1. Adaptations, Biomes, & Ecology
Obj. 3a, 3e, & 3h

2. Adaptations to an Environment
Every organism has a variety of adaptations that are suited to its specific living conditions
An adaptation is a trait that an organism has inherited that helps them survive and reproduce in their habitat
Ex. Sharks sense of smell, shape of a bird’s beak, dogs can hear well, flowers have bright colors
Physical adaptations do not develop during one lifetime, but over many generations
Genes that help determine survival are passed from parent to offspring

3. How many traits can you find that are adaptations to this environment?

4. Adaptations Over Time
Natural selection is the process by which individuals who are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species.
Caused by variations among species

6. Variations
Variations are different ways that a trait can express itself
Some variations make individuals better fit for survival from predators allowing them to reproduce and pass the favorable trait to their offspring
Ex. Variations among turtles make some of them better able to survive. Turtles that survive to become adults will be able to reproduce.

7. Variations

8. Animal Defense Adaptations
Some animals use these methods of defense to protect themselves:
Camouflage
Snake
Mimicry
Mexican Milk Snake
Bright colors
Skunk and Poison Arrow Frog
“Hair” projections
Hedgehog quills
Deer Antlers

9. Natural Selection by Environment
Variations can also allow organisms to become better adapted to survive in a particular climate
Organisms expressing traits that allow them to survive & reproduce in a particular environment will become the dominant life within the environment

10. Biomes
Biomes are Large geographic areas characterized by a distinct climate and specific types of plant & animal life.
Climate is the weather a place has over a long period of time (50 years).

11. Taiga/Boreal (Coniferous) Forest Biomes
Winters are cold and very snowy
Summers are warm and rainy enough to melt all the snow
Dominant plants adapt with needle-shaped leaves to reduce water loss by having less surface area
Ex. evergreens
Animal have adapted by camouflage, hibernating or migrating, & thick fur

13. Tundra Biomes Permanently frozen land (permafrost)
Dominant plants adapt by growing close to the ground, having shallow roots to absorb the limited water, trees grow less than 1 m high!
Animals have small ears, insulation, thick coat, migration, few predators, little competition

14. Deciduous Forest Biomes
Much of the human population lives in this biome
Characterized by an abundance of deciduous (leaf bearing) trees
Characterized by 4 seasons
Trees adapt to varied climate by becoming dormant in winter
Ex. Magnolias, roses, Oak trees
Animals have adapted by hibernating, losing winter coat, adapting to many seasons, eating from different layers of the forest

15. Rain Forest Biomes
Wet, warm biomes that contain the greatest variety of life on earth
Plant & animal life adapts in a variety of ways
Camouflage
Poisonous
Mimicry

17. Desert Biomes Receive less than 25 cm of rain per year.
Hottest temperature on Earth
The plants have many adaptations for getting and conserving water. (deep roots, needles)
Some animals have adapted by being nocturnal, burrowing under ground, & being hairless

19. Aquatic Biomes Oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams
Plants are micro and macroscopic; there are also floating plants (kelp)
Zooplankton—sea’s smallest herbivores, & deep ocean animals feed on floating debris in the water (detritus)

20. Aquatic Biomes Adaptations

21. Ecology

22. Ecosystems
An ecosystem is all the organisms that live in an area together with the nonliving factors of the environment
Ex. Pond or pine forest
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other & the physical environment

23. Populations
All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species
Ex. Mice living in a meadow or pine trees in a forest
Species are a group of organisms that can mate to produce offspring that can produce more offspring
Ex. Brown pelican or human

24. Community
All the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem & share resources
Ex. Pine tree forest forms a community with populations of deer, mice, raccoons, bacteria, mushrooms, & ferns

25. Fill in the circle & give an example as we go through the next slide
Practice
Fill in the circle & give an example as we go through the next slide
Biosphere

26. Levels of Organization

27. on offshore pack ice, and along costs and island of the Arctic region.
Habitat
The natural environment where an organism lives that provides food, shelter, moisture, & temperature needed for survival
the physical environment
Ex. The polar bears main habitat is
on offshore pack ice, and along costs and island of the Arctic region. 

28. Group Time!
What kinds of plants & animals do you think you would find living in this habitat?

29. Niche
The unique ways an organism survives, obtains food & shelter, reproduces, cares for its young, and avoids danger (how it has adapted)

30. Ex. Polar Bear Niche
Large feet and short, sharp, stocky claws are adaptations to this environment.
Thick layer of fat under a thick fur to provide protection from extreme cold temperatures
Polar bears depend on sea ice as a platform for hunting seals.
Eat seals, walrus, & fish
Care for young for 2 years

31. Interactions Within Communities
All organisms need ENERGY to survive.
The sun is the source of energy that fuels most life on Earth

32. Feeding Relationships
Two categories of organisms
Autotrophs are organisms that can make their own food for energy by capturing sunlight or other chemicals
Heterotrophs can not make their own food for energy & must obtain it by feeding on another organism
3 main types
Producers (Autotrophs)
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Decomposers (heterotrophs)

33. Producers
Organisms that make their own food using energy from the sun & raw materials from the environment
Most producers are plants that use the process of photosynthesis to make food

34. Photosynthesis
Plants use carbon dioxide and hydrogen with light-energy in the presence of chlorophyll in the chloroplast of the cells to make glucose and oxygen
Directly or indirectly produces food for almost all organisms
Phytoplankton & algae also play a huge role as producers in the environment
carbon dioxide + water + sunlight oxygen + glucose
(CO2) (H2O) (energy) (O2) (C6H1206)

35. Consumers
Organisms that cannot make their own food & Obtain energy by eating other organisms & cellular respiration
Three Types:
Herbivores: eat only plants/producers
Carnivores: eat only animals
Omnivores: eat both plant & animals

36. oxygen + sugar carbon dioxide + water + energy
Cellular Respiration
The purpose of cellular respirations is to release energy that can be used by cells to perform their specialized function
Cellular respiration occurs in the mitochondria of cells.
The mitochondria uses glucose & oxygen and converts it in a chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy
oxygen + sugar carbon dioxide + water + energy
(O2) (C6H1206) (CO2) (H2O)

37. Consumers

38. Decomposers
Organisms that feed on the dead remains or waste products of other organisms to obtain energy
Ex. Bacteria, earthworms, & fungi

39. Hands up, Stand up, Pair up
Compare & contrast Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration & make a list of what you see?
How are these two processes related to each other?

40. Food Chains
A model that shows the flow of energy through feeding relationships among organisms in a particular ecosystems

41. Food Webs
A model that links the organisms within an ecosystem by how they depend on each other for food.
The lines drawn represent the flow of energy through the ecosystem & show a variety of food chains

42. Energy Pyramid
An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy available at each level of a food chain.
Only about 10% of energy is passed to next level.
Producers- bottom level- have the most energy
Primary consumers- eat producers
Secondary consumers- eat primary consumers
Tertiary consumers- eat secondary consumers

43. Energy Pyramid

44. Energy Pyramid
1. What are the secondary consumers? 2. If there are 50,000 kcal available to the giraffes, how many are available to the lions?

45. Relationships Between Populations
Competition: Occurs when more that one individual or population tries to make use of the same limited resources
Ex. Food, water, or space
Predation: Type of feeding relationship in which one animal captures & eats another animal for food
Animal being eaten is the prey
Animal doing the eating is the predator
Predator/prey relationships help keep an ecosystem in balance by preventing any one population from growing too large

46. Predation