Ecology: the study of living things and their environments
During this project we focused on the arctic fox. We researched how human impacts are changing the life of animals in the tundra and what humans can do to limit this impact. We posted posters around campus to raise awareness and handed out informational pamphlets. Additionally, we created a website were people can learn about the arctic fox and find ways to help this magnificent creature.
Content
Energy
Matter
Cycles of Energy and Matter
Water Cycle:
With climate change, the runoff has greatly increased due to more snow melt. A decrease in the yearly snow pack has greatly affected the water cycle. There is less water all together in the arctic regions and the balance of all the steps are thrown off. This effects the arctic fox because when its environment shifts and changes, the fox is forced to change with it. |
Nitrogen Cycle:
Nutrients and nitrogen are stored in the permafrost and the frozen ice. Dead waste, such as dead arctic foxes, is broken down by decomposes and bacteria which break down the nitrogen into its usable form. This nitrogen is used by plants such as lichen which then makes it way to the arctic fox. |
Organization of Ecology
Environment - everything that surrounds a living thing
Biosphere - where all life on earth exists (ecosystem - living organisms, hydrosphere - water, lithosphere - land, atmosphere - air) Biome - group of ecosystems with similar climates and communities Ecosystem - abiotic and biotic things interacting with the environment Community - populations of different species interacting with each other Population - group of same individuals Individual - single living organism On the right is an example of the organization of ecology within the biome we researched: the tundra. |
-Biotic are parts the ecosystem that are not living. For example, in our project the snow that the arctic fox uses is an example of a biotic factor.
-Abiotic organisms are living things within an ecosystem. One example it the lemming from the tundra. These lemming are eaten by arctic foxes which are another example of a abiotic factor.
-Within ecosystems there is a carrying capacity which is the amount of organisms and matter that that specific ecosystem can hold. For example, in the tundra the carrying capacity is decreasing because the snow is melting. This leads to less species like the arctic fox.
-Another important aspect to ecosystem is biodiversity. Biodiversity is the uniqueness of all different types of organisms living in the same environment. It is essential because in the arctic, the fox population keeps the lemming population in check. All different animals depend on each other for different things so without biodiversity the ecosystem would not thrive and function.
-All the different parts of an ecosystem work together to maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis is the natural balance of how all things should be. All different things can upset homeostasis such as climate change. Climate change increases the levels of carbon dioxide which changes the carbon cycle. Many different things are able to shift homeostasis.
-Abiotic organisms are living things within an ecosystem. One example it the lemming from the tundra. These lemming are eaten by arctic foxes which are another example of a abiotic factor.
-Within ecosystems there is a carrying capacity which is the amount of organisms and matter that that specific ecosystem can hold. For example, in the tundra the carrying capacity is decreasing because the snow is melting. This leads to less species like the arctic fox.
-Another important aspect to ecosystem is biodiversity. Biodiversity is the uniqueness of all different types of organisms living in the same environment. It is essential because in the arctic, the fox population keeps the lemming population in check. All different animals depend on each other for different things so without biodiversity the ecosystem would not thrive and function.
-All the different parts of an ecosystem work together to maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis is the natural balance of how all things should be. All different things can upset homeostasis such as climate change. Climate change increases the levels of carbon dioxide which changes the carbon cycle. Many different things are able to shift homeostasis.
Webs and Pyramids
Within ecosystems, there are trophic levels which are different steps in the food chain or web. Energy moves from the bottom levels to the top and each time only 10% if the energy is transferred. The main levels include producer, first level consumer, second level consumer, top level consumer, and decomposer.
Autotroph - use energy to make own food - photosynthesis and chemosynthesis Heterotroph - rely on others for food (herbivore, omnivore...) |
Pyramids can also be used to represent data within ecosystems:
Pyramid of numbers - shows population sizes Energy Pyramid - shows the amount of energy at each trophic level Biomass Pyramid - represents the amount of mass at each level Biomass - the total amount of mass of organisms in a given area or volume |
Adenosine Triphosphate
ATP is short for adenosine triphosphate and it is energy that is used by cells. All organisms require energy to live and it can be obtained in many ways such as eating for animals and photosynthesis for plants. Energy can also never be created or destroyed. In the arctic, the lichen produces ATP in photosynthesis and then the arctic fox can get this ATP when it eats. |
ATP is an organic molecule containing high energy phosphate bonds. Energy is produced by breaking high energy bonds between the last two phosphates in ATP. An ATP molecule is pictured above.
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
Cellular Respiration
Glycolysis:
Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm. It is always occurring and it does not require oxygen. It is the process that happens before cellular respiration and fermentation.
Glycolysis uses ATP and glucose and produces ATP, pyruvate, and NADH.
Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm. It is always occurring and it does not require oxygen. It is the process that happens before cellular respiration and fermentation.
Glycolysis uses ATP and glucose and produces ATP, pyruvate, and NADH.
Cellular Respiration:
Cellular respiration occurs in the mitochondria. It is made up of the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain. The Krebs cycle uses pyruvate and NADH to produce C02, FADH2, and NADH. Then during the electron transport chain ATP synthase produces energy for the body to use. The electron transport chain uses oxygen, FADH2, and NADH to produce ATP with water and heat as byproducts.
Cellular respiration occurs in the mitochondria. It is made up of the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain. The Krebs cycle uses pyruvate and NADH to produce C02, FADH2, and NADH. Then during the electron transport chain ATP synthase produces energy for the body to use. The electron transport chain uses oxygen, FADH2, and NADH to produce ATP with water and heat as byproducts.
Fermentation:
Fermentation starts with glycolysis and doesn't make ATP but allows glycolysis to continue. Fermentation also does not require oxygen. Examples: -lactic acid fermentation -happens in muscle cells -produces lactic acids and results in muscle fatigue and cramps -alcoholic fermentation -produces alcohol and C02 -produces NAD+ that goes back to glycolysis |
The importance of fermentation is to allow glycolysis to continue. It also produces food products like bread, cheese, and yogurt. Finally, it breaks down micro-organisms in the digestive track.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process that requires carbon dioxide and water to use light energy (photons) to produce glucose and oxygen. It takes place in the chloroplast of plant cells. It mainly occurs in the leaves of plants and it uses stoma which are pores where water vapor and gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen are exchanged between the plant and the atmosphere.
Photosynthesis is made up of two parts.
Photosynthesis is made up of two parts.
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is simply relationships between different species.
Parasitism - one organism is hurt by this relationship and the other benefits. For example, when a mosquito bites you it is able to feed itself but you then have an annoying mosquito bite.
Competition - in this relationship both organisms are hurt. For example, in the tundra the red and arctic fox both compete for the same resources which means less resources for both of them.
Mutualism - one organism benefits and the effect on the other is neutral. One example of this is the birds that stand on the back of cows. The cows stir up the bugs from the grass and the birds can then eat them.
Commensalism - both organisms benefit. When a bird eats food out of crocodiles teeth the bird gets food and the crocodile gets its teeth cleans so it's a win win for them.
Parasitism - one organism is hurt by this relationship and the other benefits. For example, when a mosquito bites you it is able to feed itself but you then have an annoying mosquito bite.
Competition - in this relationship both organisms are hurt. For example, in the tundra the red and arctic fox both compete for the same resources which means less resources for both of them.
Mutualism - one organism benefits and the effect on the other is neutral. One example of this is the birds that stand on the back of cows. The cows stir up the bugs from the grass and the birds can then eat them.
Commensalism - both organisms benefit. When a bird eats food out of crocodiles teeth the bird gets food and the crocodile gets its teeth cleans so it's a win win for them.
Populations
Populations have limiting factors. These are things that limit the size of a population. They can either be density dependent or independent. A independent factor is not related to the size of a population such as a natural disaster. A density dependent factor is relevant to the size of the population such as the amount of resources. As the population increases the amount of food available decreases which limits the population.
Population density is the size of a population. An area like San Francisco has a high population density and a small city like Novato has a lower population density. The geographic distribution is the distribution of where the population is spaced out. One issue that comes with population density is overpopulation. Overpopulation comes when the population growth grows at at rate where the resources cannot keep up. We see current day in many third world countries. Many countries like China have implemented laws to try to decrease the overpopulation crisis.
Our Project
For our project we were tasked with bring awareness and change about an ecosystem or an organism. We choose to look at the arctic fox because it is not a very widely know species but it needs our help. We choose to make a website so people could learn more about the fox and find ways to help such as donating. We also handed out informational pamphlets and made posters to hang around campus.
Our Posters
Our Pamphlet
Our Presentation
Reflection
Two things that I did well was preparing for our presentation and making sure all the work was done in time. Our group was able to set work time aside to practice our presentation. This prepares us for our presentation day and overall made our project stronger. Additionally I made sure that everything was done on time. Even if it required some work outside of class, I made sure that everything was ready for the due date to ensure that we would have a strong solid project.
Two things I learned is that too much is sometimes not the best and that sometimes unknown things are important. We had many different aspects to our project like a website and pamphlets. Each thing we added took away from the overall quality. Sometimes it is best to put all your effort into one thing instead of a little bit of time into a lot of things. Also, the arctic fox is generally not an animal that people think about very often but it still plays a key role on our planet. I learned that little things that don't normally get much attention can still be very important.
Finally, Two things I could do better and can improve upon are time management and proofreading my work. As a group, we did most of the work in the last few days of work time. In my next project, I can work on spacing out the work load so i'm not stuck doing it at the last minute. Also I can improve upon proof reading my work. When I look back on my work I can now see that there are some minor mistakes that could have been easily fixed. In the future I will make sure that I read everything twice and make sure my work is at a higher standard.
Two things I learned is that too much is sometimes not the best and that sometimes unknown things are important. We had many different aspects to our project like a website and pamphlets. Each thing we added took away from the overall quality. Sometimes it is best to put all your effort into one thing instead of a little bit of time into a lot of things. Also, the arctic fox is generally not an animal that people think about very often but it still plays a key role on our planet. I learned that little things that don't normally get much attention can still be very important.
Finally, Two things I could do better and can improve upon are time management and proofreading my work. As a group, we did most of the work in the last few days of work time. In my next project, I can work on spacing out the work load so i'm not stuck doing it at the last minute. Also I can improve upon proof reading my work. When I look back on my work I can now see that there are some minor mistakes that could have been easily fixed. In the future I will make sure that I read everything twice and make sure my work is at a higher standard.