Principles of Ecology

EQ: What are the interactions between the levels of

biological communities? How does energy flow through an

ecosystem?

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ECOLOGY - the study of interactions among organisms with each other and with environment

BIOSPHERE - portion of planet where life exists

Ecological methods - how do we study it?

1. Observing2. Experimenting3. Modeling

Models are created by humans to make predictions.

LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

Species - individuals that can breed with one another

Population - all the individuals of the same species (ducks) in an area

A population is always composed of same-species organisms

Community - all the populations that live together in an area

What is in your backyard community??

Ecosystem - the community plus the physical factors in an area (rain, light, soil…)

Examples:Rotting LogKoi PondLakeClump of DirtA fieldAn old maple tree

**EVERY ecosystem includes both biotic (living) and abiotic(nonliving) factors.

Biome - large area that has a particular climate, and particular species of plants and animals that live there (ex: tundra)

Biosphere - the part of the earth that supports life

Biodiversity: variety of different species living near one another

?? Where do you think there is the most biodiversity on our planet??

ENERGY FLOW●Autotroph (producer) - capture energy from environment and convert it into "food”…green plants/algae…?? What process ??

●Heterotroph (consumer) - must eat things to get the energy it needs

●Herbivores Omnivores(plant eaters)

(meat and plants)

●Carnivores Decomposers(carnivore eaters) (recycle materials in dead organisms)

Detritivores (eat fragments of deadmatter in ecosystem)

*SUNLIGHT is the main source of energy…starts the energy flow!

Remember…Photosynthesis: uses light energy to make "food"

Chemosynthesis - makes food from chemicals (some bacteria synthesize food in this way)

Some bacteria live in deep ocean vents, and make their food from chemicals in those vents

FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS - illustrate the flow of energy in an ecosystem

- Food Chain: simple, sequence of feeding relationships

- Food Web: complex, network of feeding relationships in a whole ecosystem

**Each step in a chain or web is called a TROPHIC LEVEL

Identify:

1. Producers

2. Consumers - Identify them as primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary

3. Herbivores

4. Omnivore

5. Carnivore

ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS