Ecology
When taking a walk through Central Park, it's hard not to notice all the organisms and how they interact. Squirrels chasing each other up a tree, frogs hopping in and out of rivers, raccoons hiding in a tree trunk, and colorful birds flying and searching for food. The study of these interactions with one another and their environment is called ecology. There is a variety of different ecosystems in the world because every animal needs certain resources and ecological conditions to survive. They depend on these ecosystems to provide them with this and to adapt to them.
Ecosystems
There is a variety of different ecosystems in the world because every animal needs certain resources and ecological conditions to survive. They depend on these ecosystems to provide them with this and to adapt to them. Each major class of ecosystems are called biomes. Each biome is recognized by unique climate characteristics. Those characteristics may include amount of rain in the area, temperature, distance from the equator, and altitude.
There are 3 Major classes of ecosystems:
1. Freshwater Ecosystems – very small and support many species of life including fish, amphibians, insects and plants.
There are 3 Major classes of ecosystems:
1. Freshwater Ecosystems – very small and support many species of life including fish, amphibians, insects and plants.
2. Terrestrial Ecosystems - many and diverse types of ecosystems. There are eight major types.
3. Ocean Ecosystems – supports 75 % of the Earth surface. Has variety of species and three biomes. [2]
Terrestrial Ecosystem Biomes
Temperate Deciduous Forest – warm summers and cool winters. Deer, raccoons, and salamanders are characteristic inhabitants. [3]
Temperate Grass Land – more rain that desert with rich soil; tall dense grasses. In North America, bison and antelope were members of the grassland fauna. [3]
Savanna - open, widely spaced trees, seasonal rainfall. Here animals like lions, zebras, elephants, and giraffes and many types of ungulates(animals with hooves) graze and hunt. [3]
Desert - dry, poor vegetation; scattered grasses. Majority of animals are mammals, lizards and snakes and insects. [3]
Temperate Evergreen Forest - is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Inhibited by mammals, reptiles, birds and different species of insect. [3]
Taiga – long and cold winter with short summers. Covered with pine trees forests. In North America, the moose is such a typical member that it has led to the name: "spruce-moose" biome. [3]
Tundra - coldest of all biomes. Frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. [3]
Interactions in an Ecosystem
In ecology, a community is the biotic component of an ecosystem. Different species may live in the same area and interact with one another. There are three major types of community interactions are predation, competition, and symbiosis. [4]
Competition is a relationship between organisms that fight for the same limited resources. It could be food or territory. Competition occurs usually when two animals have the same niche in the same environment. Two different types of competition are intraspecific and interspecific competition. [4]
Intraspecific competition occurs between members of the same species. For example, Red Spotted Newts might compete for females in the same territory.[4]
Interspecific competition occurs between members of different species. For example, two lions might chase the same pray and the fastest succeed.[4]
Symbiosis is a close association between two species in which at least one species benefits. For the other species, the outcome of the association may be positive, negative, or neutral. There are three basic types of symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. [4]
One of these interactions is mutualism; mutualism is a relationship between to organism that benefits both of them. For example, we've all seen Finding Nemo. The weird looking thing that Nemo lives in is called an anemone. The anemone protects Nemo and his dad by using it's tentacles to shock and paralyze any predators. As well as the clownfish defend the anemone from Butterfly fish which eat the anemone.
One of these interactions is mutualism; mutualism is a relationship between to organism that benefits both of them. For example, we've all seen Finding Nemo. The weird looking thing that Nemo lives in is called an anemone. The anemone protects Nemo and his dad by using it's tentacles to shock and paralyze any predators. As well as the clownfish defend the anemone from Butterfly fish which eat the anemone.
Another relationship organisms can have is commensalism, which isn't as much of a sweet deal as mutualism. Commensalism is when in the relationship between two organisms of different species where only one organism benefits while the other one remains unaffected or is slightly harmed. An example of commensalism would be a bird living in a tree. The tree provides the bird a home and resources while the tree does not benefit from the bird whatsoever.[1]
The most unfair game of all is parasitism. Parasitism is the relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other one is significantly harmed. For example when a parasite of any kind latches on to its host of choice, it benefits from it while the host goes through a lot of pain and undergoes many other negative effects.
Red Spotted Newts and Their Habitats
A red spotted newts habitat can range from temperate, terrestrial, and freshwater. The are usually found in marshes and near ponds, but if their water habitat doesn't suffice these little guys then move onto dry land. I'm pretty sure they're going to need a few towels and ice because the humidity in these habitats is through the roof, especially during the summer. But in the winter the air is freezing. An umbrella is going to be needed due to the heavy rainfall, but these marshes are skilled in absorbing water during heavy rainfall and is put to use by the newts. [4]
Newts use their habitats for many reasons for example, the water is needed to breed in and for a female newt to drop her eggs in. As well as being used for nutritional purposes. A newt's diet consists of crickets, worms, fruit flies, slugs, and snails. These organisms are commonly found in marshes and give newts the energy to be as adorable as they are. [5]third trophic level
In nature and in the animal kingdom there is a certain system that has to do with energy flow and answers the question: who eats who? This system is called trophic levels. The first trophic level is made up of producers such as grass and plants. Lets go up another level, the second trophic level is made up of herbivores while the third and fourth levels are made up by carnivores. A red spotted newts place in this system is in the third level because it eats others and others eat it. [6]
Newts use their habitats for many reasons for example, the water is needed to breed in and for a female newt to drop her eggs in. As well as being used for nutritional purposes. A newt's diet consists of crickets, worms, fruit flies, slugs, and snails. These organisms are commonly found in marshes and give newts the energy to be as adorable as they are. [5]third trophic level
In nature and in the animal kingdom there is a certain system that has to do with energy flow and answers the question: who eats who? This system is called trophic levels. The first trophic level is made up of producers such as grass and plants. Lets go up another level, the second trophic level is made up of herbivores while the third and fourth levels are made up by carnivores. A red spotted newts place in this system is in the third level because it eats others and others eat it. [6]
Think of an environment as a play, everyone has a role. You have the main actors, the people playing the background music, and stage crew. An organisms role in its environment is called a niche. In an environment multiple organisms can have the same niche, this causes competition within the environment and interaction between the organisms.
A newt's interactions usually take place on land where they look for prey. Newt's in general usually spend a lot of their time on land even during winter when they hibernate underground. Movement on land usually occurs at night as well depending on the circumstances such as rain and temperature. [7] Interactions that occur in ponds and other water sources that they live in is usually for breeding and the ponds that the breeding takes in are usually nutrient rich.
A newt interacts with snakes, snails, slugs, and other small insects. These interactions occur due to the predator-prey relationship. The snake preys on the newt while snails, slugs, and insects are getting preyed on. A newt will also interact with other newts due to mating, competition for niches, and competition for mating. Everyone has a role in this world, these organisms just try to fight for it.
A newt interacts with snakes, snails, slugs, and other small insects. These interactions occur due to the predator-prey relationship. The snake preys on the newt while snails, slugs, and insects are getting preyed on. A newt will also interact with other newts due to mating, competition for niches, and competition for mating. Everyone has a role in this world, these organisms just try to fight for it.