Adaptation to Environment and Ecological Niches

Adaptation: any characteristic that aids in an organism’s survival

• adaptations are specific to the environment —> if the environment changes, what's beneficial also changes

Habitat: the specific place that an organism lives & interacts w/ its surroundings

• 3 things that define a habitat:

  • Geographical location (where on earth)

  • Physical location (tree, bush, grass, etc.)

  • Ecosystem

Describe how haitats are related to adaptations:

• to survive, an organism must be well adapted to their habitat —> diversity of habitats leads to diversity of adaptations

Describe how adaptations are related to biotic and abiotic factors:

• Adaptations help an organism cope with & survive in their environment’s biotic/abiotic factors

  • Biotic examples: predators, food type, etc.

  • Abiotic examples: climate, water availability, etc.

Sand Dunes

• the environment on sand dunes is harsh and unstable conditions

• created by plants & grasses trapping sand that’s carried inland by winds

Adaptations of grasses that live on sand dunes:

• Marram grass (a species of grass) has adapted to live on sand dunes

• Must have: droughts & salt tolerance, strong roots, strong leaves, rhizomes (horizontal underground stems)

• grasses help shape the dunes by trapping the sand in —> creating the dune structure & shape

Mangroves

• environment in mangroves: found in brackish water (salt/fresh water mix)

• salinity of the water makes it difficult for plant species to survive

Adaptations of plants that live in mangrove forests:

• Rhizophora apiculata (plant species) is a halophyte —> plant species that can survive in high salinity environments

  • halo = salt

  • phyte = plant

• has specialized aerial roots (pheumatophores (in the air)) that help provide the plant w/ oxygen in the water logged soil

Outline how mangroves stop coastal erosion and reduce damage from storms

• the roots slow down big waves to prevent erosion & help trap soil/sand

• creates barrier in front of the land

Outline how 5 abiotic factors affect species distribution

1. Temperature

2. Humidity

3. Light

4. Water

5. Soil Composition

• need to have plants and other organisms that are adapted to the particular abiotic factors

Range of tolerance:

Range of tolerance: the range of conditions that a species can tolerate based on their adaptations

• determines its species distribution

Predict the effects of a warming ocean on fish:

• will put many fish in the zone of stress OR they can migrate to get back in optimum range

Describe how range of tolerance relates to limiting factors

• if environmental conditions fall outside of an organism’s range of tolerance —> the environmental condition becomes a limiting factor

  • EX: freshwater availability

Biome: groups of similar ecosystems that share common abiotic & biotic factors (fauna/flora)

• terrestrial biomes are characterized by the dominant vegetation, animals, and climate patterns

2 Major abiotic factors that determine the type of biome in an ecosystem:

• Temperature

• Rainfall

• temp & rainfall interact w/ each other to form climates that are unique to each biome

Describe what a climatograph shows:

• average temperature & rainfall can be graphed

List several adaptations of plants living in hot deserts:

• deep root system & shallow horizontal roots (access underground water & absorb water even from the smallest bit of rain)

• Chlorophyll in bark (bc no leaves)

• Thorny stems (store water & thorns keep herbivores away)

• Leaves only sprout after rain

• Flowers to attract pollinators

List several adaptations of animals living in hot deserts:

• store fat (so they can survive long periods without food)

• slow metabolic rate (so they can survive long periods without food)

• structural adaptations to help catch prey & ward off predators

  • EX: powerful jaws & venom

• skin coverings & other organ adaptations to retain moisture

  • EX: scales

List several adaptations of plants living in tropical rainforests:

• Large leaves (maximizes photosynthesis)

• Waxy cuticle (for floating on the surface of water - if applicable)

• Root systems to extract nutrients

• Flowers to attract pollinators

• Tall trees to reach upper canopy (for light exposure)

List several adaptations of animals living in tropical rainforests:

• adaptations for catching prey/avoiding predation

  • EX: talons, beak, sensitive hearing, camouflage

• adaptations to aid in navigation between trees

  • EX: wings, binocular vision

• adaptations for climbing tall trees

Niches

Niche: an organism’s role in the ecosystem

• includes both the habitat (location) and how it’s interacting with other organisms and with the abiotic factors in the ecosystem

  • its home address AND profession

• organisms are adapted to their specific ecological niche

Distinguish between specialist species and generalist species:

• Specialist Species: organisms that live in very specific conditions & have highly specialized niches —> narrow zone of tolerance

  • EX: Koalas

• Generalist Species: organisms that can survive in a broader range of conditions

  • EX: black rats

  • generalists will succeed better w/ climate change

Outline how impact on environment is a part of an organism’s niche

• an organisms niche includes its interactions & impacts on the environment

• many species have significant impacts on their environment

  • Beavers: build dams which changes water flow

  • Elephants: knock over trees which creates microhabitats for smaller creatures

Describe how mode of nutrition is related to an organism’s niche:

• niches are influenced by their mode of nutrition:

  • Autotroph

  • Heterotroph —> consumer/decomposer —> detrtitivore/saprotroph

• how it interacts w/ the environment in terms of obtaining nutrients

Fundamental Niche: total range of environmental conditions & ecological roles that an organism could fulfill in the absence of competition

Realized Niche: actual role that an organism occupies in an ecosystem

Distinguish between fundamental and realized niches:

• realized niche is typically smaller than the fundamental niche because of interspecific competition

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Competitive Exclusion Principle: says that no two species can occupy exactly the same niche at the same time

Implications of direct competition:

• one species outcompete the other

• the “losing” species will either adapt or face local extinction

Niche Partitioning: competing species use the environment differently in a way that helps them to coexist

• eliminates direct competition for exactly the same niche & allows for the survival of both

Distinguish between spatial niche partitioning & temporal niche partitioning:

• Spatial Niche Partitioning: organisms still live in close proximity, but slight differences in locational preference allows the niche to be divided

  • EX: different species of Warblers living in coniferous trees

• Temporal Niche Partitioning: organisms live in close proximity, but differences in active time of day allows the niche to be divided

  • EX: common spiny mouse is active during the night & Golden spiny mouse is active during the day