A: Organization of the Environment

A: Organization of the Environment

Ecology Unit

A: organization of the Environment

B: Interactions in the Environment

C: Humans and the Environment

Vocabulary:

  1. Ecology- the branch of biology that deals with the interactions between organisms , and the relationships between the organisms and the environment.

2. Population- members of the same species living in a given area.

3. Community- includes all populations in a given area.

4. Ecosystem- all living things and the physical environment that they live in.

5. Biosphere- the portion of the Earth where life exists.

Requirements for a Stable Ecosystem:

  • A constant supply of energy (SUN).
  • Living organisms that can turn energy from the sun into organic compounds.
  • Material must be recycled between organisms and the environment.

(Ex.- an aquarium is a stable, balanced ecosystem.)

Abiotic Factors:

  • The non-living parts of the environment.
  • Abiotic factors are:
  • Air
  • Water
  • Soil
  • Light (Sun)
  • Temperature
  • Minerals

Biotic Factors:

  • The living things that directly or indirectly affect the ecosystem.
  • Examples of Biotic Factors are:
  • Producers- organisms that make their own food.
  • Consumers- organisms that get their food from other sources.
  • Decomposers- break down, and recycle, dead and decaying organisms.

Habitats and Niches:

  • A habitat is the place in and ecosystem where an organism lives.
  • A Niche is the role or job an organism has in an ecosystem.

Biodiversity:

Biodiversity is the diversity of species on the Planet as a result of the evolutionary process.

  • Biodiversity increases the chance thatat least some species will survive in the face of large environmental changes.
  • Biodiversity also increases the stability of an ecosystem and guarantees the availability of a variety of genes (large gene pool).

Interactions in the Environment:

  • Food relationships involve interacting organisms.
  • Organisms are either Autotrophs (organisms that make their own food- plants) or Heterotrophs (organisms that get their food from other sources).
  • There are 3 types of Heterotrophs:
  • Herbivore- eat plants
  • Carnivore- eat meat
  • Omnivore- eat plants and meat
  • Carnivores can be further divided into 3 groups:
  • Predators- carnivores that kill and consume their prey.
  • Prey- the animals that are killed and eaten.
  • Scavengers- eat the dead animals they find that are left over from the predators.

Symbiotic Relationships:

Symbiosis involves organisms of different species living together in close association with at least one of the organisms benefiting.

  • Mutualism- both organisms benefit

  • Commensalism- one organism benefits, the other is not harmed.

  • Parasitism- one organism benefits (parasite), the other organism is harmed (host).

Food Chains:

Producer  Primary Consumer  Secondary Consumer

**Decomposers are found at every level of a food chain.

Food Webs:

A food web is made up of many interconnecting food chains.

Energy Pyramid:

  • The Sun is the primary source of energy in an ecosystem.
  • Energy is lost at each level on the energy pyramid.
  • The greatest amount of energy is found at the producer level (bottom).
  • The higher up in the pyramid the less energy.

Material Cycles:

Materials must be recycled between the living and the non-living environment.

There are 3 Material Cycles:

  • Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide Cycle- (photosynthesis, cellular respiration)
  • Nitrogen Cycle- dead and decaying organisms, nitrogenous wastes are converted.
  • Water Cycle- evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Competition:

  • Competition occurs when there is a struggle for the same limited resources.
  • Competition may eventually cause one species to become extinct.
  • Competition usually establishes one species per niche in a community.

Humans and the Environment:

  • Humans differ from all other kinds of organisms in their ability to change the environment.
  • Human activities upset various natural systems and have negative effects on the biotic and abiotic environment.
  • Some changes in the environment can be repaired, some can not.
  • In order for humans to survive as a species they must interact with many different forms of life, as well as, the non-living parts of the environment.
  • The abiotic environment provides us with essential components upon which our survival depends.
  • Acid Rain
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Air Pollution
  • Water Pollution
  • Global Warming

These are just some examples of negative effects that mankind has had on the environment. These changes are caused by advances in technology.

Environmental Pollution:

  • A pollutant is something that is put into the air, water, or soil that makes it dirty and unfit for living things.
  • Pollutants are toxic (poisonous).
  • Pollutants are by products of technology.

Negative Human Activities:

  • Over-hunting
  • Importing of organisms
  • Exploitation
  • Poor land management
  • Deforestation
  • Improper waste disposal (biodegradable)
  • Use of biocides (pesticides, herbicides)
  • Poaching

Conservation of Natural Resources:

  • Conservation involves the protectionand wise use of our natural resources.
  • Natural resources include the basic things in the natural world (soil, air, water, energy, wildlife, and open space).
  • Renewable resources are able to be reused or replaced.
  • Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced.
  • Recycling resources that are nonrenewable is recommended to conserve them.
  • Erosion causes much soil to be lost because it is worn away by wind and water.
  • Wildlife preservation is efforts to help endangered species and to protect other forms of wildlife.
  • Laws to protect wildlife continue to be passed to help protect wildlife in danger of becoming extinct.
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