biome (def).

K AND R STRATEGIST SPECIES

k strategist species (def). species that have a small number of offspring but invest time and energy into ensuring that they make it to adulthood

• more suited to stable or steady state ecosystems - in which they outcompete r strategist species

• population sizes are usually close to the carrying capacity of the system

r strategist species (def). reproduce quickly and rapidly, leaving their offspring after their birth

ZONATION

zonation (def). a change in a community along an environmental gradient

• can be due to altitude, latitude or water cover - usually abiotic factors

• where certain species can no longer live in the area due to these changes in abiotic factors - no longer fits their ecological niche

figure : kite diagram used to show zonation

• kite diagrams are used to show the spread of the community with regards to the different zones

• wider kites = higher abundance of that species in that zone

SUCCESSION

succession (def). the process of change over time in an ecosystem, involves :

• pioneer community (def). organisms adapted to extreme conditions that allow other species to move into the area

  • typically r species - breed fast and therefore populate the area quickly

  • promote rapid growth within the ecosystem

• intermediate community (def). the organisms that come in the middle of the process of succession and help diversify the ecosystem

  • largely k species with some r species

  • push out the pioneer species as r species cannot compete with intermediate species for space, food and nutrients

  • develops complex food webs and biodiversity that allows for a stable ecosystem

• climax community (def). show the maximum amount of development that the ecosystem can undergo

  • mix of species and interactions

  • steady state equilibrium with complex food chains and a high rate of biodiversity

  • stable and self-sustaining

secondary succession (def). a shorter version of the succession process in which the land has already been colonized but has then suffered some change (usually human driven) that reverts it back to a near barren state - having already been colonized the process is shorter and more readily done

figure : disturbances within an ecosystem