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Ecology
What is a biosphere? The part of the Earth that supports living
organismsIncludes the topmost crust, the water and
the surrounding atmosphere.
What is ecology?
The study of interactions that take place among organisms and the interactions between organisms and the physical features of the environment.
Define Abiotic factors
Non-living physical features of the environment.
What are the different abiotic factors?
WaterSoilSunlightTemperatureAir
Why is water important?
All living things are made up of about 50-95% water.
Important part of the cytoplasmProcesses such as respiration,
photosynthesis and digestion cannot take place without water.
Why is soil important? Helps determine what kind of plants are
going to grow in an areaAlso going to help determine what kind
of animals are going to be living in an area
Why is light important?
Light is needed in photosynthesisDetermines what plants lives where and
where algae can live based on the availability of sunlight.
Why is temperature important?
The warmer the area, the more plants and animals there will be
Define biotic factors. Living organisms in the biosphere.
What are the levels of biological organization
for an organism? Cell Tissue Organ Organ system Organism Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere
What is a population?
Organisms of the same species that live in the same place and can produce young.
What is special about members of a population?
They compete with each other for food, water, mates, and space
How the organisms use the resources that are available will determine how large the population can get.
What is a community?
Groups of populations that interact with each other in a given area.
What is special about members of a community?
Populations depend on each other for food, shelter and other needs.
What is an ecosystem?
Made up of the biotic communities and the abiotic factors that affect it.
Another thing that might affect a population is another population. How do you think this might be?
What is an example of a predator-prey relationship?
There are three kinds of ways that organisms can live together. They can have what is called symbiotic relationships.
Symbiosis: any close relationship between two or more different species.
One relationship is Mutualism: a symbiotic relationship that benefits both species.
Another relationship is commensalism: symbiotic relationship that benefits one partner and does not harm or help the other.
And the last one is parasitism: symbiotic relationship that benefits the parasite and does harm the host.
What is the physical place where an organism lives? It’s habitat!!
What is the role of an organism in an ecosystem? It’s niche!! This can be what a species eats, how it gets its food, and how it interacts with other organisms.
In every ecosystem there is a flow of energy from one individual to another. Firstly you need to know about a few more things before we start talking about energy.
Food chain: simple way of showing how energy from food passes from one organism to another.
There are usually 3 or 4 animals that are in one food chain. There is a portion of energy lost as you go from one part of the food chain to another. Plants are going to have the most energy and as you go up the food chain, the amount of energy that the animal gets is cut in half.Example:
Food web: series of overlapping food chains The food web works the same way as far as energy is concerned.
An ecological pyramid: shows the transfer of energy. Example:
Energy pyramid: shows the availability of each level of a food chain in an ecosystem.
Cycles of matter:Water is cycled through the environment.
Water cycle: involves the processes of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and run off. The heat from the sun makes the water in lakes, streams, and oceans evaporate (liquid to gas). The water molecules that evaporate then travel upwards into the sky. When the molecules reach a certain height, the air temperature gets cooler causing the molecules to condense (gas to liquid). This is when clouds form. When the clouds are full of water, precipitation happens in the form of rain or snow. When there is a lot of water, run off occurs back into the lakes, streams and oceans.
Climate:There are certain things that can determine what kind of climate an area has. Temperature: sun supplies heat. Temperature is regulated by how much sun a region gets. This is determined by elevation and latitude.
Latitude: the closer you get to the North or South poles, the less energy the region gets from the sun and the colder the climate. Season changes also have to do with latitude.
Elevation: the higher you go the thinner the atmosphere (Earth’s insulation) so heat escapes easily so the climate is colder.
Precipitation: the amount of water that condenses and falls in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail or fog.
Others: Mountain ranges can effect how much rain falls. Will rain on one side of a mountain and not on the other. Deserts are usually found on one side of a mountain.
What is a biome?
Large geographic areas with similar climates and ecosystems.
Examples: Grasslands, Deserts, Tundra, Taiga
What is a tundra?
Cold, dry, treeless biome, with a short growing season.
Where is a tundra found?
North Pole and South Pole and high elevations
How long are the winters in a tundra?
6-9 months
Tell me about the sun in the tundra.
In winter, you do not see it. In summer, it is out all the time.
Plants in the tundra
Lichens, grasses, mosses, and wild flowers
Animals in the tundra
Caribou, reindeer, Arctic wolves, polar bear and brown bears.
What is a taiga?
Largest Biome Long cold winters
Where is a taiga found?
South of the tundra
Climate in taiga vs. tundra
Both have long cold winters but taiga is a little warmer and wetter.
Plants found in taiga
Balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch
Animals found in taiga
Black bear, bald eagle, gray wolf, canadian lynx
What is a temperate deciduous forest?
Biome that has 4 seasons
What are the 4 seasons?
Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
Where is this biome found in the US?
North eastern United States
Plants in the Temperate Deciduous Forest
White birch, White oak, lady fern, carpet moss
Animals in the Temperate deciduous Forest
White tailed deer, chipmunks, coyote, and squirrels
What is a Temperate Rainforest?
Forests full of trees with needlelike leaves
Climate in Temperate Rainforest
9 degrees to 12 degrees Celsius 200 to 400 centimeters of rain
Where is it found?
New Zealand, Southern Chile, and Pacific Northwest
Plants in a temperate rainforest
Douglas Fir, western red cedar, western hemlock
Animals in a temperate rainforest
Elk, gray wolf, mountain lions
What is a Tropical Rainforest?
Most Diverse Biome
Climate in a tropical rainforest
Around 25 degrees Celsius Around 200 to 600 centimeters
Where is it found?
Parts of South America and Africa
Plants in a tropical rainforest
Mangrove forests, jambu, bengal bamboo
Animals in a tropical rainforest
Monkeys, cobras, Toucans
What is a desert?
Driest Biome Not a lot of organic matter in the soil
Climate in a desert
Less than 25 centimeters of rain Hot days and cold nights
Where is it found?
Parts of almost every continent
Plants found in a desert
Cactus, Yucca, brittle bush
Animals found in a desert
Armadillo, kangaroo rat, eastern diamondback
What is a grassland?
Considered Temperate and tropical
Climate in a grassland
Have a dry season and a wet season
Plants in a grassland
Cornflowers, Rye, corn
Animals in a grassland
Bison, Zebra, Giraffe, Prairie Dogs
What is a flowing freshwater environment?
Rivers, Streams, Creeks and brooks
Nutrients and plant growth in a water biome
Nutrients get into the water from the surrounding land. The moving water washes them in the water.
Very high plant growth
Animals in river and stream biomes
Leeches and minnows
Lakes vs. Ponds
Lakes are larger and deeper than ponds Lakes have less plant life Lakes are colder but sometimes do not freeze
What is a wetland?
Land region that is wet most or all of the year.
Plants in a wetland
Cattails, Grasses (that have adapted to a lot of water)
Animals in a wetland
Beavers, alligators, Bog turtle
Zones of the open ocean
Lighted zone Dark zone
Foundation of the food chain in open ocean
Plankton
What is a coral reef?
Diverse ecosystem formed from the calcium carbonate shells secreted by corals.
Does a seashore have fresh water or salt water?
Saltwater
What is an intertidal zone?
Part of the shoreline that is under water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide.
What is an estuary?
Extremely fertile area where a river meets an ocean; contains mixture of freshwater and saltwater and serves as a nursery for many species of fish.
Plants on or in an estuary
Mosses, Grasses
Animals in an estuary
Snails, worms, fish