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Transcript
Ecosystems and Populations Terms Ecology: study of how organisms interact with each other and their non-living environment (biotic-living and abiotic-non living factors) Ecosystem: The biotic community and all abiotic factors. Community: All the living organisms/populations in an area Population: group of organisms of same species Roles in Ecosystems Habitat: the area where an organism lives; its address (eg. Tropical rainforest); Niche: an organism’s profession; what it eats, what eats it, the habitat, time when active, etc. Competition Having differing niches allows organisms to reduce competition Eg. Hawks vs. owls Competition Warblers Yellow rumped – only in bottoms of trees Blackburnian – only at tops of trees Biodiversity describes the number and variety of organisms in an ecosystem. Greater biodiversity means more stability because if one species in a food web is lost, its predator can switch to another prey. Indicator Species are species of organisms that provide an early warning that an ecosystem is being affected by some factor. Usually, these species are very sensitive to changes in an ecosystem, or to specific changes of ecosystem conditions. Exotic Species Second only to habitat loss as a cause of extinction New species occupy niches of natural populations and out compete them purple loosestrife zebra mussels starlings Species At Risk Less severe risk Most severe risk Special concern – numbers are declining at the range / fringe of the area Threatened – species may become endangered if threatening conditions are not reversed Extirpated – a species no longer exists in one particular area, but is still found in other areas Endangered – a species is close to extinction in all parts of their natural habitat Extinct – a species no longer exists Extinct Canadian Species Great Auk -1844 Sea Mink-1870 Labrador duck-1875 Genetically Modified Crops Transfer of genes from one organism to another unrelated organism Eg. Roundup resistance to canola Fish antifreeze proteins to strawberries Vitamin A gene to rice Green Fluorescent Protein to monkeys/pigs Biological Control Using a natural predator to control an unwanted species. Population Line Graphs typically have numbers on vertical axis and time on horizontal axis Biotic Potential the maximum number of offspring that the species could produce with unlimited resources Environmental Resistance Is the limiting factors on a population Include food, shelter, water, predation, etc. Puts brakes on biotic potential (B) – maximum reproductive rate Logistic Growth S shaped curves are typical of stable populations with a constant food source Logistic Growth Eg. Wild Horses on reserve land in AB Exponential Growth J shaped curve (initially) occurs with short-lived populations that rapidly deplete their environment Exponential Growth Eg. Flies on a carcass Carrying Capacity Is the number of organisms a habitat can sustain over the long term “k” Overshoots Result when k is greatly exceeded and the environment deteriorates Limiting Factors to Populations Shelford’s Law of Tolerance: an organism can survive within a certain range of any abiotic factor Greater the range, the greater the ability for the species to survive Limiting Factors on Populations Law of the Minimum: if any one of many needed nutrients/limiting factors is reduced below the required levels, the population growth rate declines Limiting Factors Can be density independent – those that will affect a population regardless of its size Eg. Cold winter Lack of water Limiting Factors Can be density dependant – those that increase when the population size increases Eg. Disease Predation Food Supply Human Population Growth Approximately 6.6 billion Taxonomy - naming Naming system to identify different species Used binomial nomenclature – two words Taxonomy First word is the genus Second is the species Equus caballus Equus burchellii Taxonomy Castor canadensis Ursus maritimus Species - Definition A species is a group of organisms that can interbreed under natural conditions and produce fertile offspring Levels of Classification Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primates Hominidae Homo sapiens (Kings play chess on fine grain sand) Classification Giraffe Horse Pig Kingdom Animalia Animalia Animalia Phylum Chordata Chordata Chordata Class Mammalia Mammalia Mammalia Order Artiodactyla Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Family Giraffidae Equidae Suidae Genus Giraffa Equus Sus Species camelopardalis caballus scrofa The Kingdoms 5 of them: 1. Monera: Bacteria and blue-green algae - sometimes subdivided into eubacteria and archaebacteria - prokaryotic (very simple) cells 2. - - Protista – mostly single celled Eukaryotic (true nucleus) Usually aquatic 3. - Fungi – most multicellular Heterotrophic, chitin cell walls 4. Plantae: multicellular, autotrophs 5. Animalia: multicellular, heterotrophs