Activity Instructions
Carefully examine the picture of either the ocean or lake you were assigned Choose one organism in the picture
Identify then write down at least five
things that directly affect the survival
of that organism and write them down.
In a group of 2 or 3 - each person in the group discuss what they wrote
Once everyone has had a chance to
share their answers, write down the top 8 things your group came up with on
“post its”
Now - Examine the factors your group wrote on the “post its” and group them
into two categories.
Consider:
What would happen if you placed an
organism from the ocean into the lake?
Ecology: the study of the interaction of living organisms with one another and their physical environment.
• Other species that kill it for food [predator]
• Species that it kills for food [prey]
• Other species that help them for protection, food etc.
• Other species that compete with it for the same resources [keeps the numbers of organisms
down]
• Other organisms within it’s own species that compete with it
One group of factors directly affecting the survival of an organism are living
or BIOTIC factors such as….
• Amount of light
• Types of nutrients in the soil or water
• Temperature
• Salt content
• Oxygen content
• pH
• Wind
• Water
• Soil
The other group of factors directly affecting the survival of an organism are non-living or
ABIOTIC factors such as….
Effects of Wildfires on cycles
• Mind map including grassland biome, boreal forest, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, and water cycles.
• Indicate effects of wildfire on each cycle.
Create a mind-map to show:
Effects of Human and Natural
impact on cycles
• Even within the same ocean or lake the biotic and abiotic factors will differ
• Example: depending on the depth you go, the amount of sun, temperature, types of
nutrients, water movement etc will be
different.
We will look at the rainforest as an example. Don’t write this down!
The rainforest consists of four layers
•This is also true of terrestrial (land) ecosystems
The Understory
Pointed lily
Fruit bat
Blue tailed iguana Zebra plant
UNDERSTORY LAYER
The Understory Layer is directly underneath the Canopy Layer and on top of the Forest Floor.
Growth here is very dense and dark, sometimes almost
impenetrable natural habitat entwined with vines, shrub and broadleaf trees.
This layer provides superior
camouflage for many of the species.
Trees here average 12’-15’ feet in height and have
exceptionally large leaves to
compensate for the lack of sunlight.
Many species living in this layer are nocturnal and survive in this low light environment.
The canopy
Golden lion monkey Macaw
Leaves of plants are pointed to allow water to drip off
easily
Tawny rajah
CANOPY LAYER
The Canopy Layer is the primary life sustaining layer with an abundance of food and forms a natural roof over the remaining two layers beneath.
The Canopy Layer is found directly beneath the Emergent Layer.
This layer absorbs ultra-violet rays from the sun protecting the
plant and animals species beneath the Canopy Layer.
The Canopy Layer also retains moisture and makes a natural shield to prevent “wash-outs”
during the tremendous rain deluge from the tropical rainy seasons.
Consider:
What types of biotic and
abiotic factors would affect the species that
inhabited the
rainforest floor?
Consider this….
BIOLOGICAL LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
In your groups place the names or
descriptions you are given in order from smallest to largest, and once you have agreed as a group, put your hand up so
that it can be checked.
Levels of Organization
Cell
Tissue
Organ
System
Organism
Population Community
Biome Ecosystem Biosphere
BIOLOGICAL LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
An example starting from lowest to highest 1. Neuron (cell)
2. Group of neurons (tissue)
3. Brain (organ)
4. Central nervous system (system)
5. Killer whale (organism)
6. Group of killer whales (population)
LEVELS (CONT’D)
7. PHYTOPLANKTON, ZOOPLANKTON, KRILL,
SQUID, ALGAE, KILLER WHALES (Community) 8. LITTLE LIGHT REACHES THE BOTTOM OF
THEWATER, STRONG OCEAN CURRENTS, COLD TEMPERATURES, ICE COVER,
SALINITY, PHYTOPLANKTON,
ZOOPLANKTON, KRILL, SQUID, ALGAE, KILLER WHALES (Ecosystem)
9. MARINE BIOME ( Biome)
10. BIOSPHERE (Biosphere)
USEFUL DEFINITIONS
Organism: An individual such as animal, plant or micro-organism, that is capable of
reproduction, growth and maintenance.
Population: A group of organisms of the same species, at a single place and time Community: populations of all species in an area Ecosystem: A community and its biotic and abiotic
factors
Definitions (cont’d)
Biome: a large scale ecosystem ex. Tundra, tropical rainforest, marine, grassland
Biosphere: contains all the life on Earth, consists of the lithosphere (land),
hydrosphere (water) and atmosphere (air).
Predation and Symbiosis
Predation and
Symbiosis
Predation: a predator eats a prey.
Tuberculosis bacteria feeding on human lung tissue
Battle at Kruger
Symbiosis: two organisms of
different species that live in close contact.
At least one organism benefits
Symbiosis
Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism
Mutualism: a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit (+,+)
Bali Island, Indonesia.
A cleaner shrimp cleaning parasites from
a moray eel's mouth
An example of mutual symbiosis is the relationship between clownfish that dwell among the tentacles of tropical sea
anemones. The territorial fish protects the anemone from anemone-eating fish, and in turn the stinging tentacles of the anemone protect the clownfish from its predators (a special mucus on the clownfish protects it from the stinging tentacles).
Commensalism: a symbiotic relationship in which one
organism benefits, and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed. (+,0)
Pair of Coleman Shrimp on fire urchin
Parasitism: a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits, while the other is harmed. (+,-)
Tapeworm: Humans occasionally become
infected by ingesting cereals contaminated with insect pests (intermediate hosts of this parasite). Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea and headache.
Cowbirds engage in
“brood parasitism”
The Brown-headed Cowbird has been recorded as a
parasite of more than 200 other species. Cowbird eggs do not closely mimic host eggs, nor do the young oust host eggs and young from the nest. But
cowbirds do tend to hatch earlier, grow faster, and crowd out or at least reduce the food intake of the
host's young.
Tick bird and the Rhino
What type of symbiotic relationship exists in the following examples:
Mutualistic – birds eat ticks and warn of danger, rhino is free from ticks!
Head louse / human
Parasitic – Lice suck blood, lay eggs and secrete saliva which makes you itch!
Honeyguide bird / African Badger
Wierdly mutualistic
The Honeyguide bird guides the badger to a bee hive (So the badger gets the honey for food) Then the bird eats the
remaining wax and larvae.
Win-Win
Hermit crab / snail shell
No relationship – It occupies the shell of a dead snail. Steals its home!
Pilot Fish / Sharks
Mutualistic – Pilot fish gain protection, Shark gains freedom from parasites
Cattle and Cattle Egret
Commensalism – The Egret benefits because the cattle stirs up food for the bird while the cattle itself neither benefits or is harmed!
Bison and Prairie Dogs
Mutualistic – gophers improve the forage by making the soil aerated and more nutritious and bison graze and increase the habitat for the gophers. Short grass
makes it easier to see predators. They are special friends.
Competition: an interaction in which two or more organisms battle for the same resources.
• Interspecific Competition-
competition between different species
Intraspecific competition –
competition between the same species
Food Food Chains, Chains,
Webs, and Webs, and
Pyramids
Pyramids
•Ecosystems have relationships based on energy and matter exchange.
•One way of describing an ecosystem is
examining who eats who.
•Autotrophs (“self feeders”) produce their own food.
•Also called producers.
•They make up 99%
of all biomass.
•Trophic levels describe where in the
ecosystem an organism feeds.
•Heterotrophs (also called consumers) obtain their energy from autotrophs
directly or by eating another heterotroph.
•Primary consumers (herbivores) feed
directly on producers.
•Secondary consumers (carnivores or
omnivores) feed on primary consumers.
• Higher levels Higher levels include tertiary include tertiary
or even or even
quaternary quaternary
(also called top (also called top
order) order)
consumers.
consumers.
•Decomposers are heterotrophs, such as bacteria or fungi, that extract the last
bit of energy from dead organisms.
•Trophic levels within an ecosystem are usually described in one of three ways.
1. Food chain - a linear series of feeding relationships.
•
Two major
disadvantages:
a. Chains are too simplistic showing only one prey
-predator
relationship.
b. Chains do not illustrate that 90%
of the energy is not available to the next trophic level.
Heat
Heat
Heat
2. Food Web
•Shows a more complex feeding pattern than a food chain.
•Webs still do not
show energy
efficiency of the
ecosystem.
•Can be kinda
complicated...
•First Law - energy can neither be
created or destroyed, only changed in form.
•Second Law - with each energy change, some useful energy is lost as heat.
Laws of Thermodynamics
•These laws apply to food chains because at each trophic level energy is lost.
•Only about 10% of available energy can
be passed up a level in the food chain.
•Since less energy is available at each
level, we find the fewest organisms at
the top of the food chain.
3. Trophic Pyramids - three types:
a. Pyramid of Numbers - trophic levels are arranged with producers at the
bottom with highest trophic level at the top.
•Levels are
population
numbers
and are
drawn to
scale.
•Pyramids of Numbers aren’t always
pyramid shaped....
b. Pyramid of Biomass - shows the dry mass of organisms material at a
trophic level.
c. Pyramid of Energy - shows the amount
of energy available for organisms at each
trophic level.
Energy Pyramid
Food Web Assignment
Biomagnification
Biomagnification/Bioamplification
•Certain chemicals are stored in cells for long periods of time. E.g. mercury or
DDT (an insecticide)
•Low levels of poisons in producers and
primary consumers are concentrated in higher trophic
consumers due to the number of prey
consumed.
DDT accumulates in top predators
Peregin Falcon: Eggs not strong enough to support chick until time to hatch...
Therefore cannot reproduce
• DDT also affects human populations
– found in breast milk
– came from sprayed crops
• animals that ate crops
– Banned in Canada and US in 1970’s
– Not banned in other areas - Mexico, Central America
– Continues to be produced as a cheap pesticide in poorer nations
DDT cont...
Read the article on Page 428
• Answer the questions a-d and 26
Invasive Species
• Asian Silver Carp:
• When, where and why brought to N. America
• How it got released into the wild
• Impact on local ecosystems
• Methods used to reduce and control population
• Current status of carp and Great Lakes
At Risk Species
View video: Alberta At Risk Species
Burrowing Owl, Kangaroo Rat,
Bull trout, Swift fox, Peregrine falcon Know:
Status (eg) extirpated, threatened what is special about each
adaptations that help it survive Why population decreased
Actions taken to help population recover Current status
Primary Succession: the process of changing – in successive stages – an environment from bare rock and few species to a complex community
• No soil present
• e.g. lava, glacier
•Pioneer species invade:
•First, lichens and
bacteria begin to grow
• Second, mosses and ferns shade out lichens
• As plants die and decompose, soil begins to develop.
The dead organic material in the soil is called humus.
• When the soil gets thick enough, mosses and ferns give way to grasses
• Third, herbs and shrubs shade out grasses
•Fourth, deciduous trees
•Poplar/aspen
• And finally the climax
community is dominated by a mix of deciduous and
coniferous trees
•White spruce
•Balsam fir
•Lodgepole Pine
•Birch
• The climax community that ultimately forms depends on the biome (ecological zone – depends mainly on sunlight and
rainfall)
Tundra Deciduous Forest Boreal Forest
• Edmonton is in the Temperate Deciduous Zone
• The whole process of primary
succession can take thousands of years.
Secondary
Succession: the return in stages to a stable
climax community from an area that has had its vegetation – but not its soil – removed.
• Secondary succession occurs much more quickly that primary succession, because the soil is still intact.
Primary Succession – from bare rock
Secondary Succession – soil still in tact
Soil Grasses shrubs deciduous trees climax community
Are forest fires good or bad?
Yes.
• Return nutrients to the soil, fixes nitrogen
• Provide grassy meadows for grazing animals
•Regular fires tend to be smaller
•Heats creates waxy sub-soil layer that leads to erosion and increased turbidity of water
Rapid use of oxygen and rapid release of heat
•Gets rid of tree saplings in grasslands but leaves grass roots intact for renewal
•Opens lodgepole pinecones to disperse seeds
• Some species need fire to reproduce
• Lodgepole pine cones need extreme heat to open and
release their seeds. Heat melts the resin that seals seeds in to the cone.
• Fire beetles like it hot!
Aquatic Succession: a process by which lakes gradually transition to become land.
•Most Alberta lakes were made during the melting of the last ice age
• The lifeless water is invaded by algae
• Algae
provide the bases for a food chain
• As organisms die, they add nutrients rich sediments to the lake forming soil
•Nutrient rich lakes are called eutrophic
•More and more plants take root in the nutrient rich sediments
•Over time, the lake becomes smaller and smaller.
•Eutrophication.
• It becomes a bog and eventually land.
•This is happening in nearby Elk Island National Park
