ECOLOGY ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS ORGANISMS ARE ORGANIZED 1. Organism Human being 2. Population Family 3. Community Town 4. Ecosystem People and buildings 5. Biome State of NH/US 6. Biosphere World/Planet THE BIG PICTURE: BIOSPHERE The soil, air, and surface where living things can grow BIOMES Geographic areas with similar soil and climates Have similar species adaptations Common plants and animals characteristic of those climates BIOME TYPES 1. Forests 2. Tropical Rain Forests 3. Deciduous and Scrub Forests 4. Temperate Deciduous 5. Temperate Coniferous 6. Boreal Forest BIOME TYPES 7. Savanna 8. Temperate Grassland 9. Tundra 10. Desert 11. Chaparral BIOME TYPES 12. Mountains 13. Ice Cap 14. Freshwater 15. Marine ECOSYSTEMS: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment (habitat) Include: Flora (plants & fungi) Fauna (animals) Lower life forms (protists & bacteria) Water & soil HABITATS An organism’s physical environment Large habitat Atlantic Ocean Forests Jungles Small habitat – “microhabitat” Rotting Log Large Intestine Riffle, Run, or Pool in a Stream BIOTIC FACTORS Living components of an ecosystem Competing trees Predators Viruses Bacteria Pathogens ABIOTIC FACTORS Non-living components in an ecosystem Sunlight Air Water Minerals INTERACTIONS WITHIN A COMMUNITY A community works like a team – each member has its own job to do but they are all connected. Interactions are driven by the need to obtain energy (eat!) Ex: In a forest community there are grasses, rabbits and foxes. Rabbits eat the grass. Foxes eat the rabbits. FOOD CHAINS FOOD WEBS Much more complex Represent actuality HOMEOSTASIS Homeo = Same, Stasis = State of activity A “steady state” that an ecosystem maintains before a disruption HOMEOSTASIS DISRUPTION Fire Tornado Volcano Hurricanes Humans Tsunami Invasive Species CARRYING CAPACITY Any given environment can only support so many organisms If a population reaches its max, organisms will: Die Move Adapt NICHES The role an organism plays in an ecosystem Two organisms CANNOT occupy the same niche If they did, they would compete for resources Die Move Adapt.