Unit 2 Ecosystems and the Environment

• Population


  Groups of organisms that are able to breed with one another and produce offspring that are members of the same species (rarely isolated)
• Community


  Populations that interact together in a given area
• Structure of a community is impacted by:

  • Competition between individuals of the same species within different populations (intraspecific competition)
  • Predator-prey relationships
  • Abiotic factors (e.g. amount of moisture or sunlight)
• Most communities are able to change (dynamic)
• Competition

  Intraspecific (within the same species) and interspecific (between different species)
• Ecosystem


  Many communities together with abiotic factors that surround and affect it (can be large or small)
• Levels of biological organisation

  • Individual organisms
  • Population
  • Community
  • Ecosystem
  • Biome
  • Biosphere
• Domains of life (Broadest classification and based on the cellular composition of organisms)


  • Archaea
  • Bacteria
  • Eukarya
• Kingdoms of life


  • Archaea
  • Bacteria
  • Protista
  • Fungi
  • Plantae
  • Animalia
• Archaea


  • Uni -cellular, prokaryotic, auto- or heterotrophic, exist in extreme environments
• Bacteria


  • Uni -cellular, prokaryotic, auto- or heterotrophic, able to photosynthesize, decomposers
• Protista


  • Unicellular or multicellular, eukaryotic, auto- or heterotrophic, decomposers, some are parasites
• Fungi


  • Unicellular or multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic, decomposers
• Plantae


  • Multi -cellular, eukaryotic, autotrophic, sessile, able to photosynthesize
• Animalia


  • Multi -cellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic, some are decomposers
• Biotic components = living components
• Abiotic components = non living components
• Biosphere


  All ecosystems in the world
• Taxonomy


  Study of classifying organisms
• Domain (3)

  Kingdom (6)

  Phyllum

  Class

  Order

  Family

  Genus

  Species
• Dichotomous Key


  A way used to identify different organisms based on the organisms observable traits
• Scientific Name= Genus name + species name


  (Both should be italicized and only the genus name should be capitalized)
• Scientific name

  • Founder is Linnaeus
  • Its Universal
  • uses Binomial nomenclature (binomial system is much simpler)
  • Ex// cougar= Puma concolor
• Climate


  Average weather conditions in an area over time, 30+ years (change in temperature, precipitation and humidity over a long period of time)
• Precipitation patterns are based on:


  • soil type
  • latitude
  • topography
  • temperature (Which all determine photosynthesizers and therefore the Biome)
• Factors determining climate


  • Temperature
  • Rainfall
  • Geography
  • Ice cover
  • Snow
  • Water bodies
• Biomes


  Increased temp + increased precipitation = lots of terrestrial life
• Habitat


  where an organism lives including a specific set of characteristicsboth biotic and abiotic (like a street address)
• Range


  the geographical area where a population or species is found

  • determined by environmental variables (rainfall, temperature etc) and biotic variables (food, competition etc)
• Niche


  The role organisms play in a community and the total range of biotic and abiotic requirements (job in the community)
• ABIOTIC LIMITING FACTORS


  • A very important aspect for farmers
  • Farmers must know optimum soil content, moisture, humidity and temp ranges
• BIOTIC LIMITING FACTORS


  • Competition for resources like food,mates, sunlight, soil etc
  • Predators vs prey
  • Intraspecific competition vs interspecific
  • Parasites vs host
  • Remember that competition increases when niches overlap
• Sampling populations

  TRANSECT

  • Using a long rectangle to determine density (# of organisms per unit of volume or area)
  • Used for mobile organisms

  QUADRAT

  • Used for organisms that generally stay in one spot
• Population Density formula

  Dp= # of individuals/ A or V

  (= ___ individuals/ ___ m2)
• Adaptation


  A structure, behavior, or physiological process that helps an organism survive and reproduce in a particular environment
• Types of adaptations

  • Behavioural adaptations
  • Structural adaptations
  • Physiological adaptations
• Behavioural adaptations


  What an organism does to survive
• Structural adaptations


  Physical features of an organism that help them survive (e.g. birds bill, bear fur, human thumbs)
• Physiological adaptations


  When an organism makes something in order to cope (metabolic or physiologic adjustment within the cells/tissue in response to an environmental stimulus to improve the organism's ability to cope with its changing environment)
• Adaptations are a result of change in populations over time