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EcologyNotes Pt. 1: Biomes and Succession
Ecology & Biodiversity
� Ecology: is the study of the relationships between living organisms.
� Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
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Review
� Populations: Groups of the same species
� Communities: All of the living things interacting in a specific region
� Biomes: The living things interacting with the non-living environment
Biotic vs. Abiotic
Biotic
� Living� Plants� Animals� Bacteria
Abiotic
� Non-living� Water� Oxygen� Temperature
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Energy Flow
� Nutrients cycle but energy does not. It is lost from the community as heat.� Food Chains: Single chain of events that passes energy
from the sun through a community� Example:
� Sun à Algae à Gizzard Shad à Walleye� Food Web: Many interacting food chains
� Example:
Energy Flow
� Cast Members: Energy related roles within the community� Producers: Convert abiotic
energy into biotic energy; uses sun or chemicals from the earth to produce glucose� Photosynthesis: Uses light
energy to convert CO2 and H2O to glucose
� Chemosynthesis: Uses chemicals from the deep sea vents.
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Energy Flow
� Cast Members� Primary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy
from producers� Example: Cows eat grass
Energy Flow
� Cast Members� Secondary Consumer: Organisms that get their energy
from primary consumers� Example: Robin eats a worm
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Energy Flow
� Cast Members� Tertiary Consumer:
Organisms that get their energy from secondary consumers� Example: Hawk that eats
the snake that ate the mouse that ate some grass
Energy Flow
� Cast Members� Scavenger: Organisms that get their energy from dead
organisms� Example: Turkey Vulture
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Energy Flow
� Cast Members� Decomposers: Organisms that get their energy from
other living things; they return nutrients back to the system� Example: mushrooms, bacteria, worms
Energy Flow
� Energy Pyramids: Not a food pyramid. Shows how much energy is passed from level to level.
Producer
Primary Consumer
SecondaryConsumer
Tertiary Consumer 90% energy
lost
90% energy lost
90% energy lost
10% energy passed on
10% energy passed on
10% energy passed on
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90% energy lost
90% energy lost
90% energy lost
10% energy passed on
10% energy passed on
10% energy passed on
Energy Flow
� Example: Producers have 100 units of energy.
100
10
1
0.10
Energy Flow
� Energy is lost as heat as you go up the pyramid.
� Why is there not a 4th level of consumer?� Because there is not enough energy to pass on.
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Succession
� Two types of succession� Primary Succession� Secondary Succession
� Succession creates biodiversity within an ecosystem
Primary Succession
� Begins on rock formations – volcanoes or mountains. Usually in a place with no organisms or soil.
� Pioneer species : lichen, algae & fungi and other abiotic factors like wind and water will start to normalize the habitat.
� This creates a condition for optimum plant growth.
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Primary Succession
Secondary Succession
� Starts from an event such as a forest fire, harvesting or hurricane (natural disasters).
� Reduces the already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species.
� Occurs on preexisting soil.� Primary succession occurs in a place
lacking soil.
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Secondary Succession
Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification
� Bioaccumulation:� Gradual build up of pollutants in living
organisms
� Biomagnification� Gradual build up of pollutants in a
food chain.