Symbiotic relationships Mutualism: When both organisms benefit –Lichens Commensalism: One organism benefits, while the other is neither helped nor harmed. –Epiphytes (i.e., Bromeliads) Parasitism: One organism benefits at the expense of the other. –Parasitoid wasp eggs on a tomato hornworm Part 1: Organisms and their Relationships

Create and Fill in this table in the left side of your IntNB Type of Relationship Species harmed Species benefited Species neutral Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism = 1 species Part 1 Reflection: Organisms and their Relationships

Community Interactions Competition: More than one organism uses a resource at the same time. Predation: The act of one organism consuming another organism for food. Symbiosis: The close relationship that exists when two or more species live together. Part 1 Review: Organisms and their Relationships Niche competition Carnivore Mutualism

Models of Energy Flow Trophic Levels: Each step in a food chain or food web. –Autotrophs always make up the first trophic level in ecosystems. –Heterotrophs make up the remaining levels Part 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Models of Energy Flow Food chains: A simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem Part 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Models of Energy Flow Food webs: A model representing the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows. Part 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

How many connections can we make?

Models of Energy Flow Ecological pyramids: A diagram that can show the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem. –Biomass: The total mass of living matter at each trophic level Part 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Deadly Links Activity: Deadly Links (On the left-hand side of your IntNB, write the following) Objective: To understand how food (energy) moves through an ecosystem My role is ____________________. I am a/an herbivore, omnivore or carnivore (Circle one) Part 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

What does your graph tell you?

Cycling of Matter Cycles in the Biosphere –Natural processes cycle matter through the atmosphere –The exchange of matter through the biosphere is called the biogeochemical cycle. Bio: Involves living things Geo: Geological Processes Chemical: Chemical Processes Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter The Water Cycle Solar EnergyMovement of clouds by wind Precipitation Evaporation Transpiration from plants Percolation in soil Part 3: Cycling of Matter

The Water Cycle Most precipitation falls into the ocean Over land –approximately 90% of the water evaporates –10% transpires from plants Only about 2% of water is retained in a reservoir –i.e., a glacier, ice cap, aquifer or lake Cycling of Matter Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Carbon and Oxygen Cycles CO 2 in atmosphere Photosynthesis Plants, Algae & Cyanobacteria Primary Consumer Higher level Consumers Detritus Detritivores (soil microbes & others) Cellular Respiration Burning Wood & Fossil Fuels Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Carbon and Oxygen Cycles Short term cycle –Autotrophs use CO 2 for ____________. –Heterotrophs produce CO 2 during ________ __________. Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Carbon and Oxygen Cycles 1.Long term cycle: Fossil Fuels –Organic matter is buried underground and converted to peat, coal, oil or gas deposits. –5.5 billion tons are burned each year and 3.3 billion tons stay in the atmos- phere, the rest dissolves in sea water* (The National Center for Atmospheric Research) Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Carbon and Oxygen Cycles 2.Long term cycle: Calcium Carbonate (CaCO 3 ) –Marine animals are able to use Carbon to build their skeletal material –These organisms fall to the bottom of the ocean floor, creating limestone rock. Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Carbon and Oxygen Cycles Oxygen is found in the atmosphere at a stable concentration of approximately 21%. –Because it is a very reactive element, it can quickly combine with other elements and disappear from the atmosphere. –Some of the atmospheric oxygen (O 2 ) finds itself lofted high into the upper reaches of the atmosphere called the stratosphere, where it is converted into Ozone (O 3 ) Ozone serves to absorb biologically damaging ultra- violet (UV) radiation from the sun.

Cycling of Matter Carbon and Oxygen Cycles Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more Carbon Dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago. The atmosphere has not held this much Carbon for at least 420,000 years according to data from ice cores. ice cores (The National Center for Atmospheric Research) Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen in atmosphere Nitrogen – fixing bacteria in root nodules of legumes Nitrogen – fixing bacteria in soil Decomposers (aerobic & anaerobic bacteria and fungi) Ammonification Ammonium (NH 4 + ) Nitrites (NO 2 - ) Nitrifying bacteria Nitrates (NO 3 - ) Denitrifying bacteria Assimilation Plants Part 3: Cycling of Matter

Cycling of Matter Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen comprises the bulk of the atmosphere (approximately 78%). Most of it is unusable. –A molecule of nitrogen gas is made up of 2 atoms very tightly bound together. –It takes tremendous amounts of energy, such as produced by lightning or fires, to break the bond. Bacteria can release nitrogen from organic material –These bacteria also release nitrogen from organic material back into the atmosphere. Nitrogen is the one element found almost entirely in the atmosphere—there's very little on land or in the sea. Nitrogen is essential to life, a key element in proteins and DNA. Part 3: Cycling of Matter