1. An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere Chapter 52

2. Ecology What is ecology? Study of interactions between organisms and their environment. The environment includes both biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic = living, abiotic = non-living Ecology therefore will incorporate biotic and abiotic interactions

3. Four Levels of Inquiry: 1. Organismal Ecology: Ways the individual meets challenges posed by the environment. What is this area of ecology concerned with? Behavioral, morphological and physiological developments in the organisms that allow them to interact with their environment.

4. 2. Population Ecology What is a population? Group of individuals of the same species living in the same area. What is this area of ecology concerned with? Factors that affect population size and composition.

5. 3. Community Ecology What is a community? All of the organisms that occupy a particular area. What is this area of ecology concerned with? Involves predator/prey relationships, competition and disease.

6. 4. Ecosystem Ecology What is an ecosystem? Includes all of the biotic and abiotic factors plus the community that exists in a specific area. What is this area of ecology concerned with? Energy flow, chemical cycling, primary productivity.

7. 5. Landscape Ecology What is a landscape? A mosaic of connected ecosystems What is this area of ecology concerned with? Factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials and organisms across ecosystems.

8. 6. Global Ecology What is the biosphere? All of the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes What is this area of ecology concerned with? Regional exchange of energy and materials and how they affect the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere

9. Abiotic factors temperature water salinity sunlight wind rocks and soil periodic disturbances (e.g. tornadoes, hurricanes…)

10. Effects on Climate Bodies of water Mountains Seasonality Microclimate Long-term climate change

11. Global Climate Patterns Latitude and sunlight intensity Seasons and sunlight intensity Global air circulation and precipitation Global wind patterns

12. Seasonal effects on climate: For example turnover in a lake

13. Biomes: What is a biome? A major community that is classified by the predominant vegetation and characterized by the adaptations of organisms that live there.

14. Aquatic Biomes Vertical stratification is important in aquatic biomes Zonation in a Lake:

15. Lake classification: What is an oligotrophic lake?oligotrophic Deep water and nutrient poor, water is very clear. What is a eutrophic lake?eutrophic Shallower water, nutrient rich, murky water.

16. Wetlands What are wetlands?wetlands Area covered with water that supports aquatic plants. Very rich biome with diverse birds, invertebrates, mammals, etc.

17. Estuary What is an estuary?estuary The area where freshwater merges with salt water. River nutrients enrich the estuary. Salinity varies throughout the estuary. Important source of oysters, crabs and fish.

18. Marine Community Zonation in a marine environment:

19. Intertidal Zone Rocky Shores: What challenges are faced by organisms that live here? Rough waves pounding the rocks Salinity changes Hard rocky substrate

20. Coral Reef Where are the producers in this community?community Symbiotic algae live in the coral, and are producers for this community. Waves bring constant supply of nutrients Water is shallow enough to allow for light penetration, and photosynthesis.

21. Oceanic Pelagic Biome Temperate oceans have seasonal turnover of nutrients like in lakes Some tropical areas have stratification and no turnover of nutrients. Photic zones have phytoplankton as producers. Large animals move up to photic zone to feed.

22. Benthic zone Ocean bottom of neritic and pelagic zones Neritic benthic communities are very productive Deep benthic communities - abyssal zone - are adapted to cold water, no light, and low nutrient levels. Deep sea vents found here, producers are chemoautotrophs not photoautotrophs.

23. Terrestrial biomes

24. Tropical forest Desert Savanna Chaparral Temperate grassland Temperate broadleaf forest Coniferous forest Tundra

25. Review the characteristics of the different biomes and identify which biome is seen in the following slides…

26. Desert biome

27. Benthos

28. Broadleaf Forest

29. Grasslands

30. Tundra

31. Desert

32. Broadleaf forest

33. Tundra

34. Coniferous forest

35. Temperate grassland

36. Savannah

37. Tropical forest

38. Chaparral

39. Taiga/Tundra

40. Wetlands

41. Where would this creature live? What adaptations does it have for life here?

42. Where would these animals be found?

43. Where would these short flowers be found?