1. Notes Pt. 1: Biomes and Succession
Ecology
Notes Pt. 1: Biomes and Succession

2. Ecology & Biodiversity
Ecology: is the study of the relationships between living organisms.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

3. Review Populations: Groups of the same species
Communities: All of the living things interacting in a specific region
Biomes: The living things interacting with the non- living environment

4. Biotic vs. Abiotic Biotic Abiotic Living Non-living Plants Animals
Bacteria
Non-living
Water
Oxygen
Temperature

5. Energy Flow
Nutrients cycle but energy does not. It is lost from the community as heat.
Food Chains: Single chain of events that passes energy from the sun through a community
Example:
Sun  Algae  Gizzard Shad  Walleye
Food Web: Many interacting food chains

6. Energy Flow Cast Members: Energy related roles within the community
Producers: Convert abiotic energy into biotic energy; uses sun or chemicals from the earth to produce glucose
Photosynthesis: Uses light energy to convert CO2 and H2O to glucose
Chemosynthesis: Uses chemicals from the deep sea vents.

7. Energy Flow Cast Members
Primary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy from producers
Example: Cows eat grass

8. Energy Flow Cast Members
Secondary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy from primary consumers
Example: Robin eats a worm

9. Energy Flow Cast Members
Tertiary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy from secondary consumers
Example: Hawk that eats the snake that ate the mouse that ate some grass

10. Energy Flow Cast Members
Scavenger: Organisms that get their energy from dead organisms
Example: Turkey Vulture

11. Energy Flow Cast Members
Decomposers: Organisms that get their energy from other living things; they return nutrients back to the system
Example: mushrooms, bacteria, worms

12. Energy Flow
Energy Pyramids: Not a food pyramid. Shows how much energy is passed from level to level.
Producer
Primary Consumer
SecondaryConsumer
Tertiary Consumer
90% energy lost
10% energy passed on

13. Energy Flow Example: Producers have 100 units of energy.
90% energy lost
10% energy passed on
0.10 1 10
100

14. Energy Flow Energy is lost as heat as you go up the pyramid.
Why is there not a 4th level of consumer?
Because there is not enough energy to pass on.

15. Succession Two types of succession
Primary Succession
Secondary Succession
Succession creates biodiversity within an ecosystem

16. Primary Succession
Begins on rock formations – volcanoes or mountains. Usually in a place with no organisms or soil.
Pioneer species : lichen, algae & fungi and other abiotic factors like wind and water will start to normalize the habitat.
This creates a condition for optimum plant growth.

17. Primary Succession

18. Secondary Succession
Starts from an event such as a forest fire, harvesting or hurricane (natural disasters).
Reduces the already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species.
Occurs on preexisting soil.
Primary succession occurs in a place lacking soil.

19. Secondary Succession

20. Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification
Gradual build up of pollutants in living organisms
Biomagnification
Gradual build up of pollutants in a food chain.

22. Ecology
Nutrient Cycling

23. Water Cycle 6 5 1 2 4 3 Precipitation: Rain, Sleet, Snow, Hail, etc…
Surface Runoff
Surface Runoff goes into the ground
Groundwater runs into oceans, lakes, and streams
Evaporation from lakes, streams, and ocean. Transpiration from vegetation (plants) and soil
Condensation: water becomes visible in the atmosphere. 6 5 1 2 4 3

24. Carbon Cycle 2 1 3 4 1 6 5

25. Nitrogen Cycle 9 7 1 8 6 2 3 4 2 5 N2 mixes with rainwater
Nitrogen fixation – bacteria turn atmosphere N2 into ammonia (NH3)
Animals release NH3 in waste products
Decomposition – bacteria break down leaves and animals release NH3 7 1 8 6 3 2 4 2
NH3  NO2  NO3 (nitrate)
NO3 is taken in by plants
Animals eat plants, go back to #3
Some bacteria take in NO3 and release N2 into the atmosphere
Volcanic activity releases N2 into the atmosphere 5