Download ABS ecologoical fundamentals winter 2011

Ecology
Ecosystem observations
Biosphere
• Living and nonliving
components?
Ecosystems
• Similarities and
differences?
Communities
Populations
Organisms
species
Geosphere
Geosphere: soil
Components?
• Millions of microorganisms
• Minerals/Nutrients
– O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, Mg
• Decaying organic matter (humus)
• Void space – water
• Void space – air
Geosphere: soil
Properties?
• Porosity
• Permeability
• Color
• Grain size
• Soil Texture
• pH
- Acid, < 7.0
- Alkaline, > 7.0
Geosphere: soil horizons
O - surface litter layer
• Humus provides N, K, binds particles,
enhances soil moisture retention
A - topsoil layer
• Most productive layer
• Mixture of organic / inorganic products
B & C – Subsoil to substratum
• Dense
• Lower in organic matter
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Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Condensation
Rain clouds
Transpiration
Precipitation
to land
Transpiration
from plants
Precipitation
Runoff
Surface runoff
(rapid)
Evaporation
Precipitation
Evaporation
from land
Evaporation
from ocean
Precipitation
to ocean
Surface
runoff
(rapid)
Infiltration and
Percolation
Groundwater movement (slow)
Ocean storage
Biosphere
Food chain and trophic levels
Solar Energy
First Trophic
Level
Second Trophic
Level
Third Trophic
Level
Producers
(plants)
Primary
consumers
(herbivores)
Secondary
consumers
(carnivores)
Heat
Heat
Fourth Trophic
Level
Plant nutrients
From atmosphere,
soil and water
Tertiary
consumers
(top carnivores)
• Vertebrate Grazers and Seedeaters: Deer, elk; mice, rabbits,
squirrels; Seed- and fruit-eating
birds
• Invertebrate Grazers and Seedeaters: Herbivorous insects
• Parasites on Plants: Fungi,
bacteria, parasitic flowering
plants; insect galls, nematode
worms, some protozoa
Producers
Green plants
Some bacteria
Primary
Consumers
Herbivores
Plant parasites
Heat
Solar
energy
Heat Heat
Heat
Heat
Decomposers
Bacteria
Fungi: Bracket, cup,
Pore fungi,
Chanterelles, Gilled
mushrooms, etc.
Slime molds
Water molds
•Vertebrate Omnivores: Black
bear, raccoon, opossum, crow
Secondary
Consumers
Omnivores
Carnivores
Animal parasites
Scavengers
Heat
Detritivores
(decomposers and detritus feeders)
•Vertebrate Carnivores:
Coyotes, bats, bobcats,
weasels, mole shrews; many
birds: owls, flickers, warblers,
etc.
•Invertebrate Carnivores: Many
insects like beetles, wasps
•Animal Parasites: Worms,
protozoa, bacteria, fungi
•Scavengers: Crows, many
invertebrates
Autotrophs (producers)
Net primary productivity: rate at which producers turn
solar energy to biomass minus respiration, or the
energy available to consumers (chlorophyll mg/m3)
Willapa Bay, WA
http://www.wetlabs.com/images/doe/chlscanl.gif
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Autotrophs (producers)
Douglas fir
Red Cedar
Washington Native Plant Society
Western hemlock
Source: NASA
Autotrophs (producers)
Washington Native Plant Society
Autotrophs (producers)
Washington Native Plant Society
Salal
Bigleaf Maple
Cascade Oregon grape
Red Huckleberry
Madrone
Red alder
Devil’s Club
http://denisewymore.wordpress.com/2010/04/
http://w ww.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm
http://www.sfu.ca/halk-ethnobiology/html/plants/redhuckleberry.htm
Black tailed deer
http://w ww.gatorfarm.com/birds.html
Elk
Black capped chickadee
Douglas squirrel
Banana slug
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AmericanRedSquirrel.jpg
http://www.wogameandfish.com/hunting/elk-hunting/wo_aa095503a/
• Nonnative, invasive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OregonBlacktail.jpg
Douglass Fir tussock Moth
Autotrophs (producers)
http://dnrc.mt.gov/forestry/Assistance/Pests/tussockmoth.asp
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Turkey tail mushroom
Cup fungus
Black bear
Spotted Owl
http://oalginsbachr.wordpress.com/fauna/
http://stockpix.com/stock/animals/birds/raptorialbirds/owls/4992.htm
http://w ww.bobkellerphoto.com/
Chanterelle
Western long ear bat
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slime_Mold_Olympic_National_Park_North_Fork_Sol_Duc.jpg
Spider wasp
Slime mold
http://w ww.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm
Cougar, or Mountain lion
http://m addogenglishwoman.wordpress.com/category/wildlife/
http://share3.esd105.wednet.edu/rsandelin/Fieldguide/Animalpages/Insects/Bees-wasps.htm#Spider_Wasp
http://w ww.batsnorthwest.org/myev_gallery.html
Raccoon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OregonBlacktail.jpg
Humans release sulfur dioxide by:
Nutrient Cycles: Sulfur
• Burning coal and oil
• Refining petroleum
• Converting metallic ores into free metals (copper, lead, and zinc)
(H2 SO43-)
(SO3)
(H2 SO43-)
(SO3)
(NH4) 2SO4
(SO2)
(NH4) 2SO4
(SO2)
(H2 S)
(CH3) 2S
phytoplankton
(H2 S)
(CH3) 2S
phytoplankton
(SO42-)
(SO42-)
(xS2-)
(S2-)
(H2 S)
(H2 S)
Nutrient Cycles: Water
Nutrient Cycles: Carbon
Condensation
Rain clouds
Transpiration
Precipitation
to land
Transpiration
from plants
Precipitation
Runoff
Surface runoff
(rapid)
Evaporation
Precipitation
Evaporation
from land
Evaporation
from ocean
Precipitation
to ocean
Surface
runoff
(rapid)
Infiltration and
Percolation
Groundwater movement (slow)
Ocean storage
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Nutrient Cycles: Nitrogen
Nutrient Cycles: Phosphorus
Species
Species: Indicator
• Indicator
• Keystone
• Foundation
• serve as early warnings of ecosystem damage
• Puget Sound indicator species of toxic contam.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v404/n6779/abs/404752a0.html
–
–
–
–
Chinook/coho salmon
Mussels
Harbor seals
English sole
• Puget Sound indicator
species of human waste
– Shellfish
“Canary in the coal mine”
Nearly 1 in 3 of 5,743
described amphibian
species are in decline
Species: Keystone
Species: Keystone
• determine types and numbers of other species in
a community
• determine types and numbers of other species in
a community
Chinook salmon
Starfish
Sea otter
“salmon runs in SE Alaska add up to 170 tons of
phosphorous per year to Lake Illiamna3 , and the number
of salmon carcasses carried by brown bears … adds
phosphorous to terrestrial systems at a rate of 6.77 kg/ha
-- the equivalent application rate of commercial fertilizers
for evergreen trees4 .”
http://w ww.wildsalmoncenter.org/about/whySalmon.php
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pugetsound/species/salmon.html
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pugetsound/species/salmon.html
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• create and enhance habitats
that can benefit other species
Eelgrass
Species Interactions
•
•
•
•
•
Competition
Predation
Parasitism
Mutualism
Commensalism
http://w ashingtondnr.wordpress.com
Western hemlock
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Washington/treeWesternHemlock.html
Species: Foundation
DNR/Helen Berry
Coral
Species Interactions
Species Interactions
• Competition, specialization, resource partitioning
• Predation
– Predators may have
camouflage, speed,
patience, inject
paralyzing chemicals
Species Interactions
• Predation
• Parasitism
– Prey evolve defenses
– Parasite benefits, host is harmed
http://share3.esd105.wednet.edu/rsandelin/Fieldguide/Animalpages/Insects/Bees-wasps.htm#Braconid_Wasp
Species Interactions
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http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/id
Species Interactions
Parasitism
http://chickadeee.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/seriously/
• live in host
– microorganisms,
tapeworms
• live outside host
– fleas, ticks, mistletoe
plants, sea lampreys
• little contact with host
– dump-nesting birds
Species Interactions
• Parasitism: myco-heterotrophs
Indian Pipe
Species Interactions
Species Interactions
• Mutualism
• Mutualism
Candystick
– species interact in a way that benefits both
Cleaner fish
Lichen: algae + fungus
Species Interactions
mycorrhizal association on pine roots
Population growth
• Commensalism
Stable growth
– benefits one species but has
little/no effect on the other
Epiphytes
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Population growth
Reproductive patterns
r-selected species
Stable growth
• Many small offspring (400/yr)
• Little - no parental care of offspring
• Early reproductive age (3-4 mo.)
• Most offspring die before reaching reproductive age
• Pioneer species
k-selected species
• Fewer, larger offspring (2-3 every 2 years)
• High parental care of offspring (born blind)
• Later reproductive age (4-7 yrs old)
• Most offspring survive to reproductive age
• Late successional species
Irruptive or
Mathusian growth
Biomes
Evolution
4.5
4
3
2
1
Billions of years ago
0
today
• Formation of Earth’s crust, atmosphere and oceans
• Small organic molecules form in the sea
• Large organic molecule form in the sea
• First protocells form in the sea
• Single-cell prokaryotes form in the sea
• Single-cell eukaryotes form in the seas
• Multicellular organisms form in the seas, later on land
Red algae
Evolution:
Homonids
4.5
4
3
2
1
Billions of years ago
0
Humans
Credit: Berkeley, Palomar College
Evolution: Natural selection
how?
today
•
•
•
•
genetic variability
traits must be heritable
trait must lead to differential reproduction
leads to adaptations: heritable traits that enable
survival and reproduction
- Structural, behavioral/sexual, physiological
Source: Reed et al., PLOS Biology
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Structural
adaptations
Evolution: Genetic variation
Greater Koa-finch
how?
• mutations: random changes in the structure or # of
DNA molecules in a cell that can be inherited by
offspring
Kuai Akialaoa
Amakihi
Kona Grosbeak
Crested Honeycreeper
Akiapolaau
Maui Parrotbill
Apapane
Unknown finch ancestor
how?
Evolution: Genetic drift
• random selection
• allows maladaptive traits in small populations
- probability
Worms of different color
over 4 generations:
Evolution
• Large gene pool
- Increases biological fitness of the species
• Small gene pool
- Fewer traits for natural selection
- Genetic drift has significant affects
- Increased potential of extinction
- chance
Hunted to near extinction,
30,000 to 1,000 in 1900
Evolution
Behavioral, or
Speciation through
Physiological, or
adaptations
Structural
Speciation through chance/
Genetic drift
probability/human selection
Coevolution
Interacting species engage in a
back and forth genetic contest
Convergent evolution
Organisms not closely related,
independently evolve similar traits
due to similar ecological niches
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