Unit 9- Lesson 1

Unit 10: Ecology

Lesson 1: Intro.

What is ecology?

• Ecology is the study of the relationships

among organisms and their
environment

Eco:
from Greek
oikos, meaning
“household”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_NEIq-uoBb8

Multiple Choice

What is Ecology?

• Study of Life

• Study of relationships between organisms and the environment

• Study of Plants and their anatomy, physiology, and purpose in life

• Study of Human Society and the connections between groups/ cultures

Levels of Organization

____________

Biome

Organism

Population

Community

Ecosystem

Organism

Organism

• An organism is an

individual living thing, such
as analligator.

Organism

Organism

Population

Population

•

A population is a group of
the same species that
lives in one area.

Organism

Organism

Population

Population

Community

Community

•

A community is a group of
different species that live
together in one area.

Organism

Organism

Population

Population

Community

Community

Ecosystem

Ecosystem

•

An ecosystem includes all of
the organisms as well as the
climate, soil, water, rocks and
other nonliving things in a
given area.

Organism

Organism

Population

Population

Community

Community

Ecosystem

Ecosystem

Biome

•

A biomeis a major regional
or global community of
organisms characterized by
the climate conditions and
plant communities that thrive
there.

Hotspot

Which is a population?

Reorder

Reorder the following: Left is the top of the pyramid (an Individual)

• Ecosystem

• Organism

• Biome

• Community

• Population

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Biomes

• Several different types of biomes found

around the world.

• Biomes are classified according to their

climate and the plants and animals that live
there.

Multiple Choice

Which biome do we live in according to this map?

• Desert

• Tropical Rain Forest

• Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Tundra

All ecosystems have living
and nonliving components

• Biotic factors – the

living things in an
ecosystem

• EXAMPLES:

– Plants
– Animals
– Fungi
– Bacteria
– Protists

Ecosystems house a variety

of living things

• The assortment of living things in an

ecosystem is known as biodiversity

All ecosystems have living
and nonliving components

• Abiotic factors-

the nonliving
things in an
ecosystem

• EXAMPLES:

– moisture, water
– temperature
– wind
– sunlight
– soil, rocks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rmv3nliw
Cs

Labelling

Label the Diagram

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Kangaroo

Abiotic

Biotic

Energy in Ecosystems

Courtesy: www.lab-initio.com

Food Chain/Energy Pyramid

Producers

• Producers are organisms that can make

their own food using inorganic material
(sunlight or compounds)

• Producers are also called autotrophs

• There are two types of producers:

– Photosynthetic organisms
– Chemosynthetic organisms

15

Hotspot

Which two are Autotrophs?

Photosynthetic Organisms

• Photosynthetic organisms capture

energy from sunlight to make food
– Most producers are photosynthetic
– Examples: plants and algae

16

Multiple Choice

Photosynthetic organisms produce glucose from CO2 with energy from where?

• More Glucose

• The Sun

• Eating Plants

• Deep underwater thermal vents

• Chemosynthetic organismscapture energy

from chemical compounds in the
surroundings to make food
– Examples: bacteria and tubeworms

Chemosynthetic Organisms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLOUFrncG7E

VIDEO- Tubeworms

Consumers

• Consumers are organisms that cannot

make their own food and must consume
other organisms for food

• Consumers are also called heterotrophs
• There are five types of consumers:

– herbivores
– carnivores
– omnivores
– scavengers
– decomposers (detritivores)

18

Hotspot

Which three are heterotrophs?

CONSUMERS

• Herbivores eat only plants and

fungi

• Carnivores eat mainly animal flesh

• Omnivores eat both plants/fungi

and animals

Scavengers

• Scavengers eat dead organisms

– EXAMPLES: vultures, hyenas, burying

beetles, blowflies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie
BhJlCxnt8

Decomposers/Detritivores

• Detritivores break down dead organic

matter into simpler compounds

• Also called decomposers

– EXAMPLES: fungi, bacteria, millipedes, many

terrestrial worms, woodlice, slugs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSTNyHkde08

Match

Match the following

• Herbivore

• Carnivore

• Omnivore

• Scavenger

• Detritivore

Rabbit

Lion

Human

Vulture

Mushroom

• Rabbit

• Lion

• Human

• Vulture

• Mushroom

RECALL: Food Chain

• A food chainrepresents a succession of

organisms that eat other organisms and are then
eaten themselves

• In other words, a food chain is a representation of

the predator-prey relationships between species
within an ecosystem

• We can say that a food chain shows“who is eating

who”

A Food Chain

24

RECALL: Food Web

25

• Many organisms have more than one food

source

• A food web shows ALL of the possible

feeding relationships in an ecosystem

• A food web shows that feeding relationships

occur in complex webs rather than in simple
chains

A Food Web

An Aquatic Food Web

Competition

RECALL: Population growth is based

on available resources

• If resources (food, water and shelter)

are plentifula population may increase in size
(grow)

• If resources are in short supply the

population may decrease in size

Competition

• Competition occurs when

organisms fight for the
same limited resources

• RECALL: What are some

limited resources?

• RECALL: Competition in

Challenges of Life video

• Two types:

– Interspecific Competition

– Intraspecific Competition

Interspecific Competition

• Interspecific competition

occurs when two different
species compete for a
limited resource

• EXAMPLE: In your yard

grass, dandelions, and many
other plants all compete for
nutrients, water and space

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdpGAdB_zpc

Intraspecific Competition

• Intraspecific competition

occurs among members of
the SAME species competing
for limited resources

• EXAMPLE: Two male birds of

the same species might
compete for mates in the
same area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHB43p
PO0sU

Match

Match the following

• Two Redbud Trees compete for water.

• An Alligator and Cheetah both want to eat a baby Zebra

• Monopoly

Intraspecific Competition

Interspecific Competition

No Competition

• Intraspecific Competition

• Interspecific Competition

• No Competition

Predator-Prey Relationships

Predation

• The process by which one species captures

and feeds upon another

• Predator – an organism that lives by capturing

and eating other organisms

• Prey – an organism hunted or caught for food

Next
Bac

k

PREDATOR/PREY CYCLES

Normal prey
population

INCREASE

Predator population
increases since more

food available.
Prey population

decrease because
they are being eaten

Less prey
means less

predators can
be supported

(begins again)

RESULTING IN..

Predator – Prey Cycles

• If the prey population

is plentiful, then the
predator population
will INCREASE

• If the predator

population
increases, then the
prey population will
DECREASE

Predator – Prey Cycles

• If the prey population

decreases, then the
predator population
will DECREASE

• If the predator

population
decreases, then the
prey population will
INCREASE

• It’s a cycle

Drag and Drop

In a predator-prey relationship... If the population of prey declines, the population of predators will likely ​

Placeholder

. If the population of predators declines, the population of prey will likely ​

Placeholder

. If the population of prey increases, we expect the number of predators to ​

Placeholder

. If the number of predators increases, we expect the population of prey to ​

Placeholder

.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

decline

increase

stay the same