Bio 1B- ECOLOGY

Continental climate

type of temperate climate

• most drastic seasonal temperature differences

Maritime Climate

type of temperate climate

• “marine climate” regulated by the ocean

• more mild seasonal changes

  • summers not as hot, winters not as cool

Temperate climate

highly seasonal, cold winters and hot summers

Alpha Diversity

species richness- count the number of species in the habitat

Beta Diversity

The species NOT in common between each ecosystem added up

• find out which species between habitats are common and cross those out

• add up the rest of the species

Gamma Diversity

Diversity of species over the whole landscape

Primary Productivity/NPP

the amount (biomass) of photosynthetic organisms present 

• slows down with increasing temperatures 

• happens most in the tropics 

Net primary productivity is the primary productivity - respiration

Coniferous Forest

• Colder than a temperate climate

• Medium rain 

• Very cold winters, warm summers

Tundra

• low rain

• very cold winters, cool summers

Chaparral Biome

• the biome of the Bay Area

• seasonal medium rain

• cool winter, hot summer (not as hot as a desert tho)

  • dry

• shrubs and trees

Mediterranean Climate

cool wet winters, hot summers

• temperature doesn’t fluctuate all that much though! see pic in doc

• in Berkeley

Establishment

early colonizers must be weedy, grow, and reproduce fast

• stress tolerant

Facilitation

early species alter environment that allows others to colonize 

• ex: fix nitrogen, create soil

Inhibition

Later species may inhibit growth of early colonizers

• big trees block sun of low lying early colonizers

Primary v secondary succession

• Primary is the colonization of places that have never had ecosystems

• Secondary is the succession after the disturbance of an existing community 

Semelparous

• Reproduces only once (short adult lifespan) 

  • remember s= single 

  • salmon, octopus 

Iteroparous

• Reproduces multiple times throughout life (long adult lifespan) 

  • humans, mosquito 

Life history traits

The suite of traits related to a species lifespan and the timing/pattern of reproduction 

• size at birth, growth pattern, length of life, investment of parental care

Serotiny

• A plant strategy in fire

• Reproductive parts survive fire and germinate IMMEDIATELY after a fire 

• Compete by having highest colonization or dispersal rate

Regeneration from seed

• A plant strategy in fire 

• A way of reproducing 

• Not necessarily triggered by fire (?)

Competition (intra v inter specific)

• When individuals share a resource, consumption by one group decreases the amount the other group can consume, and reduces the other population, or makes it extinct

  • Assumption: arises from scarcity

• Intra: between same species

• Inter: between diff species

Exploitation competition

• competition mediated by consumption of shared resource; individuals don’ t actually physically encounter each other

  • Ex: ant and mouse who eat different size seeds

    • Mouse nocturnal

    • Ant diurnal (during the day)

Interference competition

• competition involving direct, physical interaction

  • Ex: lions fighting for mates

  • Ex:  bacteria and fungi competing for resources on a petri dish

Exploitative interactions

exactly what it sounds like

• predator prey

• parasite host

• herbivore plant 

Competitive Exclusion 

• If the two species are competing for the same limited resource… the species that uses the resource more efficiently will eliminate the other locally

• Happens when

  • Competition is asymmetric 

    • Bacteria example

  • Niches overlap completely

    • Finches example

Character Displacement

Allows characteristics between groups to diverge more in sympatric communities in order to reduce competition 

• finches example

Resource Partitioning/Niche differentiation 

• Reduces the amount of niche overlap and the amount of competition

• they change what resource they use over time (less competition) 

Coevolution

Refers to how evolutionary processes and ecological change are intertwined, and effect each other in a cycle

• evolutionary change → ecological change ( and vice versa)

Phenological mismatch

• Phenology (not phylogeny!!): the timing of life history events

• Phenological mismatch example

  • The trees bloom earlier and then the insects, which are food for the birds, adapt to this

  • The great tits are still migrating at the same time, so they are too late to get their food.