1. Do now: Write in your notebook the answer to the 2 following questions.
Distinguish (similarities and differences) between scavengers and decomposers.
Distinguish between predation (what predators do) and scavenging (what scavengers do).

2. Scavengers and decomposers
Scavengers (water snails, hyenas and vultures) consume dead animals.
Decomposers (fungi, some bacteria) are organisms of decay and break down the remains of both dead plants and animals. Their waste products release substances that can be reused by other members of the ecosystem.

3. Predation and scavenging
Both are done by carnivores
Obtain prey in different ways
Predators (lion) hunt and kill prey
Scavengers (hyena) feed off dead carcasses that they find

4. Lichen How would you describe this organism?

5. Lichen
Lichen grows on the bark of trees, on rocks and on soil. They are usually the first organisms to grow on bare rock.
They are also abundant in the Arctic where they are eaten by reindeer and other animals.

6. Lichen
Lichens are made of green algae (or blue-green bacteria) and a fungus that live together.
Neither one could survive on their own.
What problem or question does this bring to mind?

7. Aim
Why do the algae and the fungus in the lichen need each other to survive?

8. Describe green algae and its role in food chain?
Green algae are autotrophs
Like other autotrophs they convert sunlight energy into nutrients via photosynthesis
(Cyanobacteria, or blue-green bacteria can also carry out photosynthesis. They are simpler than algae and have 2 photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll and phycocyanin)

9. Describe fungus and the role it plays in food chain
Fungi are decomposers

10. Describe the structure of lichen under a microscope
White filaments-fungi
Green cells algae

11. Why do they live together?
Based on your observations of the structure of a lichen, what can you hypothesize about the function of the algae and the fungus in the lichen?
Algae provides nutrients to the fungus.
Fungus provides protection, moisture and needed elements to the algae

12. Why is the close association in the lichen beneficial to both the algae and fungus?
Each get something from the other that they need.
This relationship is a type of symbiosis, where both organisms benefit from the relationship, called mutualism

14. Symbiosis Symbiosis is where organisms live in close association
Mutualism-type of symbiosis that benefits both organisms (example lichen-algae and fungus)

15. What is THIS?

16. Parasitism
Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship where the parasite benefits, but the host is harmed
Example: Tapeworm lives inside host’s (human) intestine to absorb nutrients directly without their own digestive system

17. Another type of symbiosis

18. Clownfish live among anemones

19. Commensalism
Commensalism is when one organism benefits but the other is not affected
Example Clownfish and anemone. Anemone provide shelter and protection to fish, but anemone get no benefits and are not harmed

20. Niche in an ecosystem
Each organism in an ecosystem occupy a particular place, called its habitat
Each organism also has a particular role or job within the ecosystem, called a niche.
In a balanced ecosystem, each species occupies its own niche
Predict what would happen if 2 different organisms occupied the same niche in an ecosystem.

21. What would happen if 2 different organisms occupied the same niche?
They would compete with each other
The stronger or better one at competing or doing its job would survive and the other one would be eliminated from its niche.
It would either die out, move somewhere else or try to take on a new, closely related niche

22. Competition Competition among living things Habitat= place
Niche = role or job

24. Interspecific competition
Between different species competing for a niche
Better adapted species survives
Less successful species eliminated

26. Intraspecies competition
Competition within individual members of a population (same species)
Darwin’s survival of the fittest
Only the strongest and fittest individuals survive

27. Work with your partner to classify each of these relationships
Heartworm in dogs
Orchids and trees
Flowers and bees

28. Homework
Miller and Levine: read pages 90-93, answer page 97 questions # 2, 4, 5 and page 117, questions #25-29
Materials and methods for Bottle ecosystem lab is now due Monday