Ecologyintro

AP BIO

Ecology meaning

Is the scientific study of the interactions

between organisms and the environment

These interactions

Determine both the distribution of organisms

and their abundance

The environment of any organism includes

Abiotic, or nonliving components

Biotic, or living components

All the organisms living in the environment, the biota

combination of both determine Earth’s many biomes

Environmental components

Affect the distribution and abundance of

organisms

Organismal ecology

Studies how an organism’s structure/physiology(for animals) behavior meet the challenges of the environment

Population ecology

Concentrates mainly on factors that affect how many individuals of a particular species live in an area

Community ecology

Deals with the whole array of interacting

species in a community

Ecosystem ecology

Emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling

among the various biotic and abiotic

components

Landscape ecology

Deals with arrays of ecosystems and how they are arranged in a geographic region

The biosphere

Is the global ecosystem, the sum of all the

planet’s ecosystems

The precautionary principle

humans need to be

concerned with how their actions affect the

environment

Many naturalists

Began to identify broad patterns of distribution

by naming biogeographic realms

Biogeography

Good starting point for

understanding what limits the geographic

distribution of species

Dispersal

Movement of individuals away from

centers of high population density(origin)

Natural range expansions

Show the influence of dispersal on distribution

Species transplants (Invasive Species)

organisms that are intentionally or

accidentally relocated from their origin. Disrupt communities

Some organisms

Species distribution

Do not occupy all of their potential range

May be limited by habitat selection behavior

Biotic factors

Affect the distribution of

organisms may include:Interactions with other species, Predation, Competition

Abiotic factors

Affect the distribution of

organisms may include: Temperature, water, sunlight, wind, rocks/soil

Environmental temperature

Important on distribution bc its effects on biological processes

Water

important availability among habitats

Sunlight

Light intensity and quality(photosynthesis)

Important to development/behavior of organisms sensitive to the photoperiod(24)

Wind

Amplifies the effects of temperature on

organisms by increasing heat loss due to

evaporation and convection

Rocks and Soil

Many characteristics of soil limit the distribution of plants and thus the animals that feed upon them(structure, ph, mineral composition)

Climate

Abiotic components make up: Temperature, water, sunlight, and wind

Climate patterns

Macroclimate,patterns on the global, regional,

and local level

Microclimate, very fine patterns,encountered community of organismsunderneath a fallen log

Earth’s global climate patterns

Are determined largely by the input of solar

energy and the planet’s movement in space

Sunlight intensity

Plays a major part in determining the Earth’s

climate patterns

Air circulation and wind patterns

Play major parts in determining the Earth’s

climate patterns

Oceans and their currents, and large lakes

Moderate the climate of nearby terrestrial

environments

Mountains have a significant effect on

The amount of sunlight reaching an area,Local temperature,Rainfall

Seasons

Lakes

The angle of the sun

sensitive to seasonal temperature change

Aquatic biomes

largest part of the biosphere in

terms of area. Can contain fresh or salt water

Biomes general

lakes, wetlands, streams, rivers, estuaries, internal zones(corales), coral reef, CLIMATE impact of distribibution of biomes/organisms