what shapes an ecosystem? 4.2 biotic vs. abiotic factors biotic examples trees grasses weeds ...
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What Shapes an Ecosystem?
4.2
Biotic vs. Abiotic Factors
Biotic Examples Trees Grasses Weeds Birds Snakes Fish Bacteria
Abiotic Examples Temperature Precipitation Nutrient Dirt Rock Humidity Sunlight
Habitat vs. Niche
Habitat Organism address
only! Contains abiotic and
biotic factors directly affecting the organism
Niche Includes habitat AND
place in the food web How the organism
lives and uses the physical and biological conditions
What it eats, how it gets food, interactions, reproduction, etc.
Can any 2 species occupy the same niche?
NO! See the warbler example- For many years it was thought that 5 species of
warblers occupied the same niche. Robert MacArthur set out to learn more. As the rule of competitive exclusion goes:
two species with essentially the same niche cannot coexist because one will always out-compete and displace the other.
How did he do this?
“By measuring distances down from the top and outward from the trunk of individual spruce, fir, and pine trees, MacArthur divided the trees into zones and recorded feeding positions of the different warblers within each. A record in zone "T3" indicated a bird feeding among the abundant new needles and buds of the tip of a branch, between 20 and 30 feet from the top of the tree. A record of "M3" signified feeding mostly among dead needles at the same height but in the middle zone of a branch. A record of "B2" represented a warbler feeding on the bare, lichen-covered base of a branch. In all, 16 different positions were distinguished”
MacArthur’s Results
MacArthur found that each warbler species divided its time differently among various parts of the tree and can eat a variety of different foods(shown below).
Types of Symbiotic Interactions
Symbiosis: Any relationship in which 2 species live closely together
Ex: Imperial Shrimp and Sea Cucumber (hitches a ride!), Cuckoo Bird (lays eggs in other birds nests!)
Predation
One organism captures and feeds another organism
Ex:Lynx and the Hare
“Run bunny, run!”
Mutualism
both species benefit Ex: Honeyguide and
Honeybadger, Acacia Tree and Stinging Ants, Oxpecker and Rhino, Cleaner Fish
Honey Guide and Honey Badger
Acacia and Ants
Oxpecker/Rhino
Commensalism
one species benefits, the other is neither helped nor harmed
Ex: Sm. Pilot Fish and Shark, Barnacle and Whale, Remora and Turtle, Grouse and Antelope
http://www.fotosearch.com/ATB717/vus118/
Commensalism-Remoras
http://www.oceanfootage.com/stockfootage/Sea_Turtle/owner%3Dhowardhall
Barnacles and Humpbacks
Parasitism
one species lives on or in another organism and harms it
Ex: Parasitic Fungi feeding on jungle insects, Tapeworm, Ringworm
Tapeworm (yuk!)
Parasitic Jungle Fungi
Ecological Succession
Series of predictable changes in a community over time
Usually old die out and new replaces Causes include gradual climate change
(global warming?) or sudden disturbance (volcanic eruption, forest fire, humans clearing forests)
Land Succession
Primary Succession: occurs only where no soil exists (possibly from volcanic eruption) LichensMossesGrassesTree Seedlings
and Shrubs take root Which species is the “pioneer species”? What makes it successful in rocky terrain? What animals can primary succession attract? Do the animals change with the plant life? http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp55/55020.html
Secondary Succession
Occurs after a disturbance like forest fire where soil already existed
Returns ecosystem to natural state “Climax Community” term given by
ecologists to the stable ecosystem/end product
Do all ecosystems recover after natural disasters or human interactions?
Mt. St. Helens, May 17th 1980
4 Months After Eruption
4 Years After Eruption
Marine Succession
Occurs within an already stable environment! 1. Whale carcass sinks to bottom of ocean and attracts
scavengers and decomposers (sharks, hagfish, and tiny amphipods)
2. With most tissue gone, scavengers leave and are replaced with small fish, crabs, and snails
3. With only bone left, it seems barren. BUT, heterotrophic bacteria break down oils in whale bones (which creates energy for chemosynthetic bacteria to begin a whole new food chain!)