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Ecology Overview
Deriving from the the Greek words meaning "study of the household", ecology is a branch of biology that focuses on the interactions within ecosystems, relations between organisms and the relations between organisms and their physical environments, biotic and abiotic factors.
Deriving from the the Greek words meaning "study of the household", ecology is a branch of biology that focuses on the interactions within ecosystems, relations between organisms and the relations between organisms and their physical environments, biotic and abiotic factors.
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Ecosystems
An ecosystem, which is an area that contains interacting populations (including the abiotic or non-living and biotic or living factors), requires biodiversity, ecological succession, energy flow, population and community dynamics, and the cycling of materials. Biodiversity is the variety of species that live in an area; the more biodiversity an ecosystem has, the more stable the ecosystem is. Ecological succession occurs either when an ecosystem grows from scratch or regrows after a natural disaster beginning with pioneer species (like mosses and lichens) and developing to grasses and shrubs, to trees and to forests, until the ecosystem becomes a climax community. Energy flow is the process by which energy from the sun travels through the food chain of an ecosystem, transferred from one organism to another; it is processed by plants or producers (autotrophs) through photosynthesis, passed on to primary consumers or herbivores (heterotrophs), to secondary consumers (either omnivores or carnivores), to tertiary consumers (most likely/definitely carnivores), and eventually to the decomposers (like bacteria and fungi, which break down dead organisms). Populations is the amount of one species in an area, including the density (the size of a population in a given area), the dispersion (existing clumped, like zebras do for protection, randomly, like some plants, or uniformed, like large trees in forests), and the range (the areas they covers as shown in a map, the regions). Population growth for most animals is logistical, as the population fluctuates above and below the carrying capacity (the maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support); the population growth for humans, however, is exponential as we change our environments. Community interactions concern how all the populations in an area interact, which includes predator/prey relationships, competition and symbiosis. Predator/prey relationship are the simplest, regarding an organism relying on and feeding on another organism for energy. Competition, however, is far more complicated than the World Cup Championships; it occurs when several organisms, and sometimes species, find themselves contending with one another for the same niche, or position/role/job in an ecosystem. Symbiosis regards close relationships between two different species, like parasitism, commensalism and mutualism. Parasitism is a relationship between a host and a parasite, where the host is harmed and the parasite is benefits; fore example the relationship between a human host and a tapeworm parasite. Commensalism is a relationship in which one organism is indifferent or unaffected and the other benefits, like the relationship between a barnacle and a whale. Mutualism is a relationship in which both organisms benefit, for example the relationship between a rhino and an oxpecker bird. The cycling of materials are processes like the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, which explain how elements are transferred throughout ecosystems. There are a variety of ecosystems on earth, all with these elements, that contain different plants and animals and are in different regions with different climates and terrain; similar ecosystems are likely to exist within the same biome.
An ecosystem, which is an area that contains interacting populations (including the abiotic or non-living and biotic or living factors), requires biodiversity, ecological succession, energy flow, population and community dynamics, and the cycling of materials. Biodiversity is the variety of species that live in an area; the more biodiversity an ecosystem has, the more stable the ecosystem is. Ecological succession occurs either when an ecosystem grows from scratch or regrows after a natural disaster beginning with pioneer species (like mosses and lichens) and developing to grasses and shrubs, to trees and to forests, until the ecosystem becomes a climax community. Energy flow is the process by which energy from the sun travels through the food chain of an ecosystem, transferred from one organism to another; it is processed by plants or producers (autotrophs) through photosynthesis, passed on to primary consumers or herbivores (heterotrophs), to secondary consumers (either omnivores or carnivores), to tertiary consumers (most likely/definitely carnivores), and eventually to the decomposers (like bacteria and fungi, which break down dead organisms). Populations is the amount of one species in an area, including the density (the size of a population in a given area), the dispersion (existing clumped, like zebras do for protection, randomly, like some plants, or uniformed, like large trees in forests), and the range (the areas they covers as shown in a map, the regions). Population growth for most animals is logistical, as the population fluctuates above and below the carrying capacity (the maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support); the population growth for humans, however, is exponential as we change our environments. Community interactions concern how all the populations in an area interact, which includes predator/prey relationships, competition and symbiosis. Predator/prey relationship are the simplest, regarding an organism relying on and feeding on another organism for energy. Competition, however, is far more complicated than the World Cup Championships; it occurs when several organisms, and sometimes species, find themselves contending with one another for the same niche, or position/role/job in an ecosystem. Symbiosis regards close relationships between two different species, like parasitism, commensalism and mutualism. Parasitism is a relationship between a host and a parasite, where the host is harmed and the parasite is benefits; fore example the relationship between a human host and a tapeworm parasite. Commensalism is a relationship in which one organism is indifferent or unaffected and the other benefits, like the relationship between a barnacle and a whale. Mutualism is a relationship in which both organisms benefit, for example the relationship between a rhino and an oxpecker bird. The cycling of materials are processes like the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, which explain how elements are transferred throughout ecosystems. There are a variety of ecosystems on earth, all with these elements, that contain different plants and animals and are in different regions with different climates and terrain; similar ecosystems are likely to exist within the same biome.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/6/6/26662682/2448964.jpg?374)
Biomes
A biome is a large-scale community of organisms marked by similar environmental features (like climate and geography) or, in layman's terms, a region of the world with similar climate, plants and animals. Biomes are formed due to the differing angles at which sunlight from the sun hits the earth and the resulting different patterns of evaporation and precipitation, which cause differing temperature and moisture zones at different latitudes. The terrestrial biomes include tundra (cold and dry, located around 90 degrees latitude), taiga (cold and moist, located around 60 degrees latitude), temperate forest (seasonal), desert (hot and dry, located around 30 degrees latitude), tropical rain forest (hot and moist, located around 0 degrees latitude), and savanna (seasonal). The aquatic biomes included freshwater (like lakes, ponds, and rivers) and marine (like the intertidal zones, coral reefs, and the abyssal zone) biomes.
A biome is a large-scale community of organisms marked by similar environmental features (like climate and geography) or, in layman's terms, a region of the world with similar climate, plants and animals. Biomes are formed due to the differing angles at which sunlight from the sun hits the earth and the resulting different patterns of evaporation and precipitation, which cause differing temperature and moisture zones at different latitudes. The terrestrial biomes include tundra (cold and dry, located around 90 degrees latitude), taiga (cold and moist, located around 60 degrees latitude), temperate forest (seasonal), desert (hot and dry, located around 30 degrees latitude), tropical rain forest (hot and moist, located around 0 degrees latitude), and savanna (seasonal). The aquatic biomes included freshwater (like lakes, ponds, and rivers) and marine (like the intertidal zones, coral reefs, and the abyssal zone) biomes.
For clarification and re-iteration, please watch the following video:
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Ecology of the Morning Sun Star
The Morning Sun Star can be found in the cold, rocky intertidal and sub-tidal waters of the west coast of America, from Alaska to Monterey Bay, California, in a marine biome. [1] The normal conditions tend to vary along the intertidal zone as tides are constantly rising and falling and temperatures and rainfall differ along the coast (more cold and moist farther north, towards Alaska), but the starfish tend to prefer gentle currents. [2] They are bottom feeders and secondary consumers, as they feed on sea cucumbers, sea urchins and other sea stars. They, therefore, have a rather important niche as a predator to those organisms, keeping their populations in check.
The Morning Sun Star can be found in the cold, rocky intertidal and sub-tidal waters of the west coast of America, from Alaska to Monterey Bay, California, in a marine biome. [1] The normal conditions tend to vary along the intertidal zone as tides are constantly rising and falling and temperatures and rainfall differ along the coast (more cold and moist farther north, towards Alaska), but the starfish tend to prefer gentle currents. [2] They are bottom feeders and secondary consumers, as they feed on sea cucumbers, sea urchins and other sea stars. They, therefore, have a rather important niche as a predator to those organisms, keeping their populations in check.