This document provides an overview of ecology and interactions between organisms and their environment. It begins by defining key terms like ecosystem, abiotic and biotic factors, and pH. It then discusses food webs and energy transfer between trophic levels. Population growth and limiting factors are explained using graphs. Examples of symbiotic relationships and the carbon cycle are provided. Finally, human impacts like overpopulation and pollution are discussed.

1. EcologyInteractions Between Organisms and their EnvironmentsMr. BroderickNC SCOS Goal 5

2. Lesson #1: Living and non-living parts of an EcosystemObjectivesIdentify abiotic and biotic factors in a given description of an ecosystem interactionGenerate an example relationship using abiotic and biotic factorsDetermine if a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral given its pHSet-up an experiment to test the effect of pH on the sprouting of a lima beanDevelop hypothesis, procedure

3. Key Vocabulary to DefineEcosystemAbioticBioticpHAcidicBasicNeutral

4. The organization of our world!The earth is a biosphereEcosystems are the living and nonliving things in an areaPopulations are a group of one type of organism living in an area

5. Hierarchy of BiologyEcosystemsCommunitiesPopulationsOrganismsOrgan systemsOrgansTissuesCellsOrganellesMolecules

6. What is ecology?Ecology: The study of the relationship between organisms and their environmentExample problems that ecology handles: How do humans affect the atmosphere and contribute to global warming? How does the population of wolves in an area affect the population of rabbits?Do clownfish (Nemo!) and anemone benefit each other?

7. Why does ecology matter?Ecology: The study of the relationship between organisms and their environmentScenario: Imagine that there is an insect that lives on peanut plants growing on farms in Northampton County. Is there a way that we can limit insect damage to the peanut crops in order to decrease the price of peanuts at the store by 20 cents per pound?

8. How do we study environments?Quadrant Studies: Tracking changes in a small section of the environment

9. How do we study environments?Sampling: Only measuring a small, random part of an environment

10. EcosystemsEcosystem: An area containing an interaction of living and non-living factors in an area/regionExample ecosystems: North Carolina forests (pine forests)Coastal Plains of NCOuter banks coastal water ecosystemLake Gaston ecosystem

20. What is in an Ecosystem?Abiotic Factors: The non-living parts of an ecosystemRocks, soil, temperature, gases in the air, lightBiotic Factors: The living parts of an ecosystemPlants, animals, bacteria, fungusProducers: use light to make their own energyConsumers: eat other organisms to obtain energyDecomposers: break down dead organisms for energy

21. Word Parts!Placing an “a” before a word makes it an opposite or notAbiotic (not biotic; not living)Atypical (not typical)Anonymous (no name)

22. AbioticBioticHumansBacteriaFungusPlantsInsectsAmphibiansReptilesMammalsBirdsWaterSoilWind or AirGases oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogenTemperatureSunlightpHAcid or base

23. Abiotic or Biotic?Biotic (plant)Abiotic (rainwater)

24. Abiotic or Biotic?The air temperature is 45 degrees F = The soil is made of rocks and minerals =A bird lays eggs =Bacteria break down dead organisms = The pH or the water is 2 (acidic) =abioticabioticbioticbioticabiotic

25. Abiotic or Biotic?BioticBioticBioticAbiotic

26. Which of the following is a relationship between abiotic and biotic factors?A) The rain on an open field washes away soilB) A hawk hunts a mouse and swoops down into the forest for the killC) A lake has very acidic water which causes many fish populations to dieD) A deer grazes in a field of grassesAbioticBiotic

27. Independent WorkRead your scenario cardIdentify the abiotic and biotic factors in the scenarioNow, find others with your letter and check your work.

28. Mini-Lesson: pHpH: the measurement of how acidic, basic, or neutral a solution is1 ------------ 4 ----------- 7 ------------ 11 ------------- 14Weakly AcidicWeakly BasicNeutralStrong Base(very basic)Strong Acid(very acidic)

29. Guided ExamplesVinegarpH of 4Baking SodapH of 8-9Tap waterpH of about 71 M HCl (hydrochloric acid)pH of about 11M NaOHpH of about 14AcidicBasicNeutralAcidicBasic

30. Guided ExamplesWhich is more acidic?pH of 2pH of 5pH of 7pH of 11Which is more basic?pH of 2pH of 5pH of 7pH of 11

31. A scientist performs an experiment to see if acids have an effect on the health of a particular type of plant. Three sets of plants were treated with acidic solutions of known pH while the control set was treated with a solution of neutral pH 7. What is the best conclusion for this experiment?Acid has no effect on the health of this type of plantHigh acidity is helpful to this type of plantLow acidity is harmful to this type of plantHigh acidity is harmful to this type of plant

32. Energy Transfer in an EcosystemNCSCOS 5.02b

33. Food ChainsA food chain shows the flow of energy between the organisms in an environment

34. Food ChainsNotice that the arrow points from the organism being eatento the organism that eats it.Like the burger you eat goes into you Plants  Cow (burger)  Human

35. What do the arrows in the food chain below indicate?SunlightEnergy flowHeat transferToxins

36. What is energy?The energy that is transferred in an ecosystem is stored in carbon-compounds, or organic compounds.Organic compounds: molecules that contain a carbon atomCarbohydrates: glucose, starch, cellulose (mostly plants)Proteins: the muscles of animals (steak!)Fats: in muscle of animal tissues (fatty steak!)

37. Food WebsWhen we put many food chains together in one ecosystem, it is called a food web

38. Food WebsFood webs show the direction that energy flows in an ecosystem.

39. Energy Moves in a Food WebOther animals get energy from the fat and protein in other animalsSome animals get glucose from plantsPlants make glucose from light

40. Parts of a Food WebProducers: organisms that use light to store energy in organic compounds. (examples: plants, algae, phytoplankton)

41. Parts of a Food WebWhere are the producers in the food web below?

42. Parts of a Food WebConsumers: organisms that eat other organisms to get organic compounds that they use for energy (examples: humans, cows, insects, birds…)

43. Parts of a Food WebWhere are the consumers in the food web below?

44. Parts of a Food WebTertiary consumers: organisms that eat secondary consumers for energySecondary consumers: organisms that eat primary consumers for energyPrimary consumers: organisms that eat producers to obtain energy compounds

45. Tertiary ConsumerSecondary ConsumerPrimary ConsumerProducer

46. How is energy stored and transferred in an ecosystem?In lightIn oxygen and carbon dioxideIn carbon compounds like glucoseIn the process of decomposition

47. Which of the following organisms is a primary consumer in the ecosystem shown?HawkRabbitMountain lionFrog

48. Population Impacts in a Food WebIf the population of organisms at any level of the food web changes, it will affect the population at other levels

49. Population Impacts in a Food WebIf the population of producers decreases, then the population of primary consumers will decrease if they don’t have enough food.

50. Population Impacts in a Food WebIf the population of primary consumers decreases, then…The producers will increase because there are less consumers eating themThe secondary consumers will decrease because there is less food for them

51. Which organism would be most affected if the cricket population decreased?SnakeDeerFrogHawk

52. Energy PyramidsEnergy Pyramids show the amount of energy at each level of a food webTrophic Level: the total amount of energy in all organisms at one level in the food web.

53. Energy PyramidsMore energy at the bottom, decreases as the pyramid moves up the food webLess EnergyMore Energy

54. Energy Pyramid LabelsTertiary ConsumersSecondary ConsumersPrimary ConsumersProducers

55. Energy Transfer in Energy PyramidsEach trophic level of the energy pyramid supplies energy to the level above it.Each transfer loses 90% of the energyOnly 10% of the energy at a level is passed to the next level up!

56. Energy Transfer (percents)0.1%1%10%100%

57. Energy Transfer (calories)1 calorie10 calories100 calories1,000 calories

58. Energy Transfer in Energy PyramidsWe can say that the energy transfer from level to level is inefficient(not a lot of the energy at each level makes it up)This means that there can’t be many levels ina food web or pyramidThe amount of energy decreases, and it cannot typically support organisms at higher levels than tertiary consumer

59. Why are there a limited number of energy levels in an energy pyramid or food web?Energy transfer is very efficientEnergy is captured as heatEnergy transfer is inefficientEnergy is not transferred in a food web

60. Energy Transfer and FlowNCSCOS 5.02a, 2.05bc

61. How does energy enter the food web?

62. Better question… where does the weight of a producer come from?How does this... become this?

64. PhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis: a toxin process that occurs in producersand converts light, carbon dioxide, and water into glucose (sugar) and oxygen.

65. GlucoseOxygenSunlightCarbon DioxideWater

66. More PhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the air.The carbon dioxide in the air is the building block for glucose.The light energy helps bond CO2and H2O together to make glucose.

67. The energy in light is now stored in the glucose molecule

68. Starch Fat(nuts)GlucoseO2Light CO2 H2O

69. How do consumers get energy?Digestionof organic moleculesConsumers eat other organisms to obtain organic molecules, which are forms of stored energy.Energy is stored in the bonds of the molecules.

70. The Carbon CycleNCSCOS 5.02a

71. Carbon CycleCarbon is found throughout the environmentCarbon is found in the atmosphere and in water as carbon dioxide (CO2)Carbon is found in organisms as organic molecules, like glucose (sugars) and fatsCarbon is found buried in the ground as fossil fuels

72. Carbon CycleCarbon is cycled, or movesAtmosphere: Carbon is in the form of CO2

73. CO2

74. Carbon Cycle2) Producers: Use photosynthesis to make sugars from CO2 in the atmosphere (carbon is moved!)

75. C6H12O6

76. Carbon Cycle3) Consumers: Eat organic molecules and release CO2 into the atmosphere during respiration, or die and go into the soil

77. CO2

79. Carbon Cycle4) Soil: decomposers break down organisms, releasing carbon into the atmosphere OR trapping it in the ground (fossils)

81. Carbon Cycle5) Fossil Fuels: carbon from some dead organisms are trapped as fossil fuel until we burn it

83. Carbon Cycle StationsStart at one of the stationsMake your way to each different station based on a correct path through the carbon cycleIf you can go to two different places, choose between them and then go backWrite all answers on your sheet!After you are done, explain to your partner the “story” of the carbon cycle, and have them explain back to you!

84. Greenhouse Effect and Global WarmingGreenhouse EffectHeat is trapped near the Earth’s surface because once light gets in, it warms the surface but cannot escape out of the atmosphere.It is trapped by the gases in the atmosphere, like CO2

87. Global WarmingGlobal WarmingThe Earth has been warming on average.Could be due to increased CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, which enhances the greenhouse effect and traps extra heat.

88. Global WarmingExcess CO2 Enhanced  Global Warming Greenhouse Effect

90. Relationships in an EcosystemNCSCOS 5.01

91. SymbiosisSymbiosis: a long-term relationship between two organisms in an ecosystem.

92. Types of SymbiosisMutualism: both organisms benefit from their relationshipCommensalism: one organism benefits, and the other is unaffectedParasitism: one organisms benefits, and the other is harmed

93. Symbiosis Summary

94. Name That SymbiosisLeeches feed off of the lamprey below, and eventually cause it to die.

95. Name That SymbiosisA clown fish lives among the sea anemone. The clown fish gains protection, but the anemone is neither harmed nor helped.

96. Name That SymbiosisOx-peckers live on the heads of the ox, eating insects and keeping the ox clean. The birds also get a place to live.

97. Example: The Malaria ParasiteSpecies: Plasmodium VivaxOrganism: ProtistDisease: Malaria, which is prevalent in Africa

99. Plasmodium Vivax is a one-celled organism that is transmitted to humans through the bite of the female AnophelesmosquitoIt enters livercells and begins to reproduceThe reproductive cells infect blood cells.Which causes them to lyse or burst.The reproductive cells can be picked up by another mosquito, where they reproduce (G) and are transmitted to another human (H)

100. Population Growth and OverpopulationNCSCOS 5.03

101. PopulationsPopulation: the number of organism from one species that live in a specific areaExamples: the human population in different cities, the squirrel population in a forest, the grass population in a meadow

102. PopulationsPopulations are affected by many resources. These include:The amount of food available in an areaThe amount of sunlight (if it is a plant population)The amount of waterThe competition for food/shelterThe predators in an area

103. Population Growth GraphsBirth Rate > Death RateA: Slow growth as a population begins to grow

104. Population Growth GraphsBirth Rate > Death RateB: Exponential growth as population grows rapidly

105. Population Growth GraphsBirth Rate > Death RateC: Slow-down of growth as population maxes out its resources, like food, water, or light

106. Population Growth GraphsBirth Rate = Death RateD: Population reaches the maximum number supported by environment, the carrying capacity

107. Carrying CapacityCarrying Capacity: the maximum number of organisms in a population that are supported by the environmentPopulation Growth GraphsReaching Limit of ResourcesCarrying CapacityExponential Growth, no limiting resources

108. Carrying CapacityPopulations are typically limited by resourcesThey reach carrying capacity when there aren't enough resources to keep growing. Birth Rate = Death Rate.Logistic Growth!

109. Unlimited GrowthIf there are no limiting resources, populations grow exponentially. Birth Rate > Death Rate

110. DeclineIf population birth rate < death rate, the population will go down!

111. Which of the following graphs shows a population that is free of limiting factors?

112. Which of the following graphs shows a population that has reached carrying capacity?

113. How would a scientists determine the growth rate of a population?Birth Rate + Death RateBirth Rate – Death RateBirth Rate x Death RateBirth Rate / Death RateClick To Go Back and Analyze The GraphsIn Terms of Birth And Death Rates (with the class)

114. What statement best describes the population shown in the graph below?Birth rate = Death rateBirth rate < Death rateBirth rate > Death rateBirth rate = 0

115. What statement best describes the population shown in the graph below at time “t”?Birth rate = Death rateBirth rate < Death rateBirth rate > Death rateBirth rate = 0

117. Predator vs PreyPredator and Prey populations can affect one anotherAs prey increases, predator will increase in responseAs predators increase, prey will decreaseAs prey decrease, predators will decrease

118. POPULATION TASK

119. POPULATION TASKDeer control is a major issue in North CarolinaWe are going to work as small groups to figure out the problems concerning deer managementWe will also brainstorm solutions to the problem.

121. POPULATION TASKWhat are the effects of an overpopulation of deer? Why is it a problem?What are some natural ways to control the deer populationWhat are some ways that humans can help control the deer population?

122. Human Population and ImpactNC SCOS 5.03

123. ObjectivesWe can analyze the growth patterns of the human populationWe can explain the impacts of deforestation, pollution, and resource overuse on the environmentWe can inform the public about the dangers of human impacts and how to avoid resource overuse

124. Human PopulationHuman population is currently about 6.8 billionHuman population growth has been exponential

126. Population Pyramid GraphsDeveloping countries tend to have high growth rates, whereas developed countries tend to have stable growth.Population age distributionLarger at the bottom = more future growthEqual at each age = stable growth or even decline

127. Population age distributionLarger at the bottom = more future growthEqual at each age = stable growth or even decline

129. Overpopulation: The BadThe problems with overpopulation include abuse of resources:DeforestationFossil Fuel OveruseFreshwater OverusePollutionLack of adequate foodNon-native species

130. DeforestationCutting down forests leads to a loss of biodiversity: not as many different species in an areaCan affect local food webs, other species, and even medicine!

133. Fossil Fuel Overuse

134. Freshwater OverusePoor water quality, not enough freshwater in areas of need Polluted runoff from factories

136. PollutionAcid rain:Sulfurand nitrogen gases released from factories into the air Sulfur dioxide: SO2Falls in rain drops, slowly impacts pH of water, soil, etc.

138. PollutionOzone Layer DestructionCFCs:chlorofluorocarbons – released into the air through old refrigerator and spray cans, destroy ozone layer.Low ozone leadstohigh UV radiationUV radiation: can cause skin cancer through mutation

140. Why you should wear sunblock!

141. FoodLack of food sourcesMost important in poor, developing countries

142. Introducing Non-native speciesPutting species into new ecosystems that aren’t supposed to be thereThe introduced species generally outcompete, or do better, than the native species. Example: pythons in the everglades.

145. What Can We Do?Use renewable resources for energyWater, wind, solar, and geothermal energy

146. What Can We Do?Reduce carbon dioxide emissionsReduce water wasteInvestigate factories and their pollution levelsIncrease public awareness of the issues

147. What Can We Do?Promote sustainable practicesUsing renewable energy, rotating crops, avoiding pesticides and toxins, making sure we keep fishing populations high, conserve resources

148. BioaccumulationNC SCOS 5.03, 5.02b

149. Quick VocabularyAutotroph: makes its own energy, a producerHeterotroph: gets its energy from somewhere else, a consumer

151. Quick VocabularyAccumulate: to gain over time

152. BioaccumulationBioaccumulation: the buildup of toxins in top consumers after eating many smaller organisms in a food web Also called biomagnification or bioamplification

153. BioaccumulationImagine that a toxin, a pesticide, was sprayed on the grass in the food web below. It cannot be released by the plant and is always stored.

154. http://www.ruralni.gov.uk/print/index/publications/press_articles/beef_and_sheep/archive-10/grass-attack.htm

155. BioacummulationEach level of organisms above the grass in the food web will accumulate more and more of the toxin because they eat so much of the level below themFor example, the mouse eats a large amount of grass, and stores all of the toxins in its body. Then the snake eats many mice, storing all of their toxins. Finally the hawk eats many snakes and stores all of their toxins in its body

156. BioaccumulationEats 10 snakes= 1gEats 100 mice = .1gEats 1,000 grasses = .001g1 grass has 0.000001g

157. BioaccumulationHighest toxin levelsEven more toxinMore toxin, concentratedLots of toxin, spread out

158. Why is biomagnification a problem?What do you think?Depends on the type of toxinIf the toxin is toxic, it might cause problems with the functions of an organismImpairs reproductionKills off members of a speciesPrevents organisms from reproducing

159. What happens to the food web?What do you think?Decreased top consumers means more low level consumersMore low level consumers means increased amounts of the toxic toxin!The top level consumers don’t stand a chance!Are we top level consumers? Can this happen to us?