• A branch of biology that studies interactions between organisms and their environment.

• Ecologists use both quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (descriptive) data to describe their research when observing organisms

Biotic factors – ALL living things (plants, animals, even bacteria) in an environmentA Predator/Prey relationship is an example

Lions (consumers) keep antelope populations in check

I want an

antelope !!!!!!!!

I want an

antelope !!!!!!!!

Dang LionsDang Lions

Abiotic Factors are non-livingwater, rocks, soil, ponds, lakes, ocean, desert, mountains or weather such as temperature, cloud cover, rain, snow, hurricanes, etc.

• This graph shows how the plant’s glucose (food) production is affected by temperature (an abiotic factor).

5

10

15Food Production in Salt Bush

10 20 30 40 50Temperature (°C)

Food

pro

duct

ion

(mg

of g

luco

se/h

r)

Organism

Population – Group of same species that interbreed

Community – Interacting populations of plants and animals and other living things

Ecosystem – all of the above and abiotic factors

Biosphere

The Biosphere - area of Earth that supports ALL life from the deepest parts of the ocean to the top of the atmosphere (The

ozone layer is included!)

• An ecosystem interacting populations in a biological community that includes abiotic factors.

Terrestrial Ecosystems

ON LAND!!!!

Aquatic Ecosystems

Freshwater

Other Sites for Ecosystems

Human body• Skin• Intestine• Mouth

Buildings• Mold in walls, floors, or basement• Ventilation systems•Bathrooms

Food• Any moldy food• Refrigerator

•Such as a forest,• Old farm field• Meadow• Yard• Garden plot• Empty lot• Compost heap• Volcano site• Rotting log

• Pond• Lake• Stream• Estuary

Salt Water (Marine)•Ocean• Estuary• Aquarium

IN WATER !

Habitat – Area where an organism lives out its life

This Cardinal’s

niche, his role in the

environment, is to eat and

live in the crabtree. It’s habitat is a backyard

Niche

Where an organism lives AND interacts with biotic and abiotic factors. Where it:

EatsFinds Shelter

Reproduces

A Habitat contains MANY niches. One for each organism!

• Symbiosis means living together. Three kinds of symbiotic relationships are:

1. Mutualism

2. Commensalism

3. Parasitism

Definition Example

Relationship where BOTH species benefit

The pollinator gets the nectar while the flower gets pollinated

One species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited

The little sucker fish gets the big fishes “seconds”

One species benefits while the other is harmed but usually doesn’t die

Tick bites and feeds of deer blood

Biodiversity/Biological Diversity the variety of all species in a particular area

Tropical Rainforest (about the equator) has the greatest diversity!

All living things are connected – Like the food web we made; stability in an ecosystem

Everything has adapted to live in their current environmentEliminating an organism can have an effect on the

others

We depend on other organisms for our needs. No organisms, no needs met…Animals for foodplants for cures (aspirin for headaches,

quinine for malaria) penicillin comes from mold snake venom to numb your gums at the

dentist !

Expanding human population causes habitat loss

Hunting animals to extinction

Introduction of non-native speciesKudzu (picture at right)

Human causes: acid rain, pesticide use, water and land pollution

Preserve natural resources parts of the environment that are useful and/or necessary to organisms

Habitat can be preserved by the government

Creating laws Establish national parks Protected areas

What Can We Do ????

Plants and grass and trees and stuff…… You remember, those things that make their own food!! You remember photosynthesis, don’t you??

Don’t forget me! I’m Algae

Don’t forget me! I’m Algae

Herbivores eat plants………….

Carnivores eat only meat (i.e. other heterotrophs)……

Oh Crap, a hawk !

Omnivores eat both meat (heterotrophs) and plants (autotrophs)…..

Scavengers don’t kill, but eat rotten, dead things ……..

Mmmmmmmm, road kill

Decomposers breakdown dead stuff into simple organic compounds that release nutrients…..

** Includes, but not limited to, bacteria, some fungi and little critters called protozoans……

Carbon is the building block of the molecules of all life forms

Molecule of the gas CO2

(That is Carbon Dioxide. The gas you breath out)

Atmospheric CO2

Dissolved CO2

Open burning Photosynthesis

RespirationRespirationFuel Combustion

Fuel Combustion

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Death and decay

Death and decay

Fossil fuels

CO2 enters the biotic parts of the biosphere by photosynthesis and exits by cellular respiration (breathe in breathe out!!!) explain the rest !!!

•Burning fossil fuels and deforestation of the rain forest have led to an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

•Extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is believed to cause global warming.

Grass(Producers)

Grasshopper (Primary or first order/Level Consumer)

Frog (Secondary or second order/Level Consumer)

Snake (Tertiary or Third Level/order Consumer)

**All of these guys will die and decomposers like bacteria and some fungi will feed on their dead, rotting carcasses

Hawk (quaternary or fourth level/order consumer)

**Organisms don’t always eat the same thing. Thus food webs contain numerous food chains.

3rd Order (tertiary)Consumer

2nd Order(secondary) Consumer

1st Order (primary)

Producers (store ALL

the energy!)

The arrows point towards the consumers

Arrows indicate the direction of matter and energy flow throughout the ecosystem

Consists of four levels: producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

It is shaped like a pyramid because each level gets 10% of the energy of the last one. That is why there are fewer consumers than producers.

The  pyramid of numbers shows the relationship between producers, herbivores and carnivores trophic level in terms of their numbers. For example, in a grassland the producers are grasses which are maximum in number. This number  decreases towards the higher trophic levels.

In a terrestrial ecosystem, the maximum biomass occurs in producers, and there is progressive decrease in biomass from lower to higher trophic levels. Thus, the pyramid of biomass in a terrestrial ecosystem is upright.

Lesson 40: Human Impacts on the EnvironmentLesson 40: Human Impacts on the EnvironmentChanges to the Human Population affect the environment.

•Called a “J curve” because looks like the letter J•Unlimited growth (exponential growth from unlimited resources)

The maximum number of organisms that can live in a population without using up all resources.

K

Population Growth Curve

•Called a “S curve” because looks like the letter S•Carrying capacity is at value K on this graph

Carrying capacity (K)

Fluctuations at the Carrying Capacity are Caused by Limiting Factors

Fluctuates – Limiting Factors!

Limiting Factors = anything that limits the size of a given population

Density-Dependent Factors = limits to growth of a population based on the density (numbers of individuals in a given area) of the population.

• Individuals compete for resources (food, mates, shelter), and amount of resources available limit the population.

• EX: Predator-Prey Ratios The amount of prey (rabbit) may limit the predatory (lynx)population.

Density-Independent Factors = limit the growth of a population regardless of its size/density.

• Extreme temperatures• Cataclysmic events (tidal waves, volcanoes, floods, drought, etc.)

EX: This terrestrial salamander was one of the commonest 40 years ago on the cloud forest slopes of the Tajumulco volcano. After the volcano erupted it only be found on neighboring slopes.

*How do we count the number of individuals in a population?

•Mark and recapture is a method used to calculate approximate numbers using a random sample

•Tag organism, let go into wild, recapture random sampling and count # with tags

•Can also use quadrant studies•Focus on one area to determine species diversity and monitor changes in an ecosystem over time.

StarvationSpread of Disease such as Ebola

Overcrowding and Poverty Increase in Aggression

Threat Cause Possible Results

Greenhouse Effect

Burning fossil fuels and losing forests

Changes in climate, melting of polar ice, drought, flooding

Acid Rain Burning fossil fuels

Destruction of forests, poison lakes, dead wildlife, damaged buildings

Ozone Depletion

CFC’s chlorofluorocarbons

More skin cancer, mutations

Air Pollution Burning fossil fuels and wood

More diseases

Water Pollution

Waste, heat, chemicals

Dead wildlife, loss of drinking water, loss of irrigation water

Soil Degradation and Depletion

Erosion, overuse, pesticides

Loss of agriculture, dead wildlife

Habitat Destruction

Poisoned lakes, cut forests

Dead wildlife, upset balance of nature

Threats to the Environment

To take care of the earth in a healthy way.

Ways to Protect the Environment

ACTION EFFECTReduce, reuse, and recycle

Reduces waste, reduces burning, reduces use of raw materials to make products

Use fuel-efficient vehicles

Reduces acid rain, reduces global warming, reduces dependency on oil

Conserve electricity and water

Reduces use of fossil fuels, protects fresh water resources

Grow and buy organic food

Reduces use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Public transportation / drive less

Reduces air pollution and protects natural resources

1. Innate Behavior 2. Learned Behavior3. Social Behavior

Taxis – animal moves toward or away from a stimulus (light)

2. Instinct – behavior an animal is born with (suckling milk)

3. Migration – purpose for food and temperature Estivation – dormancy during periods of extreme

heat or drought to conserve resources during extreme conditions (frogs)

Hibernation – dormant (sleep-like state) in winter to survive winters when there is little available food.

1. Habituation - an animal becomes accustomed to a stimulus through prolonged and regular exposure Ex: You live next to the train track and you don’t even “hear” the train any more.

2. Imprinting - learning based on early experience; keeps young animals close to mother who protects and feeds them

3. Classical Conditioning – teaching a response to a new stimulus Ex: Pavlov’s Dogs

4. Trial and Error – learning through positive (food, praise) and negative (punishment) reinforcement

1. Communication in social insects using pheromones.(ex: bees, ants)

2. Courtship Dances 3. Territorial Defense – protects

organisms from getting hurt by fighting (ex: Fighting Fish)

Form And

Function

Mosquitoes mouth is adapted to suck blood

Snakes jaws unhinge to take in whole prey

Male birds using elaborate mating displays or rituals to attract females.

Male frogs have thumb pads to hold onto female when mating. Ensures egg and sperm will meet.

1. Vascular Tissue – xylem and phloem – transport materials and support

2. Cuticle – waxy covering to prevent dehydration

3. Pollen – allows fertilization without water

1. Gills become lungs2. Moist skin becomes thick with scales

or other coverings – prevent dehydration

3. Internal fertilization –4. Amniote egg5. Legs move under the animal to allow

easier movement

- Unicellular and multicellular- Heterotrophic and autotrophic- Sexual and asexual reproduction- Close association with water- Often referred to as the “dumping

ground”- Ex: algae, protozoans, fungus-like

protists

Kingdom Protista

- Unicellular (yeast) though most are multicellular

- Heterotrophic- Reproduce asexually

(spores) and sexually- Cell walls made of chitin

(polysaccharide)

- Autotrophic (carries out photosynthesis- True roots, stems, leaves- Multicellular- Sessile- Chloroplasts and cell walls

Heterotophs Able to move at some point in their

life Multicellular

Transport: How organisms move food and wastes throughout their bodies.

Excretion: How organisms get rid of their waste and balance their fluids.

Regulation: How organisms control body processes – i.e. hormones and nervous system

Respiration: How organisms exchange gases (O2 and CO2) with the environment

Nutrition: How organisms break down and absorb foods.

Synthesis: How organisms build necessary molecules.

Reproduction: Continuation of the species thru sexual or asexual reproduction.

Growth and Development

Examples: Amoeba, Paramecium, Euglena

Transport, Excretion and Respiration: osmosis, diffusion, active transport

Nutrition: food vacuolesReproduction: mostly asexual, binary

fission

Transport: five “hearts, dorsal and ventral blood vessel, closed system

Excretion: nephridia, “kidney-like” structures found on every segment

Regulation: dorsal “brain, ventral nerve cord

Respiration: breath through their skin

Nutrition: crop (storage), gizzard (grinds), intestine (chemical digestion)

Reproduction: worms are hermaphroditic, exchange sperm and lay eggs

Development: from eggs

Transport: open circulatory systemExcretion: Malpighian tubulesRegulation: hormones, nervous system,

pheromonesRespiration: tubes called tracheaeNutrition: insects have a wide variety of

mouth parts to eat a variety of foods

Reproduction/Development: metamorphosis

Incomplete: egg young adultComplete: egg larva pupa adult

Transport: closed circulatory systemExcretion: kidneys/urinary bladderRegulation: hormones (control

metamorphosis), nervous systemRespiration: gills, lungs, skinNutrition: larva (herbivores), adults

(carnivores)

Reproduction: sexual, external fertilization and development

Development: metamorphosisEgg larva adult

Transport: closed circulatory systemExcretion: kidneys Regulation: hormones, well developed

nervous system (developed senses)Respiration: lungsNutrition: digestive tracts vary according

to what the animal eats

Reproduction: sexual with internal fertilization

Development: External duck billed platypus and spiny

anteater lay eggsInternal Marsupials – partial placentalMost mammals have a well developed

placenta (uterus)

Mosses and liverwortsTransport: no xylem and phloem, must

use osmosis and diffusionRespiration: gas exchange through

diffusionSynthesis: carry out photosynthesis and

make sugars and other macromolecules

Reproduction: fertilization requires water for sperm to swim to egg

Development: moss cycle between a sexual phase with egg and sperm and an asexual phase that makes spores

Means “naked seed”, includes the conifersTransport: xylem and phloemRespiration: CO2, H2O and O2 move in and out of

leaf through stomataSynthesis: photosynthesisReproduction: sperm is now inside a pollen

grain

Pollination – sperm moves from male cones to female cones via wind

Fertilization – sperm and egg unite on the female cone and produce seeds

Flowering plantsTransport: xylem and phloemRegulation: plant hormones like auxin,

cause stems to bendRespiration: stomataSynthesis: photosynthesisReproduction: pollination and fertilization

Pollination occurs through wind and pollinators like bees, hummingbirds and bats

Seeds develop in an ovary that aids seed dispersal.

Ovary can become a fruit or some other structure that aids dispersal