Biomes, climate, levels or organization

1. An Introduction to Ecology

2. Objective
What are the abiotic and biotic
components of ecosystems and how do
they affect living organisms?

3. What is ecology?
The study of the interactions between
organisms and the environment
Ecology and evolution are very closely
related topics

4. What is ecology?
The environment an
organism inhabits includes
all the abiotic components
– water, soil, sunlight,
temperature, etc. AND all
the biotic components –
other organisms that must
compete, defend, prey
upon, etc.
When studying ecology and
organisms, we often want to
know what effect a
particular component has on
a population

5. What factors
affect the
kangaroo
distribution?
Temperature?
Water?
Predators?
Competition?

6. The
hierarchy of
ecology
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere

7. Ecology is complex!
It is difficult to know all the
connections between
organisms and their
environment
But decisions must be
made…
The precautionary principal
is usually followed – cautions
us to consider carefully the
consequences of our actions
and work to prevent
problems rather than try to
fix them after the fact

8. When a course of action might have a
potentially serious impact, one
approach is to adopt the precautionary
principle. Rather than assuming
something is safe until proven
otherwise, the precautionary principle
argues the opposite: that something
should be considered potentially
harmful unless shown to be safe.
While the precautionary principle aims
to protect us against possible dangers,
an excessively 'safety-first' approach
may have its own drawbacks. For
example, we may lose the benefits that
a new technology might provide.
With Tibbs the cat, doubts about the
safety of FelineFine may persuade us
to stop using it. That may stop Tibbs
being poisoned, but it might harm her
in other ways.

9. The environment limits the
distribution of species
– or – not everyone can live everywhere
Dispersal –
movement out of a
high density area
Natural range
expansions
Species transplants –
intentional or
accidental introduction
of a species to a new
area
Actual range vs.
potential range

10. Climate
Major components:
Temperature
Water
Sunlight
Wind
Macroclimate – global/regional
Microclimate – very small
(like under a fallen log)

11. Macroclimate
Affected by
Water
Large bodies
of water have
a moderating
effect
Currents
carry warm or
cold air

12. Climate
Affected by
Mountains
Windward vs. leeward sides

13. Climate
Affected by
Seasonality

14. Biomes
A biome is an ecosystem type,
classified by dominant vegetation and
organism adaptations

15. Aquatic Biomes
Lakes
Coral Reefs
Rivers
Open Ocean
Estuaries
Intertidal Zones
Abyssal Zones

16. Aquatic Biomes
Many are physically and chemically stratified
Photic zone - where light is absorbed
Aphotic zone - little to no light penetrates
Benthic zone - the bottom
Organisms that live here called benthic or
benthos
They eat detritus

17. Terrestrial Biomes
Tropical forest
Savanna
Desert
Chaparral
Temperate
grassland
Temperate
broadleaf forest
Coniferous forest
Tundra
High mountains
Polar ice

18. Terrestrial Biomes
Influenced mostly by climate
Since climate varies by latitude, we see
latitudinal patterns of distribution in
biomes

19. Terrestrial Biomes
Vertical stratification important
Plants provide the stratification
Canopy
Low trees
Shrubs
Litter layer (forest floor)
Many organisms
adapted to a particular
layer

20. Terrestrial Biomes
Don’t have clear, defined boundaries
Ecotone - area where one biome
grades into another
Find different organisms here

21. Find your animal buddy