Limiting factors

1. Limiting factors • Def: any environmental factor (whether abiotic or biotic) that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms in an ecosystem. (Ex. Amount of food, predators, temperature) • Factors that limit one population may also have an indirect effect on another population.

2. Succession • The orderly, natural changes and species replacements that take place in the communities of an ecosystem. • Occurs in stages • Two types: Primary succession Secondary succession

3. Primary vs. Secondary Succession • When NEW sites are established as communities -- PRIMARY EX. Volcano erupts and forms a new island in the ocean • When a pre-existing community is destroyed and then rebuilds – SECONDARY Ultimate result of succession: • Climax community: the stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species

5. i. Secondary succession- occurs when a disturbance changes and existing community without removing the soil

7. Primary Succession No previous ecosystem Soil must be created From nothing to ecosystem Pioneer species – bacteria, algae, moss, lichen

8. Secondary Succession An existing ecosystem is disturbed Soil and some organisms may remain Pioneer species such as small grasses repopulate first

9. Secondary Succession Can change type of community/ecosystem From lake to forest ecosystem What might cause this? How long might this take?

10. What would this be? • A volcano erupts in the ocean. When the lava cools, a barren rock is made. The rock becomes inhabited by mosses and lichen which over time will produce soil. This is an example of ______________ succession. • PRIMARY • WHY?

11. Summarize It • P. 447 • Answer questions #1 & 2 on your notes in complete sentences.

12. Biomes A large group of ecosystems that share the same type of climax community

13. Types of biomes Aquatic 1. marine biomes (saltwater) 2. freshwater biomes Terrestrial 3. tundra 4. taiga (coniferous forest) 5. desert 6. temperate grassland 7. savanna 8. temperate deciduous forest 9. tropical rain forest

14. Aquatic Ecosystems Freshwater and Marine

15. Background • ~3/4 of Earth’s surface is covered with water • Types include *freshwater – no salt in the water *marine – salt present (different levels) • Development of ecosystem depends on • Depth of water • How fast water moves or flows • Temperature of water • Chemistry of water (salt content, nutrients, oxygen)

16. Latitude has an effect • Just as in terrestrial (land) biomes, the abiotic factor of LATITUDE has a huge impact – Latitude is the result of the Earth being a sphere that is tilted on its axis…unequal heating of the Earth’s surface results in different amounts of heat distribution and sets up CLIMATE ZONES 3 main ones: POLAR – coldest TEMPERATE TROPICAL -- warmest

17. Freshwater Ecosystems • Only 3% of Earth’s surface water is fresh • 2 main types of freshwater ecosystems: 1. Flowing-water rivers, streams, creeks, brooks 2. Standing-water lakes and ponds

18. Flowing water • Originate in mountains or hills, flow down due to gravity • Have high levels of dissolved oxygen due to mixing and “whitewater” areas • As flow downstream, sediment builds up, may slow water down • Upstream, organisms are adapted to withstand the higher rate of flow… *streamlined bodies of fish to move with or against the current *suckers or hooks to anchor to rocks • Downstream, slower water areas allow for organisms to build homes in the water – Ex. Beaver dams

19. Standing water • Some water STILL moves in these areas • BUT, less movement means stationary habitats are possible Ex. Plankton – would be washed away in flowing water, gathers in still water *VERY IMPORTANT in aquatic food webs 2 types: Phytoplankton – producers Zooplankton – microscopic consumers

20. Freshwater wetlands • Wetland – ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for part of the year • 3 types: BOGS, MARSHES, SWAMPS • Water here may be: • Flowing, standing, fresh, salty, or brackish (a mixture of fresh and salty) • Important breeding grounds • ACT AS NATURAL FILTERS FOR WATER AS CONTINUES TOWARD OCEAN

21. Estuaries • Wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea • Typically shallow, so lot of photosynthesis in these areas – HIGH RATE OF PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY • Special because herbivores DO NOT typically eat the majority of producers here – most of the producers die and enter food web as decaying material called DETRITUS Ex. Salt marshes and mangrove swamps (see page 108 in textbook)

22. Simplest grouping for Marine: Pelagic Zone – open sea Benthic Zone – sea floor

23. Marine Ecosytems • Water depth determines type/amount of productivity due to light penetration Photic zone – well lit upper layer, lots of photosynthesis occurs here Aphotic zone – permanently dark, so chemosynthesis occurs here (chemicals like hydrogen sulfide from vents in ocean floor)

24. Zones bases on depth and distance from shore • Intertidal zone – area covered/uncovered by water during the course of the day/night • Coastal ocean – extends from low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf (the relatively shallow border that surrounds the continents) • Neritic zone and bathyal zone (pg 468-469) • Open ocean – also known as oceanic zone, begins at edge fo the continental shelf and extends outward THIS ONE IS THE LARGEST MARINE ZONE, COVERING GREATER THAN 90% OF THE SURFACE AREA OF THE WORLD’S OCEANS

25. Terrestrial Biomes A large group of land-based ecosystems that share the same type of climax community

26. Figure 50.24 The distribution of major terrestrial biomes

27. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

28. Figure 20.25h Tundra

29. Tundra • One of two biomes that circle poles, closest one to poles • Treeless land • Permafrost present – permanently frozen ground under the topsoil • When melts, ground is soggy and wet • Cycle of freezing and thawing rips and crushes plant roots, so plants are small and stunted • Also, process of decay is slow – cold temps slow down bacteria, so not much humus (little nutrients in soil); again, plants are short and stunted

30. Figure 20.25g Coniferous forests

31. Tiaga, Boreal or Coniferous Forest • Also circles poles • Dense evergreen forests of conifers • A little warmer and wetter than tundra, but long, severe winters and short, mild summers • decay of evergreen needles makes soil acidic and mineral-poor

32. Figure 50.25c Deserts

33. Deserts • Driest of all biomes -- < 25 cm rainfall per year; but, other than this, deserts vary greatly… • Little to no plant life; what is present is adapted for holding on in shifting sand and with little water available • Rodents are present, but these small herbivores stay hidden in day, come out at night – nocturnal

34. Figure 50.25b Savanna

35. Figure 50.25bx Savanna

36. Figure 50.25e Temperate grassland

37. Grasslands • Other names: prairies, steppes, savannas, pampas • Fewer than 10-15 trees per hectare • Occupies more area than any other terrestrial biome • Good humus content in soil

38. Figure 20.25f Temperate deciduous forest

39. Temperate/Deciduous Forests • Broad-leaved hardwood trees that shed their leaves each year • Soil has top layer that is rich in humus, deeper layer of clay. If minerals are not taken up by plants roots, the minerals get into clay and are trapped • Many animals live here year round

40. Figure 50.25a Tropical forests

41. Tropical Rain Forests • Home to more species than any other biome on earth (lots of different habitat possibilities…) • Near equator • Thin, nutrient-poor soil: Nutrients are tied up in living material – very few nutrients are held in the soil because decomposers break down dead stuff very quickly

42. Figure 50.25d Chaparral

43. Figure 50.25dx Chaparral

44. Chaparral found in a little bit of most of the continents - the west coast of the United States, the west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, the western tip of Australia and the coastal areas of the Mediterranean. many different types of terrain. Some examples are flat plains, rocky hills and mountain slopes. It is sometimes used in movies for the "Wild West". very hot and dry -- fires and droughts are very common. Fortunately, the plants and animals are adapted to these conditions. Most of the plants have small, hard leaves which hold moisture. Some of these plants are poison oak, scrub oak, Yucca Wiple and other shrubs, trees and cacti. The animals are all mainly grassland and desert types adapted to hot, dry weather. A few examples: coyotes, jack rabbits, mule deer, alligator lizards, horned toads, praying mantis, honey bee and ladybugs.

45. ADAPTATIONS – What traits make organisms suited for the challenges of their environments?

46. AKS Bio Bio 11e) Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to ability to survive stressful conditions • Match the following plants with their correct habitats: • pine tree venus fly trap banana plant cactus • Habitats: Desert, Temperate Forest Bog, Tropical Rainforest, Desert

47. AKS Bio Bio 11e) Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to ability to survive stressful conditions • Match the following plants with their correct habitats: • pine tree venus fly trap banana plant cactus • Taiga Temperate Forest Bog Tropical rainforest Desert

48. AKS Bio Bio 11e) Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to ability to survive stressful conditions • Stressful condition: Dry habitats such as desert, tundra, taiga • Adaptations: small, needle leaves with waxy cuticle

49. AKS Bio Bio 11e) Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to ability to survive stressful conditions • Stressful condition – moist, highly populated environment such as the tropical rainforest • Adaptations: • Large, tall plants with high leaf surface area to maximize photosynthesis

50. AKS Bio Bio 11e) Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to ability to survive stressful conditions • Stressful condition – poor soil nutrients • Adaptations: • Thigmotropism - the ability of a plant to move in response to touch • Digestive enzymes - breakdown small animals for nutrients (NOT ENERGY)