ECOLOGY organism the study of the interactions of living things and nonliving things with one another and their environment A single living thing. All animals and plants are organisms. population Organisms of the same species living together in the same geographical area at the same time Community Several different populations that live together in the same habitat or environment. Ecosystems abiotic All the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things that interact in an environment (area). the non-living things in an ecosystem (sunlight, water, rocks, climate, wind and rain)
biotic the living things in an ecosystem (plants, animals, insects) niche predator An organism s particular role or job in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living (what it eats, when it eats, when it sleeps, the part of the tree it lives in, etc.) organism that does the hunting and killing and eats all or part of another organism Owl prey organism that is hunted by a predator and killed for food Mouse Photosynthesis The cycle of plants and how they make energy! The sun (light energy), water, minerals and carbon dioxide are all absorbed by the plant. The plant then uses them to make glucose/sugar, which is the energy/food for the plant. Oxygen is also produced and released into the air!
producer consumer* living thing that can make its own food through photosynthesis. (Humans can never be producers.) living thing that gets its energy by eating other living things herbivore cows, horses, mice, elephants consumer* that only eats plants (Organism that obtains energy ONLY from producers) carnivore consumer* that only eats animals omnivore scavenger organic* decomposer consumer* that eats both plants and animals Both a carnivorous and herbivorous behavior in which the scavenger feeds on dead and decaying organic* matter present in its habitat. Something that is living or was once living. Inorganic-minerals and some rocks. (something that has never lived) Organisms (fungus, mold, bacteria and mushrooms) that return nutrients to the soil and break down dead organisms. Nature s recyclers Turkey Vulture
PLEASE READ: The Energy Pyramid, simple Food Chains and Food Webs all show transfer of energy through arrows. energy transfer Example: Our body gives off heat. We gain a percentage of energy by eating other organisms. The amount of energy that moves or is transferred from one feeding level to another as a result of feeding patterns of a series of organisms. This energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid. Energy Pyramid See below for example of how energy is lost at each level. food chain A path of energy from one living thing to another. food web Drawing that shows how food chains connect together and their feeding relationshipsidentify a food chain within a food web. Decomposers like bacteria are necessary for all food chains. **Notice the producer (plant) - consumer (herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore) relationship.
Analyze the interactions of living organisms with their ecosystems. Anything that restricts the number of individuals living in a population. limiting factor For example, 10 rabbits may live in a habitat that has enough water, cover and space to support 20 carrying capacity The maximum amount of organisms that can live in an area. habitat Adaptation Skunks-chemical Lizard-camouflage Prairie dog-runs away A resource that is so scarce that it limits the size of a population. the largest population an environment can support -Describe and analyze how major changes in the limiting factors affect the carrying capacity of organisms in an ecosystem. See # 16 on CRT example Test. The environment where an organism lives that can be affected by the limiting factors In order for animals to survive, they need to be able to adapt. (Moving in large groups is a behavioral adaptation; it helps protect the members of the group from predators. The thick fur coat of an arctic fox is a structural adaptation. It helps protect it against the cold weather. rabbits, but if there is only enough food for ten rabbits, the population will not grow any larger. In this example, food is the limiting factor. These limiting factors cause individuals to die off or leave causing the population to decrease.
symbiosis relationship between living things in which at least one benefits Parasite (Example: tick or flea harms the dog) Symbiotic relationship in which an organism (parasite) benefits while the other (host) is harmed. Host (Example: Dog gets harmed) living thing that a parasite lives on or in that gets harmed environment survival rate The environment includes not only physical factors* such as climate or terrain, but also living factors such as predators, prey, and other members of a population. Interpret an analyze data to predict survival rate in organisms due to changing environmental factors:
Environmental (Physical*) factors Droughts Droughts Floods Temperature changes Wildfires Pollution Severe droughts affect regions in a number of ways. Vegetation that requires frequent water cannot survive long under these conditions. Shrinking water sources increase competition between animals and threaten populations. Droughts occurring in areas with dense vegetation also increase the risk of wildfires. Floods Though in some areas like river flood-plains where frequent flooding is a natural and important occurrence, excessive flooding can cause lasting damage. Like droughts, extreme flooding can impact an ecosystem by eroding the surrounding soil and uprooting the plants and trees that hold the soil in place. Floods can also leave behind toxins and pollutants picked up along the way. Climate Change The last decade has seen obvious signs of climate change. As the earth's temperature continues to warm, the effects will become more apparent and damaging. Ice caps are melting, causing ocean levels to rise and placing more water into Earth's natural water cycle. Temperature change also increases the chances of stronger storms in some areas while causing longer, more extreme droughts in others. Stronger and more frequent occurrences of these natural disasters leave little time for an ecosystem to bounce back from serious damage. Wildfires Fires play an important role in wildlife management when they are planned to prevent larger wildfires during the dry season. When the wildfires are unplanned, it causes events that can sweep across an area and destroy everything in its path. By destroying the vegetation, erosion occurs leaving nothing to prevent catastrophic flooding during the rainy season. The loss of habitat means the loss of homes for both humans and wildlife.
Evaluate Data Related To Problems Associated With Population Growth And The Possible Solution Overgrazing 1. The ground cover (grass) would be depleted causing soil erosion. 2. The native plants would be replaced by less favorable plants. 3. The food web in the area would be disrupted. 4. The land would not hold the rain as well and you would get major run off. 5. Dust storms. 6. Droughts might occur due to the overheating of the land due to no ground cover. 7. Animals would starve and die. 8. The land may be permanently changed Non-native (exotic) species invasive species Sometimes used by humans to manage other organisms. *See # 21 on CRT example Test. Species that do not naturally occur in an ecosystem. NO NATURAL PREDATORS. plants or animals that aggressively establish themselves in an ecosystem at the expense of its native species and natural functions Most exotic species introduced into North America do not become invasive. Many of the species our civilization relies upon such as wheat, barley and rice are exotic but not invasive. Invasive species damage our ecosystem by competing for resources native species need to survive, sometimes choking out natives entirely. (If they overgraze, then erosion is one side effect, followed by floods).
ENERGY RESOURCES: Renewable Resource that can be resources replaced at the same rate it is used. Non- Renewable resources Cannot be replaced in our lifetime or takes thousands or millions of years. (fossil fuels) Mining Removing fossils fuels from the Earth s crust. (coal)