Biology Unit 2: Ecology

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Vocab:

abiotic features: nonliving things in an ecosystem

biome: a large geographical region with similar plants, animals, and climate

biosphere: all the living organisms found on earth

biota: all the living organisms found in an ecosystem

ecology: the study of living things and their environment

ecosystem: interaction and interrelations that exist between all living and nonliving things in an area

niche: an organism's place, function, or role in the ecosystem

population: all the organisms in an area of the same species

species: a group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Ecology: root word oikos Greek for "house".

Nearly all autotrophs are photosynthetic.

Because hydrothermal vents are at depths of 2,000 and 4,000 meters, photosynthesis is impossible. To solve this problem, chemosynthetic microbes and bacteria use the hydrogen sulfide coming from the vent. They provide a base for a food web by feeding all sorts of fish, snails, and tubeworms.

VOCAB:

autotroph: an organism capable of synthesizing it's own organic compounds from inorganic compounds and uses carbon dioxide as a carbon source

carnivore: consumer that only eats meat

chemosynthesis: Process some autotrophs use to synthesize energy from compounds such as hydrogen sulfide

consumer: obtains energy from organic material made by producers

decomposer: fungi and bacteria that chemically decomposes dead and waste material into detritus

detritivore: eats dead or decaying matter; consumes detritus

herbivore: consumer that only eats plants

heterotroph: an organism that receives energy from consuming carbohydrates and other organic material

omnivore: consumer that eats both meat and plants

photosynthesis: process some autotrophs use to synthesize energy from light

producer: receives energy either from the sun or inorganic molecules

scavenger: consumes dead material, like fallen leaves and dead animals

Vocab

biomass: the mass of all living matter in an ecosystem

ecological pyramid: illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web

food chain: a line path showing the transfer on energy from one organism to another

food web: multiple food chains together to show the reality of producers and low level consumers being consumed directly by many different high level consumers

phytoplankton: photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean

trophic level: food level within a food chain

zooplankton: small free-floating animals that form part of plankton

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 1

Individual organism -> species -> population -> community -> ecosystem -> biome -> biosphere

Methods of Ecology:

observation

experimentation

modeling

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=81332a1b-8bb8-4ada-8aad-ed27947fc693%40sessionmgr15&hid=12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=mih&AN=38613629

This article provides an example of the observation method of ecology.

The team counts the stonefly nymphs in the water because it helps to determine how polluted the water is. Stonefly nymphs do not tolerate many types of pollution, and therefore will be absent in polluted water.

This provide a good example of cause and effect because they are studying the effect-reduced population of water nymphs-to better understand the cause-water pollution.

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Abiotic features such as temperature, precipitation, nutrients, and sunlight determine the characteristics of a biome.

Latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water or mountains influence the physical environment of a biome.

Lesson 3

Each trophic level has a different biomass. Producers are a VERY large group, hence being at the bottom of the ecological pyramid. Each level is reduced in biomass compared to the last, and this is necessary due to the flow of energy. Energy is reduced by 90% every time it is transferred to one level to the next.

energy is never created, used up, or destroyed.

energy movement is described as flow because it "flows" to the next level as in it gets used and transferred in a one-way movement away from the sun.

Lesson 4

Vocab:

biogeochemical cycle: process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another

denitrification: process by which soil bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

nitrogen fixation: process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use

nutrient: chemical substances that living organisms must obtain from their environment in order to carry out life functions

Carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen are always cycling around and through us. If nutrients did not get recycled constantly, we would never have any necessary nutrients. The nutrients on the earth today are all we get, the supply does not go up, nor does it go down, but all the nutrients must be recycled or we'd all be dead

.

Unlike energy, we do not receive a steady stream of matter. All matter must be used and reused, cycling in a closed circle without losing or gaining mass.

elements constantly cycle between the living and non-living world

Matter flows through an ecosystem like energy, only it is not decreased as it goes. Energy has a constant one-way flow, and matter is continually looped around and flows in cycles.

Vocab:

commensalism: a relationship in which one party benefits and the other is unaffected

habitat: area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it

herbivory: hunting and eating plant material

keystone species: single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community

mutualism: a relationship in which both parties benefit

niche: functional role of an organism in an ecosystem

parasitism: a relationship in which only one party benefits and the other is harmed

predation: the capturing and eating of other organisms

resource: any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space

symbiosis: relationship in which two species live close together

Lesson 5

Only one species can have any one niche because this one species will have to be the best at using the resources available, therefore if there was more than one species trying to use the same resources, either the original will run them off because they cannot use the resources as efficiently and/or effectively, or they will get rid of the original by using the resources better.

This is called competition.

If the prey of a species of predator is diminished, than the predators numbers will decrease. Conversely, if the number of predators is diminished, there will be a sudden boom in the population of the prey until it crashes and BURNS because of the extraneous pull on the resources.

Vocab:

population cycles: The rise and fall of the population of many correlated species in unison

Lesson 6

In the example of the population cycles in the relationship of rodents and rattlesnakes:

If the population of rodents fell, then the rattlesnake population would go down. If the rodents suddenly boomed, then the rattlesnake population would go up, causing the rodent population to go down and therefore forcing the rattlesnake population to go back down, and then letting the rodents rise again. Hence the cycle of populations.

Population cycles help to stabilize the two species over time without causing extinction.

Lesson 7

After Mt St Helens the most noticeable growth after the first year was the plant life, and more specifically, the fungi. Scientists believe that the warmth of the blast may have affected the spores, and made it easier for the fungi to thrive. The lakes also showed many signs of life, mostly in the form of bacteria, but there was also a few fish in many of the affected lakes.

Vocab:

pioneer species: species that colonized where no other species are present. They are needed for primary succession.

primary succession: no organisms are present following the event that triggers the succession process

secondary succession: some organisms present after the event that disturbs the ecosystem

climax community: a stable community that has gone through all stages of succession

Vocab

Lesson notes