Ecology The study of the interactions of organisms with one another and their surroundings.
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Transcript of Ecology The study of the interactions of organisms with one another and their surroundings.
Ecology•The study of the interactions of organisms with one another and their surroundings
Organism•Any living thing
Ecosystem•Community of organisms (living things) that live in a certain area
•Includes Living and Non-living surroundings
Living Things and the Environment
Biotic Surroundings
•Living Surroundings
•Other animals and plant life
Abiotic Surroundings
•Non-Living Surroundings
•Rocks, Water, Sunlight, Dirt
Energy Roles
• Each organism in an ecosystem fills a role
Three Roles
1.Producer2.Consumer3.Decomposer
Producers•Plants•Chlorophyll (Green)
•Photosynthesis
Consumers
•Feed on other organisms
•Herbivores – Eat Plants
•Carnivores – Eat Animals
•Omnivores – Eat both Plants and Animals
Decomposers•Found in the Dirt
•Break Down dead material
•Include mushrooms, earthworms, pillbugs, and bacteria
PRODUCERS
1ST LEVEL CONSUMERS
2ND LEVEL CONSUMERS
Energy Pyramid
Decom
poser
Energy Pyramids
•Shows the amount of energy that moves from one level to the next
•The most energy is available at the bottom (producer level), and has less energy as you move up
General Rule….•Only 10 PERCENT of the energy is transferred to the next level.
Why?•90 % of the energy has already been used by the organism in order to survive. (Grow, breed)
Construct an Energy Pyramid
•Grass, Fungi, Lion, Zebra
Grass
Zebra
Lion
Ecosystem
Fungi
Construct an Energy Pyramid
•Catepillar, Bird, Earthworm, Leaf
Leaf
Catepillar
Bird
Ecosystem
Earthworm
s
Food Chain
Food Chains•A series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy
•Food Chains show only ONE possible path
Example
Tree
Caterpillar
Bird
Food Webs
•Consists of the many possible paths of obtaining food in an ecosystem (area)
•More Realistic, since many producers and consumers are part of many food chains
First – Level Consumers
•Feed on the Producers
Second – Level Consumers
•Eats the first –level Consumers
Predator and Prey Interactions
Predator•The organism that goes in for the kill
Prey
•The organism that dies
Example•A shark kills a fish•Predator•Shark•Prey•Fish
Adapting to the Environment
Natural Selection
•A characteristic that makes an organism better suited to its environment
ADAPTATIONS•Cactus – Sharp spines
Types of Adaptations
•Mimicry•Protective Covering•False Coloring•Camouflage•Warning Coloring
Camouflage•Blending into the environment
Mimicry•Copy Cat
looks and acts like another species or object.
False Coloring
Environmental Change
•Some animals change due to environmental changes (SEASONAL changes)
Arctic Fox WINTER
Arctic Fox SUMMER
Predator - Prey Interactions• On Isle Royale, an
island in Lake Superior, the populations of wolves (the predator) and moose (the prey) rise and fall in cycles. Use the graph to answer the questions.
Interactions AmongLiving Things
Predator - Prey Interactions• Reading Graphs:
– What variable is plotted on the x-axis? What two variables are plotted on the y-axis?
–Year; numbers of wolves and moose
Interactions AmongLiving Things
Predator - Prey Interactions• Interpreting Data:
– How did the moose population change between 1965 and 1972? What happened to the wolf population from 1973 through 1976?
–The moose population increased and then decreased; the wolf population increased.
Interactions AmongLiving Things
Predator - Prey Interactions• Inferring:
– How might the change in the moose population have led to the change in the wolf population?
–As the moose population increased, more food was available to the wolf population and it increased.
Interactions AmongLiving Things
Predator - Prey Interactions• Drawing Conclusions:
– What is one likely cause of the dip in the moose population between 1974 and 1981?
–The wolf population increased.
Interactions AmongLiving Things
Predator - Prey Interactions• Predicting:
– How might a disease in the wolf population one year affect the moose population the next year?
–Disease would cause a decrease in the wolf population, so fewer moose would be eaten and the population could increase.
Interactions AmongLiving Things