APES unit 1-3

Individual

One organism

Population

Group of individuals of same species

Community

All living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

All living & nonliving things in an area (plants, animals, rocks, soil, water, air)

Biome

Large area with similar climate conditions that determine plant & animal species there

Symbiosis

A close long term interaction between 2 species in an ecosystem

Mutualism

A relationship in which both species are mutually benefitted

• long term and both species have evolved traits over many generations that aid the relationship.

Commensalism

a relationship in which one organism benefits but the other’s neither helped nor harmed

• long term and the species involved have evolved these relationships many generations

Parasitism

when one species benefits and the other is harmed by the interaction

• they harm their host but rarely cause their death

Competition

Organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter

• limits pop size

resource partitioning

Division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition in ecological niche

• allows for more species to thrive

Temporal Partitioning

Using resources at different times

• ex: wolves and coyotes hunting at diff times of the day

Lichen

composite organism of fungi living with algae; algae provides sugars (energy) & fungi provides nutrients

Spatial Partitioning

Using different areas of shared habitat

Morphological Partitioning

Using different resources based of different evolved body features

Terrestrial biome

Distribution based of precipitation, average temp, geography, latitude, altitude, nutrient availability, biodiversity and soil.

Taiga

• poor soil nutrients

• Some birds, lots of migration

• Has permafrost

• Coniferous forests (evergreens)

• Clearcutting is a threat

• Canada Russia

Temperate Rainforests

• Mid latitude forest

• Some pines & broad leafed trees

• Some of the tallest trees

• Deep hummus layer, more nutrient rich

• Cool climate, deforestation, climate change

Temperate seasonal Forests

• Mid latitude forest

• Receive cold & warm air masses

• More nutrient filled soils

• Trees lose leaves in fall and winter fro dormancy

• Clearcutting and acid rain are threats

• Forest species are common

Shrubland

• middle latitude

• Gets more rain than desserts, not as much as forests

• Shrubs, grasses and aromatic herbs grow

• Somewhat acidic soils

• Threatened by climate change

• Mediterranean

Savanna

• Wet & dry climate, species shape the area like grasslands

• Tall perennial grasses with some trees

• Soils are low fertility due to bedrock type

• Largest diversity of hoofed animals

• Climate change, agriculture, overgrazing and irrigation practices.

Tropical Rainforest

• Conditions are optimal abundant precipitation warm/light

• Many layers of vegetation: canopy< subcanopy, shrub layer, ground layer

• Poor soil nutrients- massive plant growth

• climate change, farming/agriculture hydroelectric projects are some threats

• Amazon, congo

Temperate grassland

• Middle latitude area

• mix of gasses and forbs

• most fertile soil

• perennial grass, sunflower pea plants

• overgrazing by cattle agriculture and urban development

• american “cornbelt”

Deserts

• Cover 1/5 of the surface

• to conserve water, plants adapt spines to protect from animals

• soils are made of sand, gravel, stone

• animals have adapted to heat and lack of water through aestivation, large ears for cooling

• deserts spread due to poor agricultural practices

Tundra

• Near Arctic high latitudes

• Lichens, mosses, shrubs are common vegetation

• no true soil, permafrost below rocks serve as ground

• small mammals with thick fur

• climate change is a threat due to melting ice and permafrost

• canada and russia

Latitude and altitude

• As these factors increase biomes and vegetation change

Freshwater biomes

• streams

• rivers

• ponds

• lakes

Marine Biomes

• oceans

• coral reef

• marshlands

• estuaries

Algae

Supply a large portion of the Earth's oxygen and also take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Aquatic Biome Factors

• salinity

• depth

• turbidity

• nutrients

• temperature

fresh water

• drinking source

• only 1% of it can be used and that is found in glaciers

Marshes & Swamps

Most productive freshwater biome

Estuaries

Areas where rivers empty into the ocean (mix of fresh and saltwater)

• high productivity (plant growth)

• bacterial decomposition consumes oxygen

Littoral zone

Edge of a pond/lake

• more plant life

• more nutrients

• bets place for plants

Bnethic Zone

• a lot of nutrients that have settled down into the bottom

Photic zone

the deper you go down the less sunlight and plant life there is

Profundal zone

• no light

• no photosynthesis

Coral reefs & estuaries

Most productive and biodiverse marine biomes

Upwelling

Bring nutrients to the surface by circling them back around

• also bring nutrients from the depths of the ocean to the surface for phytoplankton

open ocean

Low productivity area as only algae and phytoplankton can survive in most of the ocean

Carbon Source

the origin or place where something is derived from

• fossil fuel combustions

• animal ag (cow burps & farts) ch4

• deforestation

Carbon Sink

a reservoir or process that absorbs more of a substance than it releases.

• Ocean (algae & sediments), plants, soil

photosynthesis

Process of converting carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen

• Plants and algae are primarily photosynthesisers

• algae is responsible for 40 to 60% of photosynthesis globally

Respiration

Process of burning a sugar molecule with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water

• producers and consumers tend to undergo this process

• this release can be used back in photosynthesis

sedimentation

When Marine organisms die, their bodies sink to the ocean floor where they're broken down into sediments that contain carbon

Burial

Over long periods of time, pressure of water compresses carbon containing sediments on ocean floor and sedimentary stone

• long time reservoir

Nitrogen cycle

Movement of atoms and molecules containing the element of nitrogen between sources and sinks

Biogeochemical cycles

A self-regulating, naturally occurring, movement of chemical molecules through various sources and sinks

• these cycles stabilize and regulate the flow of matter through ecosystems

nitrogen and phosphorus

limiting factor

Nitrification

N2 fixed by lightning (abiotic) or microbes in the soil / root nodules (biotic)

Ammonification

NH3 converted to NH4 by soil bacteria; NH3 can also be added by decay of organic matter

Nitrification

NH4 converted to NO2 then NO3

Assimilation

NO3 uptaken by plants through roots

Denitrification

NO3 can be converted back to N2 by soil bactreia

Phosphorus cycle

• slow cycle

• no atmospheric process

• mainly driven by geological processes

• limiting factor

• Needed element for growth of plants and animals to make DNA, bones, ATP

sources of nitrogen

• Weathered rocks

sinks of nitrogen

• Oceans, lakes,land/water, food web

• soil, ocean/rock sediments

geological uplift

Tectonic plate collision forcing up rock layers that form mountains

transpiration

The process plants use to draw groundwater from roots up to their leaves

evapotranspiration

Amount of water that enters atmosphere from transpiration and evaporation combined

Primary productivity

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The rate of energy produced through photosynthesis

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The rate of energy available after respiration typically calculated in a given area

eutrophic zone

A lake or other habitat that is rich in nutrients and has abundant plant life

ecologicxal efficiency

• 99% Of the solar energy is reflected or it passes through producers without being observed

• 1% of solar energy shrinking producers is captured by photosynthesis

• 60% of GPP is lost to respiration

• 40% of GPP supports the growth in reproduction of producers

Trophic

different levels ina food chian or food web where organisms obtain energy

omnivore

Organisms that eat a variety of materials including plants animals algae, fungi

carnivore

Organisms that primarily eat meat and usually at the top of the food chain

herbivore

Organisms that primarily eat plants algae and other producers

autotrophs

An organism that can produce its own food

heterotrophs

An organism that must obtain its energy by consuming other organsisms

10% rule

In trophic pyramids only about 10% of the energy from 1 level makes to the next tlevel ; the other 90% is of used by the organsims and lost its heat

food chain

shows the flow of energy from primary producer of several trophic levelsfood

food web

Consists of several food chains and interlocking pattern meant to show energy and nutrient movement

positive feedback loop

Reaction causes more of the original reaction to occur

negative feedback loop

Reaction causes a return to normal

gentic diversity

How different the genes are of individuals within a population

• more diversity allows for a better response to environment

Species diversity

The number of different species in an ecosystem and the balance of eveness of the population size

• of all species in the

habitat diversity

The number of different habitats available in a given area

generalists

Species that can handle a wide variety of habitats and situations

specialist

Species that can only handle a limited range of habitats and situations

richness

Total number of different species found in an ecosystem

Evenness

A measure of how all of the individual organs in an ecostom are balanced between the different species

Richness

A measure of how all of the individual organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between the different species

high genetic diversity

• low variation in environmental conditions

• evolution

• minor disturbances

• high habitat diversity

low genetic diversity

• continuous environmental stress

• extinction

• extreme disturbances

• geographic isolation

• invasive species

bottleneck

an environmental disturbance that drastically reduces population size & kills organisms regardless of their genome

ecosystem resilience

the ability of an organism to return to its original condition after a major disturbance

provisioning services

any type of benefit to people that can be extracted from nature.

• food

• drinking water

• timber

• wood

Regulating Services

Benefit provided by ecosystem process that moderate natural phenomena

• tress providing shade

• regulating pollutants through plants

• storing carbon

• soaking up water

Cultural Services

Non-Material benefit that contributes to the development and cultural advancement of people, including how ecosystems play a role in local, national and global cultures

Supporting Services

ecosystems couldn’t be sustained without the consistency of underlying natural processes. process allows earth to sustain basic life forms

• incorporates all 2 services

island biogeography

The study of ecological relationships and distributions of populations on islands

Large Islands

• Greater ecosystem diversity- more food & habitat resources

• More niches or roles organisms can play in the ecosystem

• Greater the island, the greater the ecosystem diversity

Islands close to mainland

• easier for colonizing organisms to get to island from mainland

• More colonizing organisms-more genetic diversity in new populations

• Frequent migration brings more genetic diversity and larger pop size

Generalists in islands

• leads to drop in specialists

• Outcompete specialists

• Specialists have limited defenses

Ecological Tolerance

the range of conditions such as temperature, salinity, flow rate, sunlight that an organism can endure before injury or death

• x axis abiotic pH, Temp, salinity

• Y axis population

range of optimum

Area of greatest abundance

Zone of physiological stress

• Low population

• Not adapted

• Change in temp, pH, pressure etc

Zone of intolerance

• species absent

• No animals can survive