community ecology
DESCRIPTION
Community Ecology. Chapter 54. Community. an assemblage of populations of various species living close enough for potential interaction. Interspecific Interactions. interactions between species in a community. Interspecific Interactions – (SYMBIOSIS). Competition (–/–). - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Community Ecology
Chapter 54
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Community an assemblage of populations of various
species living close enough for potential interaction
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Interspecific Interactions
interactions between species in a community
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Interspecific Interactions – (SYMBIOSIS)INTERACTION
Competition (-/-)
Predation (+/-) includes parasitism
Mutualism (+/+)
Commensalism
EFFECTS ON POPULATION DENSITY
The interaction is detrimental to both species.
The interaction is beneficial to one species and detrimental to the other.
The interaction is beneficial to both species.
One species benefits from the interaction but the other is unaffected.
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Competition (–/–) interspecific competition – occurs when species
compete for a particular limited resource strong competition can lead to the elimination of 1
of the 2 competing species = competitive exclusion b/c one species will use the resource(s) more efficiently
and, thus, reproduce more rapidly than the other competition affects an organism’s niche = its
ecological role (how it “fits into” an ecosystem) fundamental niche = an organism’s potential niche realized niche = the niche an organism actually
occupies due to competition for limited resources
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Competitive Exclusion Principle
The concept that when populations of two similar species compete for the same limited resource, one population will use the resources more efficiently and have a reproductive advantage that will eventually lead to the elimination of the other population.
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The Niche
A 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
An organism’s niche includes: Its place in the food web The range of temperatures that the organism needs to
survive The type of food the organism eats, how it obtains that
food, and which other species use the organism as food When and how the organism reproduces
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Niche v/s Habitat If an organism’s habitat is its address, its niche is its
occupation.
The combination of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem often determines the number of different niches in that ecosystem.
No 2 species can share the same niche in the same habitat, but different species can occupy niches that are very similar (competitive exclusion principle).
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resource partitioning the modification of one species niche that allows two
species with identical niches to coexist character displacement
tendency for characteristics of populations of the same species to be more divergent in sympatric populations (geographically overlapping) than in allopatric populations (geographically separate) b/c of competition
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Predation (+/–) relationship in which one species (the predator) kills
and eats the other (the prey) includes seed predators
predators possess adaptations for securing prey acute senses claws, teeth, fangs, stingers, poison
prey have adaptations that help them avoid predators behavioral defenses (hiding, fleeing, self-defense, alarm
calls) cryptic coloration (camouflage) aposematic coloration (bright warning coloration) Batesian mimicry (harmless species mimics a harmful one) Müllerian mimicry (two unpalatable species mimic each
other)
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Herbivory (+/–) an herbivore eats part of a plant or alga
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Defense Mechanisms to Predation in Plants
Chemical toxins Strychnine produced by Strychnos toxifera Morphine produced by opium poppy Nicotine produced by tobacco plants Mescaline produced by peyote cacti Tannins produced by a variety of plant species
Spines & thorns
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Parasitism (+/–) symbiotic relationship in which one organism
(the parasite) derives its nourishment from another organism (the host) which is harmed in the process
types of parasites: endoparasites – live within the body of their host ectoparasites – feed on the external surface of
their host parasitoidism – insects lay eggs on or in living
hosts and, then, the larvae feed on the host
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Disease (+/–) disease-causing agents = pathogens
typically bacteria, viruses, or protists most microscopic many inflict lethal harm
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Mutualism (+/+) symbiotic relationship that benefits both
species involved ex: ants & acacia tree
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Commensalism (+/0) symbiotic relationship that benefits one of the
species involved and neither helps nor harms the other species
difficult to document a true example
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Co-evolution and Interspecific Interactions Coevolution refers to reciprocoal evolutionary
adaptations of two interacting species. A change in one species acts as a selective force
on another species, in which counteradaptation in turn acts as a selective force on the first species.
There is actually LITTLE evidence for coevolution in most cases of interspecific interactions.
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Community Structure
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Species Diversity the variety of different
kinds of organisms that make up a community
two components: species richness =
total # of different species in the community
relative abundance = the proportion of the total # of individuals in the community that each species represents
measuring species diversity is essential for understanding community structure & for conserving biodiversity
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Trophic Structure feeding relationships between organisms in a
community food chain = the transfer of food energy up the trophic
levels food chains are usually only a few links long (≤5)
two hypotheses why: energetic hypothesis – suggests that the length of a food chain
is limited by the inefficiency of energy transfer along the chain dynamic stability hypothesis – proposes that long food chains
are less stable than short chains because population fluctuations at lower trophic levels are magnified at higher levels
most of the data available support the energetic hypothesis another factor that may limit food chain length is that animals
in a food chain tend to be larger at successive trophic levels food webs – made up of linked food chains
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food web
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Dominant Species those species in a
community that are most abundant or have the highest biomass
exert a powerful control over the occurrence and distribution of other species
ex: sugar maples are the dominant plant species in many North American forest communities
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Keystone Species species that are not
necessarily the most abundant but exert strong control on community structure by their pivotal ecological roles (niches)
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Foundation Species organisms that influence community structure
by causing physical changes in the environment that affect the structure of the community
act as facilitators that have positive effects on the survival and reproduction of some of the other species in the community
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Two Models of Community Organization bottom-up model
postulates a unidirectional influence from lower to higher trophic levels nutrient availability plant #s herbivore #s predator #s
thus, to change the community structure, you need to alter biomass at lower trophic levels
top-down model postulates that it is mainly the predators that control
community organization predators limit herbivores which limit plants which limit
nutrient levels a change at the higher trophic levels moves down the
trophic structure as a series of +/– effects (trophic cascade)
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Disturbance
an event that changes a community, removes organisms from it, & alters resource availability
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Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis suggests that moderate levels of disturbance
can create conditions that foster greater species diversity than low or high levels of disturbance b/c: high levels of disturbance reduce species diversity
by creating environmental stresses that exceed the tolerance of many species
frequent disturbances may also exclude slow colonizing or slow growing species
low levels of disturbance can reduce species diversity by allowing competitively dominant species to exclude less competitive species
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Ecological Succession in a process called ecological succession, a
disturbed area may be colonized by a variety of species which are, in turn, replaced by other species until a climax community is reached
two types: primary succession – occurs in a virtually lifeless
area, where there were originally no organisms and where soil has not yet formed
secondary succession – occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil intact
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Primary Succession
Biodiversity increases as succession proceeds:
(plants | animals | decomposers
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The Pioneers of Succession
Pioneer species – first individuals to inhabit an area of primary succession – break down rock, erode surfaces, and turn it into soil. Lichen and moss
Climax Community – the final community of any succession.
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What causes increase/decrease in biodiversity as succession progresses?
•Some populations facilitate biodiversity/succession (by developing conditions more suitable for other species and/or developing conditions less suitable for their progeny.
•Some populations inhibit biodiversity/succession (by developing conditions less suitable for other species and/or developing conditions more suitable for their progeny.
•Increase in plant stratification (increased layering of plants; ex: canopy, understory.
•More niches/habitats formed (plants, animals, decomposers).
•Pioneer plant species – dominants (more shade-tolerant plants emerge).
•Increase in producer diversity brings about increase in consumer diversity.
•Shift from more opportunistic (r) to more equilibrium (K) species.
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Abiotic Factors
Can Cause Succession
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Successions Can Have Immediate & Long-Term Effects
Examples:
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Biogeographic Factors
geographic location and size are correlated withspecies diversity
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Size species-area curve
shows that, with all other factors being equal, the larger the geographic area of a community, the greater the number of species
likely explanation is that larger areas offer greater diversity of habitats and microhabitats than smaller ones