Basics of Ecology By Mia Ruiz Justin Pepperling

Basic’s of Ecology By: Mia Ruiz Justin Pepperling Miriam Tapia Dru Backus

Multicellular organisms � As a multicellular organism you have needs that must be met everyday. multicellular organisms are organisms that consist of more than one cell, in contrast to unicellular organisms. each cell is specialized, and can perform more that one task. multicellular organisms have to eat, sleep and breath. � They also need to respond to challenges or obstacles in their environments. humans animals and insects are all figures of multicellular organisms. the first form of a multicellular organism is found to be 3. 8 to 4. 5 billion years ago.

� 3 examples of multicellular organisms are plants humans and ants. plants are specialized because they go through a faze called photosynthesis. Which is where they take water from the roots to the leaves, and absorb sunlight. � humans are specialized because they consume food and water every day, and they need sleep to survive. and finally ants are specialized because they are hard workers just to satisfy their queen and they help each other out when help is needed.

Plant Producers, Adaptations � Plants are primary producers, they make food and energy that can be found in our ecosystem. Without plants, humans and animals couldn’t survive because we would not have the food or energy that we need. � Adaptations are something that times time to the response of a changing enviroment. Although there are several factors that limit theses adaptations such as, availability of water, light, predation, and temperature.

� Plants respond to their environments in many different ways , a few ways are Phototropism which is an adaptation of how they respond to light, they may display a bending movement to get stimuli. Or light another example

Consumers � How they obtain food: � Animals are consumers because they need to get there energy from another organism. Food is a source of energy and materials for animals. Animals need food and can get it in different ways. Feeding can be relatively simple process for some animals. Some animals like coral filter food from there environment. Others like bats are constantly having to search and capture food. Three types of food groups, Herbivores, food on plants and algae, Carnivores, feeds on other animals, omnivores, feeds on both.

• Interaction with the environment: • Animals respond to many different types of stimuli. They respond with odors, sounds, sights, light, or change of environment. They respond to hunger and thirst. Respond to other animals. Any observable response to stimulus is described as a behavior. A bird drinking water from a puddle is a behavior and a lion eating another animal is a behavior. All behaviors fall in one of three general categories: Individual behaviors, Interaction between animals of the same species, and interaction between of different species. Some behaviors are inherited. Individual behaviors: animals must find food, water, and shelter. They also respond to different environments. • Seasonal changes: animals can respond to seasonal changes by changing their location. Certain food cant be food year round. For example, Monarch butterflies have to fly south in the spring to get the nessacary things they need. Not all animals can migrate. Some animals hibernate. When the winter comes, it reduces the food supply. Hibernation: is a sleeplike state that last for an extended time period. The body system of a hibernating animals slows down so they need less energy

The 3 energy needy living organisms �Producers- an organism that captures energy and stores it in food as chemical energy. �Consumers- Organisms that get their energy by eating, or consuming, other organisms. �Decomposers- Organisms that break down dead plant and animal matter into simpler compounds.

Food Chain & Food Web �Food Chain- describes the feeding relation ship between a producer and a single chain of consumers in an ecosystem. �Food web- a model of the feeding relationships between many different and producers in an ecosystem.

�Heterotrophs- an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food. �Autotrophs- any organism capable of selfnourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists.

Energy Pyramid � Tertiary Consumers-carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers. � Secondary Consumers-a carnivore that feeds only upon herbivores. � Primary Consumers-an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore. � Producers- creates food for the primary consumers

Organism Habitats �Biome- one of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. �Tundra- one of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. �Taiga-the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.

Organism Habitats � Desert-a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all � Grassland-an area, as a prairie, in which the natural vegetation consists largely of perennial grassess, characteristic of sub humid and semiarid climates. � Temperate Forest- vegetation type with a more or less continuous canopy of broad-leaved trees. Such forests occur between approximately 25 and 50 latitude in both hemispheres � Tropical Forest- luxuriant forest, generally composed of broad-leaved trees and found in wet tropical uplands and lowlands around the Equator.

Biomes

Organism Interactions � Symbiotic Relationships (Commensalism, Parasitism, Mutualism, Competition, Predation) � Commensalism - An association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other is neither benefited nor harmed. � Parasitism - The relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits from the other by causing damage to it � Mutualism – Symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms that are involved � Competition – The relation between two or more animals that are competing for the natural resources that they need in order to survive � Predation – The predator prey relationships between two or more animals

Populations �Population- a group of organisms of the same species that live in a particular area. �Niche- a role that an organism plays in a habitat.

�Succession: the biological change of an ecosystem. �Ex. A meadow with tall grasses and few trees changes can eventually change into a forest with lots of trees and few grasses and moist top soil. �Primary succession: is the creation of a new biological community. �Ex. In cold climates forms of life are scarce, over time new plant life and animals come back.

�Pioneer species: are the first sign of growth in a new environment. �Ex. In most glacier environments moss and lichen are the first things to grow. �Secondary succession: a change in an ecosystem after a large impact in the biological balance.

Organisms- All animals depend on plants Population- A group of individual organisms of the same species living in a particular area

Ecosystem- Includes abiotic factors in an area Community- All organisms inhabiting a particular area Biome- The sum of all Earth’s ecosystems