ecology 10/7-10/18

ecological interactions

affect how organisms evolve, and evolutionary change in turn affects ecological relationships

levels of organization

• help to break down, study, and understand these interactions

• global, landscape, ecosystem, community, population, species, organismal

ecosystem dynamics

the study of relationships between organisms and their environments

biogeochemical cycles

explain how matter flows through an ecosystem

reservoirs

major storage locations

assimilation

processes through which an element incorporates into terrestrial plants and animals

release

processes through which elements return back to the environment

carbon cycle

• reservoirs: atmosphere (CO2), fossil fuels, peat, cellulose

• assimilation: plants via photosynthesis, consumers

• release: respiration and decomposition, burning fossil fuels

water cycle

• reservoirs: oceans, air, groundwater, glaciers

• assimilation: plants absorb from soil, animals eat/drink

• release: plants transpire, animals/plants decompose

nitrogen cycle

• reservoirs: atmosphere (N2), soil (NH3, NH4, NO3, NO4)

• assimilation: plants absorb from soil (notification and nitrogen fixation), animals consume

• release: denitrifying bacteria, animal excretion

phosphorus cycle

• reservoirs: rocks

• assimilation: plants absorb from soil (PO4), consumers

• release: decomposition, excretion in waste products

productivity

measure of the amount of photosynthesis

primary productivity

the amount of light energy converted into chemical energy (organic compounds) by autotrophs

factors that affect productivity

• depth of light penetration

• limiting nutrient

limiting nutrient

the element that controls production (photosynthesis)

eutrophication

causes excessive amounts of photosynthetic organisms, like algae, to grow

primary producers

autotrophs (plants bacteria, etc)

primary consumer

herbivores

secondary peer

primary carnivores

tertiary consumer

secondary canrivores

food chain

linear flow charts that show who eats whom

food web

extended section of the food web

keystone species

a species that affects the ecosystem more than other species

ecological effiency

amount of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next

ectothermic

“cold blooded” lack internal regulatory mechanisms so they use behaviors to maybe these children