Download Ex. of Niche - Elmwood Park Memorial High School

4-2 What Shapes an Ecosystem?
• Habitat is shaped by: (like an address)
• Biotic factors – the ecological
community.
Ex. birds, trees, mushrooms, and
bacteria.
• Abiotic factors- the climate of an area.
Ex. temperature, precipitation, and
humidity.
Niche
• The physical and biological conditions in
which an organism lives and the way in
which an organism uses those conditions.
• Temperature it survives in
• Type of food it eats
• What eats it
• How it obtains food
• How it reproduces
Ex. of Niche
Bull Frog(amphibians)
• In or near ponds, lakes, or slow moving
stream
• Eats; insects, spiders, worms, small fish,
and mice.
• In winter, they burrow in the mud and
hibernate.
• Reproduction- Female bullfrogs lay eggs
in water during warmer months.
The Niche
Competitive Exclusion PrincipleNo two species can occupy the same
niche in the same habitat. They can
occupy niches that are similar.
Ex. Bay Breasted Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
They avoid direct competition
Community Interactions
• 1. Competition – Will result when two
of the same species or different
species attempt to use the same
resources (food,water, light, nutrients,
or space) in the same place at the
same time.
• Ex. Oak and Hickory trees grow tall
and leaves are broad. They block out
the sunlight for shorter trees.
Competition
• Competitive Exclusion
Principle- Competitions results
in a winner and a loser- with the
loser failing to survive.
Predation
One organism captures and feeds on
another organism.
The organism that does the killing is the
predator.
The food organism is the prey
2. SymbiosisAny relationship where two organisms live
closely together.
1. Mutualism – Both benefit. Ex. flowers and
insects
2. Commensalism- One benefit and the
other is not helped or harmed. ex.
barnacles attach to whale skin.
3. Parasitism- One organism lives in or on
another and harms it. The one being
harmed is called the host. Ex. fleas, ticks,
lice, tapeworms.
Ecological Succession
• Series of predictable change that
occur in a community over time.
• Primary succession- Occurs
where no soil exists.
Ex. As volcanic islands form.
Ex. When glaciers melt exposing
bare rock.
Pioneer Species
• Stage one primary succession.
• Ex. Lichen (fungus and alga) they
break down rock. When they die
the material become soil. Now
other plant and organisms begin
to arrive.
• Ex. Mosses.
Stage 2 accumulation stage
Annuals dominate soil.
Nutrient pore soil.
Ex. Plants like legumes have
relationship with rhizobia
bacteria(nitrogen fixing)
Decomposition of bacteria and
fungi and waste of small animals
all add to soil.
Soil vs. dirt
• Soil is alive
• Dirt is minerals
Stage 3 perennial herb stage
• Soft tissue perennials dominate. They
may take several years to reproduce.
• They will out compete annuals b/c
they can reproduce sexually. Annual
will be present but perennials
dominate.
• They modify the soil for the next
stage.
4. shrub stage – Woody multi stemmed
plants less than 10 feet.
• Modify soil for the next stage….
5. Shade intolerant trees- Require and or
tolerate high sunlight. Pine tree.
Fire adapted may never reach stage 6.
6. Shade tolerate- Trees can grow and thrive
in shade. Ex. Oak and hickory.
• Stage 6. Canopy forest- see picture on
board.
• Shade tolerate out compete shade
intolerant.
• If you make it to stage 6 you don’t always
stay there. Ex. Tree falls from wind. Insect
damage. Fire comes in.
• When there is a disturbance you will see a
mix of stages.
• Stage 6 used to be called climax forest.
• Ecologist are getting away from that term.
Why do you think?
Once you reach stage 6 you may call it Oak
& Hickory forest b/c they dominate. But
there is always patches of disturbance.
Secondary seccesion
• Same as primary except no stage
1 or 2..
Ex. An old abandoned farm.
Old Growth vs. Immature
Community
1. OG reaches stage 6.
2. OG is moist compared to IC.
3. OG highly organized many layers.
Canopy, sub canopy, shrub layer.
4. OG differs in species diversity may have
high or low.
Succession of Marine Environment
1. Dark ocean floor, a whale falls to the
bottom and dies. Scavengers and
decomposers come to the scene to feed
on the whale. Ex. Sharks,, hag fish,
bacteria, and amphipods.
2. Within a year most whale tissue is gone;
crabs, snails, small fish, use site for
shelter. Bottom of ocean is enriched,
many worm species.
• 3. Heterotrophic bacteria move in, feed off
of oils inside decomposing bone.
• As they feed they release chemicals that
attract chemosynthetic bacteria.
• Chemosynthetic bacteria are a food
source for mussels, limpets, snails,
worms, crabs, clams, etc….
Biomes
Tropical Rain
Forest
Hot and wet all
year
Broad leaf
evergreen
Climbing plants
Nutrient poor soil
Tropical Dry
Forest
Warm
Wet & dry seasons
Deciduous
Biomes
Desert
Tropical Savanna • Less than 25 cm
Warm
a year.
Seasonal rainfall
• Extreme temp.
Frequent fires
changes
• Rich in minerals
poor organic
• Extensive root
system
Temperate
Grasslands
• Mix of grasses
• Fertile soil
• Moderate temp.
• Seasonal rain
•
•
•
•
Temperate
woodland
and
shrubland
AKA chaparral
Hot & dry
summers
Cool & moist
winters
Freq. fires
Boreal Forest aka. Taiga
•
•
•
•
•
•
Long cold winter
Short warm summer
Moderate rain
Needle leaf conifers
Nutrient poor soils
Wolves, moose, spruce
Tundra
•
•
•
•
Permafrost
Short cool summer
Low rain
Mosses, lichen, short grasses
Mountain Ranges Polar
• As you go up it
• Mosses, lichen,
gets colder
mites, polar
bears, penguin,
• More rainfall on
rates
one side of the
mountain
Sec. 5-1
• Population density-Number of
individuals per unit area.
• Population growth- Births,
deaths, immigration, and
emigration.
• Exponential growth- When
individuals grow at a constant
rate. see fig.5-3
• Logistic growth-when population
growth slows or stops following a
period of exponential growth.
• Carrying capacity is the largest number of
individuals an environment can support.
• Do Now: If an entire lynx
population disappears, What is
likely to happen to the hare
population on which it preys?
• Objective :Explain why population
rates differ from country to
country.
Sec 5-3
• Demography- Study of human
population
• Demographic transitions- a dramatic
change in birth and death rates.see
fig.5-12
• Age structure diagrams- population
profile by age. See figure 5-13
Future population growth
• Some scientists believe that if the
population growth rate does not slow
down, humans will outgrow our food and
other supplies. And bust will occur.
• Other scientist think that technology will
handle any problems with supplies and
ecosystem recovery and the human
population will remain stable.
• What’s you opinion?