Ecology

Water Cycle -Plants get nitrogen from soils or water --> animals (consumers)-->animal (carnivore) -when the organisms die their bodies decompose--> nitrogen into soil -bacteria change the nitrogen into forms that plants can use.**
 * Ecology **
 * **__Individual/population/community/ecosystem/biome/biosphere__**
 * **Individual**: single member of a species
 * **Population**: all members of the //same species// in the same **place** at the same **time**
 * **Community**: all organisms(of many species) in the same place interacting
 * **Ecosystem**: all //living// and //nonliving// components in the same place interacting
 * **Biosphere**: the part of the Earth that contains life (narrow band covering the crust of the earth).
 * **Energy flow** (sun/chemicals -> **producers**-> **consumers**-> **decomposers**)
 * 1) **evaporation (and transpiration)-** sun/wind give water from the earth (rivers, lakes, oceans etc..) eneough energy and turns it into vapor or steam and then goes into the air.
 * 2) **condensation-** water vapor--> liquid
 * 3) **precipitation-** This occurs when so much water has condensed in the clouds that they can not hold it anymore. The clouds get saturated and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow.
 * 4) **run off** / **collection -** When the water falls back to the earth through percipitation, it could fall back into the oceans lakes etc..of end up on land. If the water goes on land it will eaither soak into the earth and become part of the "ground water" that plants and animals use to drink. Or it may be run off water, which run over the soil and collect minerals, flowing into the oceans
 * CO2 / O2 cycle**
 * 1) Carbon moves from the atmosphere to plants- Through photosynthesis, carbon is taken from the atmosphere into plants, helping make their sugars.
 * 2) Carbon moves from plants and animals- Carbon in Plants-->Animals (consumers)-->Animals (carnivors)
 * 3) Carbon moves from Plants and Animals to the Ground- Animals and Plants die on ground --> Carbon from them getes soaked into the ground=fossil fuels
 * 4) Carbon moves from living things to the atmosphere- Animals and plants go through repiration -->breathe out carbon
 * 5) Carbon moves from Fossil Fuels to Atmosphere- When fossil fuels are burnt (through cars, factories etc..) they go back to the atmosphere
 * 6) Carbon moves from atmosphere to ocean
 * Nitrogen Cycle-Nitrogen is a necessary element for all animals and plants to make amino acids proteins and DNA. However, eventhough 80% of the atmosphere is made up of Nitrogen (N2 that is not the Nitrogen needed. The only time the Nitrogen needed for lifeis found is during lightning strikes or fires associated with bacteria.



ex. water, soil pH, and mineral content for plants ex. temperature and insect population for birds
 * **__Limiting nutrients (factors)-__** biotic or abiotic varaiable that controls population size
 * __Abiotic/ Biotic factors__**-kessie
 * Biotic -** the living components that shape an ecosystem
 * //ex//. //plants and animals// [[image:http://andromeda.cavehill.uwi.edu/Aquatic%20plant%20photos/pond%20plant%20use.JPG width="101" height="94" align="left"]]

__**Exponential growth/ logistical growth**__ **__Biological magnification__**-kessie
 * **Abiotic -** the nonliving components of the biosphere
 * //ex. rocks and minerals// [[image:http://www.mecps.org/konkoth/rocks.jpg width="105" height="87" align="left"]]
 * ** __Habitat__- a physical area in which an organism lives. **
 * ** __Niche__- a role, or position, of an organism in it's enviroment **
 * Competition/Predation/Symbiosis a)mutualism b)commensalism c) parasitism - cass
 * **__Population changes (natality, immigration/ mortality/emigration)-cline__**
 * Natality: Birth rate [[image:http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:2rFaN4b3NVQyJM:http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-up.jpg width="25" height="22" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-up.jpg&imgrefurl=http://obsessedwithsports.com/2009/02/27/sports-stocks-3/&usg=__16koRPbzOgp_GHVp7aMAray64sw=&h=600&w=600&sz=14&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=2rFaN4b3NVQyJM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darrow%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIH_enUS270US271%26um%3D1"]]
 * Mortality: Death rate [[image:http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Ux4U2gtKSWEE7M:http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-down1.jpg width="23" height="23" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-down1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://obsessedwithsports.com/2009/02/27/sports-stocks-3/&usg=__NFv7y7wzwk6z5D26VDLXrNPRYTg=&h=600&w=600&sz=14&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=Ux4U2gtKSWEE7M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darrow%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIH_enUS270US271%26um%3D1"]]
 * Immmigration: at which new members come into a population [[image:http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:2rFaN4b3NVQyJM:http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-up.jpg width="25" height="22" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-up.jpg&imgrefurl=http://obsessedwithsports.com/2009/02/27/sports-stocks-3/&usg=__16koRPbzOgp_GHVp7aMAray64sw=&h=600&w=600&sz=14&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=2rFaN4b3NVQyJM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darrow%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIH_enUS270US271%26um%3D1"]]
 * Emigration: at which members exit a population[[image:http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Ux4U2gtKSWEE7M:http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-down1.jpg width="23" height="23" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/arrow-down1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://obsessedwithsports.com/2009/02/27/sports-stocks-3/&usg=__NFv7y7wzwk6z5D26VDLXrNPRYTg=&h=600&w=600&sz=14&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=Ux4U2gtKSWEE7M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darrow%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIH_enUS270US271%26um%3D1"]]
 * **Exponential growth** happens when all limitations are removed. With exponential growth, the only factor affecting growth speed is the birthrate.
 * ** Logistical growth** is the growth pattern that happens in a natural environment in the real world. The populations are limited by population, food, and disease. The population will continue to grow until it reaches the **carrying capacity.** If the population exceeds the capacity, organsims will die until the amount goes below the capacity. A plateau amount may also happen.
 * [[image:http://www.bioedonline.org/slides/slideimgs/talk008__s005_f.gif]]
 * **Carrying capacity** - the maximum limit of organisms in a population.
 * when a substance in the environment becomes more concentrated and works its way up the food chain