Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Why are there so many species on Earth? Genetic Diversity + Limited Resources Competitive Exclusion Evolution by Natural Selection Biological Diversity

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Competitive Exclusion Two species that have exactly the same requirements cannot coexist in exactly the same environment This can lead to either: Extinction of one species (or a change in allelic frequencies of a single species) Or A partitioning of resources

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Avocet sweeps bill through mud and surface water in search of small crustaceans, insects, and seeds Ruddy turnstone searches under shells and pebbles for small invertebrates Herring gull is a tireless scavenger Brown pelican dives for fish, which it locates from the air Dowitcher probes deeply into mud in search of snails, marine worms, and small crustaceans Black skimmer seizes small fish at water surface Louisiana heron wades into water to seize small fish Piping plover feeds on insects and tiny crustaceans on sandy beaches Oystercatcher feeds on clams, mussels, and other shellfish into which it pries its narrow beak Flamingo feeds on minute organisms in mud Scaup and other diving ducks feed on mollusks, crustaceans,and aquatic vegetation Knot (a sandpiper) picks up worms and small crustaceans left by receding tide Resource partitioning reduces competition and allows sharing of limited resources.

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 This partitioning of resources leads to the formation of Ecological Niches A specie’s role or way of life • Fundamental niche: the full potential range of physical, chemical, and biological conditions and resources a species could theoretically use. • Realized niche: to survive and avoid competition, a species usually occupies only part of its fundamental niche.

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Evolution by Natural Selection: Leaving more offspring with beneficial traits Evolution by Genetic Drift: Changes in gene frequency due to chance

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Sympatric Speciation (Behavioral Isolation) Allopatric Speciation (Geographic Isolation) …can lead to reproductive isolation, divergence of gene pools and speciation.

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Biodiversity • Genetic Diversity – total number of genes in a species • Habitat Diversity –different kinds of habitats in an area • Species Diversity – has 3 qualities • Species Richness: total # of species • Species Evenness: relative abundance • Species Dominance: most abundant

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 (10) (10) • Species Richness: total # of species • Species Evenness: relative abundance • Species Dominance: most abundant (0.82) (0.1)

Ch.7 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Factors that Influence Biodiversity (see p.133 Table 7.2) • Increase: • Habitat diversity • Few natural disasters • Little variation in climate and nutrient supply • Species richness at each trophic level • Environment highly modified by life (rich organic soil) • Middle stages of ecological succession • Evolution • Decrease: • Environmental Stress • Extreme environments • Nutrient limitations • Recent introduction from introduced species • Geographic Isolation

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Biogeography Sustaining Biodiversity Rule of climactic similarity Similar physical environments leads to the evolution of organisms similar in form & function Leads to the concept of BIOMES • but with different genetic heritages • Convergent Evolution • (closely resemble – distantly related) Defined by similar climate, soil, plants and animals Climate is determined by latitude and elevation

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Here you can see the relationship between precipitation and latitude.

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Resistance is the term describing an ecosystem’s ability to maintain its structural and functional attributes in the face of stress and disturbances. Resilience is the ability of an ecosystem to regain structural and functional attributes that have suffered harm from stress or disturbance. Ecosystem stability is the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its given trajectory in spite of stress; it denotes dynamic equilibrium rather than stasis. Stability is achieved in part on the basis of an ecosystem’s capacity for resistance and resilience. Insert Biome Pics here!! (when discussing the coloring sheet) Insert aquatic layers/info include resilience & inertia in biomes

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Aquatic Biomes • Life in Layers • Life in most aquatic systems is found in surface, middle, and bottom layers. • Temperature, access to sunlight for photosynthesis, dissolved oxygen content, nutrient availability changes with depth. Scientists estimate that marine systems provide $21 trillion in goods and services per year – 70% more than terrestrial ecosystems Euphotic zone (upper layer in deep water habitats): sunlight can penetrate.

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 The Coastal Zone • Where the action is • From the high-tide line to the continental shelf • Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow water • Makes up 10% of the world’s ocean area, but contains 90% of marine species • Subject to human disturbances Continue with aquatics from the miller ch6.

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Island Biogeography Sustaining Biodiversity • Theory of Island Biogeography • Islands have fewer species than continents • The smaller the island, the fewer the species • Adaptive Radiation: • The process that occurs when a species enters a new habitat that has unoccupied niches and evolves into a group of new species, each adapted to one of these niches. • Ecological Island: • An area that is biologically isolated so that a species occurring within the area rarely mixes with any other population of the same species • (can be an actual island or it can be a habitat located some distance away from other similar habitats such as a city park located several miles from the closest forest)

Ch.8 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Explain this diagram in terms of immigration, population & extinction.

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 No Way!! Could a frog just survive on mosquitoes that just survive on him? Because of the natural laws of thermodynamics 1st – Law of conservation of energy (Energy cannot be created nor destroyed) 2nd – Entropy Law – (Energy always changes from a more useful, organized form to less useful disorganized form.) Energy Efficiency: Measure of how much useful work gets done before it changes to its next form No system is 100% efficient

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Systems only go SPONTANEOUSLY in the direction of increasing entropy (Lower potential energy) A system requires an energy input to increase potential energy & The energy input is always greater than the energy output

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Organic molecules (biomass) created through photosynthesis have high potential energy The C-C and C-H bonds found in glucose have more potential energy than the H-O and C-O bonds of water and carbon dioxide Inorganic molecules released through cellular respiration have low potential energy

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem Trophic level efficiency is low (3-10%) Trophic level efficiency is low (3-10%) 2nd law of Thermodynamics puts a considerable natural limit on biodiversity Numbers & Biomass

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Primary Production • The production of biomass and it’s use as a source of energy (called primary production) by autotrophs includes three steps: • Gross Production:An organism produces organic matter within it’s body (ex. Proteins & Sugars) • It uses some of this new organic matter as a fuel in cellular respiration • It stores some of the newly produced organic matter for future use – called Net Production • Net Production = Gross Production - Respiration The

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Net Production = Gross Production - Respiration Sun Photosynthesis Energy lost & unavailable to consumers Respiration Gross primary production Net primary production (energy available to consumers) Growth and reproduction

Ch.9 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 What are the Most Productive Biomes?

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Ecological Succession: When nature restores itself Primary Succession: Secondary Succession:

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Pioneer Species: The 1st species to colonize an area • Producers able to thrive in nutrient poor environments • Need to be fast-spreading and fast-reproducing • Modify the environment • making new soil on land • Providing nutrients • (decomposition) in water Primary succession: Barren Rock – blue-green bacteria, lichen, mosses Barren Sand – dune grasses Salt Water – green algae, eel grass Fresh Water – algae, mosses

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 General Patterns of Ecological Succession in a Forest Ecosystem (Secondary Succession) • Early-successional species: • Annual “weeds” (clover dandelion, “Queen Anne’s lace”) • Perennial grasses • Small shrubs (poison ivy, brambles, honey suckle)

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 • Early-successional species: • Annual “weeds” (clover dandelion, “Queen Anne’s lace”) • Perennial grasses • Small shrubs (poison ivy, brambles, honey suckle)

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 General Patterns of Ecological Succession in a Forest Ecosystem (Secondary Succession) • Early-successional species: • Annual “weeds” (clover dandelion, “Queen Anne’s lace”) • Perennial grasses • Small shrubs (poison ivy, brambles, honey suckle) • Mid-successional species: • Shade intolerant, fast growing coniferous trees

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Soft wood forest • Mid-successional species: • Shade intolerant, fast growing coniferous trees Mixed wood forest

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 General Patterns of Ecological Succession in a Forest Ecosystem (Secondary Succession) • Early-successional species: • Annual “weeds” (clover dandelion, “Queen Anne’s lace”) • Perennial grasses • Small shrubs (poison ivy, brambles, honey suckle) • Mid-successional species: • Shade intolerant, fast growing coniferous trees • Late-successional species: • Shade-tolerant, slow growing deciduous trees

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Oaks, Maple, Beech Hardwood forest “Climax Community” • Late-successional species: • Shade-tolerant, slow growing deciduous trees

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Decaying biomass adds organic nutrients to the soil and vegetation (live and dead) helps prevent erosion of the soil which can wash away soil nutrients Community changes during succession BIOMASS & BIODIVERSITY Ecosystem changes during succession

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Patterns of interaction among earlier and later species • Facilitation: • Early species facilitate the establishment of later species

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 • Facilitation: • Early species facilitate the establishment of later species This used to be a pond

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Patterns of interaction among earlier and later species • Facilitation: • Early species facilitate the establishment of later species • Interference • Thick grasses interfere with the entrance of other plant species • Chronic Patchiness • Species do not interact and typical succession does not occur

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 • Chronic Patchiness • Species do not interact and typical succession does not occur Contaminated Soil Desert

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Ecological Restoration: the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. The cause can be natural or manmade

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Why should we restore? To preserve biodiversity Habitat loss is the leading cause of both species extinction and ecosystem services decline Utilitarian Justification: Natural ecosystems provide human society with food, fuel and timber. Ecosystem services involve the purification of air and water, detoxification and decomposition of wastes, regulation of climate, regeneration of soil fertility, and pollination of crops. These processes are estimated to be worth trillions of dollars annually Moral Justification: For many people biological diversity (biodiversity) has an intrinsic value; humans have a responsibility toward other living things, and obligations to future generations.

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Ecological Restoration Should… • Incorporate biological and environmental spatial variation into the design. • Allow for linkages within the larger landscape. (All ecosystems are open systems) • Emphasize process repair over structural replacement. (Restore ecosystem services) • Allow sufficient time for self-generating processes to resume. (Secondary Succession) • Treat the causes rather than the symptoms of degradation. • Include monitoring protocols to allow for adaptive management. (Establish a goal for the restoration)

Ch.10 Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2 Prescribed Fire to Reduce Undergrowth Density and Restore Mixed Conifer Forest, Southwest Oregon Native Vegetation Restoration (Seropédica, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil), Terrabyte Mine Restoration in New Jersey by Princeton Hydro GLACIER NATIONAL PARK in B.C., CANADA

Unit 3 – Life on Earth (Ecology) Part 2