Ecology Ecology is the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and their physical environment
Levels of Organization Use the words on your notes to fill in the blanks. Words may be used once or not at all.
Throughout the notes, write down the definition of these words.
Biome a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities. *Biomes are made up of smaller ecosystems. Examples of North American biomes
Ecosystem: made up of a living (community) and nonliving (habitat) factors of an environment. A community many different species that live together in a habitat
Habitat: the place where a particular population lives
What are some interactions that could occur between organisms (living things) within an ecosystem?
Bee pollinating flower Mistletoe growing into a mangrove tree COMMUNITY Interactions (Parasitsm went to the next page on your N.T.) Whale with barnacles on skin Bat about to eat frog Community Interactions Commensalism: + / 0 Mutualism: + / + Predation : + / - Parasitism: +/ -
Population: All the members of one species that live in one place at one time.
Abiotic vs. Biotic Biotic-All the LIVING or ONCE LIVING components of an ecosystem. Also includes the product of living things. Examples: hair, fingernails, etc. The community of organisms Abiotic factors-all the non-living components of an ecosystem
Using the list below, write an A next to factors you think are abiotic and a B next to factors you think are biotic. water bacteria humidity temperature precipitation tree soil dead leaf feces owl light fingernail
Food Chain Describes one feeding relationship and one path of energy through food consumption.
FOOD WEB shows the interactions between a wide variety of organisms in the environment creating a complicated, interconnected path of energy flow. are used to study effects of the changing or introduction of a variable in an environment
Food webs show the energy flow among producers and consumers. As you define these terms and other categories, use the food web shown to provide you examples (in addition to the ones on the following slides).
Producer produces food (make energy storing molecules), Also Known As (AKA): Autotrophs Eg. Plants, algae and some kinds of bacteria
Consumer Obtains its energy and nutrients by consuming plants or other organisms Different levels of consumers depending on where they eat Primary Secondary Tertiary Quaternary
Primary Consumers eats producers AKA herbivores Eg. Cows, horses, caterpillars and ducks
Secondary Consumers (2 nd order consumers) eats herbivores AKA carnivores Eg. Wolf, ferret, and leopard
Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Consumer (3 rd order consumer) eats second order (other carnivores) AKA carnivores Eg. Hawk Cougar
Quaternary Consumer (4 th order consumer) this is very rare Not enough energy at the level before to support these higher levels AKA carnivore Eg. Orca
Voracious Voracious, synonymous with ravenous or insatiable, means having a great appetite or refers to intense greediness or eagerness. The noun form is voracity. Herbivore Herb plant Eats only plants Carnivore Carn flesh Eats living organisms Omnivore Omni all Eat both plants and animals
Looking at the food web, can you now label A, B, C, D with the correct terms based on how these organisms obtain energy? (Be sure to state the specific level primary, secondary etc.) Notice there are some organisms that fall into both categories (e.g. Sea sponge and Reef shark). Why is that?
What happens when a variable is introduced to food webs? Answer the following questions on page 45 of your notes. Explain at least THREE consequences of the change. 1. Using the aquatic food web above, explain what would happen if the zooplankton population drastically declined. 2. Explain what would happen if the reef shark population drastically increased.