Post on 27-Mar-2015
Chapter 8: Community Ecology
Land and Water Use
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
mft
10
50
20
30100
Tropicalrain forest
Coniferousforest
Deciduousforest
Thornforest
Tall-grassprairie
Short-grassprairie
Desertscrub
Thornscrub
Terrestrial Communities
Michigan contains areas of this
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
Community descriptors• Physical appearance: distribution
(random, clumped, pattern), location, physical structures
• Species diversity: richness (number of types of species), evenness( abundance of individuals. Remember Shannon index? Affected by:– Latitude– pollution
• Niche structure: number of niches, overlap, interactions.
Latitude Effects on RichnessS
pec
ies
Div
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ty
Sp
ecie
s D
iver
sity
1,000
100
10
Latitude
80ºN 60 40 20 0
200
100
0
90ºN 60 30 0 30ºS 60
Latitude
(a) Ants (b) Breeding birds
Number of individuals per diatom species
Nu
mb
er o
f d
iato
m s
pec
ies Unpolluted
stream
Pollutedstream
Pollution Effects on Richness, Evenness
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
MacArthur and Wilson
• Study done comparing small and large island biodiversity.
• Conclusions:– Small islands have less animals coming to it
because it is a small target to immigrate to.– Smaller islands have higher extinction rates
because of fewer resources and habitats– Islands closer to mainlands will have higher
immigration of animals.
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
Species• Native: species that normally live in an area. In
Iowa: whitetail deer, squirrel, bass, etc.• Non-native: AKA invasive or alien. Brought into
an area intentionally or accidentally. Can often overtake native species. Asian beetle, water milfoil, zebra mussel, etc.
• Indicator: species that will be affected first by environmental change. Trout (temperature), frogs, birds.
• Keystone: species that have an effect on a large number of other species. (pollination, predation, etc)
Why we love Kermit the Frog
• Amphibians are excellent indicator species.• Why?
– Lifecycle puts it in contact with land and water– Vulnerable to a wide variety of chemicals, radiation,
pollutants
• Frog species loss– Habitat loss– Pollution– Hunting (frog legs)– UV radiation
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
Nu
mb
er o
f in
div
idu
als
Nu
mb
er o
f in
div
idu
als
Resource use
Resource use
Species 1 Species 2
Regionof
niche overlap
Species 1 Species 2
Resource Partitioning
© 2004 Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning
Hawks and Owls = same prey.
Hawks – hunt by day Owls – hunt by night
Resource Partitioning
Prey Defense Mechanisms
• Avoidance: Hedgehogs (rollup/spines), lizards tails that break off, turtle (shell),
• Camouflage: coloring, patterns, etc to help blend in. Deer, frogs, etc.
• Poison: Oleander plants, some frogs
• Foul smell/taste: Monarchs, skunks, etc.
• Warning color: bright color to show poisonous nature.
• Mimicry: Look like a poisonous animal, act like another (bull snake “rattling”)
Span worm Bombardier beetle
Viceroy butterfly
monarch butterfly
Poison dart frog snake caterpillar
Prey Defense Mechanisms
Wandering leaf insect
io moth
Camouflage Camouflage Foul smell
Mimicry
Foul taste
Mimicry MimicryPoison/Warning Color
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
Relationships
• Predator-Prey: “eat or be eaten”• Parasitism: one organism lives
off of another. Host is often weakened, but not killed. Examples: tapeworms, wood ticks, cowbird eggs.
• Mutualism: both species in relationship will benefit. Example: clown fish/sea anemone.
• Commensalism: one organism benefits, the other is not affected. Some doubt this exists as “some effect” must occur. Example: seeds traveling on animals
Review clip for visual
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
Primary Succession• Starts with: barren rock (land) or rock bottom of
lake, river, stream. Examples: area after volcanic eruption, glacier retreat.
• Pioneer species: usually lichen and moss. Begins to break down rock to make soil.
• Early successional plants: annuals, low growing, short lives.
• Midsuccessional plants: herbs, taller grasses, shrubs.
• Late successional plants: mostly trees. • Climax community (succession completed)• View clip
Time
Small herbsand shrubs
Heath mat
Jack pine,black spruce,
and aspen
Balsam fir,paper birch, and
white spruceclimax community
Exposedrocks
Lichensand mosses
Primary Succession
Review soil formation
Secondary Succession• Starts with: disaster or human activity
that destroys environment, but soil remains.
• Follows same process as Primary succession, but lengthy soil making process gets to be “skipped”
• First to re-grow: small grasses, plants then leads to larger shrubs and trees.
Time
Annualweeds
Perennialweeds and
grasses
ShrubsYoung pine forest
Mature oak-hickory forest
Secondary succession
Aquatic Succession• Starts with: newly formed pond/lake
• Typically from glacial retreat• Bottom is rocky.
• Sediment is brought in by runoff, erosion.• Plants able to grow on edges only.• Plant growth, death, decay leads to more
nutrients.• Normal eutrophication can lead to wetland,
then meadow.• Succession would end with grassland or
meadow
Aquatic Succession
So how much of your syllabus was covered
today in “biology” review material?
II. The Living World (10-15%)
• 1. *Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
• 2. *Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
• 3. *Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
• 4. *Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
• 5. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)