Ecology

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ecology

ecology

interaction between organism and environment, how organisms affect each other and the world

ecosystem

combination of abiotic(nonliving) and biotic(living) factors, usually some kind of unit(lake, woods, swamp, etc)

niche

what a species eats, where a species lives, physical and invisible spaces a species inhabits in an ecosystem

energy

the ability to do work, measured in calories(typically)

photosynthesis

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

trophic level

a level in an ecosystem(think producer, consumer, etc)

biomass

mass of biotic factors in an environment, typically we look at individual trophic levels, the pyramid can be used by ecologists to determine if an ecosystem is able to support itself

why do we care about the water cycle?

plants (plants would be unable to grow), habitats (bodies of water are important permanent habitats for many species  AND a breeding ground for things born in water), life (water provides essential nutrients and minerals for physical life to exist)

evaporation

turning liquid into gas

transpiration

evaporation from plants leaves

condensation

turning gas back into a liquid

precipitation

rain, snow, sleet, hail

infiltration

water filtering through the soil

groundwater

water located in the ground in aquifers

runoff

water that collects on top and runs into streams, oceans, rivers, etc

aquifers

rocks that hold water

why do we care about the carbon cycle?

energy (carbon provides us with energy that fuels the global economy), temperature (carbon provides us with energy that fuels the global economy), food (carbon provides us with energy that fuels the global economy)

cellular respiration

this process produces CO2. During this process, glucose is used to make ATP which is a usable form of energy (C6 H12 O6 + 6O2 = 6H2O + 6HO2 + 32ATP)

fossil fuels

things like coal, oil and gas→ they are made of

decomposition

the process by which organic substances are broken down into simpler forms of matter

atmospheric CO2

the concentration of carbon dioxide gas in earth's atmosphere

why do we care about nitrogen and the cycle?

nitrogen makes up 2 VERY important macromolecules, proteins and nucleic acids

nitrogen limiting factor

the amount of nitrogen we have in the global ecosystem limits how much we can grow, unusable (Atmospheric nitrogen(N2) us unusable because it’s triple bond is too strong, it also happens to be 80% of the nitrogen available)

nitrogen fixing bacteria

creates usable nitrogen for plants(producers) and then consumers eat the plants

Atmospheric N2

nitrogen gas that makes up the majority of earth's atmosphere

biosphere

all of earth and the atmosphere

biome

a large area with the same climate patterns

ecosystem

all of the abiotic and biotic factors in a location

community

a group of different species living together

population

a group of the same species living in the same place at the same time

individual

a single organism

producers

autotrophs: convert sunlight into chemical energy

primary consumers

eat (consume) producers, whenever they don’t use they store or lose as heat

secondary consumers

eat another consumer: carnivore or omnivore, predator or scavenger

tertiary consumers

eat a secondary consumer(something that has already eaten a consumer) → carnivore or omnivore, predator or scavenger

decomposers

consumer that eats dead and rotting things→ returns nutrients to the ground for the producers to use

where does energy go that is not used?

\typically converted into heat and dissipated into the environment, this is known as energy waste

10% rule

each level up only gets 10% of the energy from the level below it

competition

organisms compete with each other for resources(food, water, habitats)

limiting resources

resources that are in short supply and restrict the growth or survival of a population

predation

a predator hunts down its prey, carnivorous interaction where live organisms are eaten

symbiosis

close and long term relationship between 2 different species

biodiversity

total number of organisms, relative abundance

why is biodiversity important?

it provides a variety of benefits to humans and the environment, it helps maintain ecosystem stability, supports food security, provides medicinal resources, contributes to cultural and recreational values, and it plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth's climate

threats

habitat destruction, natural causes, pollution, climate change, human activity, invasive species

carrying capacity

birth rate, death rate, migration

mutualism

the interaction between two species and it’s beneficial to both species

parasitism

one organism benefits while one is being hurt by the interaction

commensalism

one organism benefits from the interaction and one if unaffected