Ecology derives components from each of the Four Big Ideas in Biology
Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life
Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow to reproduce & to maintain dynamic homeostasis
Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes
Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties. Big Idea 4 is where most of our study of ecology is found!
2
Ecology Defined
.
3
Ecology is
the study of
organisms
and their
interactions
with the
environment.
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Types of Ecology
Ecologist use observations & experiments to test explanations for distributions and abundance of species.
1. Organismal ecology is the study of physiology and behavior interacting with environmental challenges
2. Population ecology studies the factors impacting the number of individuals of a species in an area
3. Community ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and the environment
4. Ecosystem ecology studies the energy flow and chemical cycling in a given area
Types of Ecology
Identify the category of ecological research that would investigate each of the following questions.
1. How do trout select a mate?
(A)Organismal ecology
(B)Population ecology
(C) Community ecology
(D)Ecosystem ecology
Types of Ecology
Identify the category of ecological research that would investigate each of the following questions.
1. How do trout select a mate?
(A)Organismal ecology
(B)Population ecology
(C) Community ecology
(D)Ecosystem ecology
Types of Ecology
Identify the category of ecological research that would investigate each of the following questions.
2. What factors control photosynthetic productivity in a tropical rainforest?
(A)Organismal ecology
(B)Population ecology
(C) Community ecology
(D)Ecosystem ecology
Types of Ecology
Identify the category of ecological research that would investigate each of the following questions.
2. What factors control photosynthetic productivity in a tropical rainforest?
(A)Organismal ecology
(B)Population ecology
(C) Community ecology
(D)Ecosystem ecology
Types of Ecology
Identify the category of ecological research that would investigate each of the following questions.
3. What factors influence the diversity of species that make up a rain forest?
(A)Organismal ecology
(B)Population ecology
(C) Community ecology
(D)Ecosystem ecology
Types of Ecology
Identify the category of ecological research that would investigate each of the following questions.
3. What factors influence the diversity of species that make up a rain forest?
(A)Organismal ecology
(B)Population ecology
(C) Community ecology
(D)Ecosystem ecology
Abiotic and Biotic Interactions: The 1st Law of Thermodynamics
12 http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/scripter/geog100/lect/16-ecosystems-biomes/ecosystems-files/ecosystems.htm
Abiotic and Biotic Interactions
13 http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/scripter/geog100/lect/16-ecosystems-biomes/ecosystems-files/ecosystems.htm
Abiotic and Biotic Interactions
14 http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/scripter/geog100/lect/16-ecosystems-biomes/ecosystems-files/ecosystems.htm
Importance of Abiotic Factors
16
Not every organism can live everywhere on Earth
Abiotic factors determine which organisms can survive where:
The Coral Reef is an environment teaming with life, but many organisms would find this environment unsuitable due to its abiotic factors (too much water, temperature, availability of light, etc. )
Importance of Biotic Factors
W. J. Fletcher tested the effects of two algae-eating animals, sea urchins and limpets, on seaweed abundance near Sydney, Australia. In areas adjacent to a control site, either the urchins, the limpets, or both were removed.
EXPERIMENT
80
60
40
20
0
Limpet
Sea urchin
Both limpets and urchins removed
Only urchins removed
Only limpets removed
August 1982
February 1983
August 1983
February 1984
Control (both urchins and limpets present)
Seaw
eed
co
ver
(%)
Removing both limpets and urchins or removing only urchins increased seaweed cover dramatically.
Almost no seaweed grew in areas where both urchins and limpets were present, or where only limpets were removed.
Seaw
eed
co
ver
(%)
100
Macroclimate
consists of patterns on
the global, regional,
and landscape level
Microclimate consists
of very fine patterns,
such as those
encountered by the
community of
organisms underneath
a fallen log
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Earth’s Climate Varies By Latitude & Season
And Is Changing Rapidly
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Earth’s Climate Varies By Latitude & Season
And Is Changing Rapidly
•Seasonal variations of light and temperature
increase steadily toward the poles
•Seasonality at high latitudes is caused by the tilt of
Earth’s axis of rotation and its annual passage
around the sun
•Belts of wet and dry air straddling the equator shift
throughout the year with the changing angle of the
sun
•Changing wind patterns affect ocean currents
•
• Global Climate Change
• Changes in Earth’s climate can profoundly
affect the biosphere
• One way to predict the effects of future global
climate change is to study previous change
• As glaciers retreated 16,000 years ago, tree
distribution patterns changed
• As climate changes, species that have difficulty
dispersing may have smaller ranges or could become extinct
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Earth’s Climate Varies By Latitude & Season
And Is Changing Rapidly
Homeostasis
• Organisms must maintain homeostasis, a steady-state internal environment, despite changes in the external environment.
• Organisms respond to abiotic factors in 1of 2 ways:
1. Regulators maintain a nearly constant internal environment, despite external conditions
2. Conformers allow internal environment to vary - This occurs in organisms whose environments remain relatively stable
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EURASIA
AFRICA
SOUTH AMERICA
INDIA
135 million years ago
Present 65 million years ago
225 million years ago
120° 80° 0°
120° 120°
120°
80° 80° 80° 80° 40°
40° 120° 120°
120°
GONDWANALAND GONDWANALAND
120°
LAURASIA LAURASIA
ANTARCTICA ANTARCTICA
AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA
NORTH AMERICA NORTH AMERICA
MADA- GASCAR
MADA- GASCAR
Biogeography: Leopard Distribution
• Leopards have the largest distribution of any wild cat, occurring widely in eastern and central Africa, although populations have shown a declining trend and are fragmented outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
• Within sub-Saharan Africa, the species is still numerous and even thriving in marginal habitats where other large cats have disappeared.
• But populations in North Africa may be extinct
Biogeography
• Serves as a starting point to understanding limits on distribution of species
Species absent because
Yes
No
Dispersal limits
distribution?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Biogeography & Distribution of Species
• Serves as a starting point to understanding limits on distribution of species
Species absent because
Yes
No
Dispersal limits
distribution? Behavior limits
distribution?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Area inaccessible or insufficient time
Biogeography
• Serves as a starting point to understanding limits on distribution of species
Species absent because
Yes
No
Dispersal limits
distribution? Behavior limits
distribution? Biotic factors (other species)
limit distribution?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Area inaccessible or insufficient time
Habitat selection
Biogeography
• Serves as a starting point to understanding limits on distribution of species
Species absent because
Yes
No
Dispersal limits
distribution? Behavior limits
distribution? Biotic factors (other species)
limit distribution? Abiotic factors
limit distribution?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Area inaccessible or insufficient time
Habitat selection
Predation, parasitism, competition, disease
Biogeography
• Serves as a starting point to understanding limits on distribution of species
Species absent because
Yes
No
Dispersal limits
distribution? Behavior limits
distribution? Biotic factors
(other species) limit
distribution? Abiotic factors
limit distribution?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Area inaccessible or insufficient time
Habitat selection
Predation, parasitism, competition, disease
Water Oxygen Salinity pH Soil nutrients, etc.
Temperature Light Soil structure Fire Moisture, etc.
Chemical factors
Physical factors
Ecology: The Big Picture
31
1. Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.
2. Abiotic and biotic factors influence populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere.
3. Over time species have adapted, died, or moved to more suitable environments.
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