Introduction to Ecology

Ecology

the study of how organisms interact with their environment

4 Types of ecology

• Organismal = one living thing

• Population = group of the same species

• Community = many species together

• Ecosystem = living things + non-living stuff (like sunlight, water, soil)

Biotic Vs abiotic

Biotic: living components of the ecosystem

– Plants, animals, fungi, etc

Abiotic: Non living

– Water, temperature, wind, light

Range

geographic distribution of a species

Solar Radiation

At eq: sunlight at 90 degrees = alot of heat

Furhter way = less heat

NPP

• net primary production

• Total amount of carbon fixed – amount of carbon oxidized in cellular respiration

• aka how how much energy plants store after they “feed” themselves

• High NPP means a lot of energy available, expect larger organism

Tropical Wet Forests

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
High	Low	Very High	High

Subtropical Deserts

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
High	Moderate	Very Low	Low

• Plants spaced out

Chaparral

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
High	Low	Low–Medium	High

• Plants adapt to fires

Temperate Grasslands

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium

Savannah

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
High and low	High	Medium	Medium

• Plants adapted to fires

Temperate Forest

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
Medium	Medium	Medium	Low

Boreal Forests/Taiga

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
Low	High	Low	Low

• Mostly gymnosperms

• always green for short summer

Arctic Tundra

Temp	Temp Var.	Precip.	Precip Var.
Very Low	High	Very Low	Low

• Permafrost: Soil is frozen over during the winter

Lake zones

Littoral: edge, lights reaches all of it

Limnetic: some light doesnt reach

Photic: Deep portion where light reaches

Aphotic: No light reaches

Bennthic: Bottom ground area

Bogs

Marshes

Swamps

Bogs: Static water, acidic

Marshes: Moving water, mostly grasses

Swamps: Moving water, barky trees