Intro to Ecology & Populations

Introduction to Ecology
& Changes in Population

Introduction to Ecology

Ecology

Niche

Match

Organisms have different ways of acquiring energy within the ecosystem. Match the following roles organisms can play.

• Plants and other organisms that can generate their own energy, typically through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

• Nature's recyclers that consume dead organisms.

• Organisms that eat primary producers such as plants

• Organisms that eat primary producers as well as primary consumers

• Organisms that only eat other consumers

Producer/ Autotroph

Decomposers

Herbivore/ Consumer/ Heterotroph

Omnivore/ Consumer/ Heterotroph

Carnivores/

Consumer/

Heterotroph

• Producer/ Autotroph

• Decomposers

• Herbivore/ Consumer/ Heterotroph

• Omnivore/ Consumer/ Heterotroph

• Carnivores/

  Consumer/

  Heterotroph

Fill in the Blank

What is the source of all energy in the pyramid?

Drag and Drop

​Label the Pyramid with the following:

Placeholder

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Placeholder

Placeholder

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Tertiary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Primary Consumer

Primary Producer

​How do we calculate how much energy is transferred to the next level?

What is the average energy transfer?

What percentage of the energy is lost at each level?

Calculating Energy Transfer

Open Ended

A Food web shows the interactions of multiple organisms within an ecosystem.

A food chain shows a single path that energy moves within the ecosystem.

Type an example of a food chain below.

Categorize

Options (8)

Fungus/Algae - the photosynthetic algae provides food for the fungus, which houses the algae

Termite/ Gut Bacteria -the bacteria break down the wood termites eat and give termites nutrition

Dog/Flea - flea feeds on a dogs blood and can carry disease or cause infection

Human/Tapeworm - the tapeworm lives in the small intestines and robs the human of nutrition

Shark/ Remora - Remora swim next to the shark to collect scraps. Shark doesn't care.

Cattle/ Egret - The egret follows the cattle to eat bugs stirred up by cattle walking.

Snowshoe Hare/ Lynx - The Lynx hunts the snowshoe hair for food

Moose/Wolves - Wolves hunt and eat moose.

Sort the different types of interactions organisms can have with each other into the following categories.

Preditor/Prey

Mutualism

Parasitism

Commensalism

What factors increase population size?


What factors decrease a population size?

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Population Growth

Open Ended

What could cause the population growth to slow down and level out?

How is the carrying capacity of a population determined?