Ecology

INTRODUCTION  :

ECOLOGY  – the scientific study of interactions
among/between organisms and their
levels of ecological organization :(from smallest to largest):
Species – group of similar organisms that breed and produce
fertile offspring.
population  – group of individuals that belong to the same
species and live in the same area.
community– different populations living together in a defined
area.
Ecosystem  – all the organisms that live in a place together with
their physical environment.
Biome– group of ecosystems that share similar climates and
typical organisms.
Biosphere  – all life on Earth and all parts of Earth in which life
exists.

COMPONENTS OF ECOSYSTEM :

Biofactors – any living part of an environment
wBiotic factors – any living part of an environment  with which an organism might interact.
Ex. Animals, plants, mushrooms, bacteria, etc.
Abiotic factors – nonliving part of the environment
that influence the organism.
Ex. Sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity, wind, water current, soil type, etc….

PRODUCERS : 

• AUTOTROPHS – organisms that capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and convert it into forms living cells can use :
• producers – make their own food
• primary producers – the first producers of energy rich compounds that are later used by other organisms.
• Autotrophs are primary producers.
• most engage in the process of Photosynthesis 
• chemo synthesis – chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates in dark conditions  ( like the deep oceans ).

CONSUMERS : 

• HETEROTROPHS – can not make their own food; acquire energy from other organisms by ingesting them.
• Consumers – organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients.
• carnivores – kill and eat other animals.
• scavengers – consume the carcasses of dead animals.
• decomposes – chemically break down organic matter  (bacteria and fungi are examples )
• Herbivores – eat plants
• Omnivores – diets include both plant and animal matter.
• Dentritivores –feed on detritus (small pieces of decaying matter) by grinding them into smaller pieces (earthworms and snails are examples). Often digest the decomposers  living on the detritus.

ENERGY FLOWS IN ECOSYSTEM :

• REMEMBER :energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from primary producers to consumers!
  Food chain – series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.
• food Web –Networks of feeding interactions involving multiple producers herbivores, producers, and consumers.

TROPHIC LEVELS :

• Trophic level –each step in a food chain or food web.
  (Primary producers are always the first level;
  consumers occupy the other levels.)
  (Trophic levels are illustrated by drawing ecological pyramids.)

ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID :

ECOLOGICAL pyramid –shows the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each tropic level.

• Three types :
• pyramid of energy 
• pyramid of biomass 
• pyramid of numbers 

PYRAMIDS OF ENERGY : SHOWS relative amount of energy available at each tropic level.

(On average, only 10 percent of energy available in one trophic level is transferred to the next level! The rest is given off as heat!)

• Biomass-the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.
• pyramid of the numbers : shows relative number of individual organisms at each tropic level of an ecosystem.

CYCLES OF MATTER 

• Most living organisms are made of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen,
  nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus.
  (These make up life’s important compounds like water, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.)
  ( Matter is recycled within and between ecosystems!)
• BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES: loops loops through which elements pass as
  they are recycled in ecosystems.
  (Are powered by the flow of energy.)
  Nutrients – needed by organisms to build tissues and carry out
  life functions. Pass through organisms and environments through
  biogeochemical cycles.
  Limiting nutrient  – nutrient whose supply limits the productivity of an ecosystem.
• NITROGEN CYCLE :
• NITROGEN FIXATION –process where bacteria (living in soil or on roots of legumes) convert nitrogen gas into ammonia.

(Dentrafication – process where bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas.)

NICHES AND COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS :

• Niche- the range of physical and biological conditions in which a species lives and the way the species obtains what it needs to survive and reproduce.
  (Sometimes said to be the combination of the organism’s habitat and “profession” in the ecosystem.)
  Niche’s contain three aspects:
  .Resources – necessities of life.
  .Physical aspects – abiotic factors required for survival.
  . Biological aspects – biotic factors required for survival
• TOLERANCE –the ability of a species to survive and reproduce under a range of environmental conditions.
• HABITAT – general place where an organism lives.
• COMPETITION:
• INTRASPECIFIC COMPETITION – competition for limited ecological
  resources between members of the same species.COMPETITIVE  EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE  – states that no two species
  can occupy the same niche in exactly the same habitat at
  exactly the same time.
  . If two species attempt to, one will be better at competing for
  limiting resources and will eventually exclude the other
  species.
  .Species usually don’t compete for similar resources, they
  usually divide them – this is called Resource sharing.
  .By causing species to divide resources, competition helps to
  determine the number and kinds of species in a community and
  the niche each species occupies.
• MIMICRY – the similarity of one species to another which protects one or both.
  ( Appearance, behavior, sound, scent, or location ).
  SECONDARY PLANT COMPOUNDS  – compounds made
  for defense/prevention of competition.

PREDATION 

Predator –captures and feeds upon the prey.
(Can affect the size of prey populations in a community and determine the places the prey can live and feed.)
Herbivory – occurs when herbivores feed on producers.
(Herbivores can affect the size and distribution of plant )
populations in a community and determine the places that
plants can survive and grow.
Keystone species – single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of the community.

Symbiosis –any relationship in which
two species live closely together.
Mutualism – type of symbiotic relationship in which
both species benefit.
Parasitism – type of symbiotic relationship in which
one organism benefits and one is harmed.
Commensalism – type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION-series
of predictable changes that occur in a
community over time.
( Ecosystems change over time – after disturbances, some species die out and others move in.)
Primary succession – succession beginning in an area
with no remnants of an order community.
Ex. After a volcanic eruption.
Pioneer species – first species to colonize a barren area.
Secondary succession – succession in an area that has
been disturbed but not completely destroyed.
(Faster than primary because soil has survived and vegetation can regrow rapidly.)
 Ex. After a wildfire or hurricane.

Climax community:a biological community of
plants, animals, and fungi which, through the
process of ecological succession, have reached a
steady state.
(Following natural disturbances, secondary succession in healthy ecosystems often reproduces the original climax community )

(Following human caused disturbances, ecosystems may or may not recover a climax community ).

POPULATION GROWTH:

factors can affect population size :

1. Birthrate –populations grow when more individuals
   are born than die in any period of time.
   2. Death rate – populations shrink when the death rate
   is greater than the growth rate.
   3. Immigration – populations grow if individuals move
   into its range from elsewhere.
   4. Emmigration – populations may decrease in size if individuals move out of the range.

Exponential growth – occurs
under ideal conditions with
unlimited resources.

Logistic growth – occurs
when a population’s growth slows and then stops, following a period of exponential growth.
Carrying capacity –
maximum number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support.

LIMITS TO GROWTH :

Limiting factor – factor that controls the growth of a population.
( Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity of an environment for a species.)
 Density dependent limiting factors – operate only when population density reaches a certain level.
Ex. Competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, stress from over-crowding.
Density independent limiting factors – affect all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size or density.
Ex. Natural disasters.

CLIMATE 

Climate – defined by a region’s year after year patterns
of temperature and precipitation.
Microclimates – environmental conditions vary over small
distances.
Three factors influence global climate:
1. Solar energy and the greenhouse effect – greenhouse gases
trap heat in the atmosphere.
2. Latitude and solar energy – climate zones are produced by an unequal distribution of the sun’s heat on the Earth’s surface.
3. Heat transport in the biosphere – the unequal distribution
of heat across the globe creates wind and ocean currents, which transport heat and moisture.

EARTH RESOURCES 

Soil erosion – when soil is washed away and
eroded, carrying away organic matter and minerals that make it fertile.
Desertification – occurs when farming, overgrazing, and drought can turn farmland into desert.
Deforestation – when trees are removed reducing the quality of soil due to erosion.

Air pollution – occurs when the quality of Earth’s
atmosphere is reduced leading to respiratory illnesses
and global climate pattern changes.
Forms of air pollution include:
1. Smog – haze formed by chemical reactions among the
pollutants released into the air by industry and vehicle
exhaust. Ozone is produced.
2. Acid rainAir pollution – occurs when the quality of Earth’s
atmosphere is reduced leading to respiratory illnesses
and global climate pattern changes.
 Forms of air pollution include:
1. Smog – haze formed by chemical reactions among the
pollutants released into the air by industry and vehicle
exhaust. Ozone is produced.
2. Acid rainAir pollution – occurs when the quality of Earth’s
atmosphere is reduced leading to respiratory illnesses
and global climate pattern changes.
 Forms of air pollution include:
1. Smog – haze formed by chemical reactions among the
pollutants released into the air by industry and vehicle
exhaust. Ozone is produced.
2. AcidAir pollution – occurs when the quality of Earth’s
atmosphere is reduced leading to respiratory illnesses
and global climate pattern changes.
 Forms of air pollution include:
1. Smog – haze formed by chemical reactions among the
pollutants released into the air by industry and vehicle
exhaust. Ozone is produced.
2. Acid rain– occurs when fossil fuels are burned releasing
nitrogen and sulfur compounds into the air which
combine with water vapor in the air.
3. Greenhouse gasses – burning fossil fuels releases carbon into the atmosphere – accumulations contribute to global
warming and climate change.
4. Particulates – microscopic particles of dust and ash
released by industry. – occurs when fossil fuels are burned releasing
nitrogen and sulfur compounds into the air which combine with water vapor in the air.

BIO DIVERSITY :

Biodiversity – the total of all the genetically based
variation in all organisms in the biosphere.
Occurs on the ecosystem, species, and genetic levels.
Humans threaten biodiversity by: altering habitats, hunting, introducing invasive species, releasing pollution into food webs, and contributing to climate change.

ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES
Ecological footprint – the total area of functioning
land and water ecosystems needed both to provide
the resources an individual or population uses and to absorb and make harmless the wastes an individual or population generates.
Take into account the need to provide resources (energy, food, water, shelter) and to absorb wastes (sewage, greenhouse gases).
Are used by ecologists to estimate the biosphere’s carrying capacity for humans.

BIOMES AND ECO SYSTEMS :

Freshwater ecosystems:
1. Rivers/streams – water has dissolved oxygen near the source but little plant life. Downstream, sediments build
up and plants flourish. Animals here depend on terrestrial plants and animals that live along their banks for food.
2. Lakes/ponds – plankton, algae, and plants occur. Water flows in and out and circulates heat, oxygen, and nutrients.
3. Freshwater wetlands – water covers the nutrient rich, highly productive soil. Purify water by filtering pollutants  Include freshwater bogs, freshwater marshes, and freshwater swamps.

Estuaries – special wetlands formed where a river
meets the sea.
Serve as spawning and nursery grounds for many
species.
Are shallow and allow plants to conduct
photosynthesis.
Contain a large amount of biomass – examples
include mangroves like the Florida Everglades.

Marine – ocean is divided into zones based on depth and distance from the shore.
 Intertidal zone – organisms are in sea water at high tide and exposed to air and sun at low tide. Ex. Barnacles, seaweed.
 Coastal ocean – from low tide mark to shallow border
that surrounds the continent. Water is brightly lit and supplied with nutrients from freshwater runoff. Ex. Coral reefs, kelp forests.
Open ocean – 90% of the world’s ocean. Some
receives sunlight and has low nutrient level while
other portion is dark and cold.

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