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Intro To Ecology

The document provides an introduction to key concepts in ecology, including: - The scope of ecology encompasses interactions between organisms and their environments across different levels of organization, from individuals to the biosphere. - Energy and chemical cycles allow limited resources like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water to be reused through processes like photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and the actions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within food webs and trophic levels. - Ecology involves the study of populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere as a whole to understand how energy flows and materials cycle through natural systems.

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Jinky Aydalla
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185 views44 pages

Intro To Ecology

The document provides an introduction to key concepts in ecology, including: - The scope of ecology encompasses interactions between organisms and their environments across different levels of organization, from individuals to the biosphere. - Energy and chemical cycles allow limited resources like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water to be reused through processes like photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and the actions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within food webs and trophic levels. - Ecology involves the study of populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere as a whole to understand how energy flows and materials cycle through natural systems.

Uploaded by

Jinky Aydalla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Intro to Ecology

Biology
By completing this lesson, you will
learn about…
• The scope of
Ecology
• Ecological
Organization
• Energy Flow
• Feeding
Relationships
• Chemical Cycles
Studies in Ecology Concept Map
Biology

Ecology Conservation Ecology

Community Ecology
Population Ecology

Ecosystem Ecology
Energy Flow Concept Map
Energy Flow
Chemical
Feeding Cycles
Relationships

Nitro
gen
Cycl
a r bon e
C le
Trophic Cyc
Levels
Pho
spho
Wat r
e Cyc ous
Cyc r le
le
The Scope of Ecology
• Introduction

• Ecological Organization

• The Branches of Ecology


What is Ecology?
• ECOLOGY – The study of interactions
between organisms and environments.
Ecological Organization
• Ecological relationships range from an
individual organism to the entire
biosphere.
Organism A single living thing

Population A group of organisms of the same species that


live together.
Community A group of Populations that live together

Ecosystem Communities and their physical environments

Biome A group of ecosystems that have the same climate.

Biosphere All the biomes on Earth. Thus, all the living areas
of the planet.
Organism

Population

Community

Ecosystem

Biome

Biosphere
Branches of Ecology

Population Ecology Community Ecology


Study of how populations grow Study of how populations interact
with each other

Conservation Ecology
Ecosystem Ecology Study of how to preserve
Study of how populations And create a healthy,
interact with their Lasting biosphere
physical environment
Question: Levels of Organization
Match the terms on the left with the definitions on the right

Population Ecology Example of a biome

Biome Study of group growth

Tundra Areas of same climate


Question: Levels of Organization
Match the terms on the left with the definitions on the right

Population Ecology Example of a biome

Biome Study of group growth

Tundra Areas of same climate


Energy Flow 1: Feeding
Relationships
• Overview
• Trophic levels
• Food Webs
Overview: Energy Flow Ecosystem

Most ecosystems
are driven
by energy
from
sunlight

Level of ecological study that includes all


organisms in a given area along with the
factors with which they interact.
A community and its physical environment.

Energy flow and chemical cycling are two interrelated processes that occur
by transfer of substances through the feeding levels of ecosystems.
Key Concept:

One of the ways in which energy flows


through an Ecosystem is by feeding. Different
living organisms eat each other, and the food
is energy moving from one organism to the
next.
What is a Food Web?
• The feeding relationships in an
ecosystem. Also called a food chain.
Example of a food web
snake

mouse

grasshopper rabbit

grass
(seeds)

decomposers
Bacteria & Fungus
What are Trophic levels?
• Trophic level – each feeding level in a
food web or chain.
Trophic level organisms: Producers
Producers are the backbone trophic level

Producers are autotrophs which gets energy from the sun


using photosynthesis. Plants, algae & phytoplankton
Trophic level: Consumers
Consumers is a trophic level of heterotrophs

Consumers are heterotrophs which eat other organisms for energy,


such as snails and pigs. There are many trophic levels of consumers.
Herbivores eat plants only. (cows)

Carnivores eat animals only. (sharks)

Omnivores eat plants and animals.(humans, mice)

Decomposers break down dead, rotting remains.


( bacteria, mushrooms)
Trophic levels of food webs
PRODUCERS
Autotrophs

Carnivores Herbivores

Omnivores
CONSUMERS
(Heterotrophs)
waste and
remains

decomposers detritivores
Trophic level Pyramid

Tertiary
Consumer

Secondary
Consumer

Primary Consumer
Heterotrophs
Herbivores

Producers
Autotrophs
Uses the sun’s energy to make its own food- photosynthesis
Trophic level Pyramid

About 10% of Tertiary


10 Consumer
available NRG
is passed up
Secondary
Consumer
100

Primary Consumer
Heterotrophs
1000
Herbivores

Producers
Autotrophs
Uses the sun’s energy to make its own food- photosynthesis
Trophic level Pyramid

Tertiary
About 10% of 10 Consumer The rest is lost as
available NRG Heat and Waste
is passed up Secondary
Consumer
100

Primary Consumer
Heterotrophs
1000
Herbivores

Producers
Autotrophs
Uses the sun’s energy to make its own food- photosynthesis
Primary Productivity

The rate at which light energy is converted to the chemical energy


of organic compounds by autotrophs in an ecosystem.

primary productivity is limited by a variety of factors that depend on


the specific ecosystem as well as change in season.

Usually only about 10% of the chemical energy available at one


trophic level appears at the next.
Question: Trophic Levels
• What type of organisms
consume wastes?
1.______________
2.______________

The food web is organized by


__________ levels.
Question: Trophic Levels
• What type of organisms
consume wastes?
1. Detritivores
2. Decomposers

The food web is organized by


Trophic levels.
Energy Flow II: Chemical Cycles
• Overview
• Carbon Cycle
• Nitrogen Cycle
• Water Cycle
• Phosphorous Cycle
Another way in which energy flows through
an ecosystem is by the cycling of chemical
materials.
Chemical materials are energy, which
move
as they cycle from one location to another.
Overview: Chemical Cycles
Biogeochemical cycles_________________
The various material circuits, which involve both the
nutrient and physical components of an ecosystem.

Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Water are needed by


every organism on Earth. C is needed to build organic
molecules. N is needed for nucleic acids. P is needed for
energy molecules. Water is needed to maintain life. How
does every organism on Earth have access to these limited
resources?
Chemical Cycling

Carbon cycle Nitrogen cycle Phosphorous cycle Water cycle


Carbon Cycle
The Carbon cycle reflects the connected processes
of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

1. Producers convert inorganic carbon dioxide


into organic molecules.
2. Consumers eat the producers.
3. Consumers breathe out CO2 which is
reused by the autotrophs.

Since photosynthesis generates oxygen, the oxygen cycle


is coupled with the carbon cycle.
Nitrogen cycle
Certain prokaryotes Plants absorb ammonia
fix Nitrogen in the and
atmosphere into nitrates and convert them
ammonia which other into proteins that can be
bacteria convert into passed onto the food chain.
nitrites and nitrates.

Detritivores reduce dead


Nitrogen in the soil is returned plants, animals and their
to the atmosphere in the form products into ammonia
of free nitrogen by denitrifying which can be reused by
bacteria for prokaryotes to fix plants or deposited
again. in the soil.
Phosphorous cycle
Phosphorous from rocks leaks
into the soil by sediment runoff.
Phosphorous is added to the
soil as phosphate.
The oceans deposit the
phosphorous onto rocks.

Plants absorb the phosphate.


Consumers excrete feces
or decomposers break down
the wastes, which drains by
run-off to the oceans.
Animals eat the plants.
Water cycle
Water lands into the
Rain precipitates water oceans. It also lands
onto the Earth. on soil, and runs-off
into the oceans after use
by living things.

Water in the air Water from the ocean


condenses into evaporates into the air.
clouds
Water moving through a plant is called Transpiration
Questions: Chemical cycles
Which cycle has a chemical
which become deposited
on rocks?

Which cycle provides the


basis of organic molecules?

Which cycle requires the help


of bacteria?
Questions: Chemical cycles
Which cycle has a chemical Phosphorous cycle
which become deposited
on rocks?

Which cycle provides the Carbon cycle


basis of organic molecules?

Which cycle requires the help Nitrogen cycle


of bacteria?
What you have learned..
Chemical cycles
Feeding relationships Ecology is the
circulate raw materials
circulate energy from study of
for organisms to use.
the sun to producers interactions
Four major cycles
to consumers. between
Carbon, Nitrogen,
organisms
Phosphorous and Water
and
environments.

Ecology can be studied Energy flow is how the


at the organism, population, earth circulates energy
community, ecosystem, to support life. Two types
biome and biosphere level. of energy flow include
feeding relationships and
chemical cycles.

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