1. Ecological Niches

2. Ecological Niches
Habitat: The natural
home of an organism. It
provides refuge and
food.

3. Ecological Niches
An ecological niche is
the role (functions) of
a species in an
ecosystem and its
habitat.

4. Ecological Niches
The ecological niche of a species includes:
1) What it feeds on
2) What feeds on it

5. Ecological Niches
3) How the species behaves in its environment
4) All the factors that the species needs to survive,
remain healthy and reproduce

6. Ex. What is the ecological niche of black bears?
– Live in forests.
– Feed on nuts, berries,
insects, and small animals.
– Fed on by blood-feeding
insects and parasites.
– Help carry seeds of berries
for long distances (in their
digestive systems) and
expel them allowing the
seeds to grow.

7. Energy Flow in Ecosystems

8. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Almost all energy on
Earth comes from
radiant energy – the
energy from our sun.

9. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Radiant energy that is
absorbed by land and
water is called thermal
energy. It keeps Earth
at its present
temperature range.

10. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
The portion of radiant energy we can see is called light
energy.

11. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Producers can collect this energy and turn it into
chemical energy.

12. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
This process is called photosynthesis:
carbon dioxide + water + light energy  sugar + oxygen
Sugar is a source of high energy.

13. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
When a consumer eats a producer, it releases the energy
from the sugar in a process called cellular respiration:
sugar + oxygen  carbon dioxide + water + light energy

14. Trophic Levels