Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, put your name on it,
and turn it in when you are done. DO NOT talk to anyone!!!! (This is not a pop quiz)
1. Write a food chain representing three organisms and label what trophic level each would be in that food chain. 2. What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
3. Why are plants called producers?
4. The process of water entering the atmosphere from puddles or
lakes is called....
5. Using the Water Cycle describe how water would go from a river
back to a river. Oct 11­12:47 PM
Ecology Assessment Class Data
All Right
1/2 Wrong
All Wrong
#1 ­ F.Chain/TropLvls
5
8
6
#2 ­ FoodChainvsWeb
6
4
9
#3 ­ Plants = Producers
12
2
5
#4 ­ Water=Atmosphere
11
0
8
#5 ­ River to River
8
10
1
Questions
*Each question was out of 19 students
Questions
% of Wrong
#1 ­ F.Chain/TropLvls
73.7%
#2 ­ FoodChainvsWeb
68.4%
#3 ­ Plants = Producers
36.8%
#4 ­ Water=Atmosphere
42.1%
#5 ­ River to River
57.9%
Oct 11­3:44 PM
1
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
Ecosystem Dynamics
Basic Concepts and Relationships
Feb 8­3:30 PM
Energy and Matter
• An ecosystem is a community of living(biotic)
and non-living things(abiotic) working together
to support that environment.
• The two most important functions of the
ecosystem are:
1. The capture and use of energy.
2. The cycling of nutrients.
• These are done by three trophic levels:
1. Producers
2. Consumers (primary, secondary, etc)
3. Decomposers
Oct 12­10:23 AM
2
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
Food Chains
• Producers get their
energy from the sun.
• Producers build and
maintain cells through the
glucose they produce in
photosynthesis.
• Consumers build and
maintain cells through
eating glucose in
producers and other
consumers.
The role of the recycler of chemicals and
nutrients in an ecosystem belongs to the
decomposer.
Oct 12­10:26 AM
Food Webs
• Food Webs show how
one organism can be on
several trophic levels.
• Not all animals are only
on one trophic level.
• Energy and nutrients
continue to be transferred
when organisms eat and
this is shown in BOTH
Food Chains & Webs.
• Arrows show which way
the energy flows.
Oct 12­10:32 AM
3
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
(Energy) Ecological Pyramids
• An Ecological pyramid
can be used to
represent the energy at
each trophic level.
Cal
____Cal
• The transfer of energy
to each level is NOT
very efficient because
at each level some
energy is used.
Cal
• The loss of available
energy up the pyramid
is known as the 10%
Law.
Cal
Oct 12­10:35 AM
Another Pyramid
• Another type of pyramid can
show the amount of
biomass/numbers of
organisms at each trophic
level.
• Biomass is the total mass of
organic matter at each trophic
level.
• The producer level tends to have the most biomass
since it usually has the highest numbers.
• So when you move up the pyramid the amount of
organisms will tend to decrease.
Oct 12­11:18 AM
4
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
Exception to the Rule…
• Normally the producers
are the largest level in the
pyramids.
That is not always the
case!
• Depending on the type of
ecosystem or food chain,
you may have the primary
consumers containing the
largest number/biomass in
the pyramid.
(but not the most energy!)
Oct 12­11:30 AM
Comparing the Pyramids
• The biomass and energy at
a level are directly related to
the number of organisms at a
level.
• If one changes than the
others will change.
• Ex. If the grass dies, than so
do the birds, which means
the biomass, energy, and
number of organisms all
decrease.
IT MAKES SENSE!!!!!!
Oct 12­11:27 AM
5
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
Play the
Ecology
Game...
Oct 12­11:36 AM
Is it possible that the same water you drank this morning was the same water that got you wet when it rained last month???
Feb 8­4:06 PM
6
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
The Cycle Game
1.Ocean
2.Surface Water(ex.lakes, rivers, ponds)
3.Glacier
4.Groundwater
5.Atmosphere (clouds)
6.Choice
• Describe below how water gets from ____________________ to ___________________ using steps in the Water Cycle.
Feb 8­3:22 PM
The Water Cycle ­ (Answers)
Run­Off &
Groundwater
Evaporation
Precipitation
Condensation
Transpiration
Water Vapor
8. Urination, Perspiration, or Cellular Respiration
7) When water goes from a solid right to a gas this is called? (Sublimation)
Feb 8­4:21 PM
7
Intro to Ecology.notebook
October 22, 2012
The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle Is it possible that the same CO2 you are exhaling could have been exhaled by a panda in china last year???
Feb 8­4:18 PM
The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle ­ (Answers)
2. Cellular Respiration & Decomposition
1.Photosynthesis
Fossils Fuels
Photosynthesis
Consumption
Decomposition
Combustion
Glucose
Cellular Respiration
CO2
5 & 2
Feb 8­4:28 PM
8