Own Work Sample: Notes on Ecology

Ecology is the study of the relations that living organisms have with each other.

There are many different levels of Ecology.
1.Individual
2.Population (individuals of same species)
3.Community (collected of populations)
4.Ecosystem (habitat + community = ecosystem)
5.Biome
6.Biosphere

Illustrated:



Examples of Biomes: Tropical Rainforest, Tundra, Desert, Savannah, Kelp forest

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Factors Influencing Ecology:


Abiotic Factor

Temperature
Rainfall
Light Intensity
Salinity (salt content)

Secondary

Wind speed
Humidity
Wave action
pH

Biotic Factors

Competition with other organisms
Abundance of prey
Presence of predator

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Example of a ROCKY SHORE System - ABIOTIC factor examples

Characteristics (abiotic factors)

-Highly Dynamic (subjected to wave action)
-Large variation in temperature, salinity, oxygen content, pH, water availability
-Predators gain easy access to rocky shore organisms when tides return
-Likewise, when tides recede, birds prey on exposed organisms

-TIDE ZONES-


Supratidal zone (above highest level of tide)
-Organisms that can move around
-Crabs
-Hate water (absorb humidity from sea water)

Intertidal zone (between lowest and highest level of tide)
-Able to withstand dehydration
-Barnacles have calcium shells which they hide in when it is too hot.
-They cling to the rocks tightly to avoid getting washed away.
-Robust osmoregulatary (salt level control) systems

Subtidal done (below lowest level of tide)
-Unable to withstand dehydration
-Seaweed



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Ecological Interactions: Commensalism, Mutualism,


Mutualism (+ +)
-Both organisms benefit from this interation

Commensalism (+ 0)
-One organism benefits from this interaction, and the other is not affected

Mutualism

Clownfish – Sea Anemone
-Sea Anemone provides protection for Clownfish
-Clownfish help clean up scraps of food in Sea Anemone

Ants – Aphids
-Ants protect aphids from other predators
-Aphids suck out juice from plants for ants

Egyptian plover – Crocodile
-Egyptian plover cleans the teeth of the crocodile
-Crocodile provides food for Egyptian plover (in teeth)

Cleaner Shrimps – Eels
-Cleaner shrimps cleans the fish
-Eels provide food for cleaner shrimps

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Commensalism

Epiphytes (climbers, ferns) – Rain trees
-Epiphytes gets to be high up for sunlight

Cattle Egret – Cattle
-Cattle Egret eats worms off Cattle (worms do not affect Cattle)

Barnacles – Scallop
-Barnacles attach to Scallop

Remora – Shark
-Remora attaches to shark to move around without any effort
-Also offers protection