Ecology

Ecology

• Ecology:
• The study of how organisms interacted with each other and with their environment
• Important terms:
• Environment:
• The factors in an organisms interacted with each other and with their environment
• Habitat:
• Where the organisms lives
• Ecosystem:
• A system formed by a group of living things interacting with each other and their nonliving surroundings
• Different types of ecosystem:
• - Forest
• - Marine
• - Desert
• - Grassland
• - Mountain
• - Fresh water

Biotic/Abiotic factors

• Biotic factors:
• - Living things
• - Examples are: Predators, parasites, fungi, infectious bacteria and viruses, competitors
• - Also includes dead organisms and wastes such as leaves rotting log etc.
• Abiotic factors:
• - Non living things
• - Things that can be measured
• - Example are: air, water, fire, temperature, humidity, soil, light, mineral and pH

Biotic/Abiotic factor

• Biotic factor:
• Ecological interactions or relationships
• - Symbiosis:
• Overarching term for mutualism, commensalism and paratism
• - Mutualism:
• A relationship when both organism have benefit
• - Commensalism:
• A relationship when one organism is benefit and the other doesn't care
• - Paratism:
• A relationship when one organism is benefit and the other is harmed
• - Competition:
• When two or more organisms rely on the same environmental source
• - Predation:
• Behaviour of one animal feeding off another
• Predator:
• - Feeding off one animal
• Prey:
• - The food for the predator
• Abiotic factor:
• Sunlight/light:
• - The light provides one of the plants nutrition for it to help grow
• Water:
• - The water helps the organisms by chemically balancing out the organism's body
• Soil:
• - The soil helps transport the nutrients into the plants for it to help grow
• Air (Oxygen levels):
• - The oxygen level helps produce the amount of energy that is needed in the organisms body
• Temperature:
• - The temperature helps the speed of the chemical reactions in it's body
• Fire:
• - Fire can destroy some organisms to help more organisms

Sunlight

• Photosynthesis:
• - A chemical process that takes place inside cells containing a green pigment called chlorophyll
• - Co2 + H2O --> C6H12O6 + O2
• Aerobic respiration:
• - C6H12O6 + O2 --> Co2 + H2O + energy
• Interdependence:
• - Organisms connecting and depending on each other within it's food web
• Methods to collect data:
• Data logger:
• - temperature
• - pH, conductivity
• - oxygen level
• Multi-function weather metre:
• - wind speed
• - humidity
• - altitude
• Other tools that measure:
• - turbidity
• - light level

Food

• Food:
• - It is vital as it provides the matter and energy needed for an organism
• Where do we get the food? How is it made?
• Photosynthesis:
• - A chemical process that takes place inside cells containing a green pigment call chlorophyl
• - Co2 + H2O --> Co6H12O6 + O2
• Glucose (types of sugar):
• - Makes other materials that a plant needs such as proteins, fat and nutrients
• Stored sugar:
• - Sugar is often turned to starch and can store in leaves of plants until needed. Some plants do not store such as grass
• - Glucose produced by photosynthesis is used by plants for respiration
• - Glucose is the starting point for biosynthesis of materials for plant to live
• - Producers: Organisms that make food
• - Consumers: Organisms that require a ready-made source of food
• - Decomposers: Consume consumers and producers that are dead