Chapter 2: principles of ecology

ecology

specific discipline in which the relationships among living organisms and the interactions are studied

biotic factors

"living factors in organism's environment like migratory birds, food sources"

abiotic factors

"nonliving factors in an organism's environment like temp, sunlight, raingall"

population example

school of fish

ecosystem example

aquarium or puddle

ecosystem survivival increases when

different species are using resources in diff ways

habitat

area where an organism lives

niche

role or position that an organisms has in its environment: how it meets needs for food, shelter, reproduction

competition

when more than one organism uses a resource at the same time

predation

act of one organism pursuing and consuming another organism for food

symbiosis

close relationship that exists when two or more species live together; mutualism, commensalism and parasitism

mutualism

relationship between two or more otfs that live closely together and benefit from each other

ex of mutualism

fungi and algae; algae provides food for fungi, fungi provides habitat

commensalism

relationship in which one org benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed

ex of commensalism

clownfish and sea anemone, clown fish safe from predators in stinging anemone

parasitism

reltship in which one org benefits at expense of other

autotrophs

org that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to provide food, foundation of ecosystems

how do autotrophs get energy

photosynthesis

heterotroph

org that gets its energy by consuming other orgs

herbivore

heterotroph that eats only plants

carnivores

heterotrophs that prey on others

omnivores

orgs that eat both plants and animals

detrivores

eat fragments of dead matter, return nutrients to soil, air and water where nutrients can be reused

trophic level

each step in a food chain or food web

first trophic level ever

autotrophs

food chains

simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem

Food webs.

A model representing the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows through a group of organisms.,

Biomass

the total mass of living matter at each trophic level.

Ecological pyramid.

diagram that can show the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Natural processes cycle matter through the.

Biosphere.

Nutrient.

Chemical substance that an Organism must obtain from its environment to sustain life and to undergo life processes. For example, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Nitrogen fixation.

The process of capture and conversion of nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants.

Dentrification

soil and bacteria converts fixed nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas, which returns it to the atmosphere

how much energy is lost at each trophic level and due to what

90% of energy is lost due to heat

photosynthetic autotrophs

produce energy from the sun

chemosynthetic autotrophs

produce energy from chemicals

primary consumers eat

herbivores and omni

secondary consumers eat

carnivores and omnivores

tertiary consumers eat

carnivores

formula for photosynthesis

6CO2 + 6H20 \= C6H12O6 + 6O2

transpiration

evaporation of water from plants

condensation

water vapour becomes liquid

precipitation

any product of condensation that falls from clouds

evaporation

liquid water to gaseous wate

percolation

movement of water through soil

ex of biotic factors

migratory birds, food sources

ex of abiotic factors

temp, air currents, sunight, rain fall, nutrients availible

how do orgs use energy

cellular processes, rest go back in environment

how does energy move in a food chain

Uses a portion of the energy it obtains from the Organism it eats for cellular processes and the remaining energy is released into the surrounding environment and no longer is available to these organisms

Denitrification

soil and bacteria converts fixed nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas, which returns it to the atmosphere

what is nitrogen used for

to make proteins

ecology

specific discipline in which the relationships among living organisms and the interactions are studied

biotic factors

"living factors in organism's environment like migratory birds, food sources"

abiotic factors

"nonliving factors in an organism's environment like temp, sunlight, raingall"

population example

school of fish

ecosystem example

aquarium or puddle

ecosystem survivival increases when

different species are using resources in diff ways

habitat

area where an organism lives

niche

role or position that an organisms has in its environment: how it meets needs for food, shelter, reproduction

competition

when more than one organism uses a resource at the same time

predation

act of one organism pursuing and consuming another organism for food

symbiosis

close relationship that exists when two or more species live together; mutualism, commensalism and parasitism

mutualism

relationship between two or more otfs that live closely together and benefit from each other

ex of mutualism

fungi and algae; algae provides food for fungi, fungi provides habitat

commensalism

relationship in which one org benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed

ex of commensalism

clownfish and sea anemone, clown fish safe from predators in stinging anemone

parasitism

reltship in which one org benefits at expense of other

autotrophs

org that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to provide food, foundation of ecosystems

how do autotrophs get energy

photosynthesis

heterotroph

org that gets its energy by consuming other orgs

herbivore

heterotroph that eats only plants

carnivores

heterotrophs that prey on others

omnivores

orgs that eat both plants and animals

detrivores

eat fragments of dead matter, return nutrients to soil, air and water where nutrients can be reused

trophic level

each step in a food chain or food web

first trophic level ever

autotrophs

food chains

simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem

Food webs.

A model representing the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows through a group of organisms.,

Biomass

the total mass of living matter at each trophic level.

Ecological pyramid.

diagram that can show the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Natural processes cycle matter through the.

Biosphere.

Nutrient.

Chemical substance that an Organism must obtain from its environment to sustain life and to undergo life processes. For example, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Nitrogen fixation.

The process of capture and conversion of nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants.

Dentrification

soil and bacteria converts fixed nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas, which returns it to the atmosphere

how much energy is lost at each trophic level and due to what

90% of energy is lost due to heat

photosynthetic autotrophs

produce energy from the sun

chemosynthetic autotrophs

produce energy from chemicals

primary consumers eat

herbivores and omni

secondary consumers eat

carnivores and omnivores

tertiary consumers eat

carnivores

formula for photosynthesis

6CO2 + 6H20 \= C6H12O6 + 6O2

transpiration

evaporation of water from plants

condensation

water vapour becomes liquid

precipitation

any product of condensation that falls from clouds

evaporation

liquid water to gaseous wate

percolation

movement of water through soil

ex of biotic factors

migratory birds, food sources

ex of abiotic factors

temp, air currents, sunight, rain fall, nutrients availible

how do orgs use energy

cellular processes, rest go back in environment