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Download What Shapes an Ecosystem
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What Shapes an Ecosystem? Biotic and Abiotic Factors Ecosystems are influenced by a combination of biological and physical factors. Biotic Factors – the biological factors (living things) Abiotic Factors – the physical or nonliving things Abiotic factors include: temperature precipitation humidity wind nutrient availability • soil type • sunlight • • • • • Habitat Habitat – is the area where an organism lives. Think of it as an organisms address… Yellow Rumped Warbler Address: coniferous forest Niche Niche – is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. For example, the niche of owl is all of the following biotic and abiotic factors: Lives in trees Feeds at night Feeds on mice Lives in cool climate Think of it as the organisms occupation… Niche No two species can share the same niche in the same habitat. Different species can occupy niches that are very similar. Community Interactions Competition Predation Symbiosis Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism Community Interactions Competition- occurs when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time. -A resource is any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space. Direct competition in nature often results in a winner and a loser—with the losing organism failing to survive. The competitive exclusion principle states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time. Community Interactions Predation – where one organism captures and feeds on another organism (lion and gazelle) The organism that does the killing and eating is called the predator, and the food organism is the prey. Community Interactions Symbiosis – any relationship in which two species live closely together (3 forms as follows) Mutualism – both species benefit from the relationship (ex. bee and flower) Commensalism – one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped or harmed (ex. barnacles attached to a whale) Parasitism – one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it (ex. tick and dog) Ecological Succession Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances. As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitants gradually die out and new organisms move in, causing further changes in the community. This series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time is called Ecological Succession. Primary Succession Primary succession is the first time life appears on a new surface of land Occurs after volcanic activity or melting of glaciers When primary succession begins there is no soil, just ash and rock The first species to populate the areas are called Pioneer Species In this example, a volcanic eruption has destroyed the previous ecosystem. The first organisms to appear are lichens. Primary Succession The primary species on volcanic rock are lichen Lichen is made up of a algae and fungus that can grow on rock The lichen grow on the rock and break it down When the lichen die they add organic material to help form soil for plants to grow on Mosses soon appear, and grasses take root in the thin layer of soil. Eventually, tree seedlings and shrubs sprout among the plant community. Secondary Succession Disturbances such as Fire or farming can alter an ecosystem without removing the soil. When the disturbance is over, community interactions tend to restore the ecosystem to its original condition through Secondary Succession.