Unit 4 - Ecology

1. Sustainability

  • The Lorax

  • The Earth as an Apple

  • Tragedy of the Commons - Fishing Activity

2. Biodiveristy

  • Natural vs. Artificial Ecosystems

3. Food Webs, Chains, Trophic Levels, Pyaramids

4. Bioaccumulation

  • Beluga Whale Case Study

5. Biogeochemical Cycles

  • Carbon Cycle

    • Photosynthesis

    • Cell Respiration

    • Carbon Storage - Atmosphere, on land, oceans, underground

    • Formation of Fossil Fuels

    • Climate Change / Global Warming

  • Water Cycle

    • Evaporation, Condensation, Transpiration, Precipitation

  • Nitrogen Cycle

    • Nitrogen Fixation

    • Denitrification

    • Human Impacts: Nitrogen Depletion, Fertilizer, Algal Blooms, Eutrophication, Acid Rain

6. Population

  • Factors that affect Population

    • population growth = (births + immigration) - (deaths + emigration)

    • open vs. closed populations

    • Abiotic vs. biotic factors that limit populatin

    • Biotic Potential (birth potential, capacity for survival, procreation, length of reproductive life)Carrying capacity (depends on materials and energy, food chains, competition, density)

    • Density dependent vs density independent factors

  • Interaction Among Species

    • habitat = address, niche = ecological role (job)

    • competitive exclusion

    • Competition, Predation/Parasitism, Mutualism, Commensalism

    • Exotic species, extinction, extirpation

7. Biodiversity

  • Advantages

  • Important Species: Dominant, Keystone Species, Indicator Species, Ecosystem Engineers

  • Ecosystem Services

  • Threats to Biodiversity

    • Deforestation, Draining Wetlands, Alien/Invasive Species, Overexploitation, Disruption Connectivity Across Ecosystems, Extinction

  • Ways to Measure Biodiversity

    • Canopy Fogging, Quadrat Sampling, Transect Sampling, Netting

8. Change and Succession

  • Climax Community

  • Primary Succession

  • Secondary Succession

  • Fire Climax Zones