Chapter 3

Communities, Biomes, and Ecosystems

Section 1 vocabulary (6):

1. community,

2. limiting factor,

3. ecological succession,

4. primary succession,

5. climax community,

6. secondary succession.

Community- (60)

• A group of interacting populations that occupy the same area at the same time.

• It includes plants, animals and bacteria.

• the different species that live together in a habitat

limiting factor, (61)

• Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the numbers, reproduction or distribution of organisms.

• Examples include sunlight, soil chemistry, space or temperature.

• Plant and animal species living in an area, competition between species.

Limiting factors

• The range of tolerance the upper and lower limits of what an organism can survive!

• Temperature, pH, oxygen amounts all can have limits.

• There will be a optimal zone where the greatest number of the organism will be found and then less will be found towards the stress zones…

• 2. Would an organism with a wide or narrow range of tolerance be more likely to survive better when abiotic factors are greatly changed? _______________why?

ecological succession (62)

• The change in an ecosystem that happens when one community replaces another as a result of changing abiotic or biotic factors.

• There are two types: primary and secondary

primary succession, (62)

• The establishment of a community on an area of exposed rock that does not have top soil.

• A slow process!

• New rock formations

• Volcanic areas!

• Starts small with pioneer organisms first producing dead decaying material to

• help produce soil.

Primary succession

• 3. What types of organisms are pioneer species?

• Why are they termed "pioneer?" ______________________________________________________

Climax community (63)

• A mature community that results when there is little change in the composition of species. The end result of primary succession.

• It takes a very long time for the climax community to be reached.

• Sometimes it is never reached.

Secondary succession (63)

• The orderly and predictable change that takes place after a community of organisms has been removed but the soil has remained intact from an event such as fire, flood or windstorm.

• Pioneer species are the first to grow in this process . These are different from primary pioneer species. It is faster because soil is already present.

Secondary succession

• 4. What is the significant difference between primary and secondary succession?

•

• SC.912.L.17.4: Describe changes in ecosystems resulting from seasonal variations, climate change, and succession.

• 1. How do unfavorable abiotic and biotic factors affect species?

• 5. What is a climax community?

• 6. What generally happens to the size of the organisms in a population as succession occurs?

Section 2 Vocabulary (3) :

1. latitude,

2. climate,

3. biome

Latitude (65) The distance of any point on the surface of

Earth north or south of the equator.

• As you go to higher latitudes the temperature decreases due to the decrease in the sun’s intensity this is due to the curvature of the earth.

• 1. What causes changes in seasons?

• 2. How might global warming affect populations of organisms that have a narrow temperature tolerance?

• 3. How/why does latitude alter temperatures on earth?

Climate (66)• The average weather conditions in an area

Including temperature and precipitation.

• Latitude and altitude are major contributing factors to climate as is proximity to mountain ranges and large bodies of water

• .

• 4. What factors determine climate? Latitude and altitude = Temperature and precipitation

Biome (36)• A large group of ecosystems that share the

same climate and have similar types of communities.

• generally found at the same latitude and altitude, similar types of plant and animal species are found in the biomes.

• 5. What factors determine the 9 biomes?

Major Land biomes include :

• Tundra: treeless, permanently frozen soil permafrost.

• Boreal Forest: evergreens coniferous forest, taiga.

• Temperate Forest: deciduous trees, 4 seasons

• Temperate woodland ; mixed shrub less rainfall

• Temperate grassland: fertile soil, drought, prevents large trees

Major Land biomes• Desert: rate of evaporation exceeds rate of

precipitation, on every continent except Europe

Tropical Savanna

• : grasses, scattered trees, low precip

Tropical seasonal forest

• : dry trees drop leaves to conserve water

Tropical rain Forest

Large amounts of rainfall tall broad leaved trees.

• 6. Name the major biomes.

• 7. How can climate affect where're species live?

• 8. What types of things could cause the climate be temporally changed and then alter the population sizes as a result?

Section 3 Vocabulary (2)

1. photic zone,

2. aphotic zone

Aquatic Ecosystems• SC.912.L.17.2: Explain the general

distribution of life in aquatic systems as a function of chemistry, geography, light, depth, salinity, and temperature.

• 1. What are the major abiotic factors that affect aquatic ecosystems?

•

Aquatic Ecosystems

• Freshwater: Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands

• Low salt content!

• Lakes are divided into zones:

• Top: littoral zone: shallow near the shore, allows sunlight to penetrate through.

• Limnetic zone: open water: plankton free floating

• Profundal zone: deepest part, no light

• 2. What are some freshwater ecosystems?

• Freshwater: Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands

Transitional Aquatic Ecosystems

• wetlands

• Swamps, bogs marshes: saturated with water.

• Estuaries: transitional very diverse, freshwater and salt mix.

• 3. What type of aquatic ecosystem are wetlands and estuaries know as? ________________________

Marine Ecosystems• Intertidal : where ocean meets land

• Photic: (80) a zone in the ocean water to a depth of about 200 meters also called the euphotic zone the area shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate!

• Large numbers of organisms can be found here!

• 5. Why is the photic zone so important?

• Aphotic (80) Below the photic zone, sunlight can not penetrate!

• Benthic: on the ocean floor.

• Abyssal: deepest part of the ocean

• These categories are based on the depth of the ocean.

• 4. What types of factors are used to divide the marine ecosystem into different sections? __________

•

• 6. If the salinity of the water was to change due to excessive evaporation or ice melts how might this alter the populations of organisms in the marine environments?

• 7. Where do phytoplankton live?

• Why do they need to live there?

• 8. Describe the conditions and the life found at the

• ocean's surface,

• in shallow water

• and in deep water

• 9. Explain the difference in the organisms found in the photic and aphotic zones.

Biomes interactive

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