Introduction to Ecology Blog
A population is a group of one type of living thing in one area. A community is all of the different living things that live in one area. The main difference is that populations are one specific type of organism in one specific area. A community shows all different types of living things in one area. They both show organisms in a certain area.
Communities are made up of Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers. Producers are organisms that produce organic compounds from inorganic compounds.They are autotrophs.Consumers are organisms that obtain nutrients from other organisms. They are heterotrophs. Decomposers are organisms that break down the remains of dead animals and plants. They are Saprobes.They recycle nutrients in dead organisms and their wastes.
A food chain describes who eats whom in the wild.They are arranged in Trophic Levels.Each food chain is a possible pathway that energy and nutrients can follow through the ecosystem. For example, flowers get 100,000 units of energy from the sun. When a bug eats the flower, it gets 10,000 units of energy from that flower. Then so on, each organism gets energy from what it ate.
The Freshwater Biome
Freshwater biomes such as lakes, ponds, streams, swamps, rivers, etc., cover about 20% of the Earth. Only 3% of the water on Earth comes from Freshwater Biomes. They are subdivided into three groups: Lakes & ponds, streams & rivers, and wetlands. Freshwater biomes contain plenty of grass and plants. They all contain a range of animal and plant species, different climates, and different amounts of water. No two freshwater biomes are exactly alike.
The Florida Everglades Ecosystem
The abiotic factors in the Everglades include the climate, amount of water, sunlight, and soil. The biotic factors are plants, animals, and bacteria. One population in the Everglades in the Florida Panther. It’s scientific name is Puma Concolor Coryi . Here is the Florida Panthers complete taxa:
Kingdom:
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Animalia
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Phylum:
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Chordata
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Class:
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Mammalia
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Order:
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Carnivora
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Family:
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Felidae
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Genus:
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Puma
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Species:
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P. Concolor
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Subspecies:
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P.C. Coryi
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The average adult female Florida Panther is 64-100 pounds and the adult males are 100-159 pounds on average. They are about 5.9-7.2 feet tall. Males mass is about 33.2% heavier than females. At birth, they are spotted and have blue eyes. As they grow, the spots fade and their eyes turn yellow. They have brown and gray/ black and white fur when fully grown. The Florida Panther lives and dwells in the forests, swamps, and freshwater marshes of Southern Florida in the United States. Their diet consists of Hares, Mice, Waterfowl, Storks, White-tailed Deer, Wild boar, and occasionally the American Alligator. They are carnivores. The Florida Panther is an endangered species. In the wild, they live to about 12 years.B with such a small population left, they are more prone to disease , genetic disorders, etc. Some members of the community include the American Alligator, West Indian Manatee, Cotton Mouse, Pinus Elliottii, Annona Glabra, Florida Red-bellied Cooter, American Crocodile, Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, Mayaheros Urophthalmus, Colubrina Asiatica, and the White-crowned pigeon.
Food chain:
Overall, the Freshwater Biome and the Florida Everglades show a wide range of biodiversity. Plenty of species live in the ecosystem, which makes it incredibly unique. The Florida Everglades is the largest freshwater biome, making it a place that many organisms call home. It offers a place for well-populated to endangered species to dwell in. In conclusion, the Everglades is an extremely important ecosystem and is a great example of a freshwater biome.
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