1. Do Now
Study the ecologists at work. What might they be observing or measuring? Be Specific!
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3

2. Objectives: Explain what ecologists study.
Determine the difference between abiotic and biotic factors.
List and describe the different levels of organization.

3. Ecologists…..
Scientifically study the interactions of organisms with their environment
Identify environmental variables: abiotic or biotic
Look at the organisms habitat
Study environmental interactions at several levels

4. ECOLOGY Chapter 2-5
So what do you think the meaning of Ecology is?

5. What is Ecology? Ecology
Study of relationships among living organisms and the interaction the organisms have with their environments
Ecologists observe, experiment, and model using a variety of tools and methods

6. Levels of Environmental Organization Activity
Each group will be given a set of pictures and a set of terms. Study the terms and discuss their meaning. Look at the pictures. Discuss what you see with each other.
Assign a term to each of the pictures. Once you have assigned a term, call me over to double check your progress

8. Levels of Environmental Organization Activity
Now put them in order from least inclusive to most inclusive.
Write a supportive paragraph in your notebook for each. Anyone in the group should be to explain/support during the large group discussion.

9. Levels of Organization
Levels increase in complexity as the numbers and interactions between organisms increase.
For your activity, which seemed to be the LEAST inclusive? Why?

10. 1. Organism A single living thing Ex.
Adapted to abiotic and biotic factors by natural selection

11. 2. Population
Several organisms of the same species sharing space at the same time
Ex.
Rely on same resources
Influenced by same environmental factors
Are likely to bred and interact with one another

12. Community or Ecosystem?
Which one comes first? Why?
What did you notice that was different between the two?

13. Abiotic vs. Biotic Biotic Factors: Abiotic Factors:
Living factors in an organism’s environment
Ex.
Abiotic Factors:
Nonliving factors in an organism’s environment
*Organisms depend on and adapt to survive in the abiotic factors present in their natural environment.*

14. 3. Community
Group of interacting organisms sharing space at the same time
Ex.

15. 4. Ecosystem Biological (living) Community and abiotic factors in it
Ex.

16. 5. Biome Tundra Marine Desert Rainforest Deciduous Forest Ex.
Large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and similar types of communities
Ex.
Tundra
Marine
Desert
Rainforest
Deciduous Forest

17. 6. Biosphere Part of Earth that supports life Most complex level
Affected by human interactions

18. Do Now Please put phones into organizer 
Hand in your graphs into the bin.
Then come up with an analogy for each level of organization.

19. Objectives
Understand the study of how and why populations change over time
Observe different population density and dispersion patterns and determine their importance in the survival of a population
Use models to predict patterns of population growth

20. Population Ecology Population ecology
Study of the changes in population size and the factors that regulate populations over time.
Why is this important for us to study? 20

21. Think-Pair-Share
What are at least 3 things a population ecologist might study?

22. Population Ecologists
Ecologists learn the structure and dynamics of natural populations
With this information they are better equipped to
Develop sustainable food sources
Assess the impact of human activities
Balance human needs with the conservation of biodiversity and resources

23. Population Ecology Population Dynamics
Complex interactions between abiotic and biotic factors
Causes variations in population sizes.
Emigration and Death
# of individuals moving away
Decreases population size
Immigration and Birth
# of individuals moving into
Increases Population size

24. Density vs. Dispersion Population density
Number of organisms per unit area
Examples:
Number of oak trees per square km in a forest
Number of earthworms per cubic meter in forest soil 24

25. Determining Population Density
Quadrat Method of Sampling:
A square area, marked with boundaries for studying the populations size and density of plants and sessile animals

26. Determining Population Density
Mark and Recapture:
Used for mobile organisms and involves marking a sample of individuals and then estimating population size from the number of marked individuals in subsequent sample.
The higher the sample, the more accurate

27. Do Now
You are an ecologist that wants to study the density of ferns and cottontail rabbits in the forest.
What method(s) could you use to determine their population density? Why would you use that method(s)?

28. Do Now
Looking at the pictures below (besides the type of animal in the picture) what else do you see that’s different? What do you think causes this difference?

29. Population Dispersion
Pattern in which individuals are spaced within their area
3 Types:
Uniform – equally spaced (Why?)
Clumped- grouped in patches
Most common (Why?)
Random- spaced in an unpredictable way
Rare (Why)? 29

31. Think-Pair-Share
What kind of pattern do you think dandelions would exhibit? Why?
What kind of pattern might a population of territorial lions exhibit? Why?
What kind of pattern might organisms that fear predators exhibit? Why?

32. Do Now
What are some factors that would directly affect a population size, and in what way?

33. Objectives
Use graphs and models to portray survivorship and predict growth rates of different populations
To identify limiting factors affecting population size and growth

34. Population Growth Limiting factors
Any abiotic or biotic factor that restricts the numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms
Abiotic Ex: sunlight, climate, water, nutrients
Biotic Ex: Other plant and animal species 34

35. Limiting Factors
Green = density independent Purple = density dependent

36. Population Growth Density-independent Factors:
Factors that do NOT depend on the number of members in a population.
Abiotic factors (climate, natural disasters, human disturbance)
Density-dependent factors:
Factors that DO depend on the number of members in a population
Biotic factors (Disease, parasites, competition, predation) 36

37. Moose Population on small island in Lake Superior
Population Growth
Starvation
Wolves
Winter Loss
Why so unstable?
Moose Population on small island in Lake Superior

38. Population Growth
The population growth rate (PGR) explains how fast a given population grows.
Change in population = births - deaths
Natality: the ratio of the number of births to the size of the population; birth rate
Mortality: the number of death that occur in a population during a given time period; death rate 38

39. Population Growth Exponential Growth
Rate of population increases under ideal conditions
No limiting factors, no competition, perfect habitat, etc.
Takes growth rate, population size, and rate of increase into account
Rapid growth
J – CURVE! 39

40. Population Growth Logistic Growth Model
Takes limiting factors into account
Population growth slows and ceases as population density increases
Increasing population density results in:
Decrease in birth rate
Increase in death rate
Or both
- S- SHAPE! 40

42. Population Growth Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of individuals in a species that an environment can support.
Not fixed; varies with changes in resources