Ecology

Unit 2

Flashcard Warm-up

Bioticrelating to,

produced by, or caused by living

organisms.

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Abioticnon-living chemical

and physical factors in the environment.

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Levels of the Biosphere

Biosphere: Area on earth where life exists

Biome: Areas of similar climate and vegetation

Ecosystem: System formed by the interaction between living and non-living factors in a given area.

Levels of Biosphere

Community: Interaction of biotic factors

Population: Group of individuals of the same species that occupy the same community/ecosystem

Niche: Total way of life Includes = habitat,

resource needs, symbiotic relationships,

Ticket out the Door1.Organize the following from smallest to

largestcommunity, biosphere, ecosystem, population, biome

2.What abiotic factors would a maple tree require?

3. What types of interactions would be observed in a community in the environment?

4. What is difference between a community and population?

Flashcard Warm-UpEcosystem

an area that contains organisms (e.g., plants,

animals, bacteria) interacting with one

another and their non-living environment.

Ecosystems can be of any size (e.g., forest, meadow, and log).

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Producer An organism that obtains

its energy by using sunlight, CO2 and H20 to

synthesize Carbohydrates (sugars)

Examples include: plants and algae

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Trophic Levels = Levels of Feeding

Producers: Produce food for themselves

Consumers: Must take in food Herbivores: primary

consumers (eat plants) Omnivores: eat at many

levels (plants and animals) Secondary and Tertiary:

may be carnivore (eats animals) or omnivore

Decomposers: break down wastes and dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil

Ecological Efficiency

10% rule: only 10% of available energyis passed to the next trophic level

Plants (1000 cal)

Herbivores (100 cal)

Carnivores (10 cal)

Ticket out the Door1. What do the arrows represent in

a food web?

2.Where would the greatest available energy be found in a food web?

3.What happens to the energy in a food web as it moves from one trophic level to another trophic level?

4.What will happen to the rabbit population if the snakes are removed from the food web?

Use food web for question 4

Flashcard Warm-UpAutotroph

an organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and produce their own

food (ex. plants, algae);also known as producersMy picture:

My sentence:

Heterotroph organisms that obtains energy from the food it

consumes; also known as a consumerMy picture:

My sentence:

Biogeochemical Cycles

Water CycleEnters through

precipitation or infiltration

Exits through evaporation or transpiration

Biogeochemical Cycles

Carbon CyclePowered by

respiration and photosynthesis

Humans influence by burning fossil fuels

Biogeochemical Cycles

The Nitrogen Cycle Bacteria are

responsible for converting nitrogen gas to usable forms

Importance of Nitrogen cycle: Nitrogen is essential for living organisms so they can build proteins

Ticket out the door1.What two processes drive the carbon

cycle?

2.What role do animals play in the carbon cycle?

3.What role do plants play in the carbon cycle?

4.What type of impact do humans have on the carbon cycle?

Flashcard Warm-up

PhotosynthesisA process used by plants to make their own food. It

uses energy from the sun, CO2, and H20. Photosynthesis and respiration power the carbon cycle. (Rewrite the definition of respiration here:

from unit 1)

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Biotic Relationships

Competition: A struggle for resources among organisms

Predator/Prey: Predator feeds upon another organism, Prey is organism being feed upon

Competition in animals

Competition in plants

Biotic Relationships

Symbiosis: Living together in a permanent relationshipMutualism: (+,+)

both organisms benefit

Biotic Relationships

Commensalism: (+,0) one organism benefits and the other not benefitted or harmed

Parasitism: (+, -) one organism benefits and the other is harmed

Population Growth

Limiting factor: Controls population; Ex: Food, space, water

Carrying Capacity: The number of individuals an environment can support

Population Growth

J-curve: Period of “exponential” growth

S-curve: Population growth stabilizes as carrying capacity is reached

Ticket out the Door1.A friend of yours is always cheating off of your

paper and you get caught and punished but your friend gets an A. What type of symbiotic relationship could this represent?

2.What factors keep a population at carryingcapacity?

3.What would the graph look like if a populationhad a unlimited supply of resources?

4.How can a predator-prey relationship help maintain carrying capacity of an ecosystem?

Flashcard Warm-up

Symbiosis(Read pg. 93 in the Bio textbook. Give

a definition of symbiosis and the three classes of relationships.)

My picture:My definition:

Technology

GPS: Global Positioning SystemGIS: Geographic

Information Systems – to store, manage, and integrate data

Mark/Recapture: Animals captured, tagged, released, and then recaptured

Use of GIS: Bird banding for mark/recapture

Technology

Quadrant Analysis: A small section of a large area that reduces the space that a scientist must analyze

Water/Soil Analysis: sampling techniques to determine chemical or physical properties

Ticket out the Door1.Give an example when a quadrant

analysis would be a useful technique to use?

2.Give an example when mark and recapture would be useful?

3. Why would take water samples be important?