Patterns of trophic niche divergence between invasive and native
... patterns of either niche overlap or divergence detected in mesocosm experiments were apparent between the species at larger spatial scales. Using stable isotope analysis, their feeding relationships were assessed initially in the mesocosms (1000 L) and then in small ponds (<400 m2) and large ponds ( ...
... patterns of either niche overlap or divergence detected in mesocosm experiments were apparent between the species at larger spatial scales. Using stable isotope analysis, their feeding relationships were assessed initially in the mesocosms (1000 L) and then in small ponds (<400 m2) and large ponds ( ...
EVPP 550 Waterscape Ecology and Management – Lecture 10
... – Like rotifers, have both asexual and sexual reproduction – During favorable conditions, there can be many generations of asexual reproduction (eggs that don’t need fertilizing) – When stress occurs, males are produced and sexual females, meiosis occurs to produce gametes – Male gametes fertilize e ...
... – Like rotifers, have both asexual and sexual reproduction – During favorable conditions, there can be many generations of asexual reproduction (eggs that don’t need fertilizing) – When stress occurs, males are produced and sexual females, meiosis occurs to produce gametes – Male gametes fertilize e ...
Competitive co-existence caused by adaptive predators
... as feeding on consumer 2. Such a distribution of predators was termed the ideal free distribution (IFD; Fretwell and Lucas, 1970) because predators are free to choose on which food resource to feed and they are assumed to be omniscient with respect to food abundance and quality. Although the origina ...
... as feeding on consumer 2. Such a distribution of predators was termed the ideal free distribution (IFD; Fretwell and Lucas, 1970) because predators are free to choose on which food resource to feed and they are assumed to be omniscient with respect to food abundance and quality. Although the origina ...
Feeding behavior of yellow baboons
... and Aldrich-Blake, 1968; Davidge, 1978; Hamilton et al., 1978; Harding, 1976). As Schoener (1971, p. 384) has noted, the distinction between generalists and specialists can be drawn in several different ways [e.g., dietary breadth or diversity (Morse, 1971), extent of behavioral flexibility duril3g ...
... and Aldrich-Blake, 1968; Davidge, 1978; Hamilton et al., 1978; Harding, 1976). As Schoener (1971, p. 384) has noted, the distinction between generalists and specialists can be drawn in several different ways [e.g., dietary breadth or diversity (Morse, 1971), extent of behavioral flexibility duril3g ...
Predicting ecological consequences of marine top predator
... mesoconsumers. Using this framework, the effects of predation could be fully quantified based on the diets, metabolic rates and abundances of predators and data on prey population dynamics [18]. Declines in top predator abundance should release mesoconsumers from predation and indirectly increase th ...
... mesoconsumers. Using this framework, the effects of predation could be fully quantified based on the diets, metabolic rates and abundances of predators and data on prey population dynamics [18]. Declines in top predator abundance should release mesoconsumers from predation and indirectly increase th ...
Ambio 22 - Ecosystem Ecology: The CBL Gonzo Group
... (oysters, mussels), in estuaries can produce complex physical structures containing relatively more species. In very stable tropical marine environments, coral reefs develop unparalleled taxonomic diversity. Coral reefs cannot survive in highly variable environments, and such high-diversity systems ...
... (oysters, mussels), in estuaries can produce complex physical structures containing relatively more species. In very stable tropical marine environments, coral reefs develop unparalleled taxonomic diversity. Coral reefs cannot survive in highly variable environments, and such high-diversity systems ...
Predicting ecological consequences of marine top predator declines
... mesoconsumers. Using this framework, the effects of predation could be fully quantified based on the diets, metabolic rates and abundances of predators and data on prey population dynamics [18]. Declines in top predator abundance should release mesoconsumers from predation and indirectly increase th ...
... mesoconsumers. Using this framework, the effects of predation could be fully quantified based on the diets, metabolic rates and abundances of predators and data on prey population dynamics [18]. Declines in top predator abundance should release mesoconsumers from predation and indirectly increase th ...
Prowling for Predators- Africa Overnight
... Carnivores evolved as predators of odd and even-toed ungulates and rodents. Interactions of these predators and their prey helped shape the animals we see today. By predators always taking the individuals easiest to catch, predators promote survival of the fittest; as their prey becomes harder to c ...
... Carnivores evolved as predators of odd and even-toed ungulates and rodents. Interactions of these predators and their prey helped shape the animals we see today. By predators always taking the individuals easiest to catch, predators promote survival of the fittest; as their prey becomes harder to c ...
Types of Mutualisms
... “Our results indicate that the large herbivores typical of African savannas have driven the evolution and maintenance of a widespread ant-Acacia mutualism and that their experimentally simulated extinction rapidly tips the scales away from mutualism and toward a suite of antagonistic behaviors by t ...
... “Our results indicate that the large herbivores typical of African savannas have driven the evolution and maintenance of a widespread ant-Acacia mutualism and that their experimentally simulated extinction rapidly tips the scales away from mutualism and toward a suite of antagonistic behaviors by t ...
Processes affecting diversity
... B. Non-equilibrium 1. Intermediate disturbance hypothesis 2. Temporal variability C. Ecosystem implications of food webs ...
... B. Non-equilibrium 1. Intermediate disturbance hypothesis 2. Temporal variability C. Ecosystem implications of food webs ...
The interacting effects of temperature and food chain length on
... high and low complexity microbial communities to warming environments (+0Æ1–0Æ2 C per generation). Petchey et al. (1999) found a significant and positive effect of warming, which interacted with community complexity, on decomposition rate. Microbial activity (ammonium production) has also been obser ...
... high and low complexity microbial communities to warming environments (+0Æ1–0Æ2 C per generation). Petchey et al. (1999) found a significant and positive effect of warming, which interacted with community complexity, on decomposition rate. Microbial activity (ammonium production) has also been obser ...
ECOSYSTEM 250Q
... • Identify one abiotic factor that affects the population of the organisms in the ecosystem. • Explain how this factor influences the population. • Identify one biotic factor that affects the population of the organisms in the ecosystem. • Explain how this factor influences the population. ...
... • Identify one abiotic factor that affects the population of the organisms in the ecosystem. • Explain how this factor influences the population. • Identify one biotic factor that affects the population of the organisms in the ecosystem. • Explain how this factor influences the population. ...
Full Text
... remotely operated vehicles. In the bathyal zone, the consumption of whale carrion (up to 160 metric tons in the case of blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, carcasses) passes typically through three main stages. The first stage, which lasts months to approximately 5 years, is dominated my mobile consu ...
... remotely operated vehicles. In the bathyal zone, the consumption of whale carrion (up to 160 metric tons in the case of blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, carcasses) passes typically through three main stages. The first stage, which lasts months to approximately 5 years, is dominated my mobile consu ...
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The... copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research
... a b s t r a c t In planktonic food webs, the conversion rate of plant material to herbivore biomass is determined by a variety of factors such as seston biochemical/elemental composition, phytoplankton cell morphology, and colony architecture. Despite the overwhelming heterogeneity characterizing th ...
... a b s t r a c t In planktonic food webs, the conversion rate of plant material to herbivore biomass is determined by a variety of factors such as seston biochemical/elemental composition, phytoplankton cell morphology, and colony architecture. Despite the overwhelming heterogeneity characterizing th ...
Mass-Balance Analyses of Boreal Forest Population
... varied over time (Karels and others 2000; Hodges and others 2001). Cyclic mammalian and avian predators were modeled with ⌬B not equal to 0 because population sizes varied (Doyle and Smith 1994, 2001; Rohner 1996; O’Donoghue and others 1997; Rohner and others 2001). For hares and ground squirrels, w ...
... varied over time (Karels and others 2000; Hodges and others 2001). Cyclic mammalian and avian predators were modeled with ⌬B not equal to 0 because population sizes varied (Doyle and Smith 1994, 2001; Rohner 1996; O’Donoghue and others 1997; Rohner and others 2001). For hares and ground squirrels, w ...
Determinants of the detrital arthropod community structure: the
... history in ecology. Because the abiotic environment often varies in predictable ways along elevational gradients, montane systems are ideal to study geographic variation in the determinants of community structure. In this study, we first examined the relative importance of environmental gradients, m ...
... history in ecology. Because the abiotic environment often varies in predictable ways along elevational gradients, montane systems are ideal to study geographic variation in the determinants of community structure. In this study, we first examined the relative importance of environmental gradients, m ...
Red in tooth and claw: how top predators shape terrestrial ecosystems
... Red in tooth and claw 725 lynx-fox-hare system. In unproductive systems, where foxes and hares have naturally low abundances, a smaller population of lynx will be needed to enforce control of foxes. This will be achieved earlier in the process of population growth. Thus, Elmhagen et al. find that in ...
... Red in tooth and claw 725 lynx-fox-hare system. In unproductive systems, where foxes and hares have naturally low abundances, a smaller population of lynx will be needed to enforce control of foxes. This will be achieved earlier in the process of population growth. Thus, Elmhagen et al. find that in ...
Predator control of ecosystem nutrient dynamics
... broad mechanisms of top predator effect (Carpenter et al. 1992; Vanni 2002): (1) predation that leads to spatial and temporal shifts in the size and identity of living zooplankton grazers and hence nutrients contained in the zooplankton community. This arises either because C : N : P varies with pre ...
... broad mechanisms of top predator effect (Carpenter et al. 1992; Vanni 2002): (1) predation that leads to spatial and temporal shifts in the size and identity of living zooplankton grazers and hence nutrients contained in the zooplankton community. This arises either because C : N : P varies with pre ...
Ecology Test Review
... because their food source decreased. The lynx never completely eliminates the hare population, due to their predator prey relationship, the keep each others populations in check. ...
... because their food source decreased. The lynx never completely eliminates the hare population, due to their predator prey relationship, the keep each others populations in check. ...
Identification of food sources of invertebrates from the seagrass
... with distilled water, dried at 60°C and ground to fine powder using an agate mortar and pestle. For the carbon SIRA, subsamples of 1 mg were combusted with CuO in vacuum-sealed Pyrex tubes in a muffle furnace at 590°C (Sofer 1980). Prior to combustion, subsamples of epiphytes, POM and sediments were ...
... with distilled water, dried at 60°C and ground to fine powder using an agate mortar and pestle. For the carbon SIRA, subsamples of 1 mg were combusted with CuO in vacuum-sealed Pyrex tubes in a muffle furnace at 590°C (Sofer 1980). Prior to combustion, subsamples of epiphytes, POM and sediments were ...
Science and the Environment
... A graphic representation of the trophic levels in an ecosystem, often shaped like a pyramid, with Click here to reveal the definition! producers at the base and the tertiary or quaternary consumers at the top. ...
... A graphic representation of the trophic levels in an ecosystem, often shaped like a pyramid, with Click here to reveal the definition! producers at the base and the tertiary or quaternary consumers at the top. ...
Atkinsonetal.Ecosystems.2014
... Author's personal copy C. L. Atkinson and others contribution of consumer nutrient remineralization to the food web. Ecologists have long recognized how certain species can have large effects on ecosystems (ecological engineers, sensu Moore 2006). However, research in this area has focused primaril ...
... Author's personal copy C. L. Atkinson and others contribution of consumer nutrient remineralization to the food web. Ecologists have long recognized how certain species can have large effects on ecosystems (ecological engineers, sensu Moore 2006). However, research in this area has focused primaril ...
Direct and indirect bottom-up and top-down forces shape the
... Grutzner, & Platner 2008; Topping and Lövei 1997). Spiders are also preyed upon by a variety of natural enemies (Foelix 2010), but surprisingly the contribution of top-down processes to their regulation has rarely been assessed (e.g., Askenmo, von Broemssen, Eckman, & Jansson 1977; Spiller and Schoe ...
... Grutzner, & Platner 2008; Topping and Lövei 1997). Spiders are also preyed upon by a variety of natural enemies (Foelix 2010), but surprisingly the contribution of top-down processes to their regulation has rarely been assessed (e.g., Askenmo, von Broemssen, Eckman, & Jansson 1977; Spiller and Schoe ...
Chapter 16(18)-FA.indd
... landings by various fishing gears to landings by fishing area, so that landings as well as biomass from any fishing area could be calculated. This reclassification process involved three steps, i.e. classification of fishing area, classification of fishing gears, and classification of resources/spec ...
... landings by various fishing gears to landings by fishing area, so that landings as well as biomass from any fishing area could be calculated. This reclassification process involved three steps, i.e. classification of fishing area, classification of fishing gears, and classification of resources/spec ...
Food web
A food web (or food cycle) is the natural interconnection of food chains and generally a graphical representation (usually an image) of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Another name for food web is a consumer-resource system. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs. To maintain their bodies, grow, develop, and to reproduce, autotrophs produce organic matter from inorganic substances, including both minerals and gases such as carbon dioxide. These chemical reactions require energy, which mainly comes from the sun and largely by photosynthesis, although a very small amount comes from hydrothermal vents and hot springs. A gradient exists between trophic levels running from complete autotrophs that obtain their sole source of carbon from the atmosphere, to mixotrophs (such as carnivorous plants) that are autotrophic organisms that partially obtain organic matter from sources other than the atmosphere, and complete heterotrophs that must feed to obtain organic matter. The linkages in a food web illustrate the feeding pathways, such as where heterotrophs obtain organic matter by feeding on autotrophs and other heterotrophs. The food web is a simplified illustration of the various methods of feeding that links an ecosystem into a unified system of exchange. There are different kinds of feeding relations that can be roughly divided into herbivory, carnivory, scavenging and parasitism. Some of the organic matter eaten by heterotrophs, such as sugars, provides energy. Autotrophs and heterotrophs come in all sizes, from microscopic to many tonnes - from cyanobacteria to giant redwoods, and from viruses and bdellovibrio to blue whales.Charles Elton pioneered the concept of food cycles, food chains, and food size in his classical 1927 book ""Animal Ecology""; Elton's 'food cycle' was replaced by 'food web' in a subsequent ecological text. Elton organized species into functional groups, which was the basis for Raymond Lindeman's classic and landmark paper in 1942 on trophic dynamics. Lindeman emphasized the important role of decomposer organisms in a trophic system of classification. The notion of a food web has a historical foothold in the writings of Charles Darwin and his terminology, including an ""entangled bank"", ""web of life"", ""web of complex relations"", and in reference to the decomposition actions of earthworms he talked about ""the continued movement of the particles of earth"". Even earlier, in 1768 John Bruckner described nature as ""one continued web of life"".Food webs are limited representations of real ecosystems as they necessarily aggregate many species into trophic species, which are functional groups of species that have the same predators and prey in a food web. Ecologists use these simplifications in quantitative (or mathematical) models of trophic or consumer-resource systems dynamics. Using these models they can measure and test for generalized patterns in the structure of real food web networks. Ecologists have identified non-random properties in the topographic structure of food webs. Published examples that are used in meta analysis are of variable quality with omissions. However, the number of empirical studies on community webs is on the rise and the mathematical treatment of food webs using network theory had identified patterns that are common to all. Scaling laws, for example, predict a relationship between the topology of food web predator-prey linkages and levels of species richness.