1. Chapter 4 Organization of life
Environmental Science
Mrs. Johnson
September 25, 2017

2. Ecosystems: Everything is Connected Objectives and Vocabulary
Distinguish between the biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem
Describe how a population differs from a species
Explain how habitats are important for organisms
Key Terms: ecosystem, biotic factor, abiotic factor, organism, species, population, community, habitat

3. What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem is all of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.
Ex: coral reefs, oak forest, a vacant lot, a house
Ecosystems do not usually have clear boundaries; things move from one ecosystem to another.
Ex: soil washes from a mountain into a lake, birds migrate hundreds of miles, pollen blows from forests to fields

4. Components of an ecosystem

5. Biotic vs Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors- LIVING or previously living parts of an ecosystem; all of the organisms, including animals, fungi, bacteria, and plants, dead or alive
Abiotic Factors- NON-LIVING parts of an ecosystem; air, water, rocks, sand, light, temperature

6. Organisms ORGANISM- an individual living thing
Ex: a human, an ant, an oak tree, a dog, a bacteria
SPECIES- a group of organisms that can mate and produce fertile offspring
Ex: all humans, all fire ants in an ant hill, golden retrievers, English ivy (plant), all black widow spiders

7. POPULATIONS/Communities
POPULATION- a group of the same species that live in the same place
Ex: all of the field mice in a corn field, a family of humans living in the same house
Note about populations: individuals in a population mate with each other and don’t usually mate with organisms from another area/population
COMMUNITY- a group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other
A community is different than an ecosystem because it only includes biotic factors
Ex: a pond community includes all of the populations of fish, plants and insects that live in an around the pond

8. HABITATs HABITAT- a place an organism lives
Ex: howler monkeys live in the rain forest; a cactus lives in the desert
Each habitat has specific abiotic and biotic factors that organisms need to survive

10. Classwork-To TURN IN
Create a graphic organizer (also called a drawing) of how to organize the levels of an ecosystem.
Make sure you compare an organism, a species, a population, a community, and an ecosystem.
List examples of what is in each level.

11. Evolution Objectives and Vocabulary
Explain the process of evolution by natural selection
Explain the concept of adaptation
Describe the steps by which a population of insects becomes resistant to a pesticide
Key Terms: natural selection, evolution, adaptation, artificial selection, resistance

12. WHO IS CHARLES DARWIN? What is he known for?
An English naturalist who proposed a new theory of evolution called NATURAL SELECTION
He observed that organisms in a population differ slightly from each other in form, function, and behavior.
Some of these differences were hereditary, but some were from natural selection.
NATURAL SELECTION- the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce with more success than less well adapted individuals do.
Over many years, natural selection causes populations to change- this is called EVOLUTION.

13. Natural Selection

14. Evolution by natural selection
PREMISES
Individuals in a population vary in each generation.
Some of these variations are genetic, or inherited.
More individuals are produced than live to grow up and reproduce.
Individuals with some genes are more likely to survive ad reproduce than individuals with other genes.
CONCLUSION
Based on these four premises, individuals with genetic traits that make them more likely to grow up and reproduce in the existing environment will become more common in the population from one generation to the next.

15. ADAPTATIONs/coevolution
An ADAPTATION is an inherited trait that increases an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction in a certain environment.
Ex: a deer with thicker fur will survive better in a colder climate
COEVOLUTION is when two species evolve in response to long-term interactions with each other
Ex: Honeycreeper and Lobelia flowers

16. ARTIFICIAL SELECTION and RESISTANCE
ARTIFICIAL SELECTION is selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific traits.
Ex: fruits and vegetables are chosen and bred to be sweeter/more tasteful; certain breeds of dogs are chosen and bred for size/color
Sometimes artificial selection (selective breeding) can result in unwanted results.
RESISTANCE is the ability of one or more organisms to tolerate a particular chemical designed to kill it.
Ex: lice and RID, pesticides and insects on crops

18. The Diversity of Living Things Objectives and Vocabulary
Name the three domains and the four kingdoms of organisms and list characteristics of each
Explain the importance of bacteria and fungi in the environment
Describe the role of protists in the ocean environment
Describe how organisms interact and depend on each other for survival
Key Terms: archaea, bacteria, fungus, protist, gymnosperm, angiosperm, invertebrate, vertebrate

20. You need to know the TABLE ON THE PREvIOUS PAGE!
You will be expected to differentiate between the Domains and Kingdoms =)

21. PLANTS
Multicellular, cell walls, photosynthesize to make their own food
GYMNOSPERMS- woody plants that produce seeds the ARE NOT enclosed in fruits.
Ex: pine trees, junipers
ANGIOSPERMS- flowering plants that produce seeds enclosed in fruits.
Ex: oranges, roses, sunflowers, any plant that flowers

22. ANIMALS- VERTEBRATES vs. invertebrates
Animals consume food from the environment- can’t make their own food
INVERTEBRATES- Animals that LACK BACKBONES
Ex: usually smaller organisms; insects; squid
VERTEBRATES- animals WITH BACKBONES
Ex: Fish, Amphibians, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles

24. QUESTIONS?

28. CHAPTER 5 How Ecosystems work

29. Energy flow in ecosystems objectives
Describe how energy is transferred from the sun to producers, and then to consumers
Describe one way in which consumers depend on producers
Identify two types of consumers
Explain how energy transfer in a food web is more complex than energy transfer in a food chain
Explain why an energy pyramid is a representation of trophic levels

30. The cycling of matter objectives
Describe the short-term and long-term process of the carbon cycle
Identify one way that humans are affecting the carbon cycle
List the three stages of the nitrogen cycle
Describe the role that nitrogen-fixing bacteria play in the nitrogen cycle
Explain how the excess use of fertilizer can affect the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles

31. How ecosystems change objectives
List two types of ecological succession
Explain how a pioneer species contributes to ecological succession
Describe how lichens contribute to primary succession
Explain what happens during old-field succession

32. How do plants get food? They make it!
The process where plants take in sunlight and convert it into energy (a carbohydrate called glucose) for the plant to use is called PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
Plant leaves take in sunlight through its LEAVES, where photosynthesis takes place. This takes place in the chloroplasts
Chloro means green
Chlorophyll is the pigment in plants that makes them green

33. How does energy travel through the ecosystem?
Plants are PRODUCERS. They MAKE food through photosynthesis.
Other organisms are CONSUMERS. The CONSUME or EAT other organisms for their energy.
Decomposers break down dead organisms (plants and animals)

34. Levels of consumers
A PRODUCER gathers energy from the sun and converts it into glucose energy.
A PRIMARY CONSUMER eats the producer.
A SECONDARY CONSUMER eats the primary consumer.
A TERTIARY CONSUMER eats the secondary consumer.
When a CONSUMER dies, it is broken down by a decomposer, who consumes the energy from the consumers and recycles it back into the soil.

35. Food chains/food webs
A diagram that shows energy flow through producers and consumers is called a FOOD CHAIN aka the transfer of energy from one organism to another.
A FOOD WEB shows multiple food chains together and demonstrates the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

36. TYPEs OF ORGANISMS---TERMINOLOGY
Heterotroph- Obtains its energy from other organisms
Ex: consumers
Autotroph- Creates its own energy/food
Ex: Plants/producers
Herbivore- a PLANT eater; also called a primary consumer
Carnivore- an ANIMAL eater; secondary consumer or higher
Omnivore- eats BOTH PLANTS AND ANIMALS- can be a primary or secondary (or higher) consumer

38. Nutrient cycling-Where do the nutrients go?
CARBON

39. Nutrient cycling-Where do the nutrients go?
What does excess nitrogen do?
It causes an algal bloom
Too much nitrogen in ponds causes algae to grow in quick, large spurts
Results in algae growing rapidly, blocking out sunlight from the pond bottom and taking dissolved oxygen from the water
No oxygen=no living organisms
This can cause harm to an aquatic system.

40. Nutrient cycling-Where do the nutrients go?
PHOSPHORUS

41. HOW CAN ECOSYSTEMS CHANGE?
SUCCESSION!
What is SUCCESSION? It is the orderly, natural progression of stages that communities of an ecosystem go through.
Types:
Primary
Secondary

42. SUCCESSION: Primary vs Secondary

44. SUCCESSION: what grows when?

45. PIONEER SPECIES

46. CLIMAX COMMUNITY
The final, stable community that results from succession
Varies depending on ecosystem
Generally stays the same if not disturbed

47. OLD-field succession
A type of succession that happens when pastures and fields are abandoned

48. Questions?