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symbiosis
long-term relationship interactions between two species
parasitism
one species benefits at expense of other (ticks and fleas feed on blood of dog hots)
Coral Symbiosis
relationship with zooxanthellae, algae lives within the cells of the coral's endodermis, provided algae with a source of inorganic compound and protective environment, algae provides coral with source of nutrition
food web
shows all the possible food chains in a community
ecological productivity
refers to the rate of generation of biomass in an ecosystem
primary production
production of chemical energy in organic compounds by producers
feed conversion ratio
measures the conversion of food into a desired output
What are Gersmehl diagrams?
show differences in nutrient flow and storage between biomes
Taiga Gersmehl
nutrients stored primarily as litter, cold temperature decreases rate of decay, low rainfall decreases transfer rate
desert gersmehl
nutrients stored primarily as soil, extreme temperatures decrease decay and uptake, low rainfall causes a decrease in transfer rate
biological control
involves using a living organism to control the spread of invasive species, must be monitored to ensure they do not become invasive
biomagnification
process in which chemical substances become more concentrated at each trophic level
biotic index
compares the relative frequency of indicator species, providing overall environmental assessment
low index
indicates a site with few potential niches and where only a few species dominate
benefits of in situ
allows species to live in habitats and occupy food chains to which they are adapted, maintains normal animal behavior, provides realistic reintegration conditions for animals produced by breeding programs, provides a place for scientific study and development
disadvantages of in situ
requires active management: maintenance of boundaries to prevent poachers, restoration of degraded habitat areas, facilitating life cycles, recovery of endangered species
Fitness
Survival and reproductive success
biotic limiting factors
interaction between organisms
fundamental niche
The entire set of conditions which an organism can survive and reproduce
realized niche
The set of conditions used by an organism after including interactions with other species
mutualism
both species benefit from the interaction (clownfish and anemone)
commensalism
one species benefits, other is unaffected (barnacles transported to food by whales)
Coral bleaching
When environmental conditions change causing stress to the algae living in the zooxanthellae. This causes the algae to die which is what gives the coral colors. When the algae dies, the coral starves to death.
Coral bleaching conditions
light availability changes (e.g. increases in sedimentation)
Increase in Temp (>30C)
Decrease in Ph (CO2 increases causes decreases in Ph= stressed algae)
keystone species
large impact on an ecosystem relative to its abundance
Engineers
keystone species that can refashion the environment in a way that promotes the survival of other organisms (e.g. beavers)
trophic level
position in a feeding sequence
Gross primary production (GPP)
the amount of chemical energy as biomass that primary producers create in a given length of time
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
the net chemical energy produced
NPP formula
NPP = GPP - respiration by producers
biomes
geographical areas that have a particular climate and sustain a specific community of plants and animals
tropical rainforest
hot, humid (wet), near equator, high biodiveristy
climograph
graphical representation of climate patterns for different biomes
high primary productivity
large bases on energy pyramids because they can support a greater number of trophic levels
Litter
any organic matter in and on the soil (humus and leaf litter)
Tropical Gersmehl
nutrients stored primarily as biomass, warm temperature increases rate of decay and uptake; high rainfall causes increase in transfer rate (runoff, etc.)
pioneer species
organisms that initially colonize a region
secondary succession
natural environmental disturbance causes this, starts with pre-existing soil
steps of secondary succession
1) An environmental disturbance that destroys pre-existing climax communities
2) Grasses and herbaceous plants grow back in soil - NO NEED FOR PIONEER SPECIES
3) Fast-growing trees develop to their fullest while shade-tolerant trees develop under
4) Eventually fast-growing trees are overtaken by larger, slower-growing trees as the ecosystem reverts to its prior state
cane toads
introduced to Australia to limit the spread of crop-eating beetles, lacks a native predator, reproduces rapidly, depleted prey population for native insectivores, has a toxic chemical from its skin that has poisoned species, diseases have been transmitted to native species
DDT
chemical which demonstrates biomagnification in high order consumers, fat soluble which means it is retained in the body instead of being excreted
indicator species
sensitive to specific environmental conditions and therefore have a limited range of tolerance
high biotic index
indicates an abundance of indicator species (unpolluted)
biodiversity
describes the variety and variability of all living organisms in a given ecological area
2 parts of biodiversity
1) Species Richness (number of different species )
2) Relative abundance ( how many individuals in each species)
richness
describes the number of different species present in an area
evenness
describes the relative abundance of given species in an area
simpson's index
determines the relative biodiversity of an ecosystem
high index
indicates a stable site with many niches and low competition (high biodiversity)
island size
larger islands and habitats will promote biodiversity (more niches equals less competition); sustain higher population and have longer, more stable food chains
edge effect
The diversity of species within a given environment undergoes changes depending on the proximity to the ecosystem edge.
Ex Situ Conservation
the preservation of a species away from its natural habitat
benefits of ex situ
allows for control of conditions, can improve chances of successful breeding
sustainable yield
level of resource that can be withdrawn from an ecosystem without reducing the base stock
top down control
control applied to higher trophic levels, results in oscillating trophic cascade
bottom up control
control applied to lower trophic levels, results in suppression of higher levels
soil
composed of a mixture of organic matter, mineral particles and rock
nitrogen
key element in plant growth, it is needed for proteins, hormones, and chlorophyll; moves quickly through soils as soluble nitrites, nitrates, and ammonium ions
nitrogen fixation
catalyzed by the enzyme nitrogenase (nitrogen to ammonia)
assimilation
nitrates are converted into amino acids, incorporation of nitrogen into the organic content of a cell
denitrification
nitrates into nitrogen, carried out by denitrifying bacteria (require anaerobic soil, so no oxygen)
eutrophication
enrichment of an aquatic ecosystem with chemical nutrients
limiting factors
affects distribution of a species
ecosystem
describes a community and its abiotic factors
abiotic limiting factors
environmental conditions
glycophytes
plant species that are not salt tolerant (are stressed by salt water)
halophytes
plant species that are salt tolerant (become stressed in fresh water)
transects
straight line along abiotic gradients from which data is recorded
kite graphs
used to correlate the distribution of a plant or animal species with an abiotic variable
ecological niche
describes the role and position of an organisms in an ecosystem, includes spatial habitat, activity patterns and interactions with other species
competitive exclusion
if two species share an identical niche, a species may die out
resource partitioning
if two species share an identical niche, species will segregate
predatation
a biological interaction where one organism hunts and feeds on another organism
Mutualistic Species
keystone species may support the life cycle of various species in a community
biomass
the total dry weight of organic matter in organisms or ecosystems
secondary production
generation of biomass of heterotrophic organisms
Closed ecosystem
exchanges energy but not matter with the surrounding
Open ecosystem
exchanges both energy and matter with surroundings
taiga
cold, low precipitation (ice not rain), coniferous/Boreal forest, moisture trapped as snow
desert
hot days and cold nights (low rainfall), dry and arid
energy pyramid
The flow of energy between trophic levels and measured in kJ m^-2 y^-1
Tropical rainforest diagram
Taiga diagram
Desert diagram
Humus
material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter
Ecological succession
The process by which a sequence of increasingly complex communities develop over time
primary succession
involves communities developing on entirely new land without any established soil
invasive species
an alien species that has a detrimental effect on pre-existing food chains
Endemic species
Species that are native to defined geographic regions
physical control
involves removal or restriction of species by manual or mechanical measures, may include installation of barriers, not usually species specific and impedes native wildlife
chemical control
involves the use of chemical agents to limit the spread, have moderate specificity but often affect local wildlife
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
DDT is a pesticide used to repel mosquito larvae water. However, it is taken up by algae and passed to primary consumers.
Birds produced thinner shells
It stops malaria dengue fever etc, but also causes cancer, birth defects, reduced fertility etc.
Stays in the environment 15+ years
low biotic index
indicates an absence of indicator species (polluted environment)
In Situ Conservation
preservation of a species within its natural habitat
disadvantages of ex situ
species raised in captivity are less likely to be successfully reintroduced into wild, does not prevent destruction of natural habitat, increases inbreeding by restricting the gene pool and reduces evolution of natural selection
phosphorus
needed by plants to transfer energy from sunlight; also required for DNA and phospholipids; not typically stored in soil, so sustained crop production requires fertilizers
ammonification
ammonia to ammonium
nitrification
ammonium is converted to nitrites and then converted to nitrates (Require aerated soil)
nitrosomonas
convert ammonium into nitrite ions
nitrobacter
convert nitrites into nitrates, which are absorbed by roots