Chapter 6 Niches, Succession, & Biodiversity

Biotic factors

living parts of an ecosystem

Abiotic factors

nonliving parts of an ecosystem

biotic factors example

animals, bacteria, fungi, insects

abiotic factors

rocks, water, air

Habitat

where an organism lives (environment)

Niche

the role of an organism in an ecosystem; its job

Competitive Exclusion Principle

no 2 species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

3 types of community interactions

competition, predation, symbiosis

competition

fighting for resources

predation

hunting organisms for food (applies to herbivores and plants)

Symbiosis

relationship where 2 species live closely together

types of symbiosis

mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

mutualism

both species benefit from a relationship

commensalism

one species benefits and the other is unaffected

parasitism

one organism lives on/in another organism and harms it

keystone species

species is not abundant but has a strong influence an success/structure of community

succession

ecosystems are always changing and repairing

primary succession

occurs on land where no soil exists and where there is no previous nutrients

secondary succession

occurs on land where soil exists and previous nutrients exist; occurs much faster

pioneer species

first species to populate an area; has a broad range of tolerance for environmental factors

does succession always have ecosystems rebuild the exact same way?

no

biodiversity

total of all genetically based variation in all organisms in the biosphere

types of biodiversity

ecosystem diversity, species diversity, genetic diversity

resilience

nature or human system’s ability to recover after a disturbance

biodiversity and resilience correlation

to more biodiversity an ecosystem has, the more resilient it is likely to be

ecosystems services from biodiversity

purifying water, buffering effects of weather, pollinating, regulating pests, food production, nutrient cycling, maintaining soil structure