UNIT 1:

ECOLOGY

EBR.8.B.1:
EXAMPLES OF BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS

 Biotic:

Living

things

Abiotic:

Non-living

things

Examples:
Plants

Examples:

Animals

Rocks

Bacteria

Sunlight

Insects

Soil

Etc.

Water
Etc

The root word bio means life

The prefix a means without

EBR.8.B.2:
COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOMES

BIOMES: TROPICAL RAINFOREST

Greatest

biodiversity of any biome

Threatened by habitat destruction
Receives the most rain
Abiotic

Hot

Factors:

and wet year-round

Nutrient poor soil
*Picture the Amazon

BIOMES: TROPICAL RAINFOREST

Animal

Adaptations:

Specialized

to eat specific things

Bright colors warn of danger

Plant

Adaptations:

Thin

bark to let water escape

Leaves with drip tip to allow
excess water to drip of

BIOMES: TEMPERATE/DECIDUOUS
FOREST
Biome

we live in

Abiotic

Factors:

Distinct

seasons: hot summers,

cold winters
Nutrient rich soil

BIOMES: TEMPERATE/DECIDUOUS
FOREST
Animal

Adaptations:

Hibernate

during winter
Store food for winter

Plant

Adaptations:

Trees

shed leaves to conserve

water
Water storage tissues

BIOMES: SAVANNA
Abiotic

Warm

Factors:

year-round with seasonal

rains
Compact soil
Frequent fires (from lightning)

*Picture Africa

BIOMES: SAVANNA
Animal

Long

Adaptations:

legs for migration

Animals burrow underground for
safety

Plant

Adaptations:

Long

tap roots to get ground water

Thick bark to resist fire

BIOMES: DESERT
Least

biodiversity
Least rainfall
Abiotic

Factors:

Highly

variable temperatures (warm

day/cold night) and very little rainfall
Soil rich in minerals; poor in organic
matter

BIOMES: DESERT
Animal

Adaptations:

Nocturnal
Get

Plant

water from eating seeds

Adaptations:

Store

water in leaves and stems

Long root system to get water

BIOMES: TAIGA
Abiotic

Cold

Factors:

winters; short mild summers

Moderate rainfall
Nutrient poor soil

*Picture Canada
or Alaska

BIOMES: TAIGA
Animal

Adaptations:

Protective

layer of fat
Wide paws that work like snow-shoes

Plant

Adaptations:

Needle

shaped leaves to conserve

water
Evergreen to photosynthesize as
soon as temp. increases

BIOMES: TUNDRA
Least

biodiversity
Coldest biome
Abiotic

Factors:

Strong

winds; low rainfall; long,

cold, dark winters
Soil is permafrost

*Picture northern Canada or Greenland

BIOMES: TUNDRA
Animal

Thick

Adaptations:

fur coats
Small size

Plant

Adaptations:

Grow

small and close to the

ground
Dark in color to absorb more heat

BIOMES: TEMPERATE GRASSLAND

Abiotic

Hot

Factors:

summers, cold winters and

moderate rainfall
Fertile soils
Frequent fires
*Picture Kansas

BIOMES: TEMPERATE GRASSLAND

Animal

Adaptations:

Digestive

systems specifically designed

to feed on grass
Coloring allows them to blend in or
camouflage

Plant

Adaptations:

Deep

roots to absorb moisture

Roots withstand fire to re-sprout
quickly

Identify which biome

goes with which number
on the graph.

Grassland / Savanna
Tundra
Temperate /
Deciduous Forests
Desert
Taiga
Tropical Rainforest

Answers:

1. Tropical Rainforest
2. Temperate /
Deciduous Forests
3. Grassland / Savanna
4. Desert
5. Taiga
6. Tundra

 Which

biome has the most biodiversity?

Which

biome has the least biodiversity?

Which

biome(s) get the least amount of

rainfall?

Which

biome gets the most rainfall?

EBR.8.B.3:
DIAGRAM THE CARBON, NITROGEN,
PHOSPHATE, AND WATER CYCLES IN AN
ECOSYSTEM

CARBON CYCLE

CARBON CYCLE CONT.

Moves carbon between land, water, atmosphere,
and organisms
Enters atmosphere through:

Respiration

(breathing)
Combustion (burning fossil fuels)

Leaves atmosphere through:

Photosynthesis
decay

Stored:
In

organisms
As fossil fuels
In water

PHOSPHATE CYCLE

PHOSPHATE CYCLE CONT.

Moves phosphate through land, water, and
organisms
Only cycle that does NOT enter atmosphere
Moves via:

Water

run-of
Food eaten
Decomposition of organisms

Stored in:
Rocks

Organisms
Soil

Water

WATER CYCLE

WATER CYCLE CONT.

Moves water through atmosphere, land,
organisms, and bodies of water
Enters atmosphere through:

Transpiration
Evaporation

Leaves atmosphere though:

Precipitation

Stored:
In

bodies of water
Ground water
In organisms

NITROGEN CYCLE:

NITROGEN CYCLE CONT.

Moves

nitrogen though atmosphere, land,

water, and organisms
Nitrogen is the only cycle requiring
bacteria to change its form
Moves

via:

Denitrification
Nitrogen

fixation
Decomposition
Eating food
Excreting wastes

In

Stored:

soil
In organisms
In atmosphere

EBR.8.B.4:
ANALYZE AN ECOSYSTEMS ENERGY FLOW
THROUGH FOOD CHAINS, FOOD WEBS, AND
ENERGY PYRAMIDS

ECOLOGICAL/ENERGY PYRAMIDS
Show

larger
amount of energy
at base

Each

level up has
less energy

0.1% Energy

1% Energy

10% Energy

10%

of energy
moves up each level
100% Energy

FOOD CHAINS
Simple

way to
show energy flow

Arrows

show
where energy goes

Quaternary
Consumer
Tertiary
Consumer
Secondary
Consumer
Primary
Consumer
Producer

 Complex,

FOOD WEBS

more
realistic picture of
energy flow
Arrows show
where energy goes

EBR.8.B.5:
IDENTIFY AND PREDICT THE FACTORS
THAT CONTROL POPULATION, INCLUDING:
PREDATION, COMPETITION, CROWDING,
WATER, NUTRIENTS, SHELTER

LIMITING FACTORS AND CARRYING CAPACITY:

Limiting

factor: limits how big a

population can get
Examples:

Carrying

capacity: max
# of
individuals an
ecosystem can
support
indefinitely.

food, water, sunlight, etc.

PREDATION AND COMPETITION:

Predation:

Predatory

one animal eating another

population can limit the

populations of what they eat.
Prey populations can limit the
populations of what eats them

Competition:

organisms using the

same resources
Limited

resources limits populations

HABITAT VS. NICHE

Habitat:
Their

Niche:

where an organism lives

address

role an organism plays in

environment
Considered

their job
Includes what they eat, where they find
food, when/where they sleep, how/when
they reproduce, etc.

EBR.8.B.6:
IDENTIFY WAYS INDIVIDUALS INTERACT WITH
EACH OTHER IN A COMMUNITY, INCLUDING:
COMMENSALISM, MUTUALISM, PARASITISM

SYMBIOSIS
A

close long-term interaction

between two organisms of diferent
species.
At least one organism benefits.
3

kinds of symbiosis:

Mutualism-both

benefit
Parasitism-one benefits, one is harmed
Commensalism-one benefits, one is
unafected

EXAMPLES OF SYMBIOSIS:
Mutualism:

bees pollinating flowers

Parasitism:

tapeworm living in a dog

Bees

get food, flowers are pollinated

intestine

Tapeworm

gets a habitat and food, dog

loses nutrients

Commensalism:

bison walking through

grasses and birds following behind
Bison

unafected, birds are able to see

insects (food) after bison passes

EBR.8.B.7:
COMPARE AND CONTRAST PRIMARY
SUCCESSION AND SECONDARY SUCCESSION

SUCCESSION
Word

means to follow an order or

sequence
Environments re-grow after
destruction in a specific order or
sequence.
Starts with pioneer species
The

Ends

The

first organisms to inhabit the area

with climax community

final community (fully grown)

kinds: Primary and Secondary

PRIMARY SUCCESSION:
Occurs

where there is NO LIFE

Begins on rock (NO SOIL)
Pioneer species include:
Lichens
Mosses

Examples
After

include:

a glacier melts
When a new island forms

SECONDARY SUCCESSION
Occurs

where life exists (but is

damaged)
Begins on soil
Pioneer species include:
Small

plants

Examples
After

include:

a tornado
After a forest fire

EBR.8.B.8:
IDENTIFY PROPERTIES OF EACH OF THE
LEVELS OF ECOLOGY: ORGANISM, POPULATION,
COMMUNITY, ECOSYSTEM, BIOME, BIOSPHERE

LEVELS OF ECOLOGY
Organism-any

individual living thing

Population-group of individuals of same
species
Community-all living organisms in an
area
Ecosystem-all living and nonliving
things in an area
Biome-ecosystems with similar climates
and organisms
Biosphere-part of earth where living
things exist

EXAMPLES OF LEVELS OF ECOLOGY

Organism-a

rabbit

Population-all

the rabbits in the forest

Community-all

the rabbits, trees,

squirrels, mushrooms, etc in the forest

EXAMPLES OF LEVELS OF ECOLOGY CONT.

Ecosystem-all the rabbits, trees, squirrels,

mushrooms, soil, water, nutrients, etc in the forest

Biome-temperate deciduous forests found on the

diferent continents

Biosphere-the earth and its atmosphere

EBR.9.B.1, EBR.9.B.2, & EBR.9.B.3

These frameworks are so broad that we will use

the articles to fill in these notes.