Reflection for Week 3/10-3/14

Last week in biology we learned about some of the basics of ecology. Ecology is the study of interactions between living organisms and their physical environment. Ecologists study many levels of organization. From smallest to largest the levels are labeled as individual, population (group of species living in one area), community (groups of different populations living in one area), ecosystem (interactions between a community and its environment), biome (group of ecosystems with the same climate), and biosphere (part of Earth in which life exists). We covered the topic of ecosystems. Within an ecosystem there are abiotic, non-living, and biotic, living, factors. Examples of abiotic factors are rocks, water, and temperature. Between living organisms you can find energy relationships. Producers, also known as autotrophs, make their own food through photosynthesis or by using chemical energy. The niche, or job, of a producer is to capture energy and transform it into organic energy that can be used by living organisms. Producers can be photoautotrophs meaning they use light energy, or chemoautotrophs in which they use chemical energy. Consumers, or heterotrophs, on the other hand feed off of other living organisms. There are different levels of consumers, or trophic levels. The first level consists of herbivores who only feed off of plants, or the producers, and are called primary consumers. Carnivores (only eat meat) and omnivores (eat plants and meat) make up the secondary and tertiary levels. These levels can be shown in a food chain which is a diagram showing the flow of energy in feeding relationships. Energy in ecosystems flows in one direction, from the producers to the consumers, and each level depends on the one above it for energy. Food chains can then be combined into a more realistic and complex path called a food web. Another topic we covered is the cycles of matter. There are four main cycles consisting of nutrients and matter that recycle throughout the ecosystem. One of the most common cycle is the water cycle. The water evaporates or transpires into the atmosphere, and then condenses as it becomes colder. Once the water vapor cools and condenses into a liquid it will precipitate. After the water falls to the ground, seepage or runoff will occur leading back to evaporation and transpiration. The carbon cycle is important because every living thing is made up of carbon, and alike to water, it cycles between and within many ecosystems. The nitrogen cycle allows plants and animals to obtain this protein creating device through nitrogen fixation and nitrification. The fourth important cycle is the phosphorus cycle, and this recycled nutrient is used to make DNA.