Ecology! (scinece)

• Engineered Ecosystem


  Areas that have been changed to suit our needs, e.g. recreational areas covered in grass, gravel and sand
• Agroecosystem


  Agricultural ecosystems (farms) used to support growing populations
• Native Crops and Livestock Species Grown in Canada


  • Strawberries, Maple sap, Wild rice, Blueberries
  • Turkeys
• Non-Native Crops and Livestock Species Grown in Canada


  • Corn, Wheat, Potatoes, Beans, Barley, Rye, Oats, Soybeans, Canola, Tomatoes, Apples, Squash, Beans, Peanutes, Carrots
  • Cattle, Pigs, Chicken, Sheep, Goats
• Soil


  A mixture of minerals, water, dissolved nutrients, air spaces, and decomposing organic matter. Plants and many organisms depend on soil to live.
• Nutrients required by plants

  Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium
• Natural Fertilizer


  Plant nutrients obtained from natural sources and not chemically altered by humans, e.g. compost, manure

  
• Synthetic Fertilizer


  Fertilizers manufactured using chemical processes, with specific ratios of N, P, K, e.g. plant food

  
• Soil Air Spaces


  Necessary for water and nutrients to pass through and reach roots, and to provide oxygen to plant roots and soil organisms
• Soil compaction by heavy machinery


  Reduces sustainability of the soil
• Alternative Farming Practices


  • No Tillage Farming: leaves ground undisturbed after crop harvest, helps soil retain nutrients, reduces soil compaction, reduces water loss, improves soil quality, but requires greater pesticide use
  • Crop Rotation: rotating crops to reduce use of fertilizers and pesticides, e.g. soybeans to increase nitrogen, then corn, then wheat
  • Crop Selection: choosing crops better suited to local growing conditions, e.g. wetlands for rice
• Climate change is impacting agriculture in Ontario
• Habitat


  A place that an organism lives
• Types of habitats


  • Terrestrial (on land)
  • Aquatic (in water)
• Atmosphere


  The layers of gases around the earth
• Lithosphere


  Earth's solid outer layer or shell, e.g. mountains, rocks, sea beds, 50-150 km thick
• Hydrosphere


  All of Earth's water in solid, liquid and gas form, including seas, oceans, ice, clouds, almost all water on earth (97%) is in the ocean
• Biosphere


  The zone around Earth where life can exist within the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere, very thin in comparison to the other spheres
• Ecosystem


  All living organisms that share a region and interact with each other and their non-living environment (living & non-living components)
• Components of an ecosystem

  • Biotic factors (living)
  • Abiotic factors (non-living)

  
• Ecosystem type


  • Coniferous forest
• Coniferous forest ecosystem


  • Long, cold winter season
  • Warm summers
  • Moderate rainfall
  • Mostly snow precipitation
  • Snow insulates and protects ground species
  • Few species
  • Mostly black spruce forests and bogs
  • Black bear, red squirrels and moose
  • Many biting flies
  • Short growing season reduces ecosystem productivity
• Sustainable ecosystem


  An ecosystem that is maintained through natural processes, the ability to maintain an ecological balance
• Radiant energy


  The energy that travels through empty space
• Light energy


  A visible form of radiant energy that we can see
• Thermal energy


  A form of energy transferred during heating or cooling, keeps Earth's surface warm
• Light energy can be used by some organisms but it cannot be stored and is not available at night
• Chemical energy


  The energy that organisms use
• Photosynthesis


  The process in which the Sun's energy is converted into chemical energy

  
• Producer


  An organism that makes its own energy rich food compounds using the sun's energy
• Photosynthesis


  Carbon dioxide + Water + Sunlight → Glucose + Oxygen

  
• Cellular respiration


  The process by which sugar is converted into carbon dioxide, water and energy
• Cellular respiration


  Sugar + Oxygen → Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy
• Consumer


  An organism that obtains their energy from consuming other organisms in order to produce energy for daily metabolic processes
• Food Chain describes how food chains and webs represent feeding relationships in an ecosystem
• Pest


  An organism that might compete with or damage crop species
• Pests


  • Weeds
  • Mice
• Pesticide


  Substances used to kill pests
• Types of pesticides


  • Herbicides (to kill plants)
  • Insecticides (to kill bugs)
  • Rodenticides (to kill rodents)
  • Fungicides (to kill fungus)
• Pesticides


  • Broad spectrum (effective against many types of pest)
  • Narrow spectrum (effective against only a few types of pest)