CHAPTER 49 - AN INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY

Ecology

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

Organismal Ecology

ecologists explore morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations

Salmon migrating from saltwater to freshwater environments to breed ... is an example of... (Organismal, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Global) Ecology

Organismal

Adaptations

heritable traits that increase fitness of an individual in a particular area

Population Ecology

ecologists focus on how the number and distribution of individuals in a population change over time

Population

group of individuals of the same species that lives in the same area at the same time

____ asks how/why does population size change over space/time

Population Ecology

each female salmon produces thousands of eggs. On average, only a few offspring will survive to return to the same stream to breed .... is an example of... (Organismal, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Global) Ecology

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

ecologists study the nature and consequence of the interactions between species.

_____ Asks how we as species interact and the consequences

Community Ecology

_____ are prey as well as predators

Salmon

Ecosystem Ecology

ecologists study how nutrients and energy move among organisms and through the surrounding atmosphere and soil/water

Ecosystem

consists of all the organisms in a particular region, along with nonliving, or abiotic components

... asks how energy flows and how nutrients cycle through the environment

Ecosystem Ecology

salmon die and then decompose, releasing nutrients that are used by other organisms ... is an example of... (Organismal, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Global) Ecology

Ecosystem Ecology

Global Ecology

ecologists focus on the effects of human impacts on the biosphere

_____ ______ is encompassed by the biosphere, the thin zone surrounding the Earth where all life exists

Global Ecology

_____ asks how the biosphere is affected by global changes in nutrient cycling and climate

Global Ecology

worldwide populations of salmon are affected by changes in water flow and temperature due to global climate change ... is an example of... (Organismal, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Global) Ecology

Global Ecology

What Determines the Distribution and Abundance of Organisms?

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niche

the range of conditions a species can tolerate and resources it can use

Weather

specific short-term atmospheric conditions of temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind

Climate

the prevailing long-term weather conditions found in an area

Warm areas receive a ____ amount of sunlight per unit area; ___ areas receive a small amount of sunlight

large, cold

As Earth's surface slopes away from the equator towards the poles, sunlight arrives at lower angels, _____ the energy (and heat)

minimizing

Coriolis Effect

causes air and water to be deflected form this path and into a clockwise pattern in the Northern Hemisphere and a counterclockwise pattern in the Southern Hemisphere, accounting for different directions of wind / ocean currents at different latitudes

Areas at about 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S are among the ____ on Earth

driest

Areas along the _____ receive the most moisture

equator

Seasons

regular, annual fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, or both

Earth's ____ and ____ create seasons at high latitudes

orbit and tilt

Regional effects can modify climate patterns; ____ ____ can modify regional climate

mountain ranges

As moist air blows up a mountain range, it cools and loses its ability to hold water, producing ___

rain

Water absorbs atmospheric heat in the summer and releases it in winter; ____ areas generally have more moderate climates than inland areas

coastal

Gyres

massive ocean current cycles that bring warm water to colder latitudes and vice versa

Biome

regions characterized by distinct abiotic characteristics and dominant vegetation types

Each terrestrial biome is determined largely by ____ (temperature, moisture, sunlight, wind)

climate

NPP

temperature and moisture influence net primary productivity; total amount of biomass generated; represents organic matter available as food for other organisms

Types of Terrestrial Biomes

Tundra, Boreal Forest, Temperate Forest, Temperate Grasslands, Desert and Dry Shrublands, Tropical Wet Forest

Tundra

arctic. low productivity, low biodiversity, low aboveground biomass, permafrost, low plants and lichen, low precipitation, and below freezing temperatures

Boreal Forest

also called taiga, low productivity/biodiversity, low aboveground biomass, low temperatures, low precipitation, and dominated by plants that are tolerant to the cold weather

Temperate Forest

moderate productivity/diversity, seasonal temperatures, and average precipitation

Temperate Grasslands

also called prairie, fertile soils but low productivity, average precipitation, and seasonal temperatures

Desert and Dry Shrublands

extremely hot temperatures, low moisture / rainfall, low productivity, and vegetation adapted to hold water

Tropical Wet Forest

equatorial regions, with favorable growing conditions leading to mass biodiverse plant life, high rainfall, and generally hot temperatures

4 Abiotic Factors that Distinguish Freshwater from Marine Environments

Salinity, Water Depth, Water Flow, Nutrient Availability

Salinity

proportion of solutes dissolved in water; major determinant of species distributions

The solutes with a positive charge combine with a negative charge to form ___

salts

____ are adapted to specific ranges or salinity

species

____ has dramatic effects on osmosis and water balance in organisms

Salinity

Osmosis

the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration

____ absorbs and scatters light, so the amount and types of wavelengths available to organisms change dramatically as water depth increases

water

Turbidity

an important determinant of light penetration

___ wavelengths are unavailable underwater while blue wavelengths dominate

red

____ ____ is important because it affects availability of oxygen, light, and nutrients; it also presents a physical challenge

water flow

____ limit growth rates in the photosynthetic organisms that provide food for other species

nutrients

Different Zones in Ocean Marine Biomes

Oceanic, Photic, Benthic, Aphotic, Intertidal, Neritic

Oceanic Zone

open-ocean deepwater region beyond the continental shelf

Photic Zone

regions that are sunlit: intertidal and portions of the neritic, oceanic, and benthic zones

Benthic Zone

bottom of the ocean at all deaths

Aphotic Zone

Areas that do not review sunlight

Different Zones in Freshwater Marine Biomes

Littoral, Limnetic

Littoral Zone

shallow waters along the shore, where plants can take root

Limnetic Zone

Offshore and comprises water that receives enough light to support photosynthesis too deep for plants to take root

Plankton

small, driftin organisms, and a primary food source in the photic zone

Intertidal Zone

area of a coastline that is exposed to the air at low tide and submerged by the ocean at high tide

Neritic (Sublittoral) Zone

shallow, sunlit area of the ocean that extends from the low-tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf

Organisms in the ____ zone survive by consuming the nutrients that drift down from the photic zone

benthic

Why is the photic zone nutrient-poor?

Due to biological uptake, the photic zone has relatively low levels of nutrient concentrations

Three Types of Water Flow Provide Critical Nutrients

Coastal Runoff, Ocean Upwelling, Lake Turnover

Coastal Runoff

As water rushes down mountains and streams get wider and slower, nutrients gather, sink, and collect at the bottom as debris

In estuaries, where freshwater rivers meet the ocean, nutrients are plentiful; additionally the abundant sunlight makes in one of the most productive environments on Earth ... example of... (coastal runoff, ocean upwelling, and lake turnover)

Coastal Runoff

Ocean Upwelling

nutrients that have fallen into the benthic regions are brought to the surface by current that cause upwellings

As the surface water moves away from the coast, it is steadily replaced by nutrient-rich water moving up from the ocean bottom ... example of... (coastal runoff, ocean upwelling, and lake turnover)

Ocean Upwelling

Lake Turnover

each year, glacially formed lakes undergo spring and fall turnovers in response to air temperature changes

In winter and summer, the temperature in these lakes varies along a vertical gradient called a thermocline ... example of... (coastal runoff, ocean upwelling, and lake turnover)

Lake Turnover

Featured Aquatic Biomes

Lakes and Ponds, Freshwater Wetlands, Streams, Estuaries, Oceans

Lakes and Ponds

most natural lakes and ponds occur at high latitudes, formed in depressions created by the coupling action of glaciers thousands of years ago

Freshwater Wetlands

shallow-water habitats where the soil is saturated for at least part of the year; includes marshes, swamps, and bogs.

Streams

are bodies of water that move constantly in one direction from an area of higher elevation to an area of lower elevation. Creeks are small streams and rivers are large streams.

Estuaries

form where rivers meet the ocean, meaning that fresh water mixes with salt water. They include saline wetlands as well as adjacent open, brackish water that vary in salinity.

Oceans

form a vast, continuous body of saltwater that is remarkably uniform in chemical compositions.