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Populations and Ecosystems (The Structure of Ecosystems (Physiognomic…
Populations and Ecosystems
Plants in Relationship to Their Habitats
habitat
set of conditions where an organism completes its life cycle
abiotic
nonliving components
physical phenomena
biotic
living factors
operational habitat
aspects of habitat that affect a plant
Abiotic Components of the Habitat
Climate
important to all organisms
most species restricted to certain climates/regions
many componenets
temperature
lowest winter/highest summer most important
rainfall
relative humidity
winds
Soil Factors
formed from by breakdown of rock
Initially soil is thin
young soils deficient in nitrogen
pioneers
first plant to colonize new soil
change soil significantly
dead plant parts
carbonic acid from root CO₂
after many years
thick soil with 3 layers/horizons
A horizon
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B horizon
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C horizon
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Latitude and Altitude
affects daylight hours
amount of light energy varies
Disturbance
#
fires
landslides
snow avalanches
floods
significant/ radical change in ecosystem
often eliminating many/ all individuals
Biotic Components of the Habitat
The Plant Itself
part of habitat
modifies habitat
beneficial
detrimental
neurtral
Other Plant Species
several individuals of one/several species
possibility for interaction created
mutualism
beneficial for both organisms
competition
disadvantageous
two populations do not grow well together
competitive exclusion
less adaptive species is excluded
niche
adapted to a particular set of conditions
no other species adapted to use as efficiently
ecotypes
beginning of divergent speciation
transplant expirements
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Organisms Other Than Plants
Animals
fungi
prokaryotes
benificial or detrimental for one or both
mutualism
#
pollination
seed dispersal
frugivores=fruit-eating animals
commensal relationships
one species benifits and other is unaffected
bird nests in trees
seed dispersal by sticking to animal fur/feathers
predation
one species benifits and other is harmed
herbivores=plant eater
herbivory=the process of eating plants
browsing=eating twigs and leaves of shrubs
grazing=eating herbs
pathogenic
fungi/bacteria
can cause mild disease or kill plant
saprotrophs-living of dead plant tissues
does not harm the plant
enriches the soil
The Structure of Populations
Georgraphic Distribution(large scale)
Boundaries of the Geographic Range
limiting factor
one factor that determines the health of the plant
any factor in ecosystem can act as limiting factor
Local Geographic Distribution(small scale)
pertains to individuals
random
no obvious pattern
clumped
spacing between plants small or large
rarely average
uniform
all individuals evenly spaced
not common in natural populations
allelochemics and allelopathy
chemicals(allelochemics) that inhibit(allelopathy) other plants
theoretically establish zones
Age Distribution: Demography
relative proportions of young, middle-aged, and old individuals
generation time
birth of individual to birth of first offspring
affects rapidity of population growth
intrinsic rate of natural increase (biotic potential)
number of offspring produced by individual that live
does not equal number of seeds produced
carrying capacity
number of individuals that can live in an ecosystem
r-and K-Selection
r-Selection
a disturbance
fire
flood
resources plentiful
population growth extrememly rapid
K-Selection
crowded habitat
close to carrying capacity
intense competition
The Structure of Ecosystems
Physiognomic Structure
organisms
physical size
shape
distribution
in relationship with physical environment
life forms
infinate number of combinations of life forms
vertical structures
characteristics
Temporal Structure
change that an ecosystem undergoes
can be short (day)
can encompass seasons or decades
over long periods
most ecosystems undergo gradual/dramatic changes
Species Composition
diversity of species that coexist
depends on
climate
mild
stressful
soil
rich
poor
species tolerance ranges
broad
narrow
Trophic Levels
feeding levels
autotrophs
bring energy in
primary producers
first step of any food chain
herbivores
primary consumers
plant eaters
secondary producers
preyed on by carnivores/second consumers
decomposers
break down remains of all types of organisms
energy flow
carbon flow
