Download Biome synch lec

Characteristics of Community
1. Biological Structure
a. Dominance
i. power and influence over others.
ii. It may vary
1. Size
2. Number
3. Influence (lion) or position
b. Species diversity
i. Based on the species richness and species evenness
ii. The more species diversity, the more it is stable
2. Niche
a. is way an organism uses its environment
b. Species thus become more specialized
c. Two types
i. Fundamental niche
1. includes the total range of environmental conditions that are suitable for existence
without the influence of interspecific competition or predation from other species
ii. Realized niche
1. part of the fundamental niche actually occupied by the species.
3. Physical Structure
a. Types:
i. Vertical Stratification or layering
1. Each layer may consist different species
a. Light
i. In marine areas
1. The deeper layer, the lesser sunlight
b. Temperature
c. Oxygen
ii. Horizontal pattern
1. Edge
a. where two or more different communities meet
b. Types:
i. Inherent
1. when edges are stable or permanent
ii. Induced
1. temporary which may result from natural disturbances or
human activities
c. Boundary
i. consist of edges and border
2. Ecotone
a. where two or more communities not only meet but intergrade
4. Feeding Patterns
a. In any food chain or food web, a produces must always be present
➢ Community change over time
o Succession
▪ refers to the change in species composition and diversity over time of a community
▪ types:
• Primary
o is succession of a new environment (no plants)
o Indicates that there is no preexisting life is present
o Initially starts with a bare land until it prospers to life
o Primary succession occurs on habitats previously lacking plants
▪ sand dunes, lava flows & other bare surfaces
▪ generally lacking a “seed bank”
• Secondary
o is recovery from a disturbance in existing environment (plants previously)
▪ Disturbances include fires, floods, hurricanes, human activity
o Secondary succession is following disturbance
▪ after blow-down or logging
➢ Reasons for Succession
o Early arriving plants can tolerate harsh conditions, facilitate later arriving species
o Sometimes due to chance who arrives first
o Type of climax community depends on climate, terrain, and history
BIOME
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major regional ecological community of organisms.
used as a system of classification and distribution based on natural climax communities.
change not only with latitude but also with altitude.
numbers of vertebrate species decrease steadily with increasing latitude and altitude.
1. Tundra
a. located nearest to the polar region
b. vegetation includes lichens, mosses, grasses and low-growing shrubs
c. few animals adapted to cool temperature live in the tundra, polar bears, caribou, and musk ox; during
summer, insects and birds migrate the biome
2. Taiga
a. located just below the tundra extending in a broad belt across northern Eurasia and North America
b. composed of coniferous forest dominated by cone-bearing trees such as spruce, fir and pine
c. birds, bears, deer, moose beavers, wolves and even mountain lion could be found
3. Temperate Deciduous Forest
a. located south of the taiga in eastern North America, eastern Asia and much of Europe
b. with moderate climate and relative high rainfall
c. dominated by deciduous trees, oak, beech and maple
d. amphibians and reptiles are found, together with some other vertebrates as squirrels, rabbits, foxes,
deer and bears
4. Grassland
a. located in regions where a relatively cool dry season is followed by a hot, rainy one
b. classified into prairies (central portion of North America) or savannas (Africa, tropical grassland)
c. dominated by grasses that can adapt to changing temperature and can tolerate high degree of grazing,
flooding, drought and sometimes fire
d. supports large group of grazers (zebras and wildebeests) and browsers (giraffes), and predators
(cheetahs and lions)
5. Tropical forest
a. E.g., Philippines
b. located near the equator
c. considered to be the richest biome in terms of number and abundance of species
d. has a complex structure, with many levels of life, from simplest bryophytes and epiphytes to woody
vines and giant trees
e. insects, amphibians, reptiles birds, and mammals are well represented • characteristic of Philippine
forests
6. Desert
a. located at about 30, in both Northern and Southern hemispheres • support organisms adapted to arid
conditions • plants are succulents, or shrubs with woody stems and small leaves • animals require little
water or are adapted in storing water such as kangaroo rat, roadrunner, insects, lizards and snakes
Ecosystems
1. Aquatic
a. Marine
i. the largest environment, it covers 70% of the Earth’s surface
ii. form a single vast interconnected water mass partially separated into divisions by the continents
iii. characterize by general equality in the composition and amount of dissolved substances
(average of 35 ppt) due to continuous diffusion of sea water by means of currents, tides, and
storms
iv. depth varies from intertidal zones to depths of 10.8 km
v. temperature ranges from 32ºC in the tropics to -2.2ºC in the Arctic, rarely fluctuates more than
5ºC
vi. have high salinity, due to surface runoffs
vii. has greater depth
viii. Two regions:
1. Benthic region
a. the ocean floor, including the intertidal (littoral zone)
b. includes organisms that live on the floor of the:
i. continental shelf
1. in sub
ii. continental slope
iii. abyssal plain
c. majority of the organisms are invertebrates that serve as food for the species of
marine vertebrates
2. Pelagic region
a. the open waters
b. includes floating organisms (planktons) e.g. phytoplanktons and zooplanktons
and free-swimming organisms (nektons) e.g. fishes, turtles, and marine
mammals
c. Divided into two provinces.
i. Neritic Province
1. Above the continental shelf (has still land)
ii. Oceanic Province
1. Refers to the ocean basins