Unit 3 What do you know You may

Unit 3

What do you know? You may have heard the term ‘Eco-Friendly’ Do you know what ‘Eco’ stands for? What is Ecology? What do you think they mean by ‘Eco-Friendly’?

Intro to Ecology

Ecology is the scientific study of organisms and the interactions between them and the environment. • Levels of organization • Biosphere • Biome • Ecosystem • Community • Population • Individual

Factors in an Ecosystem biotic factors- biological influences on organisms (living factors) Examples of biological influences on a bullfrog- algae it eats as a tadpole, herons that eat bullfrogs, & other species competing for food or space.

Factors in an Ecosystem Abiotic factors- physical components of an ecosystem (nonliving factors) Ex: a bullfrog could be affected by abiotic factors such as water availability, temperature, & humidity.

Factors in an Ecosystem abiotic & biotic factors- some substances may be a mix of both Ex: pond muck contains nonliving particles, mold, & decomposing plant material that is food for bacteria & fungi

Biomes • Biomes- consist of abiotic & biotic factors • Seasonal patterns of temp & precipitation • Cover large areas of land • Ex: Desert/Rainforest/Tundra Climate Diagram: • Temp- line graph • Precipitation- bar graph

Weather and Climate

What do you know? Is there a difference between weather and climate? What do you think causes climates to be different in different parts of the world?

Weather vs Climate

Climate vs. Weather - day-to-day conditions of Earth’s atmosphere Climate- year-after-year patterns of temperature & precipitation.

Climate-Solar Radiation • main force in climate= solar energy from sun • Some energy absorbed & converted into heat • Some heat is trapped in the biosphere & determines average temperature

Climate-Solar Insolation • More direct sunlight at the equator = hotter! • Less direct sunlight near the poles = cooler! • Summer = Earth is tilted toward sun so there’s more direct sunlight • Winter = Earth is tilted away from the sun so there’s less direct sunlight.

Greenhouse effect • Earth’s temperature controlled by 3 atmospheric gases: • CO 2 • Methane • Water vapor • Called “greenhouse gases”- allow light to enter but trap heat (via the greenhouse effect ) • Without greenhouse effect, Earth would be 30°C cooler than it is today. (WE HAVE TO HAVE GREENHOUSE EFFECT TO LIVE!) • More Greenhouse Gases= more heat trapped= Earth warms • More Carbon Dioxide = Earth warms (CLIMATE CHANGE!)

Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse Effect Some light from the Sun is reflected back to space and some is absorbed by the surface Absorbed light is then reradiated from the ground as heat. -This is where most heat on Earth comes from. -Greenhouse gases help keep this heat from being all lost to space.

Show me! • Draw a picture of the greenhouse effect!

Community Interactions

What do you know? What ways do organisms interact with each other? What impact on ecosystems could these interactions have?

Community Interactions

Tolerance Each species has its own tolerance: Ability to survive & reproduce under a range of environmental circumstances. • Temperature/Water Level/Food Availability/Toxicity Levels etc… • Cannot survive past upper & lower limits

Niches & Habitats Different organisms live in different habitats and have different niches… • Habitat: An organism’s address; where an organism lives • Niche: The role and position of an organism in its community (How it lives)

Ecological Relationships

Community Interactions • Competition- organisms try to use the same limited resource in same place at same time • Who is the winner/loser?

Competition • Competitive exclusion principle- no 2 species can occupy exactly the same niche in the same habitat at the same time • One will win (survive) and the other will die (death/extinction) Does this example break the competitive exclusion principle? No! They may live in the same tree, but they live in different parts of the tree.

Community Interactions • Predation- one animal (predator) captures & feeds on another (prey) • Symbiosis- relationship in which 2 species live closely together 3 types of symbiotic relationships: • mutualism- both species benefit • parasitism- 1 organism lives in/on another & harms it • commensalism- 1 organism benefits & other is not helped or harmed

“Good for you, good for me! MUTUALISM Example: Ostrich and Gazelle These two animals feed next to each other in the grasslands. Both watch for predators and alert each other to danger. The visual abilities of these two animals are different so they are able to identify threats the other animal would not see. How would this bee and flower be an example of mutualism?

COMMENSALISM “Good for me, doesn’t bother you! Example: Remora and Shark A remora attaches themselves to a shark’s body. They travel with the shark and feed on the left over food from the shark’s meals. This does not hurt or help the shark. Example: Mosses and Trees Mosses grow on the trunks or branches of trees. They get the light they need as well as nutrients that run down along the tree. As long as these plants do not grow too heavy, the tree is not affected.

Parasitism “Good for me, hurts you!” Example: Cuckoo and Warbler A cuckoo may lay its eggs in a warbler’s nest. The cuckoo’s young will displace the warbler’s young and will be raised by the warbler. How would a tick and a human be an example of parasitism?

Review: Bacteria that is living in your throat and is therefore making your throat sore and swollen is an example of PARASITISM ____________.

Epiphytes that live in trees in the tropical rain forest and get their water and nutrients from the air, so they don’t harm the tree they live in is an example of COMMENSALISM ________

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession

Succession • Ecological succession- series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time 1. primary succession- begins in areas with no soil or life (ex- volcanic explosion) • pioneer species- 1 st to colonize barren areas -Usually simple photosynthetic plants (moss/lichens)

Succession 2. secondary succession- begins where soil remains after destructive event • rebuilds faster than primary Ex: wildfire, hurricane, natural disturbance, or human activities (logging & farming)

Populations

Studying Growth Rate What factors affect population growth? Birth rate and death rate Immigration Density-dependent limiting factors Emigration

Birth Rate & Death Rate • Increase population: • birth rate is higher than the death rate. • Decrease population: • death rate is higher than the birth rate

Population Age Diagrams The higher the percentage of your population that is in reproductive years, the faster your population will grow.

Population Age Diagrams What do you think will happen to the population in stage 4? Why?

Immigration & Emigration • Increase population: • individuals move in from elsewhere, a process called immigration. • Decrease population: • individuals move out of the population, a process called emigration.

Exponential Growth: • Ideal conditions & unlimited resources, population grows exponentially • the larger a population, faster it grows • on a graph over time, a J-shaped curve • Human Population

Logistic Growth: • Population’s growth slows & then stops, following exponential growth. • Natural populations do not grow exponentially forever; something stops growth • On a graph, curve has an S-shape

Carrying Capacity • Carrying capacity- maximum # of individuals that a particular environment can support. • Where dotted line intersects the y-axis = carrying capacity.

Human Population Growth: Think About It! • Based on the graph, when did human population start to become exponential? • Why did human population growth become exponential?

Human Population Growth Centers • Based on this chart, where is most of the population growth occurring?

Human Population Growth: Think About It! • What could cause human population growth to become logistic? • Do you think we can maintain this type of growth forever?

Intro to Limiting Factors

Limits to Growth: Density Dependent limiting factor- factor that controls the growth of a population Density-dependent limiting factors -operate strongly when population density is large. • competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, stress from overcrowding 1. Competition: • Populations become crowded, individuals compete- food, water, space, sunlight, 2. Predation: • Predator population affects prey population

Limits to Growth: Density Dependent 3. Parasitism and Disease: • Parasites & Disease-causing Organisms: • more dense population = easier to spread 4. Stress From Overcrowding: • species fight if overcrowded; increase stress & weaken body’s ability to resist disease • Females neglect, kill, or eat own offspring • decrease births, increase deaths, & increase emigration

Case Study • How does the wolf population affect the moose population? • Why did the moose population crash around 1995? • What density dependent factors are being illustrated? (Hint: It is more than one)

Limits to Growth: Density Independent Density-Independent limiting factors- affect all populations regardless of size & density • Unusual weather- hurricanes, droughts, floods, & natural disasters- wildfires

Population Review What is this graph showing? Which of the following situations MOST likely resulted in the growth pattern of the moose population shown? The moose had no natural predators The moose overgrazed the grasses After a period of time, the moose adjusted to the available food on the island. The moose contracted a new disease

Population Review What is this graph showing? At which point(s) did the population hit carrying capacity? Which explanation below is the best reason why the carrying capacity dropped as shown in the graph? The animals began to migrate The animals began to have fewer offspring Competitors moved into the area The area began to experience drought conditions

Biodiversity

What do you know? Break the word “Bio-Diversity” down…what do you think it means? What organisms do you think ecosystems couldn’t survive without? Do you think there any organisms that could go extinct and it wouldn’t matter?

Biodiversity Vocab • Biodiversity- total of all the genetically based variation in all organisms in biosphere. • Ecosystem diversity- variety of habitats, communities, & ecological processes in the biosphere • Species diversity- number of different species in the biosphere or particular area • Genetic diversity- sum total of all different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or all organisms on Earth.

Bill Nye: Biodiversity

Biodiversity • Humans reduce biodiversity by: *altering natural habitats *hunting *introducing invasive/exotic species *releasing pollution into food webs *contributing to climate change

Pollution: Bio magnification

Pollution: Bio magnification • As you move up a food chain pollution concentrations increase • That means effects of the pollutants increase as well • Why? • If a fish has a pollutant in it, how many fish would a duck eat? • Now all of the pollution that was in all of this fish are in the duck!

Invasive Species • Invasive species: competing with native species • Zebra mussles • Goldfish released in a pond • Ash borer

Invasive Species: Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) • First found in America in 2006 (Michigan) • Insect larvae chew through branch insides, cutting of branch circulation. • Brought over to America from Asia during shipping of goods

Releasing Goldfish • Threaten trout species who need clean water. • Goldfish (carp) stir up muck in ponds that put trout at risk. • Hybridize native species. • Carry pet store disease.

Zebra Mussles • Zebra mussles were discovered in the Great Lakes in the late 1980’s, • They “hitched rides” to the United States on boats, trailers and equipment people transport from place to place. • The first confirmed sample in US was in 2008

Biodiversity To conserve biodiversity, we must protect species, preserve habitats & ecosystems • Ecological hot spot- place where large numbers of species & habitats are in immediate danger of extinction. • Habitat fragmentation- Development splits ecosystems into pieces, leaving habitat “islands” - patch of habitat surrounded by a different habitat. Problem: Solution:

Meeting Ecological Challenges Ecological footprint- total area of functioning land & water ecosystems needed to provide the resources an individual or population uses & to absorb the wastes that it generates. Ecology can guide humans toward a sustainable future & have a positive impact on the global environment by: (1) recognizing a problem in the environment (2) researching the problem to determine its cause (3) using scientific understanding to change our behavior

Sustainability

What do you know? What does sustainable mean? Why is it important for something to be sustainable?

A Changing Landscape • Sustainable development- provides for human needs & preserves ecosystems that produce natural resources. • Goods- items that can be bought & sold • Services- processes or actions that produce goods. • ecosystem goods & services- produced by ecosystems that benefit human economy. • Healthy ecosystems provide goods & services naturally & free of charge: air, water