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Ecology - Grade 9 Biology

Ecology - Grade 9 Biology

Intro to Ecology


Terms: 

  • An ecosystem- is a geographic area where plants, animals and other organisms, weather and landscapes work together to form a bubble of life. 

  • Biotic factors: include plants, animals and other organisms. 

  • Tide pools- contain seaweed, a kind of algae that uses photosynthesis to create food.

    • Also, depending on the changing level of the ocean water

  • Biomes- are a large section of land, sea or atmosphere

    • Forests, ponds, reefs, tundra

  • Canopies- ecosystems at the top of the rainforest

    • Tall, thin trees such as fig grow in search of sunlight 

  • Epiphytes- other plants in the canopy ecosystem

  • Understory- ecosystem under the canopy ecosystem

  • Delicate coral reef- an ecosystem in the south pacific at risk due to rising ocean temps. And decrease sanity 


Interdependence 

  • Organisms and their environment are interdependent 

  • Every organism relies on other organisms to survive 

  • Everything depends on something else 

Levels of organization

  • Study of ecology ranges from the study of an individual organism to the study of the entire plant as the following 

    • Individual

    • Population

    • Community

    • Ecosystem

    • Biome

    • Biosphere

Species

  • A group of individuals similar to one another that can breed and create fertile offspring

Population

  • Organisms of one species that interbreed and live together within a defined area 

    • Examples

    • Herd of sheep

    • Flock of geese 

    • Colony of ants

    • Culture of bacteria 

    • Sleuth of Bears 

    • Brood of chickens 

    • Pack of dogs

Communities

  • Groups of populations comprised many species that live together in a defined area

Ecosystem 

  • Combination of the communities and the physical (nonliving) environment 

  • Is all living and nonliving factors in a particular place 

  • Can be large and small

    • Rotting log

    • Koi pond

    • Lake

    • Clump of dirt

    • Field

    • Old maple tree

    • Bog marsh

Biome 

  • A large area that has a particular climate 

  • Particular species of plants and animals that live there 

    • Tundra 

    • Rainforest

    • Desert

  • A large group of many ecosystems 

Biodiversity 

  • Variety of organisms 

  • Organisms genetic differences 

  • Ecosystems in which they occur 

  • Ecological diversity 

    • Different ecosystems in a region 

  • Species diversity 

    • Different species within certain ecosystems 

  • Tropical rainforests have the highest biodiversity of all biomes 

Factors that affect ecosystems 

  • Abiotic

    • Nonliving factors 

    • Soil

    • Pollutants

    • Natural disasters

    • Climate

  • Biotic factors

    • Living factors 

      • plants and animals

  • Biotic and abiotic both determine the survival of growth of individual organisms and ultimately the ecosystems 

Habitat 

  • Where particular populations live 

  • Include biotic and abiotic factors 

How do ecosystems form? 

  • Constantly changing 

  • Succession 

    • Progression of species of replacement over time 

    • Ecosystems evolving 

    • Typically slow 

    • Natural disasters or human disturbances can make sudden changes 

Primary succession 

  • Occurs when no soil previously existed is called this 

  • The first species to populate the are called pioneer species 

Secondary succession 

  • Occurs in areas where soil exits 

  • But has been damaged or disturbed 

  • Forest fire - example 


Nutrient cycles 


Biogeochemical cycles 

  • The matter is neither created nor destroyed

  • Can be transformed and passed on

  • How carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus pass from the physical environment to living organisms 

About them 

  • Bio-life  

  • Geo-earth 

  • Chemical-elements and molecules 

  • 3 biogeochemical essential cycles 

    • Water cycle

    • Carbon cycle

    • Nitrogen cycle 

  • Materials to recycle they have to changes/transform states 

  • Death and decay contribute to the cycles

  • Animals and plants die

    • Bacteria other decomposers break them down in raw elements 

    • Can be absorbed by plants and passed on to animals 

Water cycle 

  • All living things need water to survive

  • Moves between 

    • Ocean 

    • Atmosphere

    • Land

  • By cycling from water vapour to liquid water

Evaporation 

  • Liquid water returns to the atmosphere (vaporizers)

Transpiration 

  • Evaporation of water from plants 

  • Both occur during the daytime when the sun heats up the atmosphere

    Condensation 

  • Atmosphere cools

  • Water vapour in the air condenses to form clouds 

    Precipitation 

  • Water droplets that form clouds 

  • Become large enough 

  • Droplets fall to the earth 

  • Informs of 

    • Rain 

    • Sleet

    • Snow

    Percolation 

  • When water returns to earth some is absorbed by plants through their roots 

  • Other seeps into the soil to become groundwater

    Runoff

  • Surface water found on land 

  • That eventually carries back to a lake or ocean 


Water cycle diagram 


Carbon cycle 

Carbon 

  • Is an essential element for all living things 

  • Is found in 

    • Living tissues 

    • Rocks

    • Atmosphere

    • Ocean

  • Less than 1 % is found on earth is in the carbon cycle 

Carbon dioxide 

  • Which is in the air is or dissolved in water is used by photosynthesizing 

    • Plants 

    • Algae 

    • Bacteria 

  •  As raw materials to build organic molecules such as glucose 

Ways (3) carbon can return to air or water 

Respiration 

  • All living organisms undergo cellular respiration

  • Use oxygen to break down food 

  • CO2 is a byproduct of the reaction (exhaled)

Erosion 

  • Marine organisms use it to make sheets 

    • calcium carbonate

  • When they die the calcium carbonate breaks down 

  • CO forms and returns to the atmosphere 

Combustion 

  • When carbon returns to the atmosphere through combustion or burning fossil fuels

  • Carbon is locked beneath the earth 

  • Dead organisms sediment may gradually transform by heat

  • And pressure into fossil fuels 

  • This process of fossil fuels releases CO2 

    • Creates greenhouse gases

Nitrogen cycle 

  • Makes up 78% of the atmosphere 

  • Most organisms are unable to use it in this form

  • Bacteria in the soil is very important 

    • Can use atmospheric nitrogen

    • Fix into compounds usable by other living things 

    • Organisms need nitrogen to build proteins and nucleic acids

Nitrogen fixation 

  • Bacteria combine nitrogen from the atmosphere with hydrogen 

    • To make ammonia (NH3) in the soil 

Ammonification 

  • Production of ammonia by bacteria during the decay of organic matter

Nitrification 

  • Production of nitrates and nitrites from ammonia (NO3)

  • Bacteria are responsible for nitrification 

  • Plants can use nitrites and nitrates to make proteins 

Assimilation 

  • Absorption of nitrogen into organic compounds by plants 

    • Absorbed through roots 

Denitrification 

  • Conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas 

    • Which is released back into the atmosphere

Phosphorus cycle 

  • Is necessary to build DNA molecules 

    • Also RNA

  • Not very common in the biosphere and does not enter the atmosphere 

  • Locked into the land or water 

  • Is found in rocks and minerals in the soil 

  • Rock gradually wear down phosphorus is released into soil or water 

  • When organisms die 

    • Decomposers in the soil or water break them down into raw elements 

    • Including phosphorus which can then be reused 

    • When plants absorb phosphate from soil 

      • Can be passed along from plants/producers to other trophic levels

Nutrient limitation 

  • The amount that is available directly affects the primary productivity of an ecosystem

  • Primary productivity 

    • The rate at which producers produce energy 

Limited nutrient 

  • Sometimes ecosystems are limited by a single nutrient that is very scarce or cycles slowly 

Fertilizers 

  • Are so popular 

  • They contain 3 important nutrients 

    • Nitrogen 

    • Phosphorus 

    • Potassium 

  • By using this farmers can ensure that there are enough nutrients

  • Their corps grow to their fullest potential


Earth’s sphere 

  • Any time matter can occupy one of the four spheres that make up the earth

    • Lithosphere - solid earth 

    • Atmosphere - gases (the air)

    • Hydrosphere - all water 

    • Biosphere - all life 

Biosphere 

  • The lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere are abiotic spheres 

  • Are found on other planets including earth 

  • Earth has fourth called the biosphere

  • No other planet in the solar system is known to have this 

  • The biosphere is the living surface of the earth 

  • Is not separate from abiotic spheres 

  • Many life forms are found 

  • Underground

  • Water 

  • Atmosphere 

Energy transfer in the biosphere

  • All living things in here need 

    • Space 

    • Water 

    • Nutrients 

  • To survive 

  • Nutrients are stored as energy 

  • Energy is continuously cycled by mean of the food chain 

  • A food chain shows how each living thing gets food 

  • How energy is transferred from one organism to another 

A diagram to show what it looks like

Food chains vs food webs

  • A food chain is a linear flow of energy through an ecosystem

  • A food web shows multiple food chains interconnected in an ecosystem 

  • Multiple energy paths 

  • Food chains and food webs represent the transfer of energy in a community 

Trophic levels 

  • In ecology, this level is a position that an organism occupies in a food chain 

  • Energy moves through food webs from one trophic level to the next 


First Trophic Level:  Producers 

  • organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis (plant, algae, cyanobacteria)

Second Trophic Level: Primary Consumers

  • animals cannot make their own food → they eat producers

  • called herbivores (plant-eaters)

Third Trophic Level: Secondary Consumers 

  • animals that eat primary consumers

  • called carnivores (meat-eaters) and omnivores (eat both animals and plants)

Fourth Trophic Level: Tertiary Consumers 

  • animals at the top level of the food chain

  • called top carnivores but can be omnivores as well


The end of the food chain 

Decomposers

  • Organisms that break down dead plants and animals

  • Puts nutrients back into the soil → energy for producers

  • Examples:  bacteria, fungi (mushrooms)

Detritivores

  • a type of decomposer

  • decomposers like bacteria and fungi don't eat their food, they break it down.

  • detritivores eat large amounts of decaying material and excrete nutrients.

  • Examples: millipedes, dung beetles, earthworms, slugs, snails


Grassland food web


biotic factors - GRASSLANDS




Toxins in food chains 

  • Each time an organism eats another organism, it gains that organism's energy and nutrients.  Unfortunately, it also gains any toxins that might be stored in that organism's cells.

Bioaccumulation 

  • the increase in the concentration of a toxin, such as a pesticide, in an individual organism.

Biomagnification- the increase in the concentration of a toxin in a food chain

  • toxins accumulate in living things at the top of the food chain when they eat infected organisms lower in the food chain.



Bioaccumulation vs Bioconcentration vs Biomagnification + ...





Ecological pyramids 

The sun and ecosystems 

  • The fuel for an ecosystem is energy from the sun.

  • Light energy is used by green plants in the process of photosynthesis to make chemical energy.

  • Chemical energy is passed up the trophic levels in a food chain. 


Energy transfer in food chains 

  • The greatest amount of energy is found at the 1st trophic level. They are the first organisms to use the energy of the sun.

  • As one organism eats another, some energy is used for survival and some energy is lost as heat to the environment.

  • Energy Flows In as Sunlight and Out as Heat

Ecological pyramids 

  • An ecological pyramid helps us visualize the transfer of energy between the trophic levels in a food chain.

  • There are 3 major types of ecological pyramids:

Pyramids of numbers 

  • A pyramid of numbers shows the relative number of organisms at each stage of a food chain


Pyramids of numbers 

  • A pyramid of numbers can have various shapes. The width of each block should represent the number of organisms.


Pyramid of biomass 

  • A pyramid of biomass shows the total mass of organisms at each stage of a food chain.


Pyramid of energy 

  • This pyramid compares the amount of energy trapped at each stage of the food chain.


Pyramid of energy - 10%

  • As one organism eats another, 10% of energy passes from one trophic level to the next up the food chain. 

  • Since there is less energy moving up the food chain, the population size of organisms at higher trophic levels decreases.


Ecological Pyramid Picture



Interactions in ecosystems

  • Biotic factors in an ecosystem include all living things 

  • And the interactions among those living things 

  • Interactions define the ecological niche of species 

    • What it feeds on 

    • What it eats 

    • How it behaves 

  • Examples of interactions among living things 

    • Symbiosis 

    • Predation

    • Competition 

Interactions - symbiosis 

  • Is the interaction between two different organisms living in a close physical relationship

  • Example - sea anemones and hermit crabs 

    • Sea anemones hitchhike on the back of hermit crabs

    • Scoring a ride across the seabed and extending their tentacles to est the crab’s leftovers 

    • In return, the anemones fend off hungry octopuses 

    • The other predators use their barbed tentacles 

Types of symbiosis 

Mutualism

  • A relationship where both species benefit from the interaction

  • Example - sea anemones and hermit crabs, 

  • Insects and flowers (pollination)

Parasitism 

  • A relationship where one species benefits(the parasite)

  • The other is harmed (the host) by the interaction 

  • For example - mosquitos (the parasite) sucks the blood of humans (the host)

Commensalism 

  • A relationship where one species benefits

  • The other is unaffected (no benefit or harm) by the interaction

  • Example- egrets (benefits) and the cattle (unaffected)

  • Remora (benefits) and sharks (unaffected) 

Interactions 

Predation 

  • Occurs when one organism consumes another organism for food 

  • The organism eaten is called prey

  • Organism consuming prey is called predator 

Carnivorous plants - venus fly trap 

  • Affects insects with its flowerlike reddish colour and ripe fruity smell 

  • Insects seek the nectar 

    • It will inevitably touch the highly sensitive hairs on the leaves causing the trap to snap shut at lightning speed 

Competition 

  • Occurs when two or more organisms complete for the same resource such as 

    • Food 

    • Water

    • Mates

    • Shelter

  • Example - sarcastic fringehead 

    • Lives in a small area on the ocean floor where resources for food and space are scarce

    • When an intruder invades that space, 

    • the fringehead attacks fearlessly and aggressively

symbiosis

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Energy flow in ecosystems

  • 2 processes that drive energy flow in ecosystems

    • Photosynthesis

      • Converts light energy into chemical energy and stores it as food

    • Cellular respiration 

      • Release stored chemical energy as food

      • The reverse process of photosynthesis


Photosynthesis 

  • Occurs in green plants

    • Algae 

    • Some bacteria 

  • Green plants have an organelle called a chloroplast

    • It contains chlorophyll which traps light energy from the sun 

  • Carbon dioxide enters in through small openings called stomata 

  • Carbon dioxide, water and light react to make a sugar called glucose 

  • Some glucose is used to feed that plant and some are stored for later use 

  • During chemical reaction, oxygen is released into the air through stomata 






Photosynthesis equations 

Photosynthesis – Definition, Steps, and Formula with Diagram

Cellular respiration 

  • Occurs in all organisms 

  • Cells break down stored energy (glucose) and release useable forms of energy for body movement 

    • Body heat 

    • Reproduction 

    • Etc. 

  • Chemical reactions occur in the mitochondria of cells 

  • Stored sugar is converted into carbon dioxide 

    • Water 

    • Chemical energy (ATP)

    • Carbon dioxide is put back into the atmosphere to be used again 

Photosynthesis vs Respiration


  • Products (ending materials) of one process are the reactants (starting materials) of the other 

Photosynthesis Vs. Cellular Respiration


Population Limits 

Population and habitats 

Population 

  • All individuals of one species that are in a specific area at a certain time

Habitat 

  • In an environment in which a population lives and gets its need met 

    • Food

    • Shelter

    • Reproduction

    • Etc.

What influences population size?

Abiotic factors 

  • Influence where species can live

  • Are determined by 

    • Temp.

    • Soil

    • Light

    • Salinity 

    • Etc

Biotic factors 

  • Influence a species success 

  • Are determined by competition for resources

    • Food

    • Water

    • Mates

Intraspecific 

  • With members of their own species 

Interspecific 

  • Also with other species 


Competition in populations 

  • Is the demand for resources 

    • Food 

    • Mates 

    • Water 

    • Etc

Intraspecific is competition for mates in different species 

Interspecific is competition for food in the same species 


Limiting factors 

  • Population can’t keep growing forever

  • Once the population is too big for its environment 

    • The limiting factors regulate its size 

Examples 

  • Food and water supply 

  • Mates

  • Predation/competition 

  • Disease 

  • Sunlight

  • Space (to live and hide)

  • Temperature 

  • Natural disasters 

Population density 

  • Is to measure the number of organisms that make p populations in a defined area 

Density-dependent factors 

  • Population becomes too large for its environment 

    • High density 

  • Certain factors will reduce the numbers to bring it back to carrying capacity

  • Examples- predation,  competition, disease, etc

Density-independent factors 

  • Factors that limit population size regardless of the density 

  • Affects all populations in a similar way 

  • Examples- the destruction of habitat, forest fires, droughts, etc


5.2 Vocab - Limits to Population Growth Flashcards | Quizlet


Top downregulation 

Top-down limiting factors 

  • Interactions between top predators and their prey influence population sizes at lower trophic levels 

Increase in top predators

  • Population decreases in lower levels

Decrease in top predators

  • The population varies in lower levels 


top down








Bottom-up regulations 

Bottom-up limiting factors 

  • Limits the availability of resources to lower trophic levels (producers)

  • Lack of resources at the bottom of the food chain decreases population in all the higher trophic levels 

bottom up


Population growth 

Exponential growth 

  • No limiting factors 

  • J shaped graph

Logistic growth

  • Limiting factors are in place 

  • S-shaped graph 



Carrying capacity 

  • Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity for a population 

Definition 

  • The maximum number of organisms an environment can support

Exponential 

  • When resources are readily available population grow rapidly 

  • Once resources become limited 

  • The growth rate slows down and reaches a maximum populations size for the environment 











Northern fur seal

  • In the 1800s, the fur trade led to a drastic reduction in the northern fur seal population.  

  • This decline prompted the first international treaty to conserve wildlife

  • The fur seal population underwent exponential growth following protection

    • but eventually levelled out at the ecosystem’s carrying capacity


Equilibrium 

  • When the population is maintained at its carrying capacity 

  • The population size is at equilibrium (balance) - logistic growth 



Population Ecology






Predator-prey relationships 

Predation

  • is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey

  • Because the predator relies on the prey as a food source, their population levels are dependent on each other

  • If the prey population drops, predator numbers will decrease due to competition

  • If the prey population rises, predator numbers will increase due to an over-abundance of a food source


Free Prey Cliparts, Download Free Clip Art, Free Clip Art on ...



Arctic fox VS snowshoe hare 


predator-prey


Species at risk 

Species at risk 

Biodiversity 

  • The variety of life on earth 

  • The greatest threat to biodiversity species becoming extinct

Extinct species 

  • is one that has died out 

  • No longer exists anywhere on earth 

Extinction can result from 

  • Natural disasters 

  • Overhunting 

  • Habitat loss

  • Climate changes 

  • Poor reproductivity 

Sea mink 

  • Lived around rocky coasts of New England 

  • Also southernmost Maritime Provinces 

  • Until hunted to extinction in the late 19th or 20th century 

Risk categories 

  • Committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)

    • Monitors the status of species  

    • Uses data on extinction species to separate species at risk into four categories

      • Extirpated 

      • Endangered 

      • Threatened 

      • Special concern 

Extirpated 

  • Species that no longer exists in a specific area but does appear elsewhere

  • Example

    • Paddlefish extirpated in Canada 

    • Grizzly bears extirpated in the prairie provinces 

Endangered 

  • Species in immediate danger of becoming extirpated or extinct 

  •  Example

    • Caribou

    • North Atlantic right whale 

Threatened 

  • Species likely to become endangered if no action is taken 

  • Examples 

    • Barn owl

    • Eastern hognose snake 

Special concern 

  • Species that may become threatened or endangered because of various factors 

  • Examples 

    • Polar bear 

    • Great blue heron 

Invasive species 

  • The intro to non-native species to ecosystems by humans is a major cause of species loss 

  • Most native species die out because they can’t tolerate an entirely new environment 

  • Some species survive because there are few predators or diseases to limit their growth 

An invasive species 

  • Is non-native species that have a negative impact on the natural environment 

  • Can be accidentally or purposefully introduced 

  • Competes with native species for resources 


Niche 

a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment 

Ecology - Grade 9 Biology

Intro to Ecology


Terms: 

  • An ecosystem- is a geographic area where plants, animals and other organisms, weather and landscapes work together to form a bubble of life. 

  • Biotic factors: include plants, animals and other organisms. 

  • Tide pools- contain seaweed, a kind of algae that uses photosynthesis to create food.

    • Also, depending on the changing level of the ocean water

  • Biomes- are a large section of land, sea or atmosphere

    • Forests, ponds, reefs, tundra

  • Canopies- ecosystems at the top of the rainforest

    • Tall, thin trees such as fig grow in search of sunlight 

  • Epiphytes- other plants in the canopy ecosystem

  • Understory- ecosystem under the canopy ecosystem

  • Delicate coral reef- an ecosystem in the south pacific at risk due to rising ocean temps. And decrease sanity 


Interdependence 

  • Organisms and their environment are interdependent 

  • Every organism relies on other organisms to survive 

  • Everything depends on something else 

Levels of organization

  • Study of ecology ranges from the study of an individual organism to the study of the entire plant as the following 

    • Individual

    • Population

    • Community

    • Ecosystem

    • Biome

    • Biosphere

Species

  • A group of individuals similar to one another that can breed and create fertile offspring

Population

  • Organisms of one species that interbreed and live together within a defined area 

    • Examples

    • Herd of sheep

    • Flock of geese 

    • Colony of ants

    • Culture of bacteria 

    • Sleuth of Bears 

    • Brood of chickens 

    • Pack of dogs

Communities

  • Groups of populations comprised many species that live together in a defined area

Ecosystem 

  • Combination of the communities and the physical (nonliving) environment 

  • Is all living and nonliving factors in a particular place 

  • Can be large and small

    • Rotting log

    • Koi pond

    • Lake

    • Clump of dirt

    • Field

    • Old maple tree

    • Bog marsh

Biome 

  • A large area that has a particular climate 

  • Particular species of plants and animals that live there 

    • Tundra 

    • Rainforest

    • Desert

  • A large group of many ecosystems 

Biodiversity 

  • Variety of organisms 

  • Organisms genetic differences 

  • Ecosystems in which they occur 

  • Ecological diversity 

    • Different ecosystems in a region 

  • Species diversity 

    • Different species within certain ecosystems 

  • Tropical rainforests have the highest biodiversity of all biomes 

Factors that affect ecosystems 

  • Abiotic

    • Nonliving factors 

    • Soil

    • Pollutants

    • Natural disasters

    • Climate

  • Biotic factors

    • Living factors 

      • plants and animals

  • Biotic and abiotic both determine the survival of growth of individual organisms and ultimately the ecosystems 

Habitat 

  • Where particular populations live 

  • Include biotic and abiotic factors 

How do ecosystems form? 

  • Constantly changing 

  • Succession 

    • Progression of species of replacement over time 

    • Ecosystems evolving 

    • Typically slow 

    • Natural disasters or human disturbances can make sudden changes 

Primary succession 

  • Occurs when no soil previously existed is called this 

  • The first species to populate the are called pioneer species 

Secondary succession 

  • Occurs in areas where soil exits 

  • But has been damaged or disturbed 

  • Forest fire - example 


Nutrient cycles 


Biogeochemical cycles 

  • The matter is neither created nor destroyed

  • Can be transformed and passed on

  • How carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus pass from the physical environment to living organisms 

About them 

  • Bio-life  

  • Geo-earth 

  • Chemical-elements and molecules 

  • 3 biogeochemical essential cycles 

    • Water cycle

    • Carbon cycle

    • Nitrogen cycle 

  • Materials to recycle they have to changes/transform states 

  • Death and decay contribute to the cycles

  • Animals and plants die

    • Bacteria other decomposers break them down in raw elements 

    • Can be absorbed by plants and passed on to animals 

Water cycle 

  • All living things need water to survive

  • Moves between 

    • Ocean 

    • Atmosphere

    • Land

  • By cycling from water vapour to liquid water

Evaporation 

  • Liquid water returns to the atmosphere (vaporizers)

Transpiration 

  • Evaporation of water from plants 

  • Both occur during the daytime when the sun heats up the atmosphere

    Condensation 

  • Atmosphere cools

  • Water vapour in the air condenses to form clouds 

    Precipitation 

  • Water droplets that form clouds 

  • Become large enough 

  • Droplets fall to the earth 

  • Informs of 

    • Rain 

    • Sleet

    • Snow

    Percolation 

  • When water returns to earth some is absorbed by plants through their roots 

  • Other seeps into the soil to become groundwater

    Runoff

  • Surface water found on land 

  • That eventually carries back to a lake or ocean 


Water cycle diagram 


Carbon cycle 

Carbon 

  • Is an essential element for all living things 

  • Is found in 

    • Living tissues 

    • Rocks

    • Atmosphere

    • Ocean

  • Less than 1 % is found on earth is in the carbon cycle 

Carbon dioxide 

  • Which is in the air is or dissolved in water is used by photosynthesizing 

    • Plants 

    • Algae 

    • Bacteria 

  •  As raw materials to build organic molecules such as glucose 

Ways (3) carbon can return to air or water 

Respiration 

  • All living organisms undergo cellular respiration

  • Use oxygen to break down food 

  • CO2 is a byproduct of the reaction (exhaled)

Erosion 

  • Marine organisms use it to make sheets 

    • calcium carbonate

  • When they die the calcium carbonate breaks down 

  • CO forms and returns to the atmosphere 

Combustion 

  • When carbon returns to the atmosphere through combustion or burning fossil fuels

  • Carbon is locked beneath the earth 

  • Dead organisms sediment may gradually transform by heat

  • And pressure into fossil fuels 

  • This process of fossil fuels releases CO2 

    • Creates greenhouse gases

Nitrogen cycle 

  • Makes up 78% of the atmosphere 

  • Most organisms are unable to use it in this form

  • Bacteria in the soil is very important 

    • Can use atmospheric nitrogen

    • Fix into compounds usable by other living things 

    • Organisms need nitrogen to build proteins and nucleic acids

Nitrogen fixation 

  • Bacteria combine nitrogen from the atmosphere with hydrogen 

    • To make ammonia (NH3) in the soil 

Ammonification 

  • Production of ammonia by bacteria during the decay of organic matter

Nitrification 

  • Production of nitrates and nitrites from ammonia (NO3)

  • Bacteria are responsible for nitrification 

  • Plants can use nitrites and nitrates to make proteins 

Assimilation 

  • Absorption of nitrogen into organic compounds by plants 

    • Absorbed through roots 

Denitrification 

  • Conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas 

    • Which is released back into the atmosphere

Phosphorus cycle 

  • Is necessary to build DNA molecules 

    • Also RNA

  • Not very common in the biosphere and does not enter the atmosphere 

  • Locked into the land or water 

  • Is found in rocks and minerals in the soil 

  • Rock gradually wear down phosphorus is released into soil or water 

  • When organisms die 

    • Decomposers in the soil or water break them down into raw elements 

    • Including phosphorus which can then be reused 

    • When plants absorb phosphate from soil 

      • Can be passed along from plants/producers to other trophic levels

Nutrient limitation 

  • The amount that is available directly affects the primary productivity of an ecosystem

  • Primary productivity 

    • The rate at which producers produce energy 

Limited nutrient 

  • Sometimes ecosystems are limited by a single nutrient that is very scarce or cycles slowly 

Fertilizers 

  • Are so popular 

  • They contain 3 important nutrients 

    • Nitrogen 

    • Phosphorus 

    • Potassium 

  • By using this farmers can ensure that there are enough nutrients

  • Their corps grow to their fullest potential


Earth’s sphere 

  • Any time matter can occupy one of the four spheres that make up the earth

    • Lithosphere - solid earth 

    • Atmosphere - gases (the air)

    • Hydrosphere - all water 

    • Biosphere - all life 

Biosphere 

  • The lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere are abiotic spheres 

  • Are found on other planets including earth 

  • Earth has fourth called the biosphere

  • No other planet in the solar system is known to have this 

  • The biosphere is the living surface of the earth 

  • Is not separate from abiotic spheres 

  • Many life forms are found 

  • Underground

  • Water 

  • Atmosphere 

Energy transfer in the biosphere

  • All living things in here need 

    • Space 

    • Water 

    • Nutrients 

  • To survive 

  • Nutrients are stored as energy 

  • Energy is continuously cycled by mean of the food chain 

  • A food chain shows how each living thing gets food 

  • How energy is transferred from one organism to another 

A diagram to show what it looks like

Food chains vs food webs

  • A food chain is a linear flow of energy through an ecosystem

  • A food web shows multiple food chains interconnected in an ecosystem 

  • Multiple energy paths 

  • Food chains and food webs represent the transfer of energy in a community 

Trophic levels 

  • In ecology, this level is a position that an organism occupies in a food chain 

  • Energy moves through food webs from one trophic level to the next 


First Trophic Level:  Producers 

  • organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis (plant, algae, cyanobacteria)

Second Trophic Level: Primary Consumers

  • animals cannot make their own food → they eat producers

  • called herbivores (plant-eaters)

Third Trophic Level: Secondary Consumers 

  • animals that eat primary consumers

  • called carnivores (meat-eaters) and omnivores (eat both animals and plants)

Fourth Trophic Level: Tertiary Consumers 

  • animals at the top level of the food chain

  • called top carnivores but can be omnivores as well


The end of the food chain 

Decomposers

  • Organisms that break down dead plants and animals

  • Puts nutrients back into the soil → energy for producers

  • Examples:  bacteria, fungi (mushrooms)

Detritivores

  • a type of decomposer

  • decomposers like bacteria and fungi don't eat their food, they break it down.

  • detritivores eat large amounts of decaying material and excrete nutrients.

  • Examples: millipedes, dung beetles, earthworms, slugs, snails


Grassland food web


biotic factors - GRASSLANDS




Toxins in food chains 

  • Each time an organism eats another organism, it gains that organism's energy and nutrients.  Unfortunately, it also gains any toxins that might be stored in that organism's cells.

Bioaccumulation 

  • the increase in the concentration of a toxin, such as a pesticide, in an individual organism.

Biomagnification- the increase in the concentration of a toxin in a food chain

  • toxins accumulate in living things at the top of the food chain when they eat infected organisms lower in the food chain.



Bioaccumulation vs Bioconcentration vs Biomagnification + ...





Ecological pyramids 

The sun and ecosystems 

  • The fuel for an ecosystem is energy from the sun.

  • Light energy is used by green plants in the process of photosynthesis to make chemical energy.

  • Chemical energy is passed up the trophic levels in a food chain. 


Energy transfer in food chains 

  • The greatest amount of energy is found at the 1st trophic level. They are the first organisms to use the energy of the sun.

  • As one organism eats another, some energy is used for survival and some energy is lost as heat to the environment.

  • Energy Flows In as Sunlight and Out as Heat

Ecological pyramids 

  • An ecological pyramid helps us visualize the transfer of energy between the trophic levels in a food chain.

  • There are 3 major types of ecological pyramids:

Pyramids of numbers 

  • A pyramid of numbers shows the relative number of organisms at each stage of a food chain


Pyramids of numbers 

  • A pyramid of numbers can have various shapes. The width of each block should represent the number of organisms.


Pyramid of biomass 

  • A pyramid of biomass shows the total mass of organisms at each stage of a food chain.


Pyramid of energy 

  • This pyramid compares the amount of energy trapped at each stage of the food chain.


Pyramid of energy - 10%

  • As one organism eats another, 10% of energy passes from one trophic level to the next up the food chain. 

  • Since there is less energy moving up the food chain, the population size of organisms at higher trophic levels decreases.


Ecological Pyramid Picture



Interactions in ecosystems

  • Biotic factors in an ecosystem include all living things 

  • And the interactions among those living things 

  • Interactions define the ecological niche of species 

    • What it feeds on 

    • What it eats 

    • How it behaves 

  • Examples of interactions among living things 

    • Symbiosis 

    • Predation

    • Competition 

Interactions - symbiosis 

  • Is the interaction between two different organisms living in a close physical relationship

  • Example - sea anemones and hermit crabs 

    • Sea anemones hitchhike on the back of hermit crabs

    • Scoring a ride across the seabed and extending their tentacles to est the crab’s leftovers 

    • In return, the anemones fend off hungry octopuses 

    • The other predators use their barbed tentacles 

Types of symbiosis 

Mutualism

  • A relationship where both species benefit from the interaction

  • Example - sea anemones and hermit crabs, 

  • Insects and flowers (pollination)

Parasitism 

  • A relationship where one species benefits(the parasite)

  • The other is harmed (the host) by the interaction 

  • For example - mosquitos (the parasite) sucks the blood of humans (the host)

Commensalism 

  • A relationship where one species benefits

  • The other is unaffected (no benefit or harm) by the interaction

  • Example- egrets (benefits) and the cattle (unaffected)

  • Remora (benefits) and sharks (unaffected) 

Interactions 

Predation 

  • Occurs when one organism consumes another organism for food 

  • The organism eaten is called prey

  • Organism consuming prey is called predator 

Carnivorous plants - venus fly trap 

  • Affects insects with its flowerlike reddish colour and ripe fruity smell 

  • Insects seek the nectar 

    • It will inevitably touch the highly sensitive hairs on the leaves causing the trap to snap shut at lightning speed 

Competition 

  • Occurs when two or more organisms complete for the same resource such as 

    • Food 

    • Water

    • Mates

    • Shelter

  • Example - sarcastic fringehead 

    • Lives in a small area on the ocean floor where resources for food and space are scarce

    • When an intruder invades that space, 

    • the fringehead attacks fearlessly and aggressively

symbiosis

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Energy flow in ecosystems

  • 2 processes that drive energy flow in ecosystems

    • Photosynthesis

      • Converts light energy into chemical energy and stores it as food

    • Cellular respiration 

      • Release stored chemical energy as food

      • The reverse process of photosynthesis


Photosynthesis 

  • Occurs in green plants

    • Algae 

    • Some bacteria 

  • Green plants have an organelle called a chloroplast

    • It contains chlorophyll which traps light energy from the sun 

  • Carbon dioxide enters in through small openings called stomata 

  • Carbon dioxide, water and light react to make a sugar called glucose 

  • Some glucose is used to feed that plant and some are stored for later use 

  • During chemical reaction, oxygen is released into the air through stomata 






Photosynthesis equations 

Photosynthesis – Definition, Steps, and Formula with Diagram

Cellular respiration 

  • Occurs in all organisms 

  • Cells break down stored energy (glucose) and release useable forms of energy for body movement 

    • Body heat 

    • Reproduction 

    • Etc. 

  • Chemical reactions occur in the mitochondria of cells 

  • Stored sugar is converted into carbon dioxide 

    • Water 

    • Chemical energy (ATP)

    • Carbon dioxide is put back into the atmosphere to be used again 

Photosynthesis vs Respiration


  • Products (ending materials) of one process are the reactants (starting materials) of the other 

Photosynthesis Vs. Cellular Respiration


Population Limits 

Population and habitats 

Population 

  • All individuals of one species that are in a specific area at a certain time

Habitat 

  • In an environment in which a population lives and gets its need met 

    • Food

    • Shelter

    • Reproduction

    • Etc.

What influences population size?

Abiotic factors 

  • Influence where species can live

  • Are determined by 

    • Temp.

    • Soil

    • Light

    • Salinity 

    • Etc

Biotic factors 

  • Influence a species success 

  • Are determined by competition for resources

    • Food

    • Water

    • Mates

Intraspecific 

  • With members of their own species 

Interspecific 

  • Also with other species 


Competition in populations 

  • Is the demand for resources 

    • Food 

    • Mates 

    • Water 

    • Etc

Intraspecific is competition for mates in different species 

Interspecific is competition for food in the same species 


Limiting factors 

  • Population can’t keep growing forever

  • Once the population is too big for its environment 

    • The limiting factors regulate its size 

Examples 

  • Food and water supply 

  • Mates

  • Predation/competition 

  • Disease 

  • Sunlight

  • Space (to live and hide)

  • Temperature 

  • Natural disasters 

Population density 

  • Is to measure the number of organisms that make p populations in a defined area 

Density-dependent factors 

  • Population becomes too large for its environment 

    • High density 

  • Certain factors will reduce the numbers to bring it back to carrying capacity

  • Examples- predation,  competition, disease, etc

Density-independent factors 

  • Factors that limit population size regardless of the density 

  • Affects all populations in a similar way 

  • Examples- the destruction of habitat, forest fires, droughts, etc


5.2 Vocab - Limits to Population Growth Flashcards | Quizlet


Top downregulation 

Top-down limiting factors 

  • Interactions between top predators and their prey influence population sizes at lower trophic levels 

Increase in top predators

  • Population decreases in lower levels

Decrease in top predators

  • The population varies in lower levels 


top down








Bottom-up regulations 

Bottom-up limiting factors 

  • Limits the availability of resources to lower trophic levels (producers)

  • Lack of resources at the bottom of the food chain decreases population in all the higher trophic levels 

bottom up


Population growth 

Exponential growth 

  • No limiting factors 

  • J shaped graph

Logistic growth

  • Limiting factors are in place 

  • S-shaped graph 



Carrying capacity 

  • Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity for a population 

Definition 

  • The maximum number of organisms an environment can support

Exponential 

  • When resources are readily available population grow rapidly 

  • Once resources become limited 

  • The growth rate slows down and reaches a maximum populations size for the environment 











Northern fur seal

  • In the 1800s, the fur trade led to a drastic reduction in the northern fur seal population.  

  • This decline prompted the first international treaty to conserve wildlife

  • The fur seal population underwent exponential growth following protection

    • but eventually levelled out at the ecosystem’s carrying capacity


Equilibrium 

  • When the population is maintained at its carrying capacity 

  • The population size is at equilibrium (balance) - logistic growth 



Population Ecology






Predator-prey relationships 

Predation

  • is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey

  • Because the predator relies on the prey as a food source, their population levels are dependent on each other

  • If the prey population drops, predator numbers will decrease due to competition

  • If the prey population rises, predator numbers will increase due to an over-abundance of a food source


Free Prey Cliparts, Download Free Clip Art, Free Clip Art on ...



Arctic fox VS snowshoe hare 


predator-prey


Species at risk 

Species at risk 

Biodiversity 

  • The variety of life on earth 

  • The greatest threat to biodiversity species becoming extinct

Extinct species 

  • is one that has died out 

  • No longer exists anywhere on earth 

Extinction can result from 

  • Natural disasters 

  • Overhunting 

  • Habitat loss

  • Climate changes 

  • Poor reproductivity 

Sea mink 

  • Lived around rocky coasts of New England 

  • Also southernmost Maritime Provinces 

  • Until hunted to extinction in the late 19th or 20th century 

Risk categories 

  • Committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)

    • Monitors the status of species  

    • Uses data on extinction species to separate species at risk into four categories

      • Extirpated 

      • Endangered 

      • Threatened 

      • Special concern 

Extirpated 

  • Species that no longer exists in a specific area but does appear elsewhere

  • Example

    • Paddlefish extirpated in Canada 

    • Grizzly bears extirpated in the prairie provinces 

Endangered 

  • Species in immediate danger of becoming extirpated or extinct 

  •  Example

    • Caribou

    • North Atlantic right whale 

Threatened 

  • Species likely to become endangered if no action is taken 

  • Examples 

    • Barn owl

    • Eastern hognose snake 

Special concern 

  • Species that may become threatened or endangered because of various factors 

  • Examples 

    • Polar bear 

    • Great blue heron 

Invasive species 

  • The intro to non-native species to ecosystems by humans is a major cause of species loss 

  • Most native species die out because they can’t tolerate an entirely new environment 

  • Some species survive because there are few predators or diseases to limit their growth 

An invasive species 

  • Is non-native species that have a negative impact on the natural environment 

  • Can be accidentally or purposefully introduced 

  • Competes with native species for resources 


Niche 

a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment