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Ecology
This document discusses key concepts in ecology, including definitions of environment, ecosystem, and ecology. It describes different types of ecosystems like aquatic (saltwater and freshwater) and terrestrial ecosystems. It also covers ecological concepts such as populations, communities, habitats, food chains, food webs, and energy flow through ecosystems via photosynthesis and respiration. Finally, it discusses relationships between organisms like predation, competition, symbiosis, and adaptations.
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Ecology
- 1. Ecology Sarah Jones hdw.eweb4.com
- 2. Environment The environmentof an organism is its surroundings, both living and non-living.
- 3. Ecosystems An ecosystemis a part of the environment containing living organisms interacting with each other and the non-living parts of the environment.
- 4. Ecology Ecology isthe study of relationships living organisms have with each other and their environment.
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- 7. Saltwater - openseas, estuaries and saltwater lakes. Approximately 65% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. Tides, currents, waves and wind continuously move the water in the surface layers. Freshwater - includes still water such as lakes and ponds, swamps, and moving water such as springs creeks and rivers.
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- 9. Terrestrial environments varyas a result of topography, climate, availability of water, and human activity. Examples: rainforest, open forests, mountain tops, deserts, grasslands, farms and cities.
- 10. Population A groupof living organisms of the same kind living in the same place at the same time.
- 11. Community Organisms livingtogether in a particular place.
- 12. Habitat The habitatof an organism is the place where it lives. These can vary in size e.g. desert, under tree bark, within the digestive system of another organism.
- 13. Ecosystems will failif they do not remain in balance. No community can carry more organisms than its food, water and shelter can accommodate. Food and territory are often balanced by natural phenomena such as fire, disease, and the number of predators.
- 14. Abiotic Factors ofEcosystems
- 15. Light Wind Rainfall Temperature (daily and seasonal) Topography (altitude and depth) Tides, currents and waves Water (salinity, pH and availability) Substrate (surface on which an organism grows or is attached) Space and shelter Oxygen
- 16. Biotic Factors ofEcosystems
- 17. Availability of food Number of competitors Availability of mates Number of predators Disease causing organisms Limiting factors - anything that makes it difficult for a species to live and grow, or reproduce in its environment.
- 18. Food Chains andFood Webs
- 19. Organisms have rolesin ecosystems: Producers - organisms that make their own food using the energy of sunlight - plants.
- 20. Consumers - obtaintheir food by consuming other creatures - if they consume a producer then they are primary consumers or herbivores - if they consume herbivores they are secondary consumers or carnivores.
- 21. If they consumecarnivores they are tertiary consumers or carnivores. Some species eat both producers and other consumers and they are called omnivores. Some creatures eat dead producers or consumers and are called detritivores.
- 22. Decomposers Bacteria andfungi that break down dead organic material. Decomposers have an important role in ecosystems - they absorb nutrients from dead organisms or waste materials and return organic matter to the soil.
- 23. Food chains aresimple ways of representing feeding relationships among organisms. Grass > insect > spider > bird Food webs show the feeding relationship of all organisms in a particular location (food web = many food chains intertwined together).
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- 28. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis isthe process by which plant cells capture energy from sunlight and use it to combine carbon dioxide and water to make sugars and oxygen. Six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen.
- 29. All living thingsultimately depend on this process - photosynthesis. Organisms that consume the plants gain nutrients and energy, animals that eat the plant-eaters gain energy from them, therefore the energy is passed on.
- 30. Respiration Respiration isthe process by which cells obtain energy. Organic molecules (particularly sugars) are broken down to produce carbon dioxide and water, and energy is released.
- 31. Biomass and EnergyPyramids
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- 37. Predation This isa feeding relationship in which one animal (predator) obtains its food by killing another animal (prey). This relationship increases the predators chance of survival and reproduction at the expense of the preys.
- 38. Allelopathy The productionby a plant of specific chemicals that can be detrimental or beneficial to another plant. These chemicals influence the growth and development of neighboring plants by repelling predators and parasites, or poisoning competitors. E.g. Camphor produced in leaves of the camphor laurel tree accumulates in the soil, preventing germination or growth of seedlings around each established group.
- 39. Parasitism A parasiteobtains its food from a host. Although the host is harmed in some way, it does not necessarily die. Most free-living organisms have parasites. Many bacteria, viruses and fungi which cause diseases are parasites. Other relationships involve ticks, fleas and tapeworms.
- 40. Symbiosis A typeof interaction between organisms where two different species live together in a close association. The association benefits at least one of them, and the other is not disadvantaged. The two types of symbiosis are commensalism and mutualism.
- 41. Mutualism If twoorganisms are more closely associated so that both benefit. Commensalism A relationship that benefits one species and does not harm the other. The organisms are not dependent on this type of relationship: they could survive without each other.
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- 43. Competition is thestruggle between organisms for the same resource. A particular ecosystem can support only a certain number of each type of species. Competition may be between members of the same species, or between members of different species.
- 44. Short term -competition reduces the chance of survival and restricts the abundance of all of the competitors.
- 45. Long term -one of the competitors will usually be more successful and drive out or reduce the numbers of other competitors.
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- 47. Adaptation - afeature of an organism that makes it well suited to its environment and lifestyle.
- 48. Structural Adaptions Aphysical characteristic relating to the structure of an organisms body.
- 49. Physiological Adaptation Relatedto the way the organism functions e.g. Poisonous frogs
- 50. Behavioural Adaptation Howan organism responds to its environment e.g. Bird migration
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- 61. How Ecosystems Respondto Change • Wildfires are a relatively common event in Australia. Many Australian plants have the ability to survive regular burning. • Banksias – this plants ripe seeds can stay on the tree for years waiting for a fire to release them. asgap.org.au
- 62. • Over timeas Australia became warmer and drier - both plants and animals evolved with adaptations to enable them to survive this increasing aridity. • Australia’s vegetation is dominated by two groups of flowering plants which have successfully evolved to colonise a wide variety of habitats – acacias (wattles) and eucalypts.