ECOLOGYUnit Review

The science of the relationships between organisms and their environments.

ECOLOGY

ENVIRONMENT

BIOMES

ECOSYSTEM

BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM/ GEOLOGICAL SYSTEM

BIOTIC/ABIOTIC

Biotic – means all the LIVING things in an ecosytem.

Abiotic –means all the NON-LIVING things in an ecosystem. The prefix A- in front of a word turns its meaning into the opposite.

BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION This is how scientists classify

organisms

BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION An example of biological classification

VERTEBRATE

An organism with a backbone

INVERTEBRATE An organism without a backbone

AUTOTROPHS (AKA PRODUCERS)

Autotrophs, also known as Producers, can make their own food from sunlight.

Producers are plants, algae, and some kinds of bacteria

IN ECOLOGY “MAKING YOUR OWN FOOD”

Means THIS ….

NOT this …

CONSUMER

SCAVENGERS ARE CONSUMERS

DECOMPOSERS

ENDOTHERMIC/ EXOTHERMIC

Exothermic reactions  transfer energy to the surroundings

Endothermic reactions  take in energy from the surroundings

DIVERSITY AKA BIODIVERSITY

PREDATOR/PREY

SYMBIOSIS

From the Greek word meaning “living together” and can be used to describe any association between two organisms living in close association with each other.

COMMENSALISM

Individuals of one species benefit, while individuals of the other species do not benefit and are not harmed

MUTUALISM

an association in which both organisms benefit

PARASITISM

one organism [the parasite] benefits, and the other [the host] is adversely affected [weakened, sickened, damaged etc].

FOOD CHAIN/FOOD WEB

Remember the arrows show the direction of the transfer of energy

RESOURCES

Food … Water …. Air … Shelter

HABITAT the place or environment where a

plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

NICHE the status of an organism within its environment and community

(affecting its survival as a species). No two species can occupy the same niche at the same time for an extended period

LIMITING FACTORS

Not enough Food (prey) Water Shelter

Too many Predators

CARRYING CAPACITY

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT/RISK

Equilibrium = balance. Human interference often knocks ecosystems in the environment out of balance.

We must balance the benefits and risks of any action we take … otherwise known as trade-offs

WAYS IN WHICH HUMANS CAUSE IMBALANCE

Introduced species Using non-renewable fuel sources

(fossil fuels) Damaging/destroying habitat Polluting the environment with

trash, chemicals, and gas emissions

Overhunting Overgrazing

INTRODUCED SPECIES

Synonyms: non-indigenous, exotic, non-native, invasive

Buffelgrass

Starling Hydrilla

Purple loosestrife

Zebra mussels

FOSSIL FUELS

• Fossil fuels come from ancient deposits of fossilized plants• NON-renewable, when they are gone … they gone forever• Polluting … burning fossil fuels pollutes the environment and damages ecosystems

• Oil (gasoline)• Coal• Natural Gas

HABITAT DESTRUCTION

HABITAT RESTORATION

If we use our scientific knowledge … we can fix some of the damage we have done …

POLLUTION

GREENHOUSE GAS

Any gas that increases the ability of our atmosphere to retain the heat of the sun

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

OVERHUNTING & OVERGRAZING

THIS IS WHY ECOLOGY IS IMPORTANT …