Ecology- the study of relationship between > Ecosystem- a community of different

organisms and their environment. species interacting with one another and
with their environment of soil, water, other
Relationship- the interactions with the
forms of matter and energy
physical world, with same and other
species. > Biosphere- part of the Earth’s air, water
and soil where life is found.
Environment- the physical condition,
biological and living components that make
up an organism’s surroundings.
Greek word oikos, meaning “house” or
“place to live in”
Originally coined by Ernst Haeckel in 1866
as Oecologie
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
> An atom is the smallest particle of an
element that possesses the properties of
that element.
Atmosphere is a thin spherical envelope of
> A molecule ca be composed of two or
gases surrounding the Earth’s surface.
more atoms of a single element. (e.g. O2
and CO2) Troposphere- 17 km above sea level,
consisting mostly of nitrogen (78%), oxgen
> Macromolecules are large biological
(21%) and greenhouse gases. (water vapor,
molecules (e.g. proteins and nucleic acid)
CO2, methane)
> Organelles are compartments within the
- Where the weather occurs
cell.
Stratosphere- 17-50 km above the Earth’s
> The Cell is the smallest unit that can
surface contains enough ozone gases.
perform all the activities associated with
life. - Contains the ozone layer
> Organism- an individual living being Mesosphere- protects Earth’s surface from
being hit by most meteoroids
> Population- is a group of individuals of the
same species that live in the same place at Exosphere and Thermosphere- the outer
the same time most layer
> Community- consists of all the population 2. HYDROSPHERE
of different species that live in a particular
- consists of all the water on or near the
place
Earth’s surface
- Earth is 71% water
3. GEOSPHERE
Geosphere consists of the Earth’s intensely
hot cone, a tick mantle composed mostly of
rock, and a thin outer crust.
Most of the geosphere is located in the
earth's interior.
Contains nonrenewable fossil fuels and
minerals that we use, as well as renewable
soil chemicals
4. BIOSPHERE
> Biosphere occupies those parts of the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere
where life exists.
> This thin layer of the earth extends from
about 9 km above the earth's surface down
to the bottom of the ocean
> It includes the lower part of the
atmosphere, most of the hydrosphere, and
the uppermost part of the geosphere.
> The goal of ecology is to understand the
interactions in this thin layer of at water,
soil, and organisms.
THREE FACTORS SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH
1. The one-way flow of high-quality
energy from the sun. High-quality
energy cannot be recycled: 1st and
2nd law of thermodynamics
2. The cycling of matter or nutrients
(the atoms, ions, and compounds
needed for survival by living
organisms)
• fixed supply of nutrients must be
continually recycled to support life; law of
conservation of matter
3. The Gravity helps to enable the
movement and cycling of chemicals
through the air, water, soil, and
organisms
ECOSYSTEM IS THE MAJOR UNIT OF
ECOLOGY
Ecosystem - a biological community plus all
the abiotic factors in lending to community
Forest is an example of natural ecosystem
Consists of two basic interacting
components: biotic and abiotic
Ex atmosphere, air, climate, so water,
nutrients, rocks, heat, solar energy
Ex. plants, animals, microbes, dead
organism, waste products of organisms
RANGE OF TOLERANCE
Different species are under different
chemical conditions
Range of tolerance - the range of chemical
and physical conditions that must be
maintained for populations of a particular
species to stay alive and grow, develop, and
function normally
ABIOTIC FACTORS THAT LIMIT
POPULATION GROWTH
Limiting factor - single factor that limits the
growth, abundance, or distribution of the
population of a species in an ecosystem
Limiting factor principle - too much or too
little of any abiotic factor can limit or prevent
growth of a population of a species in an
ecosystem, even if all other factors are at or
near the optimal range of tolerance for
species
SEVERAL TYPES OF CONSUMERS
Primary consumers, or herbivores plant
eaters), feeding on green plants
Secondary consumers, or carnivores (meat
eaters), all of which teed on the flesh of
herbivores
Third- and higher-level consumers are
carnivores that feed on the flesh of other
carnivores
Omnivores play dual roles by feeding on
both plants and animals
Decomposers are consumers that release
nutrients from the dead bodies of plants and
animals and return them to the soil, water,
and air for reuse by producers
Detritus feeders, or detritivores, feed on the
wastes or dead bodies of other organisms,
called detritus
WHAT HAPPENS TO ENERGY IN AN
ECOSYSTEM?
Energy flows through ecosystems in food
chains and food webs
Food chain - a sequence of organisms, each
of which serves as a source of food or energy
for the next
Organisms in most ecosystems form a
complex network of interconnected food
chains called a food web.
- Molecule is a combination of two or more
Matter is anything that has mass and takes
up space.
Element is a fundamental substance that has
a unique set of properties and cannot be
broken down into simpler substances by
chemical means e.g. CHON
Compound is the combination of two or
more different elements held together in
fixed proportions e.g. H20
Atom (Greek atomos, "indivisible") is the
smallest possible particle of an element that
still retains the properties of that element.
Atom has a central nucleus
Proton is a subatomic particle that has a
positive electric charge
Neutron is an uncharged particle Atom has
orbitals on the outside that hold
Electron is a particle with a negative electric
charge
Atomic number is the number of protons in
the atom.
Atomic weight (atomic mass) is the total
number of protons and neutrons
Isotope is an atom of an element that all
have the same number of protons, but have
different numbers of neutrons
Ion is an atom or groups of atoms with one
or more net positive or negative electrical
charges.
Cation-atom that loses one or more of its
electrons; positive charge e.g. Na+, Al3+ •
Anion-an atom gains one or more electrons;
negative charge e.g. Cl-, HCO3Ions are also
important for measuring a substance's
acidity in a water solution. pH as a measure
of acidity, based on the amount of hydrogen
ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-) contained
in a particular volume of a solution
atoms of the same or different elements
held together by forces called chemical
bonds.
Molecules are the basic units of some
compounds.
Chemical formula shows the number of each
type of atom or ion in a compound.
CHEMICAL BONDS HOLD ATOMS
TOGETHER
When two or more atoms combine in a
chemical reaction, a molecule is formed.
When a molecule contains two or more
atoms of different elements, it is called a
compound e.g. H20, C6H12O6
A chemical bond is the attractive force that
holds two or more atoms together in a
compound e.g. ionic, covalent and hydrogen
bond
ATOMS GAIN OR LOSE ELECTRONS TO
FORM IONIC BONDS
Ionic bond is an electrostatic attraction
between oppositely charged ions. In an ionic
bond, electrons are transferred from one
atom to another. Opposing charges hold the
atoms together. An ion is a charged particle
(atom or molecule).
Cations -positive charge e.g. Na+, Al3+
Anions - negative charge e.g. Cl-, HCO3
ATOMS SHARE ELECTRONS TO FORM
COVALENT BONDS
Covalent bond is a chemical bond involving
one or more shared pairs of electrons
Single bond - sharing of a single pair of
electrons e.g. C-C • Double bond - atoms
share two pairs of electrons e.g.C=C
Nonpolar molecule - contains positive and
negative charge ends; hydrophobic
Polar molecule - contains uniform
distribution of charges; hydrophilic
HYDROGEN BONDS ARE ATTRACTIONS
BETWEEN ADJACENT MOLECULES
Hydrogen bond is an attraction between a
slightly positive hydrogen atom in one
molecule and a slightly negative atom
(usually oxygen) in another molecule.
Hydrogen bonds, which are weak compared
to covalent bonds, form and break readily.
Collective force of many hydrogen bonds is
significant. Hydrogen bonding affects the
shape and function of protein and nucleic
acid molecules and important in determining
the properties of water.
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ARE THE
CHEMICALS OF LIFE
Larger and more complex organic
compounds, essential to life, are composed
of macromolecules. Polymers, are formed
when a number of simple organic molecules
(monomers) are linked together by chemical
bonds.
Carbohydrates - consist of two or more
monomers of simple sugars such as glucose
Proteins - formed by monomers called
amino acids
Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) - formed by
monomers called nucleotides
Lipids - include fats and waxes