Ecology

By: Anthony Michielini

What is ecology?

• study of how organisms interact with each other and how they interact with their environment

What is Individual organisms?

• Smallest unit of study that ecologists concern themselves with.

What are Species?

• same type of organism that lives in the same place at the same time.

• capable of reproducing and producing fertile young

What are Populations?

• groups of the same species that may or may not interact with each other.

• Many different ways to divide up population

What is Communities?

• Groups of populations that are interacting with each other at any given day or any given time

What is an Ecosystems

• Lots of habitats in a generalized area put many ecosystems together and you get a biome.

What’s a Biosphere?

• All of the places on earth that living things survive, anywhere there is life would contribute to the biosphere

What’s a Habitat?

• Groups of communities all with very similar biotic and abiotic conditions

What’s Abiotic Factors?

• Non living things

What’s Biotic Factors?

• Living things

What are producers(first Tropic level)?

• Autotrophs - Producers, plants– Gets energy from the sun – most energy is found

here • Biggest level

What are Primary Consumers(Second Tropic Level)?

• First level consumer – herbivore • 90% of energy is lost as you move up the

pyramid

What are Secondary Consumers(Third Tropic Level)?

– Carnivores or omnivores • 10% of energy is left over on this level

Tertiary Consumer (Fourth Tropic Level)?

– Carnivores of omnivores • 1% of energy is left over on this level for those

organisms to use

What are Quandary Consumer(Fifth Tropic Level)?

• Very little energy at this level • Usually rare to be at this level

What is the difference from a food pyramid and a food web?

• Food pyramid – like a chain with a specific order

• Food web – more complicated with different paths being followed

What is a Decomposer?

• Similar to saprobes • recycle nutrients back into the soil as they

consume the dead • EX: bacteria, mushrooms, and insects •

What is an Autotroph?

• An organism that makes its own food. • EX: plants and algae

What is a Heterotroph?

• organism that obtains its nutrients from other organisms.

• EX: humans, lions, and mushrooms

What is a herbivore?

• Something that only eats plants.

• EX: giraffe and elephant

What is a Carnivore?

• Organism that only eats meat • EX: lions, tigers, and bears

What’s an omnivore?

• Something that eats both meat and plants • EX: humans

What is a saprobe?

• A decomposer • Gets rid of remaining material when things die

What is a scavenger?

• Something that eats other dead organisms • EX: crow and hyena

What is Amensalism?

• organism benefits and kills the other organism • EX: Black walnut tree, penicillin

What is Commensalism?

• organism benefits and other in not harmed or benefited.

• EX: shark and a suckerfish

What is Parasitism?

• organism benefits, and the other is harmed • EX: ticks, fleas, leaches, tape worms • If it kills their host they lose their food source

What is Mutualism?

• organism get something good from the relationship

• EX: tick birds sitting on rhinos and eat the ticks. Birds have food, and the rhino is cleared of ticks

What is Symbiosis?

• Its between two or more organisms, and how they interact with each other .

•

What are some limiting factors?

• Food, water, money, and shelter.

What is Density Dependent?

• EX: food - more organisms you have the less food you have.

•

What is Density Independent?

• All are equally affected, does not matter how many people there are

• EX: earthquakes volcanic, eruptions etc.

What is Competition between and among Species?

• Competition between species – food, water, and shelter

• Among Species – same things(from above) and mates

What is carry capacity?

The maximum

Fin