Staar Biology Ecology

Ecology

Ecology is the study of the ecosystem or environment.

Vocabulary

• Biotic vs Abiotic

• Population

• Community

• Ecosystem

• Autotroph vs Heterotroph

• Habitat vs Niche

Organism Relationships

Producers

• ​obtain energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis

• eaten by herbivores and omnivores

• Examples: green plants, algae, and phytoplankton

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Organism Relationships

Consumers

• obtain energy by eating other organisms

• can be classified as herbivores, carnivores or omnivores

• Examples: humans, sharks and bears

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Organism Relationships

Predators

• hunts and kills other animals for food

• Examples: lions hunting a gazelle, seal hunting fish, frog hunting insects

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Organism Relationships

Prey

• animals that are hunted and killed for food

• Examples: mice hunted by an owl, warm hunted by a bird, rabbit hunted by a fox

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a predator/prey relationship?

• coyote hunts mice

• snake eaten by hawk

• euglena photosynthesizes

• field mouse eaten by cat

Organism Relationships

Parasite

• organisms that live in or on another organism and cause harm to it

• Examples: fleas, ticks and lice

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Multiple Choice

If a scientist in New Zealand was studying how a group of herbivores interacted with a group of omnivores, and all of their abiotic surroundings, what level of ecology would she be studying?

• Community

• Population

• Species

• Ecosystem

• Biome

Multiple Choice

Ruby-throated hummingbirds live in woodland areas, but also frequent gardens where flowering plants are plentiful. They hover to feed on flowers, nectar, and sap. During this floral feeding process, the birds pollinate many plants. These tiny birds are omnivores, sometimes feeding on insects and spiders.

• Habitat of an autotroph

• Niche of an autotroph

• Niche of a heterotroph

• Habitat of a heterotroph

Interactions

• Biotic-Biotic interaction

• Abiotic-Biotic interaction

• Competitive Exclusion Principle

• Carrying Capacity

Open Ended

What was one example of a biotic-biotic interaction and an abiotic-biotic interaction from the clip.

an organism that must consume other organisms in order to obtain energy

Heterotroph

an organism that is able to produce its own food through the process of photosynthesis

Autotroph

Autotroph vs. Heterotroph

​Examples:

• plants

• phytoplankton

• algae

• some bacteria

​Examples:

• dogs

• birds

• fish

• humans

STAAR Booklet page 78

Multiple Choice

What is the PRODUCT of the process used by producers that is passed on as energy throughout an ecosystem?

• photosynthesis

• Sun

• glucose

• carbon dioxide

• water

Open Ended

Why are autotrophs so crucial to an ecosystem?

Support your answer with QUANTITATIVE data and use these vocabulary words:

Rule of 10%

Producers

Primary consumers

Secondary consumers

Tertiary consumers

Drag and Drop

​

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must consume (eat) other ​

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in order to get nutrients they need to live. Examples of heterotrophs are ​

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and fungus.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Heterotrophs

organisms

animals

plants

algae

Autotroph

Biodiversity

• Bio = life

• Diversity = different or variation

• Genetic Biodiversity - variation in genes within a variation

• Ecological Biodiversity - variation in ecosystems, communities and habitats

• A variety of species within genetic variations allows an ecosystem the ability to maintain a healthy environment

STAAR Booklet page 60

​Biodiversity Facts

• scientists have identified 1.7 million species on Earth

• some researchers have estimated that there could be between 3-30 million species on Earth

• over half of all the species identified are invertebrates (organisms without backbones)

​Importance of Biodiversity

• allows ecosystems to adjust to disturbance such as wildfire, flood or drought

• provides a variety of food sources for organisms

• genetic biodiversity helps species adjust to changes in their environment

STAAR Booklet page 60

Threats to Biodiversity

STAAR Booklet page 60

• habitat loss

• overfishing or overhunting

• spread of disease

• invasive species

• climate change

• pollution

Ecological Succession

• a series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time

• can take place in a relatively short time period an extremely long time

• 2 types of succession: primary and secondary

STAAR Booklet page 62

​Ecological Succession

Primary Succession:

• a series of community changes over a long period of time

• new ecosystem formed where nothing previously existed (no soil, plants or animals)

• process can take thousands of years

​Example:

an island formed from a volcanic eruption under the ocean's surface

STAAR Booklet page 62

Open Ended

What are some examples of primary succession?

Secondary Succession:

• a series of community changes over a relatively shorter period of time

• formation and regrowth of an ecosystem after a disturbance

• process can take hundreds of years

​Example: regrowth of a forest after a fire destroys it

Open Ended

What are some examples of secondary succession?