1. Unit II The Living World

2. Ecology
The study of organisms and how they relate to their environment (habitat).
Habitat
Biotic
Abiotic

3. Biotic Hierarchy
Organism
Populations
Communities
Ecosystem
Biosphere

4. Energy Only flows one way through the earth.
Critical matter or nutrients are cycled to sustain life.
Sun is the ultimate source of energy.

5. Energy
As energy flows through each step of a food web, it becomes more unusable.
Energy is converted into unusable forms (i.e. heat).
Endothermic organisms are ecologically expensive.
Converted for an organisms’ own respiration, metabolism, digestion, & predation.
Parts of organisms do not provide calories.
bones, scales

6. Respiration Rate of energy used at each level to maintain life.
More levels = less energy available in a usable form at next higher level.
Shorter food chains are more efficient but lack diversity.

7. Pyramid of numbers. This pyramid is for a hypothetical area of temperate grassland; in this example, 10,000 grass plants support 10 mice, which support one bird of prey. Based on the number of organisms found at each trophic level, a pyramid of numbers is not as useful as other ecological pyramids. It provides no information about biomass differences or energy relationships between one trophic level and the next. (Note that decomposers are not shown.)

8. Pyramid of biomass. This pyramid is for a hypothetical area of temperate grassland. Based on the biomass at each trophic level, pyramids of biomass generally have a pyramid shape with a large base and progressively smaller area for each succeeding trophic level. (Note that decomposers are not shown.)

9. Pyramid of energy. This pyramid indicates how much energy is present in the biomass at each trophic level in a salt marsh in Georgia and how much is transferred to the next trophic level. Note the substantial loss of usable energy from one trophic level to the next; this loss occurs because of the energy used metabolically and given off as heat. (Note that decomposers are not shown. The 36,380 kcal/m2/year for the producers is gross primary productivity, or GPP.)

10. Gross Productivity
The rate of conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.
Gross productivity
Net Productivity

11. Variations in PP per Ecosystem

12. Evolution Evolution Works through a combination of 4 processes:
Mutation
Natural Selection
Gene Flow
Genetic Drift

13. Speciation What is speciation?
Populations change due to adaptations, natural selection, and mutations.

14. Speciation
Species Adaptations
Morphological
Physiological
Behavioral

15. Speciation Methods
Most common new species formation method occurs in two phases:
Geographic Isolation
Reproductive Isolation
Combined process is known as divergent evolution.

16. Speciation Methods
Adaptive Radiation
Coevolution

17. Natural Selection
Directional
2. Divergent/Diversifying
3. Stabilizing

18. Ecosystem Components Population Diversity & Density Niche Diversity

19. Producers and Consumers
Producers (Autotrophs)
Consumers (Heterotrophs)

20. Consumers Primary Consumers Secondary Consumers Tertiary Consumers
Omnivores
Scavengers

21. Consumers
Detritivores
Decomposers

23. Specialist Species
Definition
Advantages
Disadvantages
Example:
Koalas

24. Generalist Species
Definition
Advantages
Disadvantages
Example:

25. Other Species Classifications
Keystone Species
Definition
Indicator Species

26. Limiting Factors
Law of Tolerance
Threshold
Optimum Range

27. Limiting resource. An organism is limited by any environmental resource that exceeds in tolerance or is less than its required minimum.

28. Competition Survival of the Fittest Interference Exploitation
Competitive Exclusion

29. Avoidance
Resource Partitioning

30. Avoidance
Character Displacement

31. Symbiosis
Parasitism
Mutualism
Commensalisms

32. Predation
Importance
Predator-Prey Relationship

33. Predation
Enhancements

34. Succession Definition Primary Succession Typical Progression
Lichen mosses grasses shrubs forests

35. Secondary Succession
Where does it occur?

36. Stability
Based on 3 parameters
Inertia
Constancy
Resilience