1. Ecology 1.Ecosystems 2.Biomes 3.Ecosystem Interactions 4.Cycles of Matter 5.Ecosystem Response to Change Resources 1.Skim Chapters 37-40 2.Vocab Chart 3.Finish Line: Biomes 4.POGILs

2. Levels of Organization

3. Biotic & Abiotic Factors

4. Terrestrial Biomes

5. Aquatic Biomes

6. Marine Biomes

7. Food Chains

8. Food Web

9. Keystone Species A keystone species is a plant or animal that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions. Without the keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. Big Blue Live

10. Sea otter (Pacific Northwest): feed on sea urchins, controlling their population. w/o otters, urchins would eat up the habitat's kelp. Kelp (giant seaweed, a protist) is a major source of food and shelter for the ecosystem. Some species of crabs, snails, and geese depend on kelp for food. Many types of fish use the huge kelp forests to hide from predators. Without sea otters to control the urchin population, the entire ecosystem would collapse.

11. Energy Flow Energy in an ecosystem flows in one direction – From the sun to the heterotrophs Energy flow

12. Ecological Pyramids Only about 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level. MORE Biomass LESS

13. Recycling Matter in the Biosphere Elements, nutrients, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are cycled from one part of the biosphere to another in biogeochemical cycles Matter is recycled and transformed within and between ecosystems Matter is NOT created, nor destroyed

15. The Carbon Cycle

16. The Nitrogen Cycle

17. The Phosphorus Cycle

18. Limiting Factors & Population Growth Ecologists study the primary productivity of an organism – the rate at which organic matter is made by producers. One factor that controls this is the amount of available nutrients Limiting nutrient – a nutrient that is scarce or cycles very slowly

19. Agricultural Runoff & Eutrophication When an aquatic ecosystem receives a large amount of a limiting nutrient it immediately increases the amount of algae, which is known as algal bloom – excess N & P in ecosystem

20. Agricultural Runoff & Eutrophication

21. Community Relationships – Competition among different populations (different species) in an ecosystem hurts both populations ( - / -) – Symbiotic Relationships Relationships in which 2 different organisms live in close association with each other Types – 1. Mutualism ( + / + ) – 2. Commensalism ( + / 0 ) – 3. Predation & Parasitism ( + / - )

22. Populations can be in competition for the same resources – Each species occupies its own niche, or role in the ecosystem – Resource partitioning- way to avoid competition Ecological Relationships

23. The principle of competitive exclusion states that there cannot be more than one species playing the exact same role in an ecosystem

24. Competition (-/-)

25. Symbiosis Mutualism (+/+)

26. Symbiosis Commensalism (+/0)

27. Symbiosis Predation (+/-)

28. Symbiosis Parasitism (+/-)

29. Ecological Succession The series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitants gradually die out and new organisms move in, causing further changes in the community

31. Populations Are Always Changing Population dynamics – the study of how quickly or slowly a population grows and why – Demography studies the distribution, density, births, death, number or individuals, and structure of the population

32. Age Structure Diagram

33. Populations Are Always Changing Under ideal conditions and populations are always increasing (births > deaths) Growth is limited in real life conditions

34. Populations Are Always Changing Carrying Capacity – the largest number of individuals of a population that an environment can support

35. Limiting Factors & Population Growth

36. A limiting nutrient is an example of a more general ecological concept; a limiting factor Limiting factor – a factor that causes population growth to decrease

37. Density-Independent – factors that affect all populations in similar ways regardless of the population size – Examples: Unusual weather, natural disasters, seasonal cycles, volcanoes, floods, droughts, etc.

38. Density-Dependent – a limiting factor that depends on population size – Ex: competition for resources (food, water, light, space), predation, parasitism, disease

39. Human Population Growth

41. Atmospheric & Climate Change

42. Cane Toad Native To: South America, Central America, Mexico, and extreme southern Texas