Ecology: Key Concepts in Ecosystems, Food Chains, and Energy Flow

Organism

One individual

Population

A group of individuals of the same species

Community

all living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

living and nonliving organisms in an area

Biome

plants and animals found in a given region (based on climate)

Biosphere

Planet

Competition

The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

Resource Partitioning

Different species use the same resources in different ways. ways to reduce competition

Temporal Partitioning

Using resources at different times

Spatial Partitioning

Using different areas of shared habitat

Morphological Partitioning

Using resources based on different body features

Symbiosis

Any close and long-term interaction between two organisms of different species

Predation

One organism using another for energy (+/-)

Mutualism

Benefits both organisms (+/+)

Commasalism

The benefits of one and the other are unaffected (+/0)

Parasitism

-live in or on a host, without killing the vector. (+/-)

-Can cause disease

Autotrophs

uses Photosynthesis for food/energy (Photosynthesis)

Heterotrophs

Needs to eat something for energy (Consumer/Cellular respiration)

Trophic Level

Energy Levels 1(Producers)-5(Consumers)

Food Chain

Linear series or organisms in which each eats the preceding one

Food Web

Network of 2+ food chains

Pyramid of biomass (life matter)

The pyramid of energy flow (only uses 10% of the energy of the consumed organism)

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Rate at which producers convert light energy to stored chemical energy (biomass)

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The rate at which producers convert light to E minus the rate at which they use the stored E for Growth

GPP Equation

GPP = NPP + R

Biotic

Describes living factors in the environment.

Abiotic

physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms.

Biomass

The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume. (Food Pyramid--Think going down getting bigger)

What are the four different cycles

Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Water/Hydrolic

Climate Change

Increases the speed of the water cycle

Precipitation

Water is released from the atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet, and hail

Infiltration and Perculation

The downward movement of precipitation

Evaporation

liquid from soil, lakes, rivers to vapor in the air

Transpiration

evaporation from plants

Condensation

gaseous water vapor concentrates into liquids in the clouds

Storage Areas in the water cycle

-plants

lake/pond/ocean

-atmosphere

-soil

Negative human impacts on the Water cycle

large amount of freshwater use, pollution/littering, filling wetlands

Carbon C. Storage areas

-Atmosphere

-Marine sediments

-shells/coral

-organisms

Carbon chemical forms

CO2, CH4, CO3, CaCO3

Carbon form for plants

CO2

Carbon cycle negative human impacts

-Fossil fuel burning

-Forest fires

-deforestation

-transportation

Nitrogen storage areas

-soil

-atmosphere

-organisms

Nitrogen chemical forms

N2, NO3, NO2, NH4, NH3

Nitrogen form for plants

NO3

Nitrogen-negative human impacts

-Fertilizers from the air

-Burning gasoline adds NOx to acid rain

-Excess nitrates can negatively affect aquatic ecosystems

Phosphorus storage areas

-ocean sediments

-rocks

-guano (bird crap)

Phosphorus Cycle: Negative human impacts

-mine phosphate rock for fertilizers and detergents

-deforestation

-agricultural runoff into the aquatic ecosystem

N2→ NH3

N Fixation

NH3, NH4 → NO2

Nitrification

NO2 → NO3

Nitrification (plants need the NO3 )

NO3 → N2

Dentrification