1. Ecology 1

2. Ecology? What is Ecology:
The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Ecology really examines two different factors of a system, and how they interact.
Abiotic Factors: all the nonliving components of an ecosystem
Ex. temperature, water, light, soils, minerals, air…
a.k.a. Climate
Biotic Factors: all the living (and once living) components of an ecosystem
Ex. Living and dead organisms and their wastes

3. Each ecosystem is shaped by its climate along with other abiotic factors
What is climate?
The average (year to year) temperature and precipitation in an ecosystem
The climate determines the ecosystem type (biome) of the region

4. Biomes- group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar communities

5. Biomes- a lot of variety
Terrestrial
Tropical rainforest
Temperate rainforest
Temperate deciduous forest
Tiaga (boreal forest)
Tundra
Desert
Temperate grassland
Savannah
Chaparral/Steppe
Urban
Biomes- a lot of variety
Marine
Open ocean
Antarctic ocean (edge of the ice)
Estuary
Coral Reef
Barrier Island
Shallow ocean/bay
Mangrove forests
Freshwater
River
Lake
Pond
Wetlands (Swamps, marshes, etc.)

6. Tropical Rainforest

7. Temperate Deciduous Forest

8. Tiaga (Boreal Forest)

9. Temperate Rainforest

10. Desert

11. Temperate Grasslands

12. Wetlands

13. Marine Biomes Open Ocean
Coral Reefs - Barrier Islands - Shallow Marine…

14. Mangrove “Forests”

15. Levels of Ecology
Ecology takes a very broad view of organisms and their environment, this view point encompasses multiple levels of organization

16. Levels of Organization
Organism- An individual living thing that is made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds to its environment, grows, and develops
Population- a group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same area at the same time
Species= all organisms that breed with each other in nature
competition occurs btw individuals

17. Levels of Organization II
3. Biological community- made up of interacting populations (different species) in an area at one time.
4. Ecosystem- Populations of plants and animals that interact with each other in a given area and the abiotic components of that area.

18. Levels of Organization III
Biosphere: All the ecosystems on earth
All portions of the planet in which life exists

20. Within an ecosystem, each organism has a…
Habitat (home)
the place where an organism lives

21. Within an ecosystem, each organism has a…
Niche (job)
the role or function of each organism in an ecosystem
how it meets its specific needs for food and shelter, how and where it survives, and where it reproduces in its environment.
includes all its interactions with the biotic and abiotic parts of its habitat.
It is thought that two species can’t exist for long in the same community if their niches are the same.

22. Habitat and Niche

23. Roles
Every living thing plays a role in it’s ecosystem. That role is it’s niche. The two most general classifications for a niche are:
Producer (Autotroph)- use energy from the environment (sunlight, chemicals) to fuel the assembly of organic molecules and tissues
Consumer (Heterotroph)- organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply

24. Autotrophs
Photosynthesis: organisms use light to power chemical reactions that store energy as chemical bonds
Plants, algae, bacteria
Chemosynthesis: harvest energy from the chemical bonds of inorganic molecules
bacteria

26. Heterotrophs
There is a larger diversity of heterotrophs. These organisms live in a variety of habitats, and occupy a huge range of niches
Carnivore
Decomposers
Herbivore
Parasite
Scavenger

27. Types of Heterotrophs Herbivores – eat ONLY plants
Ex. – Cows, Elephants, Giraffes

28. Heterotrophs
Carnivores – eat ONLY meat
Ex. – Lions, Tigers, Sharks

29. Heterotrophs Omnivores – eat BOTH plants and animals
Ex. – Bears and Humans

30. Heterotrophs
Decomposers – absorb any dead material and break it down into simple nutrients or fertilizers and return it to the ecosystem (recyclers)
Ex. – Bacteria and Mushrooms, Fungi, mold
Feed on any living organism
main recyclers of once living matter in the ecosystem

31. Heterotrophs
Parasite- feed on other organisms while they are still alive

32. Heterotrophs display a variety of feeding relationships. II
Scavengers eat animals that have already died