Topic 5.

1: Communities and ecosystems

Definition
Species – A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
(e.g. Echinolittorina trochoides, Tetraclita japonica)
Habitat – The environment in which a species normally lives or the location of a
living organism (e.g. Bare Rock, Cracks and Crevices, Boulders, Rock Pools,
Scrub)
Population – A group of organisms of the same species who live in the same
area at the same time (e.g.
Community – A group of populations living and interacting with each other in an
area (e.g. Rocky Shore)
Ecosystem – A community and its abiotic environment
Ecology – The study of relationships between living organisms and between
organisms and their environment (e.g

Autotroph – an organism that synthesizes its organic molecules from simple

inorganic substances (They are Producers – make their own food from inorganic
sources of carbon, e.g. Algae – Endarachne binghamiae)

Heterotroph – an organism that obtains organic molecules from other organisms

(e.g. Animals that ingest prey, fungi that absorb externally digested organic
matter)

Consumers – an organism that ingests other organic matter that is living or

recently killed (e.g. Crabs, such as Plagusia depressa, Grapsus albolineatus)
Detritvores – an organism that ingests non-living matter (e.g. Earthworms,
Saprotrophs – an organism that lives on or in non=living organic matter,
secreting digestive enzymes into it and absorbing the products of digestion

Food chain –
Algae  Periwinkles  Crabs
Algae  Crabs  Fish  Birds

Food web –

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Tropic Level – Refers to an organism’s position in the food chain
Algae  Crabs  Fishes  Birds
Algae: Producers
Crabs: Primary consumers
Fishes: Secondary consumers
Birds: Tertiary consumers

Ecological energetics –
Light (captured by plants undergoing photosynthesis) is the initial energy source
for almost all communities. The energy stored in plant matter ingested by
primary consumers can be used directly as a source of energy for cellular
respiration. This will ultimately result in waste heat being released. This also
suggests that energy transformations are never 100% efficient. Energy transfer
between tropic levels usually has an efficiency of between 5 and 20 %.

As a result of energy losses from respiration and undigested or uneaten material,

the length of food chains is limited by the loss of energy. The amount of energy
converted to new biomass during a give time period by each tropic level in an
ecological community can be represented by a pyramid of energy. The width of
the bars is proportional to the energy in that trophic level.