Ecological Relationships

Important Vocabulary Biotic Factors: living things Slide # 2 Important Vocabulary Biotic Factors: living things Abiotic Factors: nonliving, physical things such as: Temperature, sunlight, precipitation, soil Habitat- The place in which an organism lives. Niche: An organism’s role in the ecosystem Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM

Five Species of Warblers and Their Niches Slide # 3 Five Species of Warblers and Their Niches No two species can share the exact same niche in a habitat. Shaded areas show where each species feeds (one factor that defines a niche). Go to Section:

Descriptions of a Niche Include: Slide # 4 1. Its place in the food web 2. Conditions Needed for Survival a. Temperature Range it has adapted to b. Dependance on water 3. When and how it reproduces Top Carnivore The red legged frog mates from January to March but the yellow legged frog mates from late March to May Red Legged frog Yellow Legged frog

Community Interactions: Competition Slide # 5 Competition: occurs when organisms of the same or different species try to use the same resource at the same time and place Resource: any necessity for life EX: water, nutrients, light, food, or living space Uniform spacing: less competition Clumped: more competition

Competition can help define the niche. Slide # 6 Competition can help define the niche. Barnacle Species A Barnacle Species B

Symbiosis Slide # 7 Symbiosis: close relationship between 2 organisms, in which at least one of the organisms involved benefits.

Symbiosis: Parasitism  Slide # 8 Parasitism: One organism benefits,  and the other is harmed (host).  Filled with blood Ticks feed on the blood of the host in which they live. The closer together organisms live, the easier these parasites can spread through the population.

Symbiosis: Commensalism  Slide # 9 Symbiosis: Commensalism  Commensalism: One organism benefits,  and the other is neither helped nor harmed.  Barnacles live & grow on the bodies of ocean organisms like whales. However, they do not help or cause any harm to them.

Symbiosis: Mutualism  Slide # 10 Symbiosis: Mutualism  Mutualism: Both organisms benefit  from the relationship. This bird eats insects found on the zebras’ body. The bird is high above the ground and has food, the zebra is removed of pests. Bees receive food (nectar), while the flower’s pollen is spread for reproduction.

Aphids feed on sugary sap from the plant. Aphids are herded and protected by the ants because the ants feed on sugary excretions the aphids produce. Slide # 11 -Parasitism -Mutualism

Predator-Prey Relationships Slide # 12 Predator-Prey Relationships 1. Predation: interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism 2. Predator: organism that does the killing and eating 3. Prey: organism that is eaten (food) Who is the predator? Lynx Who is the prey? Hare

Ecological Succession 1. Occurs when an area becomes devoid of vegetation because of a disturbance. 2. Pioneer species: the first to grow in an area. Which species is the pioneer species? Annual grasses Which community has the greatest biodiversity and why? Hardwood forest; has the most niches

Primary verses Secondary Succession Primary succession the initial colonization of land that has never been colonized before. This might include areas after a volcanic eruption or after a glacier recedes. In either case, there is no starting soil. Secondary succession is the re-colonization of areas after a disturbance such as a fire or abandoned farm land or even when a large tree falls (such as in the tropical rainforest). Soil is already in place in the area.