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Transcript
Understanding Wetland Niches Determining Niches of Plant Species in Saline Wetlands Challenges of Living in a Salt Marsh A. Defining Abiotic Characteristics of Salt Marshes 1. Hydrology - saturated by water for at least all or part of the year 2. Soil - mostly waterlogged clay soils 3. Salinity - organisms must cope with salt B. Wetland Plant Adaptations 1. Plants - adapted to grow saturated by water • hollow passages from leaves to roots for air movement • oxidation of the surrounding soil • reversing osmotic flow by salt concentration • excretion of salt by glands on leaves and stems What happens when organisms rely on the same resources? competition = interactions between organisms using the same resources - often in short supply Principle of Competitive Exclusion If two species are in competition for the same limited resource, one will be eliminated in situations where they occur together. © 2004 Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning Number of individuals Principle of Competitive Exclusion Species 1 Species 2 Region of niche overlap Number of individuals Resource use Species 1 Species 2 Resource use How can similar species coexist in natural communities? ecological niche = role played by an organism the way it makes its living (niche = “occupation” habitat = “home”) resource partitioning = coexisting species use slightly different portions of an available resource. examples: The colored areas indicate Cape May Bay-breasted Blackburnian the feeding Warbler Warbler zones of these Warbler five species of N. American Warblers. The partitioning of resources allows all species to feed “Myrtle” Black-throated off the same Warbler green Warbler tree. Fundamental Niche = niche occupied by an organism in absence of competition. Realized Niche = portion of the fundamental niche actually utilized. examples: Smaller organisms are typically able to exploit more niches. High Tide Realized Niches Fundamental Niches Chthamalus barnacles Ocean Balanus barnacles Low Tide Niche Overlap A. Definition - locations where two or more species are present 1. How can two or more species occupy the same realized niche? Niche Breadth Specialists vs. Generalists Matt Goo, 2007 The Effect of Distance From Water On Percent Cover Percent Cover 120 cord grass algae salt grass pickleweed salt bush upland fennel 100 80 60 40 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Distance From Water(Meters) Realized Niches of Salt Marsh Plants (Generalized)