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Ecology and Taxonomy

Overview of Biotic and Abiotic Factors

  • Biotic Factors:

    • Defined as the living components of an ecosystem.

    • Examples include plants, animals, bacteria.

  • Abiotic Factors:

    • Defined as the nonliving components of an ecosystem.

    • Examples include sunlight, soil, rocks, and water.

Ecosystems and Their Components

  • Ecosystem Definition:

    • A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their abiotic environment.

    • Includes all living beings (e.g., animals, plants) and nonliving factors (e.g., temperature, water).

  • Levels of Organization:

    • Individual: A single organism.

    • Population: A group of individuals of the same species.

    • Community: Different populations of various species interacting.

    • Ecosystem: Community plus abiotic factors.

    • Biome: A larger geographical area defined by climate, vegetation, and animal communities.

    • Biosphere: The global ecological system integrating all ecosystems.

Roles Within Ecosystems

  • Niche:

    • Refers to the role or function of an organism within its ecosystem, including its interactions for resources, habitat, and position in food webs.

    • For example, a bunny's role may be as a prey, while a deer also serves as prey but at a different ecological level.

Competition in Communities

  • Interspecific Competition:

    • Competition between different species.

  • Intraspecific Competition:

    • Competition among individuals of the same species.

  • Niches are crucial in understanding competition, as overlapping niches can lead to competition for resources.

Limiting Factors

  • Biotic Limiting Factors:

    • Examples include competition, predation, and parasitism.

  • Abiotic Limiting Factors:

    • Examples include availability of water, temperature, and nutrient levels in soil.

Predator-Prey Relationships

  • The predator-prey cycle presents a balance where increases in prey lead to increases in predators, and vice versa. This creates oscillating population dynamics:

    • More prey leads to more predators.

    • Peak predator populations result in lowered prey populations, allowing the prey to recover.

  • Changes in this cycle can also be influenced by abiotic factors.

Human Impact on Ecosystems

  • Human Factors:

    • Activities such as deforestation, agriculture, and carbon emissions significantly affect populations and ecosystems.

    • Fracking: A controversial method of extracting fossil fuels that can cause environmental disturbances.

Taxonomy Overview

  • Taxonomy:

    • The scientific classification system of living organisms.

    • Organisms are classified into three domains:

    • Archaea: Single-celled organisms, often extremophiles.

    • Bacteria: Another group of single-celled organisms without a nucleus.

    • Eukarya: Multicellular or single-celled organisms that have a nucleus (includes animals, plants, fungi).

  • Levels of Taxonomic Classification:

    • From broadest to most specific: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

    • Example: Humans are classified as (\text{Homo sapiens}).

Binomial Nomenclature

  • Definition:

    • A system using two names to uniquely identify species: the first name is the genus and the second is the species.

  • Formula:

    • Genus name capitalized, species name in lowercase (e.g., (\text{Ursus arctos}) for brown bears).

  • This system ensures clarity and precision in naming organisms, standardizing biological classification across sciences.

    Taxonomy Domain