1. Introduction to Ecology

2. Ecology
The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surroundings.
Discovery Channel :: Planet Earth :: Portrait of the Planet

3. Ecosystem
Living and non-living factors in the same place at the same time
Ex:
fish tank, pond, forest, etc.

4. Organization of the Ecosystem
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5. Biotic Factors
Living factors that has an effect on another living organism
Example for a bird:
Trees, other birds, insects, worms, etc

6. Abiotic Factors
Non-living factors that has an effect on a living organism
Example for a bird:
Water, wind, temperature, light

7. Abiotic and Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors
ECOSYSTEM

8. Discuss 2 ways biotic factors and 2 ways abiotic factors can affect the life of a tree.

9. Habitat Pond Grassland The place where an organism lives The address
The habitat for a bull frog =
The habitat of the giant anteater =
Pond
Grassland

10. Niche What an organism does in an environment
The occupation or the role of an organism
Includes how an organism gets its food, reproduces, avoids predators, etc.
Determines an organisms habitat
Example:
Wood peckers survive by finding insects in the bark of a tree

11. Three Species of Warblers and Their Niches
Cape May Warbler
Feeds at the tips of branches
near the top of the tree
Bay-Breasted Warbler
Feeds in the middle
part of the tree
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Feeds in the lower part of the tree and
at the bases of the middle branches
Spruce tree

12. Limiting Factors
Each species is adapted to a specific set of conditions
Organisms thrive best in environments that have specific conditions that meet their needs.
Example:
Plants need sunlight.
Certain fish may prefer certain water temperatures therefore will be found at certain depths.

13. Populations & Communities

14. Population
All the organisms of one species that live in one place at a particular time
Example:
Herd of deer
Flock of geese

15. Community
All of the populations that interact with each other in a particular place
Living Organisms
Example:
Bison, antelope, insects, grass

16. Wolf and Moose Populations on Isle Royale60
2400
1990
1995
Moose
Wolves
1960
1965
1985
1995
1955
1970
1975
1980
1990
Moose
Wolf
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17. Community Interactions
Competition
Predation
Symbiosis
Succession

18. Competition The main interaction between organisms
May be for food, water, shelter, mate
Results in natural selection= best fit survive (evolution)
• Types of Competition:
1. interspecific: competition between two different species
Ex: lions and hyenas
2. intraspecific: competition between members of the same species
Ex: a female lion competes with other lions for food

19. Can you identify the types of competition???
Video - on CBS
Number 2
Number 3

20. Predation As a member of a population, you either “eat or be eaten”
Members of one population are the food source for another population
Predator:
The organism which is eating another
Prey:
The organism which is being eaten

21. Define interspecific and intraspecific forms of competition
Define interspecific and intraspecific forms of competition. Give an example of each type.

22. Symbiosis
When an organism has a close relationship with another organism
Each partner can help the other, harm the other, or have no effect on the other partner
Video clip of Symbiosis

23. Types of symbiosis 1. parasitism:
A parasite lives on or in another organism for food or shelter
The host usually continues to live, but it is harmed
Ex: tapeworm in the human intestines
2. commensalism:
One organism benefits while the other is unaffected
Ex. birds on the back of a buffalo
Fish attached to shark
3. mutualism:
Both members of the relationship benefit
Ex: bacteria in our intestines
Bees and flowers

24. Succession
The gradual replacement of one type of community for another
Occurs 2 ways:
1. Primary succession:
Occurs in areas where there is no soil (bare rock, hardened lava or ash)
Lichens: first organism to appear; also called pioneer species
2. Secondary succession:
Occurs in areas where soils present (after a forest fire)

26. Lichens

27. Ecosystems

28. Basic Characteristics of an Ecosystem:
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Energy Flow between organisms and their environment

29. Freshwater Pond Ecosystem
Spoonbill
Frogs lay eggs in the shallow
water near shore.The eggs
hatch in the water as tadpoles
and move to the land as adults.
The shore is lined with grasses
that provide shelter and nesting
places for birds and other
organisms.
The roots of water lilies
cling to the pond bottom,
while their leaves, on long
flexible stems, float on the
surface.
The bottom of the pond is
inhabited by decomposers and
other organisms that feed on
particles drifting down from the
Fish share the pond
with turtles and other
animals. Many of
them feed on insects
at the water’s edge.
Plankton and the organisms that
feed on them live near the surface
where there is enough sunlight for
photosynthesis. Microscopic algae
are among the most important
producers.
Duck
Water
lilies
Frog
Dragonfly
Mosquito
larvae
Duckweed
Phytoplankton
Snail
Pickerel
Diving
beetle
Trout
Hydra
Crayfish
Snail
Benthic
crustaceans

30. Energy Flow through Ecosystems
Sunlight: main source of energy for life on Earth
Trophic levels:
Trophic= feeding
examples:
producers
consumers

31. Producers 1st level Also called autotrophs
Uses energy from the environment (SUNLIGHT)
plants

32. Primary Consumers Also called heterotrophs
Organisms that feed on producers
Deer, buffalo, mice, etc

33. Secondary Consumers Organisms that feed on primary consumers
Birds, fox, etc

34. Tertiary Consumers Organisms that feed on secondary consumers
Large hawk, cat, etc

35. Types of Consumers Herbivores:
Eats plants Ex. cows, deer, caterpillars
Carnivores:
Meat eaters Ex: snakes, dogs, owls
Omnivores:
Eats both plants and animals Ex. humans
Detritivores:
Feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter Ex. mites, earthworms, snails, crabs
Decomposers:
Breaks down organic matter
Ex. bacteria, fungi

36. Food Chain
Energy that is passed from one trophic level to a trophic level that is higher
Example:

37. Food Web
Interconnected Food Chains

38. Food Pyramid Shows trophic levels Producers on lowest level
Also can show total mass of each organism in the level

39. Ecological Pyramids Energy Pyramid Shows the relative amount of
energy available at each trophic
level. Organisms use about 10
percent of this
energy for
life processes.
The rest is lost
as heat.
Pyramid of Numbers
Shows the relative
number of individual
organisms at each
trophic level.
Biomass Pyramid
Represents the amount of
living organic matter at each
trophic level. Typically, the
greatest biomass is at the
base of the pyramid.

40. DDT and Food Webs DDT was used as insecticide
DDT does not break down in organisms and is passed from one trophic level to the next
Highest levels found at the top of the food chain
Known as biomagnifications

41. DDT in Eagles and Osprey
Have highest levels of DDT
Causes shells of eggs to be fragile
Cause decrease of populations

42.  Why is a food web more accurate than a food chain in portraying the relationships that exist among organisms in an ecosystem?

43. Biome •Based on yearly precipitation and temperature (climate)
Heating of the Earth’s Surface and Some Factors That Affect Climate
Different Latitudes
Greenhouse Effect
90°N North Pole
Sunlight
66.5°N
Sunlight
Arctic circle
Some heat
escapes
into space
Sunlight
Tropic of Cancer
23.5°N
Equator
Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
Most direct sunlight 0°
Tropic of Capricorn
66.5°S
23.5°S
Sunlight
Atmosphere
Arctic circle
Sunlight
Earth’s surface
90°S South Pole

44. The World’s Major Land Biomes
Tropical rain forest
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest
Tundra
Tropical dry forest
Desert
Northwestern
coniferous forest
Mountains and
ice caps
Tropical savanna
Temperate woodland
and shrubland
Boreal forest
(Taiga)

45. Ten Major Biomes
Biome
Precipitation
Temperature
Soil
Diversity
Trees
Grasses
Tropical Rain Forest
high
hot
poor
dense
sparse
Tropical Dry Forest
variable
mild
rich
moderate
medium
Tropical Savanna
clay
Desert
low
Temperate Grassland
summer hot
absent
Temperate woodland and Shrubland
summer low, winter moderate
Temperate Forest
summer moderate, winter cold
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
summer mild, winter cold
rocky, acidic
Boreal Forest
summer mild, winter cool
poor, acidic
Tundra
summer mild, winter cold

46. Project
Food Web Biome Poster

47. The Recycling of Materials in Ecosystems:

48. Carbon 4 ways carbon is recycled in an ecosystem: 1. photosynthesis
2. respiration
3. decomposition (decay)
4. burning

49. The Carbon Cycle
CO2 in
Atmosphere
CO2 in Ocean

50. Oxygen Cycle

51. Nitrogen Nitrogen fixation:
Special type of bacteria found on the roots of legumes (peas, beans, peanuts, alfalfa, clover)
Take free nitrogen from air and change it into nitrates
Nitrates used to make plant grow, plant produces nutrients for bacteria = mutualism

52. The Nitrogen Cycle
N2 in Atmosphere
NO3-
and NO2-
NH3

53. The Water Cycle Condensation Precipitation Evaporation Transpiration
Runoff
Seepage
Root
Uptake

54. Importance of Biodiversity

55. Hardy-Weinberg Law
5 conditions that must occur for a population not to change:
1. no mutations
2. no immigration (entering) and no emigration (leaving)
3. population must be large
4. individuals have the same chance of surviving
5. matings of individual organisms must be random

56. Biodiversity The amount of variety in a community
Also called species diversity
• Low biodiversity:
Few species of plants and animals
• High biodiversity:
Many species in a community

57. Importance of Biodiversity
1. ecosystem stability
2. medicinal purposes, possible cures for diseases
Main reason why biodiversity is decreasing:
Habitat destruction
Ways humans destroy habitats:
Clearing land
building dams
highways, etc

58. Rain Forests
70 -90% of the earth’s biodiversity will be lost with destruction of rain forests
Scientists are trying to identify and classify many newly discovered organisms
Fear that we are losing valuable medicines

59. People and the Environment

60. Desertification Severe threat to our soil supply
Loss due to drought or poor farming practices
Ex.
Cattle grazing: Eat plants down to the roots; plants can no longer hold nutrients. Land becomes dry and bare.
Irrigation: water pumped from the ground contains minerals (salt). Water evaporates, minerals remain. Land is unsuitable for agriculture.

61. Erosion Increased as humans cut forests and removes plants
Loose soil is washed away by rain
Example:
Dust Bowl: Great Plains 1930’s
Farmers now grow crops in ways that reduce soil erosion

62. Water pollution
Raw sewage
Thermal pollution

63. Air pollution
Addition of gases and tiny solid particles added to the air by human activities

64. Harmful Human Activities
Burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)
Industry
Forest fires

65. Natural Occurrences
Forest fires
Dust storms
Erupting volcanoes

66. Global Air Pollution Problems

67. Acid Rain (Acid Precipitation)
Harmful gases produced by burning coal, oil, and gasoline
Gases carried by winds for long distances
Gases combine with water droplets, making the rain acidic
Damage has been done to many forests, lakes, rivers, etc.
Also damage to statues.

68. Global Warming
Earth kept warm by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (greenhouse effect)
Burning of fossil fuels releases excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, which causes more heat to be trapped.
Also caused by burning of rain forests as land is cleared.
Average global temperatures have increased in the past 100 years
Causes climate changes which result in movements in plant and animal species

69. The Greenhouse Effect Sunlight Some heat escapes into space Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
Atmosphere
Earth’s surface

70. Ozone Depletion Caused by Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Found in air conditioners, refrigerators, aerosol cans (hair spray, deodorant, spray paint, etc)
Ozone blocks UV radiation from the sun.
UV rays damages DNA in our cells (skin cancer)

71. Montreal Protocol: 1987
Agreement between many countries listing steps needed to protect the ozone layer by limiting or eliminating the use of ozone-depleting chemicals by 1996.

72. Human Population Growth
Most serious problem that affects all life on Earth
Increasing Agricultural revolution (better tools and methods) and Industrial Revolution
Advances in farming and medicine.
billion vs billion (?)
What is Earth’s carrying capacity for the human population?

73. Human Population Growth
Industrial
Revolution
begins
Agriculture
begins
Bubonic
plague
Plowing
and
irrigation

74. International Conference on Population and Development: 1994
160 countries met
Agreed that population growth can not continue at current rate
Population of any organism can not increase forever.
Polluted land, water, and air; lack of food and space; and widespread disease will limit population size

75. Direct Harvesting
Destruction or removal of species from their habitats
Can lead to the extinction of species
Ex:
Monkeys and parrots from the rain forest
Baby harbor seals (for pelts)
Elephants (tusks to make jewelry)

76. Saving the Biosphere

77. Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
As an individual, make a list of things that you can do to protect our environment.

78. Reduce: (use less) skeeda.com
Use a mug or glass instead of paper cups for drinks
Make double sided photocopies
Bring your own shopping bags to grocery store
skeeda.com

79. Reuse
Paper or plastic grocery bags
Water jugs

80. Recycle Plastic Glass Metal Paper Examples:
1. Black Asphalt in NYC contains recycled glass
2. Building materials are made to look like wood (actually plastic)

81. Renewable vs. Nonrenewable

82. Renewable Can be replaced within a generation
Enough is being made to replace what is being used
Ex:
Food
Wood
Oxygen

83. Nonrenewable: Can not be replaced Ex: Coal, oil, natural gas
Gold, silver, iron, copper, aluminum
Sand, gravel, limestone

84. Things humans can do to improve the biosphere
Windmills, Endangered Species Act, The Environmental Protection Agency, etc

85. We are being invaded by aliens!
HELP!
We are being invaded by aliens!

86. Foreign Species Plants or animals that are not native to an area
Multiply very quickly because they do not have any predators or competitors
Often cause native species to decrease in number

87. Zebra Mussels (Russian native)
When? 1980’s
Where? St.Lawrence River
Why? By accident, carried on boat
What is the problem?
Attach themselves to surfaces and colonize
Clog piped, motors, bridges
Found in many waters of the eastern United States

88. Zebra Mussels

89. Mongoose When? 1877 Where? Puerto Rico
Why? Used to control rats that were damaging sugarcane crops
What is the problem?
Rats learned to avoid the mongoose. Mongoose began to eat poultry, birds, and lizards. As lizard population decreased, June beetle populations increased. The also are pests of the sugarcane.

90. Mongoose

91. Purple Loosestrife (European native)
When? Early 1800’s
Where? All of United States
Why? Ornamental plant
What is the problem?
It has invaded the wetlands of all 48 states.
It has crowded out 44 native plants and endangered the wildlife that depends on these plants.
Approximately $45 million is spent a year trying to control it.

92. Purple
Loosestrife

93. The English Sparrow When? 1853 Where? United States
Why? Control canker worms (garden pests)
What is the problem?
Ate crops instead.
Displaces native birds and harasses others.
Carries 29 diseases that affect both humans and domestic animals.
Canker worms are still garden pests!

94. English Sparrow