Science & Technology in the Environment Ecology

Ecology16.01 – Summarize how ecology and the environment affect an organism’s ability to adapt or change.

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General Terms• Ecosphere• Where living things are found on Earth.

• Biosphere• Area of the Earth that supports life

• Ecology• Study of how living organisms exist in their natural environment

• Ecosystems

• Biotic

• Abiotic

• Terrestrial

• Aquatic

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Ecology and Ecosystems• Ecosystems• Living organisms interact with themselves and with nonliving parts of their

environments • These environments form communities• The interaction within a community forms an ecosystem

• Factors• Biotic • Living things

• Abiotic• Non living things

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Natural Selection• If organisms do not adapt and change, then they will not

survive

• Change and Adapation• Living organisms vary greatly• Variations help organisms survive

• Natural Selection• Survival of life forms that are best adapted to their environment • “Survival of the fittest”

• Adaptation• Ability of an individual or a species to tolerate changes in their environment

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Succession• The replacement of one community by another • Tree species in a forest

• Types• Terrestrial – on land• Aquatic – in water

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Homeostasis• Process by which an organism maintains a fairly constant

internal environment when the external environment changes

• Climate, moisture, temperature, light, soil, and periodicity affect homeostasis in living organisms

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Periodicity • The occurrence of things at regular intervals or periodically • Moon Cycles

• Types• Daily – includes night and day• Seasonal – Season of the year

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Thermal Adaptations• Based on how an organism responds to temperature changes

• Homeotherm • An animal that maintains near constant internal body temperature• Called warm-blooded• Examples are humans, horses, cattle, deer, dogs, and birds

• Poikilotherm • An animal that has a body temperature that is more or less in equilibrium

with its environment • Incorrectly called cold-blooded• Body temperature varies with the environment • AKA ectotherms• Examples are reptiles, such as snakes, turtles, and fish

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Population Ecology16.02 – Discuss population ecology as it relates to living communities, population, ecology, food chains, and biomes.

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Communities• A collection of plants and animals that live together in a certain

harmony

• Growth and Life• May be on land or water• Land = Terrestrial• Water = Aquatic

• Dominance and Diversity• Dominant species• One that is stronger or has some advantage over another species

• Diversity • The number of different types of living things in a community.

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Community Organization and Structure• Habitat• The natural home of a plant or animal • May be aquatic, terrestrial, or combinations

• Niche• Function or role of a living thing within its habitat or community.

• Vertical Structures• Depends on plants. Tall trees provide habitats

• Horizontal Structures• The arrangement of communities over the land area.

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Population Ecology• Study of how populations of plants and animals affect each

other in a community

• Population density• Measure of how crowded organisms are in their environment

• Age • Populations are characterized by age

• Distribution• How organisms are distributed over the space they use

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Population Ecology • Growth • Natality • The production of new individuals in a population

• Mortality• The death rate in a population

• Competition• The use of the same resources by different organisms to live • Can cause stresses in the population

• Predation• One living organism serving as food for another • Predator – organism that consumes the other • Prey – organism that is consumed

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Food Chains• A sequence in which the living organisms in a community get

their food

• Differs among species

• Interlinking of food chain forms the food web

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Feeding Groups• Herbivore• Eats only plant foods

• Carnivore• East only flesh of other animals

• Omnivore• Eats both plants and animals

• Biophage • Eats living plants and animals

• Saprophage • Eats nonliving matter

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Major Food Chains• Grazing Chain• When animals eat plants, and in some cases, humans or other animals eat

these

• Detrital Chain• When animals and plants eat detritus, which is decomposing plant and

animal matter

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Biomass• Weight of living organisms in an area

• Forests or water with much life has a high biomass

• Deserts have a low biomass

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Ecosystem Diversity: Biomes• A distinctive combination of plants and animals

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Terrestrial Biomes• Tropical Forests – near the equator

• Temperate Forests – may range from warm to cold and wet

• Grassland and Savanna• Where grasses naturally grow• Plans areas are examples of grasslands• Savannas are found in soil with low fertility that has more rainfall than grasslands

• Tundra• Low temperatures and short growing season • Permafrost – permanently frozen ground

• Taiga• Cold climate areas covered with large conifer forests

• Deserts• Have little or no rainfall, extreme temperatures, and may be covered with sand

or rock

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Aquatic Biomes• Lakes and ponds – inland depressions containing freshwater

• Streams – flowing water ecosystems

• Oceans – large bodies of salt water

• Wetlands • Called swamps, important as wildlife habitat and to aid the environment

• Estuary• Where streams flow into oceans• Important as breeding grounds for some saltwater species

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