B4.1 Adaptations to Environment

Ecology- deals with the relationship between organisms and their interactions with their physical surroundings.

Organisms- any individual life form.

Habitat

the natural home or environment of an organism.

  • must provide all resources needed for survival and reproduction

    1. Geographical location- location where habitat is.

      • latitude, longitude, climate

      • localized region of habitat

    2. Physical location

      • describes the characteristics of geographical areas.

      • landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, and microhabitats.

    3. Type of ecosystem - a broader ecological community where a species interacts with other species and an abiotic environment.

Natural Habitat- has no species cultivated by humans

Semi-natural Habitat- influenced by human activities, but most species are wild and not human cultivated.

Species- group of organisms that can reproduce and produce fertile offspring

Population- consists of one species in one location at one time

Community- formed by different populations of species interacting in a habitat

Relationships

  • Predator-Prey

  • Herbivory

  • Competition for resources

  • mutualism

  • parasitism

Ecosystem- location where a community of living organisms interact w/each other + abiotic (non-living) environment

Abiotic

  • air, minerals, light, climate

Adaptations- inheritable traits that allow for survival and reproduction

Natural Selection- Survival of the fittest. Environmental pressures → adaptations

  • Examples

    • Marram Grass- adapted to an environment where water is scarce. aka Xerophytes

    • Mangrove trees-  adapted to living in waterlogged, anoxic ( no oxygen) soil with high concentrations of salt.

Things that affect organism distribution

  • temperature

  • pH

  • Available minerals

  • light

  • latitude

  • longitude

  • soil concentration

  • humidity

  • breedings sites

  • climate

  • aeration of soil

Shelford’s Law of Tolerance

  • organisms have optimal survival rates for abiotic factors. Less optimal range= less survival rate

    • Optimum range with maximum survival rates

    • Zones of stress with reduced survival rates

    • Zone of intolerance where organisms cannot survive

Belt Transects- used to investigate relationship btwn species distribution and abiotic factor.

  • used when there’s a gradual change from one side of a habitat to another.

  • transect- path where count and record amount of species of study

Biomes- large natural communities of organisms occupying a major habitat.

Tropical Forest

  • high temperatures, lots of rain year-round, no dry season, biodiversity

  • Adaptations

    • Chemical defenses: The leaves contain toxins to deter insects from eating them.

    • Large Leaves: maximize light absorption for photosynthesis.

    • Arboreal adaptations: Adaptations which allow the animal to live in the tree canopy include prehensile tails, grasping hands and feet, and strong limbs.

Temperate Forest

  • Four seasons, rich soul, diverse

Grassland

  • fertile soil, moderate rain, not many trees ( all grass), herbivores

Hot Desert

  • low precipitation, extreme temperatures, lack of water, rough environment

  • Adaptations

    • Deep root systems: Allow desert plants to access groundwater,

    • CAM physiology: A type of photosynthesis, where stomata remain closed during the day to reduce water loss by transpiration. The stomata open at night when it is cooler.

    • Thick waxy cuticles: Reduces water loss through evaporation from the plant.

    • Nocturnal Behaviour: Many desert animals are active at night when it is cooler,

    •  Many desert animals produce concentrated urine or uric acid rather than urine to reduce water loss

    • Camouflage

Taiga

  • long cold winters, short mild summers, evergreens, permafrost/ soil sucks (no nutrients)

Tundra

  • coldest, no trees, permafrost, lack of biodiversity

Whittaker’s Climograph- Climate and Terrestrial Biomes

  • Whittaker’s Climograph predicts terrestrial biomes found in a location using mean annual temp. + mean annual precipitation.

Convergent Evolution

  • Evolution of similar features creating analogous structures ( not related but similar to similar environmental pressures)