Ecology Crash Course! What is Ecology? - Weebly

1. Ecology Crash Course.notebook May 01, 2016

Ecology Crash Course!What is Ecology?Ecology is the study of

the interactions

between living things

and the environment.

An ecosystem contains

living (biotic) organisms

and nonliving (abiotic)

components.

Biotic components:

Abiotic components:


Biotic components:

Abiotic components:Biotic components:

Abiotic components:

Biotic Abiotic

Organisms

- plants

- animals

- fungi

- bacteria

- water

- rocks

- sunlight

- minerals

- air

- temperature

- weather

- soil

Limiting Factor: environmental

resources that limit the growth,

abundance or distribution of a

population of organisms.

example: available space


Other limiting factors?- food

- sunlight

- space

- water

- temperature

- humidity

- disease

- minerals

- prey

- predators

- habitat

Other limiting factors?- amount of food

- amount of water

- shelter

- predators

- prey

Limiting factors

Density-dependent Density-independent

Limiting factors

Density-dependent Density-independent

- food

- predation

- disease

- migration

- natural disasters

(earthquakes,

volcanic eruption)

- unusual weather

(drought, hurricane)

- fire


Carrying capacity: the maximum

population size that the

environment can sustain given

the resources available.

Nutrients cycle through both the

biotic and abiotic parts of the

ecosystem.

Energy flows through the

ecosystem.


Producers: organisms that

make their own food

Examples?

What are the living parts and

nonliving parts of photosynthesis?

Biotic Abiotic


There are 3 types of consumers!

1. Herbivores

2. Carnivores

3. Omnivores


Scavengers and Decomposers Scavengers are organisms

that eat dead animals or

wastes from other organisms.

Hyenas eat dead zebras and buffalo


Decomposers: break down dead

organisms, feces, leaves and other

wastes made by organisms.

Decomposers recycle nutrients from

dead organisms and put them back

into the soil.

Why are scavengers and

decomposers important to

the ecosystem?

Why are scavengers and

decomposers important to the

ecosystem?

1. They recycle nutrients in

the ecosystem so plants can

use them to grow!

2. Without them, dead

matter and waste would pile

up!


Mushroom Clip

Dung beetle cliphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1RHmSm36aE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeOSXtBCY30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6V0a_7N1Mw

the sun!ecosystem.


Energy flows from...


overlapping food


Keystone species: a species that

has a disproportionately large

effect on its environment.

- Plays critical role in maintaining

structure and stability of an

ecological community.

Trophic Pyramids


Trophic Pyramid

decreases.


Because energy is lost as

Trophic Levels


Producersorganisms use sunlight to

Secondary consumers


Nutrient cycles through both the

biotic and abiotic parts of the

ecosystem.

Energy flows through the

ecosystem.

Carbon Cycle


animals living in a certain


- limited plant and animal


wet seasons


Temperate Deciduous

twigs, logs, and dead organisms


together/same living

1. Mutualism: relationship in

which both organisms benefit

2. Commensalism: One partner

benefits while the other is

unaffected


3. Amensalism: one parter

suffers a disadvantage while the

other is unaffected

4. Parasitism: One partner


harmed

5. Predation: One partner


harmed


6. Competition: both organisms

suffer in this relationship Mutualism

Commensalism

Amensalism

Parasitism

Predation

Competition

Partner A Partner B

Ecology Crash Course! What is Ecology? - Weebly

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