APES Unit 1 Part 1

Symbiosis

close, long-term association between two species in an ecosystem

biotic components

living

abiotic components

nonliving

two ways boundaries of an ecosystem can be measured

administrative and topographic features

Biosphere

combination of all ecosystems on Earth

Range of the biosphere

deepest ocean bottom to highest mountain peak

Competition

struggle of individuals to obtain a shared limited resource

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist

Resource Partitioning

two species evolve to divide a resource to reduce competition

Temporal Resource Partitioning

two species utilize the same resource but at different times

Spatial Resource Partitioning

two species utilize the same resource in different habitats

Morphological Resource Partitioning

split resource by evolution of differences in body size or shape

Interactions where one species consumes another:

Predation, parasitism, herbivory

Predation

one animal kills and consumes another animal

Parasitoids are a type of

Predator

Defenses against predators may be…

behavioral, morphological, chemical, or mimicking

What happened when the Wolf population of Lake Royale got hit by canine virus?

Wolf population plummeted, and the moose population tripled, increasing competition. This caused the moose to starve.

Parasitism

one organism lives on or in another organism

Pathogens

parasites that cause disease in their host (viruses, bacteria, fungi)

Herbivory

animal consumes plants or algae

Interactions with neutral/positive effects

mutualism, commensalism

Mutualism

increases chance of survival for both species involved

What happens when the benefit of helping another species is too small under mutualism?

natural selection favors individuals that no longer engage in mutualism

Coral reef- algae mutualism

coral reef provides home to algae, algae provides coral with sugars thru photosynthesis

Commensalism

Benefits one species, doesn’t affect the other

Symbiotic relationships

mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

invasive species

exotic species that spread rapidly across areas and cause harm

biome

plants and animals found in a particular region

How is climate defined?

temperature and precipitation

Terrestrial Biome

Geographic region of land categorized by a particular combination of avg. annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant forms.

Aquatic Biome

Aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, turbidity, and water flow.

Habitat

area where one particular species lives

Growing season

voer 0C

climate diagrams show us whether plant growth is more contained by…

temperature of precipitation

Tundra

Cold and treeless biome with low-growing vegetation found in Russia, Canada, Scandinavia and Alaska. Permafrost (frozen soil) prevents large plants from growing. Slow decomposition leaves soil low in nutrients and only small shrubs can survive in the waterlogged soil.

Taiga/ boreal forest

Full of coniferous evergreen trees while low in temperature and precipitation. Soil is nutrient poor and located at 50-60N. Fallen leaves make up a layer of organic material on the ground but this biome is poorly suited for agriculture. Make up a good target for logging bc of trees.

Temperate Rainforest

Coastal biome with moderate temperatures and high precipitation. Ocean water results in mild season and very large trees. Attractive lumber sources bc of coniferous trees. Leaching by rainfall leaves soil low in nutrients.

Temperate Seasonal/ Deciduous Forest

Fluctuations in seasonal temperatures and high precipitation. Rapid decomposition leaves soil nutrient rich. Have high plant productivity and as a result are used for agriculture.

Shrubland/woodland

Characterized by hot/dry summers and mild/rainy winters. Growing season is year round but contained by temp in summer and precipitation in winter. Benefit from seasonal fires. Soil is nutrient poor because of leaching, so land is used for livestock and deep rooted plants.

Temperate Grassland/ cold desert

Extreme seasonal fluctuations in temp. Great Plains, South America, steppes. Large wildfires are common so grasses are well suited. Precipitation is moderate and varies with region but vegetation is usually sparse. Rapid decomposition makes soil nutrient rich.

Tropical Rainforest

Warm and wet biome found between 20N and 20S with little seasonal temperature variation and high precipitation. Have the most biodiversity of any terrestrial biome. Has poor soil quality.

Savanna/ tropical seasonal forest

marked by warm temperatures and distinctive wet and dry seasons. Has productive soil

Hot Desert

Located at 30N and 30S, has hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and sparse vegetation

Broader aquatic biome categories:

Freshwater and Marine

Available Freshwater

0.03 * 0.25 =0.0075

Freshwater biomes

streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands

streams and rivers

Characterized by flowing water. Organic matter from terrestrial biomes provide energy for larvae and crustaceans, who are then eaten by fish. At rapids/ fast moving rivers, oxygen dissolves into the water, supporting high energy swimming.

lakes and ponds

Characterized by standing water. Contains several regions of water separated by depth and ability to photosynthesize.

Littoral Zone

Shallow area near the shore where most photosynthesis occurs

Limnetic Zone

Goes as deep as sunlight can penetrate with no rooted plants. Phytoplankton algae perform photosynthesis here.

Profundal Zone

Sunlight does not reach, low oxygen concentration prevents large organisms from living here.

Benthic Zone

Muddy bottom

Oligotrophic lakes

low amounts of phytoplankton due to low nutrients

Mesotrophic Lakes

moderate levels of fertility

Eutrophic Lakes

high levels of fertility causing turbid water

Freshwater Wetlands

Submerged or saturated by water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation. Include swamps, marshes, bogs. Serve as filters for contaminants and are very productive.

Marine Biomes have high

salinity

Estuaries and Salt Marshes

Areas along the coast where freshwater and salt water mix. Extremely productive areas that are good filters. Serve as important habitats for spawning fishies. Adverse effects when filled in.

Mangrove Swamp

Occur in tropical coasts and contain trees with roots submerged in water. Mangroves are salt tolerant, protecting coastlines from erosion and storm damage.

Intertidal Zones

Coastline Band between high and low tide. Steep, rocky areas with harsh conditions during low tide. Organisms are adapted to crashing waves with hard shells and grippiness.

Coral Zones

Warm, shallow waters just beyond the shoreline of tropical regions. Most diverse marine biome field with coral that secrete limestone skeletons. Survives with help of algae and gains sugars, making up for nutrient poor waters. Coral bleaching occurs when algae inside coral dies.

Open Oceans

Deep water located away from shoreline with no sunlight. Divided into photic and photic zones based on sunlight penetration

Photic Zones

Upper layer of ocean where sunlight reaches and phytoplankton produces oxygen.

Aphotic Zone

deeper/ benthic zone where sunlight does not reach, so photosynthesis does not occur. Some bacteria can use chemosynthesis to generate energy using methane and hydrogen sulfide. Some can generate their own light in the dark.

Reservoirs can serve as…

sources or sinks

Fast parts of carbon cycle

associated with living organisms, combustion

Slow parts of carbon cycle

carbon held in rock, soil, fossil fuels

Photosynthesis in the carbon cycle

Glucose and O2 produced through photosynthesis

CO2 and water produced by organisms through aerobic respiration

Carbon breaks down thru decomposers when organisms die

Exchange in the carbon cycle

Carbon is exchanged between the atmosphere and the ocean

Largest carbon reservoir

calcium carbonate sediment formed over millions of years

Steady State

slow part of carbon cycle is unchanging over time: input=output

Sedimentation and Burial in the carbon cycle

CO2 in the ocean becomes calcium carbonate, precipitates out of the water and forms limestone and dolomite rocks.

Extraction and Combustion in the carbon cycle

Fossil fuels are extracted by humans and alter the carbon cycle through combustion.

Human impacts on carbon cycle

combustion → excess greenhouse gases

Tree harvesting → nothing to recapture atmospheric carbon

Nitrogen is a ____ nutrient

limiting

Largest nitrogen reservoir

atmosphere

Nitrogen Fixation

converts atmospheric N2 into usable forms for plants and algae

Nitrogen fixing organisms

bacteria and legumes

biotic N fixation

N2 to NH3 and NH4

abiotic N fixation

N2 to NO3

nitrogen fixing processes

lightning, plant fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion

Nitrification

NH4→NO2→NO3

N Assimilation

Plants and algae incorporate N into their tissues

N Mineralization/ Ammonification

Decomposers break down organic compounds into inorganic compounds (NH4)

Denitrification

conversion of NO3 into gases (N2O, N2) to be emitted into the atmosphere

Who performs denitrification?

bacteria living in anaerobic conditions

Human impact on N cycle

Nitrogen transferred through leaching/ artificial fertilizers, disturbing native species.