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INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY 2 (trade offs (eg. seed size (an individual…
INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY 2
limits of tolerance
the abiotic environment - temperature
all life (archaea) upper temperature limit for growth = 122 degrees celcius
fungi upper temperature limit for growth = 62 degrees celcius
eukaryotes = 60˚C
plantae - 65˚C
water
crucial for earth type life
life is possible where water is available in liquid form (so temperature dependant)
ecology meets astrobiology - habitable zone must contain liquid water
eg. mercury is too close to sun so water is gas
eg. mars is too far from sun so is ice
astrobiology
the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe: extraterrestrial life and life on Earth
habitable zone (zone with liquid water).
tree line is the limit of tolerance for trees
a more conventional example: Spruce Picea abies in the Swiss Alps
number of seeds decreases as altitude increases
top of the mountain where no trees were growing is warmer because the standing trees at the bottom have more exposed surface area so lose heat more quickly
trees will grow to a certain point (tree limit) eg up a mountainside
trade offs
a balance achieved between two desirable but incompatible features; a compromise
eg. vultures
search large areas so large wings are useful in gliding
large wings are not useful in hunting/feeding because it makes the vulture less able to swerve etc
eg. decathlons
real data shows negative correlation between success in shotput and 1500m
participants may be excellent at most events but not all
eg. seed size
an individual produces n seeds of size m
total investment in seeds is m
so n = M/m
so lots of small seeds or a few large ones
trade-offs mean an organism can’t be good at everything and is one reason why there are lots of species.
life history strategies
r strategy
rapid development
short life
weak competitive ability
small body size
high reproductive rate
definition
different approaches to getting your genes into future generations
k strategy
low reproductive rate
slow development
long life
strong competitive ability
large body size
energy
much of ecology is ‘eating the sun’.
energy → organism → energy
photosynthesis not just ‘true’ plants
approximately half of all primary production on Earth is marine microbes - not plants!