Principles+of+Ecology

· You will describe ecology and the work of ecologists · You will identify important aspects of an organism’s environment · You will trace the flow of energy and nutrients in the living and nonliving worlds. What does an ecologist do???
 * __ What you’ll learn __**
 * __ Section Preview __**
 * // Objectives //**
 * ** Distinguish ** between the biotic and abiotic factors in the environment.
 * ** Compare ** the different levels of biological organization and living relationships important in ecology.
 * ** Explain ** the difference between a niche and a habitat.


 * __ Review Vocabulary __**
 * ** Species: ** a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature.


 * __ New Vocabulary __**
 * **Ecology** : is the study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment
 * **Biosphere:** is the portion of Earth that supports living things
 * **Abiotic factor**: is the nonliving part of an organism’s environment
 * **Biotic factor**: All the living organism that inhabit an environment
 * **Decomposers**: break down the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be more easily absorbed.
 * **Population:** is a group of organism, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same area at the same time
 * **Biological community**: is made up of interacting populations in a certain area at a certain time.
 * **Biomass**: the total weight of living matter at each trophic level.
 * **Ecosystem**: is made up of interacting populations in a biological community and the community’s abiotic factors.
 * **Habitat**: is the place where an organism lives out its life
 * **Niche**: is all strategies and adaptations a species uses in its environment-how it meets its specific needs for food and shelter.
 * **Symbiosis**: is the relationship in which there is a close and permanent association between organisms of different species.
 * **Commensalism**: is a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited.
 * **Mutualism**: is a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.

// The Biosphere // The biosphere is the section of the earth that supports living things, extends from the high atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean. The biosphere supports a diverse group of organisms in a large range of climates. Living things are affected by both the physical and the nonliving environment and by other living things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere // Abiotic and Biotic Factors // The nonliving parts of an organisms environment are abiotic factors. These can be air currents, temperature, moisture, light, and soil. Abiotic factors have obvious effects on living things and often determine which species survive in a particular environment. For example, lack of rainfall in a grassland could cause a drought. A drought in the grassland could cause problems for the organisms living there. The living organisms that inhabit an environment are biotic factors. If you think about a goldfish in a bowl, you can think about the living thing that might affect it. Is it in the bowl with any other fish? Does it depend on any other organisms for food? Is it food for other life? Are there plants in the bowl? Every organism has factors in their environment that they depend on. Other living creatures can affect them by providing food, competition, etc. // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiotic_factor // // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotic_factor // // Levels of Organization // Organism (individual) Population(group of organisms) Biological Community (different groups of organisms living and interbreeding in the same place) Ecosystem (population of plants and animals that live and interact together) [] // Interactions within Populations and Communities // A population is a group of organisms of the same species that live and interact with each other. How the organisms of a population share resources may determine how long they live and how large the population grows. Competition between population increase when resources such as food, water, or mates are in short supply Several populations of organisms make up a community. A change of population in a community may cause changes in other populations. For example, if the population of mouse eating hawks increases, then the population of the mice will decrease. // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_niche // // Habitats // A habitat is the place where an organism lives its lives. A lawn, a stream, the inside of a tree, or a park, could be a habitat. Habitats can change or disappear due to both natural and human causes. // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat // // Niche // Although several species may share a habitat, the food, shelter, and other essential resources of the habitat used in different ways. A niche is all strategies and adaptations a species uses in its environment. A species includes all the interactions with the biotic and abiotic parts of its habitats, organisms of different species use a variety of strategies to live and reproduce in their habitats. // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_niche // // Survival Relationships // The relationship in which there is a close and permanent association between organisms of different species is called Symbiosis. Symbiosis means living together. Three kinds of symbioisis are //Mutualism// – a relationship where both organisms benefit, //Commensalism// – One organism benefits and the other is unaffected, and //Parasitism// – One organism benefits and the other suffers. // How organisms obtain energy // An important characteristic of species’ niche is to obtain energy. Ecologists like to trace the flow of energy through communities to find out nutritional relationships between organisms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_flow // Autotrophs and heterotrophs // Autotroph: An organism that uses light energy or energy stored in chemical compounds to make energy-rich compounds. Heterotroph: An organism that cannot make its own food and feeds on other organisms Food Chain: is a simple model that scientists use the show how matter and energy move through an ecosystem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotroph http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterotroph The food chain video // Trophic Levels. // Trophic Level: in the passage of energy and materials. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_level @More Trophic levels // Food Webs // Grass --> Mouse --> Hawk Food Web: shows all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level in a community. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_web Food web movie // Cycles in Nature // Food Chains and ecological pyramids are models that show how energy moves in one direction throughout the trophic levels of an ecosystem. Trophic video // The Water Cycle // Evaporation, Precipitation, Runoff, Evaporation [] Water cycle Song!!! // The // Carbon //Cycle// Atoms of carbon form the framework for proteins. Carbon is the molecule of life. It is a very important part of all living organisms. Atmospheric CO2, Photosynthesis, Sugar, Death and Decay, Fossil Fuels Carbon cycle video http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle // Nitrogen Cycle // The nitrogen cycle video // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cycle // // The Phosphorus Cycle // Materials cycle throughout the water. Substances include; sulfur, calcium, and phosphorus. All organisms require phosphorus for growth and development. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus_cycle THE PHOSPHURUS CYCLE Fun biology quiz, what you'll need to know. ** Wordsearch **
 * **Parasitism**: A symbiotic relationship in which a member of one species derives benefit at the expense of another species.
 * __ Section 1 __**
 * __ [] __**
 * __ Section 2 __**
 * I || N || U || H || Q || T || B || A || O || D || L || L || A || H || X ||
 * C || O || M || M || E || N || S || A || L || I || S || M || B || P || P ||
 * E || E || Q || X || R || T || V || C || J || N || S || S || I || O || O ||
 * H || J || C || A || M || S || E || P || I || I || M || S || O || R || P ||
 * C || Y || H || O || H || S || T || R || N || T || R || W || T || T || U ||
 * I || S || E || L || L || U || I || A || O || B || O || H || I || O || L ||
 * N || K || B || N || S || O || G || L || I || T || A || I || C || T || A ||
 * N || J || M || D || L || R || G || O || A || B || R || C || B || U || T ||
 * E || V || C || F || O || A || S || Y || I || U || B || O || U || A || I ||
 * N || G || D || J || V || P || P || T || Q || Y || T || I || P || A || O ||
 * R || E || D || R || H || W || A || L || W || Z || Y || U || N || H || N ||
 * B || M || G || E || A || T || S || I || S || O || I || B || M || Y || S ||
 * F || B || R || M || Z || A || D || P || A || R || A || T || I || S || M ||
 * F || E || D || P || L || I || W || L || Y || B || E || F || W || U || V ||
 * B || S || S || A || M || O || I || B || E || R || A || Z || D || Y || C ||


 * ABIOTIC || AUTOTROPH || BIOMASS ||
 * BIOSPHERE || BIOTIC || COMMENSALISM ||
 * ECOLOGY || HABITAT || HETEROTROPH ||
 * MUTUALISM || NICHE || ORGANISM ||
 * PARATISM || POPULATION || SYMBIOSIS ||
 * PARATISM || POPULATION || SYMBIOSIS ||