Levels of Organization

Levels of Organization

What are the levels from smallest to largest?

Species: can breed and produce fertile

offspring
Population: same species in same area
Community: different populations in
same area
Ecosystem: all organisms in particular
place; includes nonliving surroundings
Biome: group of ecosystems with same
climate and similar communities
Biosphere: all portions of the planet

Ecologythe scientific study of interactions

between different organisms and
between organisms and their
environment or surroundings
2

Bioticliving factors that influence an

ecosystem

Abioticnon-living factors that

influence an ecosystem

Producers
A. Sunlight is the main energy source
for life on earth
B. Also called autotrophs
C. Use light or chemical
energy to make food
1. Plants
2. plant-like protists (algae)
3. Bacteria

D. Photosynthesisuse light energy to

convert carbon dioxide and water into
Light
oxygen and carbohydrates
Energy

(Remember: 6CO2 + 6H2O

6O2 + C6H12O6)

E. Chemosynthesisperformed by bacteria,
use chemical energy to produce

Consumers

A. Organisms that rely on other

organisms for their energy and
food supply
B. Also called heterotrophs

Herbivoresobtain
energy by
eating only
producers

Carnivoreseat only
consumers

Omnivoreseat both producers and

consumers

Decomposersbreaks down dead

organic matter

Feeding Interactions

A. Energy flows through an ecosystem in one

directionfrom the sun or inorganic
compounds to autotrophs (producers)
and then to heterotrophs (consumers)

10

B. Food Chainseries of steps in which

organisms transfer energy by eating and
being eaten

1. Arrows go in the direction of how energy

is transferred
2. Start with producer and end with top
consumer
Ex: grass
cricket
frog
or carnivore
raccoon

C. Food Webnetwork of food chains within

an ecosystem
11
Hawks

Weasel
s

Mice

Raccoo
ns

Grass

Gras
Which of the organisms above is the top consumer?
Hawks
s
Which of the organisms above is the producer?

D. Trophic Levelseach step in a food chain or

food web
1. Level 1Producers (autotrophs)

12

2. Level 2Primary Consumers (herbivores)

3. Level 3Secondary Consumers
(carnivores or omnivores)
4. Level 4Tertiary Consumers
(carnivoreusually top carnivore)

Food Webs

Hawks

13
Raccoon
s

Weasels
Mic
e

Grass

IV. Ecological Pyramids

14

A. Diagram that shows the relative amount of

energy or
organisms contained within each
trophic level of a food
chain or web

B. Energy Pyramid shows relative amount of energy15

available at each trophic level
1. Organisms in a trophic level use the available
energy for life processes (such as growth,
photosynthesis, cellular respiration,
metabolism,
etc.)and release some energy
as heat
Remember: Every chemical process that happens
in your body releases heat as a byproduct (ex:
burning calories).
2. Rule of 10only about 10% of the available
energy
within a trophic level is transferred to
the next
higher trophic level
C. Biomass Pyramidrepresents the amount of
living organic
matter at each trophic level

0.1%

1
%
10
%

100
%

Energy
Pyramid

Biomass
Pyramid

Energy and Biomass Pyramid

(together)
Represents amount of
energy available at
each level as well as
amount of living tissue
both decrease with
each increasing
trophic level

Heavy metals
Ex: mercury
Pesticides
Ex: DDT
(dichlorodipheny
ltrichloroethane)
Organochlorides:
Ex: PCBs

V. Ecological Interactions between

organisms
A. Competitionwhen two organisms of the
same or different species attempt to use an
ecological resource in the same place at the
same time.
Ex: food, water, shelter

Monkeys compete
with each other
and other animals
for food.

Rams compete
with each other
for mates.

Until Americans introduced gray squirrels into

parts of England in the early 20th century, red
squirrels had been the only species of squirrel
in the country. The gray squirrels were larger
and bred faster and successfully competed for
resources. Within a couple years of overlap in

B. Nichethe ecological niche involves both

the
habitat.

place where an organism lives and

the roles that an organism has in its

Example: The ecological niche of a sunflower

growing in the backyard includes absorbing
light, water and nutrients (for
photosynthesis), providing shelter and food
for other organisms (e.g. bees, ants, etc.),
and giving off oxygen into the atmosphere.

The ecological niche of an organism depends

not only on where it lives but also on what it
does. By analogy, it may be said that the
habitat is the organisms address, and the
niche is its profession, biologically speaking.
AddressSoil,
Worms
Niche

Ground, etc.

Profession Mix-up
soil

C. Predationone organism captures and

feeds on another organism
1. Predatorone that does the killing
2. Preyone that is the food

D. Symbiosisany relationship in which

two
species live closely together
1. Mutualismboth species benefit
(WIN-WIN)
a. Ex: insects and flowers
Can you think of any other examples that weve talked
about in class?

2. Commensalismone member of the

association benefits and
the other is neither
helped nor harmed.
(WIN-0)
Example: barnacles on a
whale

The Remora fish

attaches to the shark
and gets a free ride.

Commensalis
m
Birds build nests in
trees.

3. Parasitismone organisms lives on

or inside another organism (host) and
harms it.
The parasite obtains all or part of its
nutritional needs from the host. (WINLOSE)
Example: fleas on a dog

Wasp eggs on
back of caterpillar.

Parasitis
m
Sea lampreys
feed on fluids of
other fish.
Mosquito biting a
human.

Mutualism, Commensalism or
Parasitism??

Tropisms
Plants have adapted to survive in
their environments over time.
Some of the ways we call tropisms
Thigmotropism grow by touch (ex.
Vines)
Phototropism grow towards the light
(ex. A sunflower bending towards the
light)
Gravitropism growing down because
of gravity (ex. Root

 What happens to a garden or

field when plants are removed in
the fall and not replanted in the
spring?

SUCCESSION
Succession- the series of changes
that take place in a community;
either as initial growth or new
growth
Link

Primary succession- growth in a

lifeless area, soil not yet formed
Ex: new volcanic island/the land
under a retreating glacier
Lichen and mosses will grow first
and create small pockets of soil
from which small grasses can grow

Secondary Succession- the

regrowth of an existing community
after a disturbance that leaves the
soil intact

FIGURE 53.18X2 FOREST FIRE

FIGURE 53.18 PATCHINESS AND RECOVERY FOLLOWING A LARGE-SCALE DISTURBANCE

SUCCESSION IN A POND- EUTROPHICATION

Ecology Review

What is Ecology?
Ecology is the study of interactions
among organisms and between
organisms and their environment.
There are many levels of
organization ecologists study

Energy Flow
one direction
Energy flows in
Sun to producers (make own
food) to levels of consumers (get
food from other organisms)

Energy Flow
Producers: Autotrophs
Photosynthesis Vs. Chemosynthesis

Consumers: Heterotrophs
Herbivores - eats only plants
Carnivores eats only other animals
Omnivores eat both
Detritivores eat remains of
plants/animals
Decomposers break down dead
organisms

Feeding Relationships
Food chain:
series of steps
Food web: links
all food chains
together
Trophic level:
each step in a
chain or web

Ecological Pyramids
Energy Pyramid
Shows the relative amount of
energy available at each trophic
level. Most of the energy at the bottom - plants
Biomass Pyramid
Represents the amount of
living organic matter at each
trophic level. Typically, the
greatest biomass is at the
base of the pyramid.

Recycling in the Biosphere

Unlike the one-way flow of energy,
matter is recycled.
Matter moves through an ecosystem
in biogeochemical cycles.
Matter is recycled because systems
do not use up matter, they transform
it.

Nutrient Cycles
Every organism needs nutrients to
grow and function. Like water,
nutrients are also transferred in
cycles.
3 Nutrient Cycles:
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorus-mostly in rocks and soil
minerals

Carbon Cycle
CO2 in
Atmosphere

CO2 in Ocean

Nitrogen Cycle
N2 in Atmosphere

NH3

NO3and NO2-

Nitrogen Cycle
Bacteria that live in the soil and on
the roots of legume plants convert
nitrogen gas to ammonia through
nitrogen fixation.
When organisms die, their ammonia
can be converted back to nitrogen
gas through denitrification.

Human Impact
How do humans impact their
environment?

Some people say there

Populations
are too many of us and
the earth is
overcrowded, but.
nobody wants to leave.

Growth of populations
The growth rate of any population
depends on the birth rate and the
death rate.
If the birth rate > death rate, then
pop. will increase.
If birth rate < death rate, pop. will
decrease.
If birth rate = death rate, then pop.
stays the same.

J-Curve/Exponential Growth: shows

growth under ideal conditions

1.
2.
3.
4.

Unlimited
resources:
Plenty of food and
space
No disease
No predators
Favorable
temperatures
No such place exists; eventually resources will be limited

However, organisms under ideal conditions are

said to reach their biotic potential:

Biotic Potentialthe highest rate of

reproduction under
ideal conditions

S-Curve/Logistic Growth: a typical

population growth curve
The first stage shows little pop.
growth since there are few
organisms to reproduce.
A rapid increase follows due to
plentiful food and few
predators.
The population growth
eventually slows and stops.
Controlled by limiting
factors- circumstances
which keep organisms from
reaching their biotic
potential

Eventually the carrying capacity

of this population will be
reached

Carrying Capacity- the maximum number

of organisms an environment can support
The number of
organisms tends
to rise above and
below the
carrying
capacity
depending on
the limiting
factors that are
present. Why is
this beneficial?
http://carrier.pbworks.com/f/carrying%20capacity.gif

Limiting Factor Examples

Density-dependent

Densityindependent

(impact determined by
population size)
1. Food
2. Water
3. Space
4. Predation
5. Disease

(same effect
regardless of
population size)
1. Temperature
2. Natural Disaster
3. Disease

Changes in a Populations Size

Births and immigration add
individuals to a population.

Births

Immigration

Immigration The
movement of
individuals into a
population from
another population.
Births An increase
in births increases the
population size.

Population
size

Emigration

Deaths

Deaths and emigration remove

individuals from a population.

Emigration The
movement of
individuals out of a
population into
another population.
Death When
individuals die, the

Population Density

Population
Density is a
measurement of
the number of
individuals living in
a defined space.

Geographic Dispersion:
Population Dispersion is the way in
which individuals of a population are
spread in an area or a volume.
There are three types of population
dispersion:

1. Clumped Dispersion individuals may

live close together in groups in order to
facilitate mating, gain protection, or access
food resources.

Importan
t

2. Uniform (even) Dispersion Territoriality

and intraspecies competition for limited
resources lead to individuals living at specific
distances from one another.
3. Random Dispersion Individuals are

Geographic Dispersion

Population Dispersion
Patterns
1. This is a highly social
group of animals such
as baboons which must
live near a watering
hole and food source.
This is also the most
common distribution
found in nature.
A. Uniform (even)
dispersion
B. Random dispersion
C. Clumped dispersion

C. Clumped dispersion

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/populations-gr
owth-density-and-carrying-capacity.html

VIDEO ON CARRYING
CAPACITY AND DISPERSION
PATTERNS

What part would be MOST affected by

a Density Independent Limiting Factor

3
2

It is limiting
no matter the
size of the
population

Human Impact can take

several forms

Resource Use
Land abuse
Pollution
Loss of Biodiversity
Ozone Depletion
Greenhouse Effect
Global Warming

Resource Use
Whether a resource is
renewable" or nonrenewable"
is about how long nature takes
to renew it.
Renewable can be renewed by
nature, includes energy sources that
do not consume fuel
Renewable resources are NOT
unlimited, they can be abused
Plants, animals

Resource Use cont.

Nonrenewable Resources
cannot be replenished by nature
within our lifetimes - are limited in
supply
fossil fuels, metals, other minerals
Sustainable Use using natural
resources at a rate that does not
deplete them

Land Abuse
1. Soil Erosion
2. Desertification farming and
drought turn dry grasslands into
desert
3. Deforestation

Pollution
Acid Rain burning of fossil
fuels release N2
& S which
combine with
water vapor to
form nitric and
sulfuric acid
Acid Rain

Pollution Biological
Magnification

Biological Magnification
concentration of harmful substances
increase in organisms as chemical travel
in the food web

Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of living
things.
CAUSES of Loss:
Endangered species species that is
highly vulnerable to extinction
Habitat loss physical reduction in
suitable places to live

Ozone Depletion
layer of ozone (O3) is normally
present in Earths upper atmosphere
prevents much of UV light emitted
by sun from reaching Earths surface
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in polar
atmosphere, CFCs act as catalyst
that enable UV light to break apart
ozone materials

 What does the

Ozone Layer do?

Ozone absorbs 99%

of the harmful
ultraviolet (UV)
radiation.

Without the Ozone

Layer

Most of the harmful UV

radiation will penetrate
the atmosphere.

This can cause skin cancer and eye problems but DOES NOT cause Global Warming!

Greenhouse Effect
heat is retained by the layer of gases
(CO2, CH4, etc) forming the atmosphere.
This is a Natural Process!

Global Warming
Increase in average temperature of
biosphere
over past 120 years, global temp. has
risen .5o C
CAUSES human activities have caused
global warming by adding CO2 and other
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
RESULT atmospheric greenhouse gases
retain more heat and average temp rises.
Can cause sea level to rise and disrupt
weather patterns

Population Review
1. What factor listed below has NOT contributed to the
explosive human growth seen in the last 100 years?
A. Advancements in medicine.
B. Improved sanitation.
C. More available jobs.
D. Global Warming

2. Which factor listed below is NOT considered scientific

evidence for global warming?
A. Data from retreating glaciers
B. Average increase in global temp.
C. Increase in storm intensities.
D. Increased rate of extinction.

Population Review
3. How many people currently live on planet Earth?
A. 1 million
B. 1 billion
C. 7 billionC
D. 100 billion
4. What is the carrying capacity for humans on
planet Earth?
A. 1 million
B. 6 billion
C. 100 billion
D
D. unknown

Population Review
5. How are human populations NOT
likely to be impacted by global
warming?
A. Frequent intense
B storms
B. Rising power costs
C. Rising sea levels
D. Increased temperature

Population Review
6. Why do humans need more potent pesticides
over time?
A. Because the target population soon develops
a resistance to the chemical.
A
B. Because pesticide salesman need to make
more money.
C. Because plants begin to eat the pesticides.
D. Because the explosive growth of the human
population places increased demands on current
farmers.

Population Review
7. Where are pesticides found in the
environment?
A. In the soil only
B. In the water only
C. In the air only
D. Everywhere
D

Population Review
8. Which of the following activities
requires the most commercially
produced power?
A. Heating a new home.
B
B. Heating an old home.
C. Heating a car.
D. Building a fire.

Population Review
9. Which of the following is an
environmentally responsible water
consumption technique?
A. Washing your favorite outfit by itself in
the washing machine.
B
B. Watering your garden between 10 pm
and 10 am.
C. Leaving the hose running the entire
time you wash your car.
D. Taking 2 showers per day.

Population Review
10. How much power in the U.S. is
produced by fossil fuels?
A. Under 40%
B. About 50%
C. Over 60%
C
D. 100%