ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
What is Ecology?
Ecology is a branch of the life sciences that studies the interactions and the affects of living and nonliving things with each other.
Abiotic Factors the nonliving things in an ecosystem
Examples: amount of sunlight, quality of soil, temperature, amount of oxygen, water, space and strength/direction of wind, relative humidity, and evaporation rate
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Relative Humidity a measure of the percentage of water vapour in a mass of air, compared with the maximum amount of vapour that could be held at that temperature.
Evaporation rate measure the volume of water lost from soil in one day
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Biotic Factors the living things in an ecosystem
Examples: plants, animals, fish, humans, bacteria ...
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Is soil litter an abiotic or a biotic factor? Support your answer.
Soil litter a measure of the mass of decomposing organic matter found above the ground. Fallen leaves, twigs, and dead grass make up most of the soil litter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1pp_7yTN4abiotic and biotic factors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQO5x8Q3e8gabiotic and biotic song
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Organization of Ecology
1. Organism any organized body or system
Examples: a particular animal, plant, fungus, or micro organism
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
2. Population all the members of the same species in an ecosystem.
Examples: In a lake ecosystem there would be many groups of populations: frogs, fish, ducks, algae, grass, cat tails, etc.
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Community the collection of all populations in an ecosystem
Examples: In an ecosystem of a lake the community would be made up of turtles, frogs, ducks, algae, grass, trout, etc.
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
4. Ecosystem relationship among all of the species living in an environment and the abiotic factors affecting them. There can be more than one type of community found in an ecosystem.
Two types of ecosystems:
Arficial Ecosystem an ecosystem that is planned and maintained. Ex: parks
Natural Ecosystem the living community is free to interact with the physical and chemical environmentEx: Meadow
Can an organism live in both an arficial ecosystem and a natural ecosystem? Explain.___________________________________________________
Ecotone a grey area between ecosystems where organisms interact with each other.
Natural ecosystems can be classified as:
Aquatic Ecosytems lakes, oceans, ponds, rivers
Terrestrial Ecosystems forests, tundra, desertBiome the collection of ecosystems that are related according to the plants they have
Canadian Biomes include:
Tundra (cold desert) (Northern Canada)
Boreal Forest (central Canada)
Temperate Deciduous Forests (Southern Ontario)
Grasslands (Prairies of Canada)
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Biosphere the entire earth and the living organisms that inhabit it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlnFylwdYH4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtWknf1gzKo amoeba sisters
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017
Niche and Habitat
One of the most important concepts associated with the ecosystem is the niche. A niche refers to the role of a species in its ecosystem. It includes all the ways that the species interacts with the bioc and abioc factors of the environment. This may include food it eats, how the food is obtained, when it reproduces, where it lives, etc. It can be described as the lifestyle of an organism.
The habitat is the physical environment in which a species lives and to which it is adapted. A habitat’s features are determined mainly by abioc factors such as temperature and rainfall. These factors also influence the traits of the organisms that live there.
Compeve Exclusion Principle
A given habitat may contain many different species, but each species must have a different niche. Two different species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place for very long. This is known as the compeve exclusion principle. If two species were to occupy the same niche, what do you think would happen? They would compete with one another for the same food and other resources in the environment. Eventually, one species would be likely to outcompete and replace the other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX433QZD77YHabitat & NichePlaces To Go, Things To Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ_up40FZVw
ecology and ecosystems.notebook September 13, 2017