Unit 2: Ecology

Biology Honors

native

A species or animal that naturally resides in an area, traveled themselves without human interactions

endemic

Native species that are only found in one place in the world, living in no other area

indigenous

A species that are native to a location, but also found in other places

endangered

A species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction

introduced

A species that gets to a place with human help and are introduced into that habitat/location

invasive

Species that are introduced to an area and harmful to the native species and natural environment

adaptive radiation

Rapid speciation in a new environment, resulting in many new species

over 16 variations of birds (iiwi, amakahi, aukepa)

Examples of adaptive radiation with Hawaiian honeycreepers

wings, wind, waves

The three naturally occurring ways for new species to travel

land bridges, walking, plants spread, flying, swimming, floating, hitchhiking

Examples of natural ways species get to a new habitat or location

geographic isolation

How could a species become endemic to an area?

they change, adapt, becomes reproductively isolated (creates new species or subspecies)

What happens to species separated by local conditions and their gene pools?

25%

How many endangered species does Hawaii contain compared to the U.S.?

had a lack of competition and predators prior to invasive species, limited resources on geographically isolated islands

Why are many native/endemic species in Hawaii threatened by invasive/introduced species?

birds, hibiscus, palm trees, hoary bat, monk seals, turtles

What are examples of native Hawaiian species?

pigs, kalo, chicken, dogs, rats, ulu/breadfruit

What are examples of Polynesian introduced species to Hawaii?

cats, mongoose, monkeypod, pineapple, sugar cane, strawberry guava

What are examples of Western introduced species to Hawaii?

niche

An organisms's particular role or place in the environment and ecosystems

fundamental niche

The full range of environmental conditions and resources an organism could possibly occupy or use (no limiting factors)

realized niche

The fraction of the fundamental niche an organism actually occupies, realistic with other factors

habitat, food source, time of day most active, predators/prey

What are factors that make up a niche?

predation

One organism eats or hunts another for food, predator and prey (+,-)

mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit (+,+)

comensalism

One organism benefits and the other isnt harmed or helped, not affected at all (+,0)

parisitsm

One organism uses the host for nutrients and and reproduction, usually harms or sometimes kills the host (+,-)

competition

Two organisms competing for the same niche or resources (-,-)

intraspecific competition

Competition within the same species

interspecific competition

Competition between different species

interference competition

Organisms directly fight over a resource

exploitative competition

No direct interaction between species. Based on who can consume the most (resources, food), in the least amount of time

competitive exclusion

Two species are so similar that the same resource limits both species growth, one will beat the other and exclude the other from the resource

resource partitioning

When species use the same resource at different times of the day/year to avoid competing with each other

competitive exclusion principle

Two species using the same limiting resource cannot coexist in the same place

character displacement

Traits of organisms become more different when they compete with each other (i.e. separating to subspecies for diff niches)

honeycreepers settling into diff niches and growing distant from each other

What are examples of character displacement in Hawaii?

predator prey dynamics

Cycling of predator and prey populations which occurs when either predators overkill prey, or when prey overuse resources and their numbers crash

primary succession

Disturbance to an environment that removes everything, including all soil and living organisms

secondary succession

Disturbance to an environment that leaves some soil and remains of living organisms

pioneer species

First species to arrive and populate an area post-disturbance

direct (one goes up, the other goes up, vice versa)

What kind of relationship does the number of predator and prey have?

they have a smaller food source which contributes to less babies being born

Why does the population of predators go down when the population of prey is decimated?

weak, sick, old and overpopulated are killed, leaves stronger genetic stock of prey to reproduce and live better lives

Why can predation actually help the prey population?

succession

Natural and human disturbances can gradually or rapidly change an ecosystem, afterwards species starts to return

forest fires, tidal waves, earthquakes, tornadoes, storms, urban development, deforestation, climate change

Examples of succession

climax community

A stable community that no longer goes through major ecological changes (a forest at its climax will stay a forest for 1000 more years)

small organisms (ohia, plants, shrubs moss, bugs)

What comes back to an environment first after primary succession?

rock breaks down, creates soil, small organisms decompose, plant accumulation, large amounts of organisms start to return

What processes does an environment go through before becoming stable again?