BIO 1220 Set 4

the structure and function of nature; the study of all of the interactions between organisms and their (or the) environment

the global ecosystem- the sum of all of the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes

examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere

major life zones characterized by vegetation type (in terrestrial biomes) or by the physical environment (in aquatic biomes)

community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which those organisms interact

emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment

focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials and organisms across multiple ecosystems

a mosaic of connected ecosystems

a group of populations of different species in an area

examines how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization

a group of individuals of the same species living in an area

analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time

includes the sub-disciplines of physiological, evolutionary and behavioral ecology; concerned with how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by its environment

latitudes between 23.5∘ north and south

-climate (temperature, precipitation, sunlight, wind)
-rocks and soil (pH, minerals, clay, organic material)
-periodic disturbances
-global climate patterns (solar radiation and latitude, seasons, global air circulation, rain shadows)

-solar radiation and latitude
-seasons
-global air circulation
-rain shadows

-found close to the equator
-long summer rainy season, pronounced winter dry season
-trees shed their leaves during the dry season
-species richness is moderate for plants and high for animals
-has some of the best soils in the tropics for agriculture

-richest in both plant and animal species among terrestrial biomes
-found in equatorial biomes; annual rain fall between 200 and 400 cm
-highest productivity among terrestrial ecological communities
-epiphytes and lianas (climbing woody vines) are numerous
-soils tend to be very nutrient poor

-found in dry tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, South America and Australia
-characterized by vast expanses of grassland and scattered trees
-periodic fires and grazing characteristics
-thorn forests and savannas have similar climate
-thorn forests are found on the equatorial sides of hot deserts
-dominant plants are spiny shrubs and small trees

-found in two belts, centered around 30∘N and 30∘ S latitudes
-central Australia and the middle of the Sahara Desert are the driest regions within the biome
-succulent plants are common

-high and dry
-found in dry regions at middle to high latitudes
-also found at high altitudes in the rain shadows
-seasonal temperatures vary greatly
-cold deserts dominated by a few species of low-growing shrubs
-common taxa are seed-producing plants, birds, ants and rodents

-climate is dry and pleasant
-found on the west sides of continents at moderate latitudes, where cool ocean waters flow offshore
-Low-growing and fire-resistant shrubs and trees with evergreen leaves are the most common plants
-periodic fires maintain the landscape
-large populations of small seed-eating rodents
-EX: Mediterranean region of Europe, coastal California, and central Chile

-found in many parts of the world
-relatively dry much of the year, with hot summers and cold winters
-fire and grazing strong influences on biome character
-rich in species of perennial grasses, sedges and forbs
-most of this biome has been converted into agriculture

-dominated by evergreen trees
-found in northern latitudes just below the arctic tundra and at high altitudes in mountain ranges
-winters long and very cold
-summers short and warm; short growing season
-species diversity very low
-Northern Hemisphere forest dominated by conifers
-Southern Hemisphere forest dominated by beech trees

conifers

beech trees

-temperatures fluctuate dramatically from season to season
-found in eastern North America, eastern Asia, and western Europe
-precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year
-many more species are present relative to boreal forests

-arctic tundra
-alpine tundra

-found at high altitudes in the arctic
-permafrost; plants grow only during the short summers when the first few inches of permafrost melt
-short cool summers, long cold winters with constant snow cover

-in high mountains
-very rocky with only thin soil covering
-very short growing season with long cold winters

the narrow top layer of an ocean or a lake, where light penetrates sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur

the part of an ocean or lake beneath the photic zone, where light does not penetrate sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur

the open-water component of aquatic biomes; all the water above the benthic zone

the bottom surface of an aquatic environment

the communities of organisms living in the benthic zone of an aquatic biome (crabs, lobster, mussels)

transition layer of temperature bound with density

organisms that drift or suspend in the water column (jellyfish, plankton)

highly mobile aquatic organisms (fish that can swim against currents)

lakes and ponds

moving water – streams and rivers

wherever enough light penetrates to the benthic zone to undergo photosynthesis

wherever enough light does not penetrate to the benthic zone to undergo photosynthesis

nutrient poor and oxygen rich

nutrient rich and depleted of oxygen

same as aphotic zone

provides a model of changes that might take place as water travels from headwater streams to larger rivers. As stream size increases, the influence of the surrounding forest decreases. The river continuum concept provides predictions of the way that biological communities might change from headwater streams to larger rivers.

falls or washes into stream

produced by phytoplankton communities

periodically flooded or always saturated soil; common around or bordering estuaries

the transition zone between the river and the sea; emergent vegetation; extensive shallow areas

wetlands; estuaries

periodically submerged and exposed by the tides; usually nutrient and oxygen high

extends from the lowest tidal level out to the continental shelf

the areas extending in between neretic zones. These are the zones of great depth; vast realm of open blue water; oxygen content is generally high; this biome covers approximately 70% of the world’s surface

consists of the seafloor; except for shallow, near-coastal areas; it is dark

near these, the food producers are chemoautotrophic prokaryotes

-sublittoral or shelf zone
-bathyal zone (800-4,000m)
-abyssal zone (4,000-6,000m)
-Hadal zone (6000m and deeper)

When healthy, the most productive ecosystems on the face of the earth. Generally in the neretic zone and many have formed around old volcanoes.

-clumped
-uniform
-random

measured on an individual per unit area basis

measured on an individual per unit volume basis

biomass

The study of changes in the size and structure of populations

a group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all of the individuals are dead

a plot of the number of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality

an age-specific summary of the survival pattern of a population

-birthrate
-deathrate
-generation time
-immigration
-emmigration
-sex ratio

collection of traits organisms have with respect to survival and fertility

factors that restrict population growth as population size increases

-competition for resources
-predation
-disease
-intrinsic factors
-toxic wastes
-territorality

factors that are unrelated to population size

-seasonal changes
-surprise or catastrophic events (fires, volcanoes, hurricanes)

prey and predator populations can have codependent cycles

competition for resources between individuals of two or more species when resources are in short supply

include competition, predation, herbivory, symbiosis and facilitation

members of the same species compete for limited resources

actual fighting over resources

when consumption of a limiting resource by one species makes that resource unavailable for consumption by another

proposition that states that two species competing for the same resource cannot coexist at constant population values, if other ecological factors remain constant

The full range of environmental conditions and resources an organism can possibly occupy and use, especially when limiting factors are absent in its habitat

The part of fundamental niche that an organism occupies as a result of limiting factors present in its habitat

the division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species

the tendency for characteristics to be more divergent in sympatric populations of two species than in allopatric populations of the same two species

camouflauge; makes prey difficult to see

warning coloration

when an organism’s color fools either its predators or prey; two types: camouflage and mimicry

a palatable/harmless species mimics an unpalatable/harmful one

reciprocal mimicry by two unpalatable (harmful) species

parasites that live within the body of their host (tapeworms)

parasites that feed on the external surface of a host (ticks, lice)

an organism that spends the majority of its life history attached to or within its host in a relationship that is in essence parasitic, unlike a true parasite, however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host

interspecific interaction which benefits both species

an interaction between species that benefits one of the species but neither harms nor helps the other

an interaction in which one species has a positive effect on the survival and reproduction of another species without the intimate association of symbiosis

composed of both species richness and relative abundance

a species that is not necessarily abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on community structure by the nature of its ecological role or niche

a species with substantially higher abundance or biomass than other species in a community; exert a powerful control over the occurrence and distribution of other species

the total mass of all individuals in a population

the different feeding relationships in an ecosystem, which determine the route of energy flow and the pattern of chemical cycling

plants and other autotrophs

herbivores

carnivores that eat herbivores

oversimplified view of trophic level organization, but useful in illustrating the concept. Shows one possible path of energy flow through the food web

The myriad of interconnecting and intersecting relationships of trophic interactions in a community

a model of community organization in which mineral nutrients influence community organization by controlling plant or phytoplankton numbers, which in turn control herbivore numbers, which in turn control predator numbers

a model of community organization in which predation influences community organization by controlling herbivore numbers, which in turn control plant or phytoplankton numbers, which in turn control nutrient levels; AKA the trophic cascade model

a biological community in which the development of vegetation in an area over time had reached a steady state. This equilibrium was thought to occur because the community is composed of species best adapted to average conditions in that area. (little diversity)

a model that maintains that communities change constantly after being buffeted by disturbances

an event, such as a storm, fire, drought, or human activity, that changes a community by removing organisms from it or altering resource availability

the concept that moderate levels of disturbance can foster greater species diversity than low or high levels of disturbance

chaparral ; grassland

transition in the species composition of a community following a disturbance; establishment of a community in an area virtually barren of life

a type of ecological succession that occurs in an area where there were originally no organisms present and where soil has not yet formed (ex: a new volcanic island; rubble left by a retreating glacier)

a type of succession that occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil or substrate intact (ex: yellowstone following the 1988 fires)

a particular successional stage; a natural succession of plant (or animal) communities, especially a full series from uncolonized habitat to the appropriate climax vegetation

the first species to colonize a new or primary successional species

mosses ; lichens

take advantage of disturbance; adapted to exploit newly available habitats or resources and are typically found in unpredictable, transient, and variable environments

when early-arriving species make the environment more favorable for later-arriving species (ex: increasing the fertility of the soil)

when successful colonization of a later-arriving species happens in spite of, rather than thanks to, an early-arriving species

when the later-arriving species is completely independent of the early-arriving species and vice versa

carnivores that eat other carnivores

nonliving organic material, such as the remains of dead organisms, feces, fallen leaves and wood

consumers that get their energy from detritus

the amount of light energy converted to chemical energy (organic compounds) by the autotrophs in an ecosystem during a given time period

the amount of chemical energy in consumer’s food that is converted to their own new biomass during a given time period

the amount of energy from light (or chemicals in chemoautotrophic systems) converted to the chemical energy of organic molecules per unit time

equal to gross primary production minus the energy used by the primary producers for their “autotrophic respiration:

Net primary production (NPP)

a measure of the total biomass accumulation during that time. it is measured as gross primary production minus the total respiration of all organisms in the system (Rt)

The total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs present in an ecosystem

involves a geographical barrier

does not involve a geographical barrier