Ecology Outline. 2. Basic Ecology Concepts A. Biodiversity: Maryland, MD Forests

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1 Ecology Outline 1. Intro to Ecology A. Definition, Examples B. Plant Ecology, Photosynthesis 2. Basic Ecology Concepts A. Biodiversity: Maryland, MD Forests B. Four Levels of Ecology: ii. Species: Cultivars, Keystone, Indicator iii. Population: Interactions; flower types iv. Community: Succession; Invasive Exotics v. Ecosystem: Nutrient Cycles C. Habitat vs. Niche D. Adaptations: Plant Defense

2 Garden Ecology: It Happens 1. Your garden can be an exciting ecosystem - with flowing energy, interacting communities and recycling nutrients. 2. Bugs, chewed leaves and uninvited plants are not necessarily bad things in the garden. 3. Think globally, garden locally. Gardens can have a positive impact on global ecology. think outside the (flower) box. 4. A more diverse and native = A healthier, more stable and more interesting one. 5. Understanding ecology can improve your gardening. 2

3 Ecology: Defined ⑴ The study of the interactions between an organism and its environment Behavioral Ecologist (2) How these interactions determine its distribution and abundance Population Ecologist (3) The flow of energy and the cycling of matter that occurs. Ecosystem Ecologist 3

4 Solving a puzzle: Acid Rain Example 1. Air pollution mixes with rain, lowers ph (acidic) 2. Acid Rain leeches calcium carbonate out of the soil Less calcium in soil leads to fewer snails in forest 4. Fewer snails eaten by birds means less calcium in the birds bodies and less successful egg laying. 5. Bird populations decline 4

5 Photosynthesis CO 2 + H 2 0 CH 2 O + O Carbon + water sugar + oxygen Dioxide Part 1 The Light Reactions Sun energy captured by pigments Splits water into H and O (oxygen released) Produces ATP = chemical energy Part 2 The Light Independent Reactions Chemical energy is used to add the H from water to CO2 to make sugar. 5

6 Basic Ecology Concepts: Biodiversity Biological Diversity: The sum total of all living things in an area. Little fleas have lesser fleas Upon their backs to bite them. And lesser fleas, still lesser fleas, and so proceed ad infinitum. Biodiversity Analogies: Plane Rivets & Jenga Game Benefits are more: productive/efficient, stable, resistant to invasion, services for us (oxygen, clean water, wildlife) 6

7 Maryland s Biodiversity Despite its small size, Maryland is home to an abundance of species Example: > 300 bird species >3,000 plant species (2/3 native) Good diversity of soils, geology, climate and habitats Western Maryland is home for some more typically northern species Southern Maryland is home for some more typically southern species 7

8 Maryland Forests 8

9 Maryland Forests By Percentages Historically: 95% of total land Today: 39% forested (2.6 million acres) 76% of forested land = privately owned 84% of the privately owned forest is < 10 acres Many private landowners are 65+ years old Loss of farmland = 50% since 1950 (-2.1 million acres) Some Implications Forests are relatively stable due to concentrated development and old fields/farms reverting farmland Many of Maryland s small forest lots will be changing 9 hands soon; and State s control is limited (Fragmentation)

10 Levels of Organization 4. Ecosystem 3. Community 2. Population 1. Species 10

11 Native Plant Cultivars Cultivar: Cultivated variety of a plant -- selected, propagated and named for a particular characteristic. Attempt to make better plants. More attractive natives: more petals, different height, new color flowers, etc. Better for whom? Impact on ecology / other organisms is not known. Example: anthracnose-resistant dogwood Hard to find native plants to purchase. Even harder to find pure native species. 11

12 Indicator Species Indicator a somewhat specialized species whose presence indicates a specific ecosystem Keystone Species A species whose influence on a community is disproportionately larger than its presence Sea Otter: Affect sea urchins kelp forest fish Beaver: Pond alters the entire ecosystem Wolf (in Yellowstone): Affects elk & deer behavior aspens 12

13 Level 2: Population A group of organisms of the same species Interacting Populations: Right now you have more organisms living on you (or in you) than the entire human population on earth. Some help you, some harm you, some have no effect. Predator-prey + - Parasitism + - Commensalism + o Mutualism

14 Parasitism (+/-) Good parasites don t kill their hosts Chestnut blight bad parasite Mistletoe Ticks Cowbird Commensalism (+/o): Algae on box turtle s shell Cattle egrets on cattle s back Epiphtye on a tree trunk Cinnamon Fern & Hummingbirds Mutualism (+/+) Flowers & insects = pollinators Lichens = fungus and algae Birds and berries = seed dispersal Ants and Eliasomes 14

15 Flower Advantages 1. Attract animal pollinators (not just wind) 2. More efficient, especially if you target species 3. Fruits = enhanced seed dispersal Read a flower Wind flowers Bumblebee Flowers Fly/Beetle Flowers Butterfly Flowers Moth flowers 15

16 Bumblebees Long Season Generate Heat Big & Strong Long Tongue Buzz Pollinate Wildflowers that benefit from Bumblebee Pollination Shooting Star Solomon s Seal Gentian Bluebells Turtlehead Greenhouse flowers that benefit from Buzz Pollination (Sonication): Tomatoes Kiwi Cranberry Blueberry Strawberry Cucumbers Peppers Eggplant 16

17 Butterfly Flowers Colorful, tube-shaped (long tongues), place to land, more nectar than pollen. Butterfly Weed, Black Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Phlox, Joe Pye Weed, Bergamot. Moth Flowers Nocturnal blooms, smell more at night, white, long tube. More nectar than pollen. Honeysuckle, Primrose, Jimsonweed. Fly / Beetle Flowers Brownish in color, bad smell, low to ground, more pollen than nectar. Purple Trillium, Wild Ginger, Skunk Cabbage, Carrion Flower. 17

18 High-Energy Berries Dogwood Blackgum Spicebush Magnolia Sassfras 18

19 Nutrient rich seed attachment Found in many native early spring ephemeral wildflowers These plants often have smaller seeds, less-appealing to animals But: Elaiosome Release their seeds with a reward when there is less competition Result: Ant seed-dispersal = Myrmecochory Dutchman s Breeches Trillium Trout lily Bloodroot Hepatica Violets Wild Bleeding Heart 19 Wood poppy

20 Level 3: Community Community: A group of interacting plant and animal populations Succession: The replacement of one type of community with another over time. Maryland s climax community is eastern temperate deciduous forest. 20

21 Top 15 Native Woody Plants Name Genus Butterfly/ Moth Species Oak Quercus 534 Black cherry Prunus 456 Willow Salix 455 Birch Betula 413 Poplar Populus 368 Crabapple Malus 311 Blueberry Vaccinium 288 Maple Acer 285 Elm Ulmus 213 Pine Pinus 203 Hickory Carya 200 Hawthorn Crataegus 159 Spruce Picea 156 Alder Alnus 156 Basswood Tilia

22 Level 4: Ecosystem A community and its surrounding environment treated as a functional system linked by energy flows and nutrient cycles Which Nutrients? The Schnapps Cycles: CHNOPS Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Oxygen Phosphorus Sulphur 22

23 Carbon Cycle Why care? Carbon: Essential element - all life is based on it. 50% of our dry weight = carbon. 4 th most abundant element in universe after (Hydrogen, Helium & Oxygen) Organic = carbon CO 2 is a greenhouse gas (climate change) 30% more CO2 in atmosphere than 150 years ago 23

24 Climate Change Problem: Rise in earth s overall temperature Causes and solutions are still debated. Linked with recent rise in greenhouse gases Mostly carbon dioxide (C0 2 ), but also methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and others. Consequences: 1. Rising Oceans 2. Shifting Populations 3. More Severe Storms 24

25 Shifting Populations Impact on Bird Migration Bird populations might shift farther north (NA warblers 65 miles) Bird and food coordination could be out of sync (arriving earlier, leaving later) 25

26 Adaptation: A physical or behavioral inherited characteristic that improves an organism s ability to survive in its environment. 26

27 How Plants Fight Back: Defense Adaptations 1. Physical Defense Thorns & needles Glass-like Crystals in maple leaves 2. Chemical Warfare 1: Attack Allelopathy black walnut, NY fern Phototoxins - St. Johnswort 3. Chemical Warfare 2: Communicate Sending Out an SOS - Plants signal wasps Trees release gas that stimulates leaf tannins Ants & Bracken Ferns - extra-floral nectary 4. Overwhelm your predators: Mast Years 27