Ecology

by youquan

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EcologyEcosystemNew nodeIt shows the relationship between many food chains in a single ecosystem.It is a model that shows all possible feeding relationships between organisms living in an ecosystem.At times,because of the interdependency,food chains look more like a web and so it is called food webs.It shows how many animals are interconnected by different paths.Food chain is seen as a single path indicating 'what eats what' while food webs are many food chains put together by different paths and show how animals are linked in many ways to find food.Food chainIt is an interlinked arrangement showing 'eating and being eaten'It depicts how each organism in nature is linked to another through food.It is started with a plant and ends with animals which consists of producers,consumers and decomposers.1) Plants produce their own food using sunlight,gases from the atmosphere and nutrients from the soil.It is why they are called producers.2) The plant is eaten by herbivores for the energy so they are known as primary consumers.3) It is also the prey as it is eaten by the next order of the food chain.The third link of the food chain is the insect eating animals like lizards.They are known as secondary consumers.4) Animals like snake eat the lizards and frogs for the energy and came in fourth for the food chain.They are called tertiary consumers or predators.5) Bacteria and fungi are the last link in the food chain.They are called decomposers.They convert the dead remains of living things into nutrients and gases,to be released back into the air,soil and water.6) The producers used these nutrients as food and the food chain is completed.EnvironmentHabitatMan is the most powerful biotic factor in the habitat.Despite good or bad,human activities can affect a habitat and the organisms in it.If we cut trees for wood,we will destroy the homes of many organisms and even cause some to become endangered.Continually reacting with and depending on one another.Plants take in the carbon dioxide from the animals by respiration for photosynthesis while the animals take in oxygen from the plants by photosynthesis for respiration.Chameleons can change the body colour quickly into the surroundings so to prevent being seen by predators and preysButterflies suck in the nectar from one plant and at the same time,help to pollinate the plant so it can reproduce.Millipedes produce chemical secretions that can cause blisters on the skin so to prevent predators from coming near.Eagles have good eyesight and sharp claws to catch preysSea anemone protects the clown fish while the clown fish brings small pieces of food to it or even attract larger fishes to its' stinging tentacles.A place which provides food,shelter and protection to the living organisms in it where it is usually more than one organism.Everything surrounding an organism that affects how it livesPopulationsIt is a group of organisms belonging to the same species,living in a habitat and capable of interbreeding.Different populations of organisms living in the same habitat form a...CommunityBiotic componentsLiving componentsMutually dependent and need energy to surviveAdaptationsSpecial bodily features,ways of behaving help them to survive in a specific environmentPenguins have a thick layer of fats and feather to keep them warm in the AntarcticPolar bears have thick layer of fur to help them survive in the cold Arctic.Camels have large flat feets for walking on sand and deposits of fats as food.They do not sweat and urine little which helps them to live without water for a long time in the desert.Polar bears hibernates to survive through the winter by going into a deep sleep,its body temperature drops and breathing and the heart beat slow down.Cactus plant has a thick stem to store water and strong skin to reduce the loss of water.It also has leaves that have sharp spines which protect the plant from predators.These help the cactus to adapt in the hot desert areas.AnimalsPlantsMicrobesMutualismIt is a relationship between two different species of organisms that are interdependent and each gains benefits from the other.commensalismIt is the relation between two different kinds of organisms when one receives benefits from the other without damaging it.ParasitismIt is the relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits from the other by causing damage to it.Abiotic/physical componentsNon-living componentsSunlightUnlike most ferns,"climbing ferns'' like sunlight and has adapted long twining leaves to climb up a support in order to get sunlight.It is required by green plants to photosynthesis and make food.It also allow many animals to see so they can move about,find food and prepare themselves for danger.However,certain animals can produce their own light like fireflies and deep-sea fish so to look for prey or attract mates.Some other animals can reflect light like owls which prefer to stay active at night.Some animals do not need sunlight and prefer to live in the dark like the earthworms.They live in the soil and do not need light.TemperatureIt affects the activities of both the plants and animals.Most animals survive in temperature ranging from 0 to 45 degrees celsius.In tropical countries,temperature ranges from 20 to 30 degrees celsius so it allows animals to be active throughout the year.WaterIt is required by all living things to survive.The amount of water in a region depends on the amount of rainfall the region gets.Usually,more organisms lived in places where water is available.More than half of the world's plants and animals live in wet tropical rainforest.AirLand plants and animals take in oxygen from the air.It is required by most organisms for respiration.Aquatic animals take in oxygen that is dissolved in water.Some aquatic animals such as lungfish and guppy are adapted to live in water with less oxygen by obtaining oxygen from the air.Mangrove trees grow in muddy water so the roots obtain oxygen from the soil however it is not enough so in certain trees,roots which have small hole grow out and get oxygen directly from the air.pH of soilIt affects the kind of organisms that live in the habitat.Marine organisms live in the sea which is slightly alkaline.Most land plants grow well in neutral or slightly alkaline soils.Some plants such as pineapple and cotton grow best in acidic soil.It is the study of the interactions of organisms with their environment and with each other.