1. Intro to EcologyA. Definition, ExamplesB. Plant Ecology, Photosynthesis

2. Basic Ecology ConceptsA. Biodiversity: Maryland, MD Forests

B. Four Levels of Ecology:ii. Species: Cultivars, Keystone, Indicatoriii. Population: Interactions; flower typesiv. Community: Succession; Invasive Exoticsv. Ecosystem: Nutrient Cycles

C. Habitat vs. Niche

D. Adaptations: Plant Defense

Ecology Outline

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Garden Ecology: It Happens 1. Your garden can be an exciting ecosystem - with flowing

energy, interacting communities and recycling nutrients.

2. Bugs, chewed leaves and uninvited plants are not necessarily bad things in the garden.

3. Think globally, garden locally. Gardens can have a positive impact on global ecology. think outside the (flower) box.

4. A more diverse and native = A healthier, more stable and more interesting one.

5. Understanding ecology can improve your gardening.

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⑴ The study of the interactions between an organism and itsenvironment…

Ecology: Defined

(2) How these interactionsdetermine its distributionand abundance…

(3) The flow of energyand the cycling of matter that occurs.

Behavioral Ecologist

Population Ecologist

Ecosystem Ecologist

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Acid Rain Example

1. Air pollution mixes with rain, lowers pH (acidic)…

2. Acid Rain leeches calcium carbonate out of the soil...

3. Less calcium in soil leads to fewer snails in forest…

4. Fewer snails eaten by birds means less calcium in the birds’ bodies and less successful egg laying.

5. Bird populations decline

Solving a puzzle:

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Photosynthesis

CO2 + H20 + OCarbon + water sugar + oxygen Dioxide

Part 1 – The Light Reactions• Sun energy captured by pigments• Splits water into H and O (oxygen released)• Produces “ATP” = chemical energy

Part 2 – The Light Independent Reactions• Chemical energy is used to add the H from water to CO2 to make sugar.

CH2O

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“Little fleas have lesser fleas Upon their backs to bite them.And lesser fleas, still lesser fleas, and so proceed…ad infinitum.”

Basic Ecology Concepts: Biodiversity

Biological Diversity: The sum total of all living things in an area.

Benefits are more: productive/efficient, stable, resistant to invasion, services for us (oxygen, clean water, wildlife)

Biodiversity Analogies: Plane Rivets & Jenga Game

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Maryland’s Biodiversity

Despite its small size, Maryland is home to an abundance of species

Example: > 300 bird species >3,000 plant species (2/3 native)

• Good diversity of soils, geology, climate and habitats

• Western Maryland is home for some more typically “northern” species

• Southern Maryland is home for some more typically “southern” species

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Maryland Forests

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Maryland ForestsBy Percentages• Historically: 95% of total land• Today: 39% forested (2.6 million acres)

• 76% of forested land = privately owned• 84% of the ‘privately owned forest’ is < 10 acres • Many private landowners are 65+ years old• Loss of farmland = 50% since 1950 (-2.1 million acres)

Some Implications• Forests are relatively stable due to concentrated development and old fields/farms ‘reverting’ farmland

• Many of Maryland’s small forest lots will be changing hands soon; and State’s control is limited (Fragmentation)

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4. Ecosystem

3. Community

2. Population

1. Species

Levels of Organization

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Native Plant ‘Cultivars’Cultivar: Cultivated variety of a plant -- selected,

propagated and named for a particular characteristic.

Attempt to make better plants. More attractive ‘natives:’more petals, different height, new color flowers, etc.

Better for whom?

Impact on ecology / other organisms is not known.

Example: anthracnose-resistant dogwood

Hard to find native plants to purchase. Even harder to find “pure” native species.

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Indicator SpeciesIndicator – a somewhat specialized species whose

presence indicates a specific ecosystem

Keystone SpeciesA species whose influence on a

community is disproportionately larger than its presence

• Sea Otter: Affect sea urchins kelp forest fish

• Beaver: Pond alters the entire ecosystem

• Wolf (in Yellowstone): Affects elk & deer behavior aspens

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Level 2: Population A group of organisms of the same species

Interacting Populations:Right now you have more organisms living on you (or in you) than the entire human population on earth. Some help you, some harm you, some have no effect.

Predator-prey + -Parasitism + -Commensalism + oMutualism + +

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Parasitism (+/-)Good parasites don’t kill their hosts • Chestnut blight – bad parasite • Mistletoe• Ticks• Cowbird

Commensalism (+/o):• Algae on box turtle’s shell• Cattle egrets on cattle’s back• Epiphtye on a tree trunk• Cinnamon Fern & Hummingbirds

Mutualism (+/+)• Flowers & insects = pollinators•Lichens = fungus and algae• Birds and berries = seed dispersal•Ants and Eliasomes

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Flower Advantages1. Attract animal pollinators (not just wind)

2. More efficient, especially if you target species

3. Fruits = enhanced seed dispersal

Read a flower • Wind flowers

• Bumblebee Flowers

• Fly/Beetle Flowers

• Butterfly Flowers

• Moth flowers

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Bumblebees

• Long Season

• Generate Heat

• Big & Strong

• Long Tongue

• “Buzz” Pollinate

Wildflowers that benefit from Bumblebee Pollination

Shooting Star

Solomon’s Seal

Gentian

Bluebells

Turtlehead

Greenhouse flowers that benefit from Buzz Pollination (Sonication):

Tomatoes

Kiwi

Cranberry

Blueberry

Strawberry

Cucumbers

Peppers

Eggplant

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Colorful, tube-shaped (long tongues), place to land, more nectar than pollen. Butterfly Weed, Black Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Phlox, Joe Pye Weed, Bergamot.

Butterfly Flowers

Moth FlowersNocturnal blooms, smell more at night, white, long tube. More nectar than pollen. Honeysuckle, Primrose, Jimsonweed.

Fly / Beetle FlowersBrownish in color, bad smell, low to ground, more pollen than nectar. Purple Trillium, Wild Ginger, Skunk Cabbage, Carrion Flower.

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High-Energy Berries

Dogwood

Blackgum

Spicebush

Magnolia

Sassfras

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• Nutrient rich seed attachment

• Found in many native early spring ephemeral wildflowers

• These plants often have smaller seeds, less-appealing to animals

But:

• Release their seeds with a ‘reward’ when there is less competition

Result: • Ant seed-dispersal = Myrmecochory

Elaiosome• Dutchman’s Breeches• Trillium• Trout lily• Bloodroot• Hepatica• Violets• Wild Bleeding Heart

Wood poppy

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Level 3: CommunityCommunity: A group of interacting plant and animal populations

Succession: The replacement of one type of community with another over time.

Maryland’s “climax” community is eastern temperate deciduous forest.

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Top 15 Native Woody PlantsName Genus Butterfly/

Moth SpeciesOak Quercus 534

Black cherry Prunus 456

Willow Salix 455Birch Betula 413Poplar Populus 368Crabapple Malus 311Blueberry Vaccinium 288Maple Acer 285Elm Ulmus 213Pine Pinus 203Hickory Carya 200Hawthorn Crataegus 159Spruce Picea 156Alder Alnus 156Basswood Tilia 150

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Level 4: Ecosystem A community and its surrounding environment treated as a

functional system linked by energy flows and nutrient cycles

Which Nutrients?

The “Schnapps” Cycles: CHNOPS

CarbonHydrogenNitrogenOxygenPhosphorusSulphur

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Carbon CycleWhy care?

Carbon: Essential element - all life is based on it. 50% of our dry weight = carbon.

4th most abundant element in universe after (Hydrogen, Helium & Oxygen)

Organic = carbon

CO2 is a “greenhouse gas” (climate change)

30% more CO2 in atmosphere than 150 years ago

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Climate Change

Problem:

Rise in earth’s overall temperature

Causes and solutions are still debated. Linked with recent rise in “greenhouse gases…”

…Mostly carbon dioxide (C02), but also methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and others.

Consequences: 1. Rising Oceans2. Shifting Populations3. More Severe Storms

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Impact on Bird MigrationBird populations might shift farther north (NA warblers 65 miles)

Bird and food coordination could be out of sync(arriving earlier, leaving later)

Shifting Populations

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Adaptation: A physical or behavioral “inherited” characteristic that improves an organism’s

ability to survive in its environment.

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How Plants Fight Back: Defense Adaptations

1. Physical Defense• Thorns & needles• Glass-like Crystals in maple leaves

2. Chemical Warfare 1: Attack• Allelopathy – black walnut, NY fern• Phototoxins - St. Johnswort

3. Chemical Warfare 2: Communicate• Sending Out an SOS - Plants signal wasps• Trees release gas that stimulates leaf tannins• Ants & Bracken Ferns - extra-floral nectary

4. Overwhelm your predators: Mast Years