What standard are we focusing on today? Standard H.B.6 The student will demonstrate an understanding that ecosystems are complex, interactive systems that include both biological communities and physical components of the environment. SPECIFICALLY, ABIOTIC and BIOTIC factors.
Principles of Ecology Ecology study of relationships between living and nonliving parts of the world Ernst Haeckel (1866) first to use the word to name the study of how organisms fit into their environment
Parts of the Environment Biotic factors all the living organisms that inhabit the environment Abiotic factors non-living parts of an organism s environment Air currents, temperature, moisture, light, soil
Ecosystem Requirements #1 - Continuous supply of Energy #2 A flow of energy from one population to another
Levels of Organization Organism Population Community Ecosystem Biome Biosphere
Niche vs. Habitat vs. Ecosystem Ecosystem all the organisms in a given area and the abiotic factors that affect them (ecosystem = interaction of living and nonliving things). Habitat place an organism lives out its life Niche role and position a species has in its environment Includes all biotic and abiotic interactions as an organism meets its needs for survival If two species are competing for the same niche, one will most likely drive the other out and take control of the niche. What is your niche?
Niches Further Explained The range of physical and biological conditions in which a species lives and the way the species what it needs to survive and reproduce. Analogy 1: A habitat is like the species address and the niche is like the species ecological occupation where and how it makes a living. Analogy 2: A sports team is the species habitat. The niche is like the position an athlete plays in a team sport. (i.e. the role a player in a given position fulfills for the team, the physical space the player occupies, and how the player interacts with teammates and competitors)
Tolerance Tolerance: the range of external conditions within which a species can survive and reproduce No survival No survival
Organism Interactions 1. Immigration/emigration 2. Competition 3. Mutualism both species benefit 4. Commensalism one benefits, the other is not affected 5. Parasitism one benefits, one is harmed 6. Predator-prey relationships 7. Interdependence
Immigration/Emigration
Competition When organisms attempt to use the same limited ecological resources in the same place at the same time. Intraspecific: between members of the same species Interspecific: between members of different species
Competitive Exclusion Principle No two species can occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat at exactly the same time.
Dividing Resources Spruce tree Competition creates pressure for each species to specialize the way that it uses resources to survive and reproduce. Cape May Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler
Keystone Species A keystone species is a single species that is vital to ecosystem stability. In the kelp forests on the Pacific Coast, sea otters prey on sea urchins. Urchins eat the kelp. A century ago, otters were nearly eliminated by hunting. Unexpectedly, the kelp forest nearly vanished. WHY?: Without otters as predators, sea urchin populations skyrocketed. Armies of urchins devoured kelp down to bare rock. Without kelp to provide habitat, many other animals, including seabirds, disappeared. WHAT HAPPENED? Otters became an endangered species & their population recovered. Kelp forests began to thrive again.
Symbiosis: Mutualism A relationship between two species in which both species benefit When a clownfish is threatened by a predator, it seeks shelter in the tentacles that would kill or paralyze most other fish. If an anemone-eating species tries to attack their living home, the clownfish dart out and fiercely chase away fish many times their size. Clownfish and sea anemones help each other survive.
Symbiosis: Commensalism A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed Example: Barnacles often attach themselves to a whale s skin. The barnacles benefit from the constant movement of water (food particles) along the whale. The barnacles do not harm or benefit the whale.
Symbiosis: Parasitism A relationship in which one organism lives inside or on another organism and harms it Leech with human host
Predator-Prey Relationships Predators can affect the size of prey populations in a community i.e. birds of prey can play an important role in regulating the population sizes of mice, voles, and other small mammals. One predator-prey cycle
Interdependence
Vocabulary Review Keystone species No two species can occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat at exactly the same time Parasitism Competitive exclusion principle Tolerance Interspecific competition Herbivory The ability to survive and reproduce under a range of environmental conditions One species benefits while harming another Between members of different species A single species vital to ecosystem stability An interaction in which one animal feeds on producers
Biomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiy0zlyppdg The Desert Biomes: They are the Hot and Dry Deserts, Semi Arid Deserts, Coastal Deserts and Cold Deserts. The Aquatic Biomes: Aquatic biomes are grouped into two, Freshwater Biomes (lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, wetlands) and Marine Biomes (oceans, coral reefs and estuaries). The Forest Biomes: There are three main biomes that make up Forest Biomes. These are the Tropical Rainforest, Temperate and Boreal Forests (also called the Taiga) The Grassland Biomes: There are two main types of grassland biomes: the Savanna Grasslands and the Temperate Grasslands. The Tundra Biomes: There are two major tundra biomes The Artic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra.