Unit 2: Ecology

ecology

the study of interaction between organisms and their environment.

niche

an organism’s total way of life.

abiotic factors

non-living parts of an organism’s environment

biotic factors

all the living organisms that inhabit an environment

levels of organization

atom, molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, system

population

a group of all the same organisms

community

all the populations of different species

ecosystem/biome

population of plants and animals that interact with each other

biosphere

the portion of the earth that supports life

mutualism

an interaction where both organisms benefit

commensalism

an interaction where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

parasitism

an interaction where one organism benefits (parasite) and the other is harmed (host)

producers/autotrophs

organisms that make glucose (sugar) during photosynthesis

consumers/heterotrophs

organisms that cannot make their own energy and get energy from producers

herbivores/primary consumers

organisms that eat producers for energy

secondary consumers

a consumer that eats another consumer and is a carnivore or omnivore

tertiary consumers

a consumer that eats a consumer that already ate a consumer and is a carnivore, omnivore, or a scavenger

predators

consumers that hunt and kill other consumers

prey

animals that are hunted or killed

scavengers

consumers that eat other dead consumers

decomposers

organisms that eat dead organic matter

how much energy is lost with each trophic level due to it turning into heat

90%

primary succession

occurs on a surface where no ecosystem existed before, lichen break down the rocks and turn them into soil

secondary succession

occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has previously existed, happens after natural disaster

pioneer species

first species to colonize any new area and begin ecological succession

ecological succession

the changing of living and nonliving things over time

climax community

final and stable community, high biodiversity

steps of the water cycle

evaporation, condensation, transpiration, precipitation, runoff, infiltration

why is water an important nutrient

necessary for life, makes up 60-70% of your body, and found in all molecules in cells

what impact do humans have on water cycle

over-pumping of aquifers, groundwater contamination, great pacific garbage patch

steps of the carbon cycle

photosynthesis, animal (cellular) respiration, nutrition, decomposition, deposition, human use, burning fossil fuels

why is carbon an important nutrient

backbone of life, carbon dioxide is required for photosynthesis

what are some fossil fuels

oil, coal, natural gas

what impact do humans have on the carbon cycle

burning fossil fuels releases CO2, methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas released from landfills and livestock, and too much CO2 absorbed by ocean is killing coral reefs

steps of the nitrogen cycle

N2 (nitrogen gas), bacteria nitrogen fixation, NH3 (ammonia), nitrification, NO3 and NO2, denitrification (put back into air)

why is nitrogen an important nutrient

most common gas (78%), found in DNA molecules and protein, humans can’t use nitrogen gas, so when we eat, we get nitrogen in our bodies, and need bacteria to fix nitrogen gas

how does nitrogen move through the cycle

N2 is stable, unreactive, and unusable, bacteria in soil take nitrogen in atmosphere and turn it into ammonia (NH3) which is usable by plants, animals get nitrogen from eating plant matter, and lightning can break N2 bonds and it recombines with oxygen to form nitrogen oxide

what impact do humans have on the nitrogen cycle

farming causes depletion of soil nutrients so farmers fertilize them which causes runoff, runoff can cause algae blooms, releasing toxins and killing fish, and pollution releases nitric oxide which causes respiratory issues

steps of the phosphorus cycle

weathering, uplift, leaching, decomposers releases phosphorus into ground, absorption from soil, animals eat plants