7-4 Ecology
by Cyndee Crawford
September 2014
PASS Challenge
•Which of the following is an example of an
ecosystem?
–A. soil
–B. pond
–C. Earth
–D. herd of deer
3:28
min
7-4.1 Ecosystem Video
Flip Book:
Flap 1: Organism
Flap 2: Populations
Flap 3: Communities
Flap 4: Ecosystems
5:58
min
7-4.1 Ecosystems
● The levels of organization of
the living world include the
individual organism,
populations, communities,
ecosystems, and biomes.
● Each level is defined by the
type and number of organisms
or the abiotic factors present.
7-4.1 Ecosystems: POPULATIONS
● Populations
○ All of the individuals of a given
species in a specific area or region
at a certain time
○ Members compete for food, water,
space, and mates
○ EX: All of the loblolly pines in SC
are a population.
7-4.1 Ecosystems: COMMUNITIES
● Communities
○
○
○
○
All the different populations in a specific area
or region at a certain time
EX: All of the crabs, seagulls, and sea grass at
the beach are part of the same community.
Communities involve many types of interactions
among the populations.
Some of these interactions involve the
obtaining and use of food, space, or other
environmental resources.
7-4.1 Ecosystems
● Ecosystems
○
One or more communities in an area and the
abiotic factors,
■ including water,
■ sunlight,
■ oxygen,
■ temperature,
■ and soil.
More Ecosystem Examples
7-4.1 Ecosystems: BIOMES
● Biomes
○
○
Individual ecosystems grouped together
according to the climate and predominate
vegetation
Characterized by adaptations of organisms to
that particular environment
7-4.1 Ecosystems: BIOMES
List the 6 main biomes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Rainforest
Desert
Taiga
Tundra
Grasslands
Deciduous Forest
Write 2-3 facts or examples
for each biome.
4:02
min
7-4.1 Ecosystems: CLIMATE
Explain what climate is and
what affects climate.
Bonus question: Why is it
more rainy in the
mountains?
5:50
min
Ecosystem Recap:
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Individual
Organism
7-4.1 Ecosystems: HABITAT & NICHE
● Habitat
○
The place where an organism lives in order to
obtain its food, water, shelter, and other things
needed for survival is called its habitat.
● Niche
○
○
The particular role of an organism in its
environment including
■ type of food it eats,
■ how it obtains its food, and
■ how it interacts with other organisms is
called its niche.
For example, the niche of a bee is to pollinate
flowers as it gathers nectar for its food.
7-4.2 AIMS Create a Food Chain
● Use your food chain cards to
create a food chain.
● Your card will tell you what it
eats and what eats it.
● You must start with a producer.
● You must end with something
that can’t be eaten or by a
decomposer.
● Write/Draw your food chain.
Mr. Parr “Food Chain” Song
Explain the
following:
● what the
arrows
represent
● how the
food chain
works
Food Chain Examples
Mr Parr “Plant Food” Song
Optional Game
Mr Parr “It Starts With
Producers” Song
Mr Parr “Decomposers” Song
Optional Game
7-4.2 Energy Flow
● Organisms have roles in their
environments.
○ Each role is determined by
■ how the organism obtains its
energy and
■ how they interact with other
organisms in the
environment.
○ These roles can be classified as
producer, consumer, or
7-4.2 Energy Flow: FOOD CHAIN
Food Chain
●
●
The trophic level of an organism indicates the
position that the organism occupies in the food
chain - what it eats and what eats it.
The levels are numbered according to how far the
particular organism is along the chain from
○ primary producer at Level 1, to
○ herbivores (Level 2), to
○ predators (Level 3), to
○ carnivores (Level 4), or
○ top carnivores (Level 5).
Mr Parr Energy Roles Song
Free BrainPop Video Link
7-4.2 Energy Flow: FOOD WEB
Food Web
●
●
describe the complex patterns of energy flow in an
ecosystem by modeling who consumes whom or
what
Arrows are used to connect food chains to make a
food web
7-4.2 Energy Flow: ENERGY PYRAMID
Energy Pyramid
This is where you will create an energy pyramid foldable
to glue in your ISN (Interactive Science Notebook).
BrainPop Energy Pyramid Video Link
7-4.2 Energy Flow: ENERGY PYRAMID
Energy Pyramid
●
●
●
Show the amount of energy that moves from one
trophic level to another in a food chain.
The most energy is available at the producer level
of the pyramid.
Energy available decreases as it moves up the
energy pyramid.
7-4.3 Natural Hazards
Factors That Can Change the
Environment:
●
●
●
Natural hazards
Changes in populations
Limiting factors
●
These can lead to competition for food, water,
space and/or shelter.
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Landslides
Landslides
●
●
Landslides are large areas of ground movement of
rock, earth or debris that fall, slide, or flow on
slopes due to gravity.
They can happen anywhere given the right
conditions of soil, moisture, and the angle of slope.
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Landslides
Landslides
●
●
●
Landslides can be caused by rains, floods,
earthquakes, and other causes.
Landslides can also be caused by excessive
development or clear-cutting for lumber.
Landslides can affect the environment by blocking
roads, damaging homes, destroying habitats, or
disrupting power lines.
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Wildfires
Wildfires
●
●
●
●
●
Fire is a natural event in most grassland and forest
ecosystems.
Fires can be beneficial to the ecosystem.
Fires are an essential component in the life cycle of
some trees.
Generally, fires are neither good nor bad.
They occur naturally through lightning strikes or by
human accidents or intentionally.
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Wildfires
Wildfires
●
Effects of wildfires include:
○ ability of some seeds to break open so they can
germinate
○ an increase in air pollution
○ habitat destruction
○ destroying homes or property
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Floods
Floods
●
●
A flood is an unusually high water state in which
water overflows its natural or artificial banks onto
normally dry land.
There are two basic types of floods:
○ In a regular river flood, water slowly climbs
over the edges of a river.
○ The more dangerous type of flood is a flash
flood.
■ In a flash flood, a wall of water quickly
sweeps over an area.
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Floods
Floods
●
Factors that contribute to flooding include:
○ heavy, intense rainfall
○ over-saturated soil (when the ground can’t hold
any more water)
○ high river, stream, or reservoir levels caused by
unusually large amounts of rain
○ urbanization, or lots of buildings and parking
lots
7-4.3 Natural Hazards: Floods
Floods
●
Effects of flooding on the environment:
○ damaging property
○ endangering humans and animals
○ causing soil erosion
○ deposition of sediment and nutrients and the
creation of fertile soil
BrainPop
Land Biomes
Video Link
7-4.3 Changes in Populations
Changes in Populations
●
●
●
Changes in the environment can occur due to
changes in populations.
Changes in populations can occur when new
members enter or current members leave.
This will affect the population density.
○ Population density - the number of organisms in
the given amount of space for a particular area
7-4.3 Changes in Populations:
Births and Deaths
Births and Deaths
●
●
●
●
New births are the main way that organisms are
added to a population.
birth rate - the number of births in a population
during a certain amount of time
Deaths are the main way that organisms leave a
population
death rate - the number of deaths in a population
during a certain amount of time
7-4.3 Changes in Populations:
Immigration and Emigration
Immigration and Emigration
●
●
●
The size of the population can change when
members move into or out of the population.
Immigration - when organisms move in from
another environment
Emigration - when part of the population leaves the
environment
7-4.3 Changes in Populations:
Limiting Factors
Limiting Factors
●
●
●
Changes in the environment can occur due to
limiting factors.
Limiting factors can affect the number of organisms
an environment can support.
carrying capacity - the maximum number of
organisms that can survive in a particular ecosystem
7-4.3 Changes in Populations:Climate
Climate
●
●
Climate - the temperature and amount of rainfall in
a particular environment
Changes in temperature and the amount of rainfall
from what is normal for that area can change an
environment, which will have an effect on the
populations in the area.
7-4.3 Changes in Populations:
Availability of Food, Water, Space, and Shelter
Availability of Food, Water, and Shelter
●
●
●
Organisms require a certain amount of food, water,
space, and shelter.
Limiting Factor - when the availability of the
amount of any of these resources in a given area is
less than what the various populations need
When plants and animals compete for these
resources, some will get them and some will not.
○ Those that get the resources survive.
○ Those that do not, will move to where the
resources are available or die.
Additional BrainPops
Mr. Parr Recap
Omnivore
Ecology
Biomes
Energy
Roles
Food
Chain
Ecosyst
ems
Decomp
osers
Producers
Plant
Food