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Ecology is the scientific study of the relation of living organisms to each other and their surroundings. Ecology includes the study of plant and animal populations, plant and animal communities and ecosystems. Eco - -logy means home, habitat or environment. means what is believed to be true about science.
A biologist studies living organisms. An ecologist is a biologist who studies how the living organisms and their non-living environments all relate to each other.
The basic animals' needs: Animals have some basic needs in common. The basic animals' needs are: Food. Shelter. Right climate. Oxygen. Water. Reproduction. Animals meet their needs in the environment.
Ecosystem The term ecosystem first appeared in a 1935 publication by the British ecologist Arthur Tansley.
An ecosystem is a system whose members benefit from each other's participation via symbiotic relationships.
Ecosystem - an area that contains organisms (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria) interacting with one another and their non-living environment. Ecosystems can be of any size (e.g., forest, meadow, and log).
Individual A single organism in an environment.
Population Individuals of the same kind living in the same environment.
Community All the populations of organisms that live in an ecosystem
Physical environment None living things found in an ecosystem.
Ecosystem A community and its physical environment together.
Some examples of living and non-living things that make up our environments are:
Habitats and Niches Every population has a place where it lives in an ecosystem (habitat). Habitat A place in an ecosystem where a population lives
Many different populations can share the same habitat but each population has a certain role, or niche, in its habitat. Niche the role or part played by an organism in its habitat.
Both eagles and great horned owls share the same habitat Eagles hunt mice during the day Great horned owls hunt mice at night
In a healthy ecosystem, populations are interdependent. That is, they depend on each other for survival. See the following figure
Limiting factors Things that prevent a population from growing any larger. For example, 10 rabbits may live in a habitat that has enough water, cover and space to support 20 rabbits, but if there is only enough food for ten rabbits, the population will not grow any larger.
The environment determines the type of ecosystem that will develop in an area. ( FOR PLANTS ) Factors include: 1. Soil conditions 2. Temperature 3. Rainfall 4. Plant Life 5. Amount of Food
There are many limiting factors (FOR ANIMALS) such as the: 1. Availability of food. 2. Water. 3. Shelter. 4. Presence of predators and natural enemies. Food is a resource animals must have to survive
Most ecosystems have limited supplies of food and other resources These limited resources make a competition, or a contest, among organisms for these resources. All organisms in a community compete in some way for resources.
Deer compete with each other for food in winter In dray months, fish compete for water in a swamp
Plants compete for water and sunlight.
Adaptations A body part or behavior that helps an animal meets its needs in its environment. Every organism has adaptations that help it compete for resources or limiting factors.
Adaptation A female sea turtle digs a deep hole in the sand and lays as many as 1800 eggs. For every1800 eggs.only 400 will hatch and only 2 or 3 of the hatchlings will live to become adults. Limiting factor In some ecosystems, raccoons depend on sea turtle eggs for food. This limits the size of the sea turtle population.
Cheetah's speed allows it to hunt. Yet cheetahs too are limited by competition.
A pack of hyenas may chase away a single cheetah feeding on prey such as antelope and then eat the antelope themselves. This adaptation-hunting in packswith cheetahs. helps hyenas compete
Giraffes eat from the higher branches of trees while rhinoceros eat from middles branches Many different herbivores eat the plants growing on the African plains (see the following pictures)
Competition The contest among organisms for the limited resources of an ecosystem
Because organisms might have limited resources, there might be competition, or a contest, among organisms for these resources. Organisms may compete for food, water, sunlight, or shelter. If an organism competes successfully for resources, it is more likely to survive and reproduce! This is why there is PREDATOR and PREY!
Predators vs. Prey ( vs. = versus ) PREDATORS are the animals doing the hunting. While PREY are the animals being hunted.
Predator-Prey Relationships: A predator is an organism that eats another organism. The prey is the organism which the predator eats. Some examples of predator and prey are: Lion and zebra. Bear and fish. Fox and rabbit.
The words "predator" and "prey" are almost always used to mean only animals that eat animals But the same concept also applies to plants: Bear and berry. Rabbit and lettuce. Grasshopper and leaf.
Predator and prey evolve together. The prey is part of the predator's environment, and the predator dies if it does not get food.
Cooperation and Sharing In many ecosystems, organisms live together and share resources. A great example of this is the African plain.
Giraffes eat from the highest branches of a tree.
Antelopes eat from the middle branches.
Rhinos eat from the lower branches.
Symbiosis A long-term relationship between organisms is called symbiosis.
Either one or both organisms benefit from this arrangement. A good example of this is the clown fish that lives in a sea anemone. The clown fish gets a safe place to live while attracting food for the sea anemone.
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There are three types of symbiosis: 1. Mutualism 2. Commensalisms 3. Parasitism
Mutualism The symbiotic relationship that benefits both organisms involved. Birds and mammals eat berries and fruits while plant benefits by the dispersal of it seeds.
Commensalism A symbiotic relationship that benefits one organism and doesn't harm or help the other organism. Clownfish lives among the forest of tentacles of an anemone and is protected from potential predators
Parasitism A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed Insects such as mosquitoes feeding on a host.
Behavioral Adaptation Adaptations in animals are found in two ways: Body parts. Behaviors.
Wild animals have certain behaviors. Most behaviors help animals survive in their communities. Some behaviors are inherited (instinct) while others are learned
Learned behavior: Behaviors that animals have learned from their parents, not inherited from them
Instinct: A behavior that an animal begins life with
Lions are born with the instinct to kill and eat other animals. To survive, however, young lions must learn hunting skills from adult lions.
Behavioral Adaptation (Migration) Migration: The movement of a group of one type of animal from one region to another and back again
Migration is a behavioral adaptation. Animals migrate to meet their needs. Examples for animals that migrate are monarch butterfly, grey whale, pacific salmon and some birds.
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These birds migrate each year. In the fall, they fly south. In the spring, they return to the north to lay eggs and raise their young..
Pacific salmon attempt to leap over.they travel upstream to the place where they were hatched..
. Gray whales spend the summer in areas where they can find food easily- near the North Pole. In the winter they migrate to the warm waters off Mexico, where they give birth to their young.
Not all animals have instinct to migrate to overcome lack of food and cold winter. Instead, some animals adapt to these changes by hibernating. An animal prepares to hibernate by eating extra food and finding shelter. During hibernation the animal body temperature drops and its breathing rate fall. As result, the animal needs little or no food. The energy it does need comes from fat stored in its body.
Hibernation A period when an animal goes into a long, deep sleep. Examples of hibernating animals are bears, ground squirrel, some kinds of bats.
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Body Parts' Animal Adaptations Birds have beaks that help them get food from their environment. The feet shape also adapted to meet the bird needs. Feather keep birds warm and dry and help them fly.
Another adaptation for flying is hollow bones. Some flightless birds have adaptation for running (e.g. the ostrich's long legs). Some water birds, like penguins don't fly or run, their body parts have adaptations for moving in water.
Swimming Filtering Swimming / Walking Probing Walking Catching Insects Perching Cracking Seeds Seizing Prey Tearing Meat Climbing Drilling Holes Bird Beaks and Feet
Body Coverings Every animal's body covering is an adaptation that helps the animal survives.
The hairs of a polar bear's thick fur are actually clear, not white. They allow light to get to the bear's dark skin, helping the bear stay warm in the cold Arctic climate.
The hedgehog rolls into a ball when it is in danger.
Camouflage An animal's color or pattern that helps it blends in with its surroundings. Camouflage helps some animals compete for limited food resources
Mimicry An adaptation in which an animal looks very much like another animal.
Example of mimicry is viceroy butterfly which looks like the monarch butterfly. Monarch butterfly tastes bad to birds. Birds often mistake the viceroy for monarch and leave it alone
Monarch butterfly Viceroy butterfly
The Stages of Life (animals & plants) Life span The length of life of an individual or the average length of life in a population or species. (A lifetime)
Most organisms grow and mature through several distinct stages of life. These stages make up the organism's life cycle. All life cycles begin with a young organism. Some organisms are born alive such as mammals.
Many organisms change a lot as they mature. But the young of some animals are identical to the adult, except in size. Then they grow larger but with the same body features such as shape. This kind of growth is called direct development.
The Stages of Life (insects) Incomplete metamorphosis Some animals, especially insects, have one kind of body when they are young and a very different kind of body when they are adults. The changes in the shape or characteristics of an organism's body as it grows and matures are called metamorphosis. The life cycles of many insects include metamorphosis.
Some insects, such as grasshopper and cockroaches go through incomplete metamorphosis which has just three stages of development (egg, nymph, and adult).
Complete metamorphosis Some animals go through complete metamorphosis. Animals whose bodies change dramatically during their life cycles go through complete metamorphosis (e.g. beetles and butterfly). Complete metamorphosis includes four distinct stages (egg, larva, pupa, and adult).
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