AP ES Ecological Tolerance

What does ecological tolerance refer to?


It refers to the range of conditions an organism can endure before injury or death.

What are some conditions that can affect an organism's ecological tolerance?


Temperature, salinity, pH, and sunlight.

How does the range of tolerance apply to both species and individual organisms?


limits within which a species or individual organism can survive and thrive in their environment, Each species has a range of conditions (like temperature, moisture, and light) that they can tolerate. If conditions are too extreme (too hot or too cold, for example), the species may not survive

What is the basic temperature tolerance range for salmon?


6 to 22 degrees Celsius.

Why might some individual salmon have different temperature tolerances than the basic range?


Some individual salmon have adaptations that allow them to live slightly outside of the basic temperature range.

How does genetic diversity affect the temperature tolerance of salmon populations?


Genetic diversity allows individual salmon to have slightly different tolerances, making the population more resistant to changes like global warming.

What are the three different zones within the range of tolerance for a given species?


• Optimal zone: Organisms can survive, grow, and reproduce.

• Range of physiological stress: Organisms can survive but experience stress.

• Zone of intolerance: Organisms will die due to extreme conditions

Why is it important to cite a specific cause for die-off in organisms?


Citing a specific cause helps clarify the stressor affecting the organism's survival.

How can human activities connect to ecological range of tolerance in an FRQ answer?


By linking human activities to climate change and its effects on species' ranges of tolerance.

What is a physiological stress that can result from global warming?


Fish may suffocate due to less dissolved oxygen in warmer waters.

How does global warming affect rainfall patterns for plant?

Some areas may get more rain, while others might get less. This can lead to flooding in some places and droughts in others, a region that usually gets rain in spring might receive it in summer instead, affecting when plants grow and bloom

What is a specific physiological stress for plants during droughts?


The plant's roots may not be able to take in enough water.