Classification and Ecology

AAC Biology Classification and Ecology Unit

Taxonomy

a classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure or origin etc.

Aristole

First to classify living things as animals and plants

Carolus Linnaeus

First to use comparative anatomy

Taxon

The different levels in the classification system

Classification System

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Linnaeus' Binomial Nomenclature System

Two part scientific name: written in italics with first word capitalized (genus name); second word lowercase (species name) uses Latin language

Classification of Man

Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia, Primates, Hominidae, Homo, Sapien

Phylogeny

Grouping organisms by evolutionary decent by comparing biochemistry and embryology

Biochemistry

Compares mutations in DNA or amino acid sequences

Shows how long species have evolved separately

Different molecular clocks tick at different rates

Molecular Clock

Model that uses DNA comparisons and amino acid sequences to estimate the length of time that two species have been evolving independently

Mitochondrial DNA

Mutates fast, use for closely related species

Ribosomal RNA

Mutates slowly, use for distantly related species

Embryology

Compares development to determine similarities that may not exist in the adult stage

Cladistics

Study of evolutionary classification showing the relationships of organisms based on common ancestors

Derived Characters

New trait that evolved (in between the common ancestors)

Outgroup

Species that don't share derived characters being studied

Clade

Group of organisms sharing common ancestor

Node

Point where two groups branch off

Kingdoms

Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Domains

Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya

Bacteria Kingdoms

Eubacteria and Archaebacteria

Eubacteria

Unicellular, prokaryotic, cell walls made of peptidoglycan, auto or heterotrophic

Archaebacteria

Unicellular, prokaryotic, auto or heterotrophic, live in extreme environments usually without oxygen, cell walls without peptidoglycan, cell membranes made of lipids not found in other organisms

Eukarya Kingdoms

Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Protista

Not plants, animals, or fungi, great variety, mostly unicellular or multicellular, auto or heterotrophic

Fungi

heterotrophs, usually feeds on dead or decaying matter by digesting externally and then absorbing nutrients, multi-cellular (most) or unicellular, cell walls of chitin

Plantae

photosynthetic autotrophs, multicellular, cell walls of cellulose, includes cone-bearing and flowering plants, mosses and ferns, most don't move

Animalia

heterotrophic, multicellular, no cell walls, most move

Ecology

Scientific study of living organisms and their relationships with the environment

Levels of Organization

biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, organism

Population

Group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring living in a particular area

Community

Different populations in one defined area

Ecosystem

Living organisms and non-living materials in a particular place

Biome

A group of ecosystems with the same climate and similar communities

Biosphere

All parts of the earth where life exists including land, water, and air (atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere)

Methods of Study Used by Ecologists

Observing, Experimenting, and Modeling

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem (more biodiversity\= more variety and a higher chance of survival)

Keystone Species

Species that holds ecosystems together- connected to many other species

Ecosystem Energy Flow

The main source of energy for all life on earth is the sun, but less than 1% is used by living things

Producers/ Autotrophs

Capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food, assemble inorganic compounds into organic molecules

Chemosynthesis

Produce carbohydrates using inorganic molecules (chemical energy) without light, occurs with some types of bacteria in deep ocean hot springs

Consumer/ Heterotrophs

Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores, Decomposers, Detritivores

Herbivores

Eats plants

Carnivores

Eat animals

Omnivores

Eat plants and animals

Decomposers

Type of detritivore that breaks down organic matter

Detritivore

Eat dead matter

Feeding Relationships

Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs (producers) and then to various heterotrophs (consumers)

Food Chains

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Trophic Levels

1st- Producer

2nd and up- Consumer

Food Webs

Link all the food chains in an ecosystem together

Specialist

When an organism only has one food source (has a lower chance of survival when there is change)

Generalist

When an organism has many different food sources (has a higher chance of survival when there is change)

Biogeochemical Cycles

Matter is recycled in ecosystems and converted to usable chemical form by organisms

Water and nutrients pass through the environment and organisms in cycles

Hydrologic/Water Cycle

1. Condensation
2. Transpiration
3. Precipitation
4. Evaporation
5. Percolation
6. Run off

Oxygen Cycle

1. Photosynthesis
2. Cellular Respiration
3. Cycled with other nutrients- such as nitrates, carbon dioxide, phosphates...

Carbon Cycle

1. Cellular Respiration
2. Photosynthesis
3. Consumption
4. Decomposition
5. Erosion (limstone-calcium carbonate)
6. Volcanic Activity
7. Fossil Fuels
8. Combustion

Nitrogen Cycle

1. Lightning
2. Nitrification
3. Denitrification
4. Ammonification
5. Decomposition
6. Nitrogen Fixation
7. Excretion
8. Assimilation
9. Fertilizers
10. Consumption

Phosphorus Cycle

1. Weathering
2. Erosion
3. Decomposition
4. Consumption
5. Assimilation

Condensation

The change of state from a gas to a liquid

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant during gas exchange

Precipitation

Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.

Evaporation

The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas

Percolation

The downward movement of water through soil and rock due to gravity.

Photosynthesis

process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

Cellular Respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen

Decomposition

A chemical reaction that breaks down compounds into simpler products.

Erosion

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Combustion

the process of burning something

Nitrification

ammonia (NH3) is converted to nitrate ions (NO3)- by bacteria in the soil

Denitrification

The process of converting nitrates into nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere

Ammonification

When waste or dead tissue is turned into ammonia by bacteria or fungi

Nitrogen Fixation

The process of turning gas into ammonia by bacteria

Excretion

the process by which wastes are removed from the body

Assimilation

The uptake of nutrients or other substances by plants

Primary Productivity

Rate organic matter is created by producers

Limiting nutrient

Nutrient in scarce amounts so productivity is slowed down or stopped completely

Ecological Pyramids

Shows amount of energy or matter within each trophic level

Energy Pyramids

Shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level, organisms use about 10% of this energy for life processes, the rest is lost as heat

Biomass Pyramid

Represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level, typically the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid

Pyramid of Numbers

Shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level

Abiotic

non-living

Biotic

Living

Ecological Niche

The job of the organism within the ecosystem, full range of physical, behavioral, and biological conditions it lives in and how it uses those conditions,

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time

Niche Partitioning

Dividing the niche

Evolutionary Response

Divergent evolution

Ecological Equivalents

Species occupying similar niches but in different locations

Competition

Organisms attempt to use the same resource at the same time; one wins and one loses and doesn't survive

Predation

Predator captures and feeds on another organism (prey)

Symbiosis

Two or more species live together in a close relationship (three types)

Mutualism

Both species benefit

Commensalism

One species benefits and the other isn't helped or harmed

Parasitism

One species is helped and the other is harmed (doesn't die immediately)

Demography

The study of populations in ecosystems

Density

Number of organisms in a particular area (number divided by area)

Dispersion

Arrangement of population

Clumped

For mating, resources

Uniform

Due to intraspecies competition for resources and territory

Random

For dispersion of seeds etc.