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Populations and Ecosystems (Ecology maxresdefault (1) (Plants exist with…
Populations and Ecosystems
Ecology
Study of organisms in relationship to all aspects of their surroundings
Plants exist with other plants of the same species in groups called populations
Populations allow the occurence of sexual reproduction
Populations of plants can support populations of pollinators
Populations are sometimes more vulnerable to threats that would not be an issue to a lone individual
Populations of plants coexist with populations of other plants, animals, etc., in groups called communities
When communities and the physical, abiotic characteristics of an area are considered, that is an ecosystem
To understand the structure, metabolism, and diversity of plants, the ecosystem the plant resides in must be understood
Populations are changing constantly
Illustration of constant change
Plants in Relationship to Their Habitats
A habitat is the set of conditions in which organisms go about their life
What constitutes a part of an organism's habitat is a subject of debate
Aspects of the habitat that definitely influence an organism is called its operational habitat
Two components of habitats
Biotic Factors
Living Factors
The plant itself
Other species of plants
The relationship between the plant and other species of plants can be positive or negative
Positive relationships, wherein both species benefit, is called mutualism
Negative relationships, wherein both species are worse off from a survival standpoint, is called competition
One theory of competition's effect is competitive exclusion
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Nearby species of animals, fungi, etc
Frugivores, or animals that eat fruit, help spread the seeds of plants
Many animals engage in commensal relationships, such as birds nesting in trees
Commensal relationships are ones in which one benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
Herbivorous animals may eat the plant
This type of relationship is called predation, wherein one benefits while the other is harmed
Predation in the case of herbivorous animals is called herbivory
Fungi and bacteria will usually harm the plant
This is called a pathogenic relationship in the case of fungi and bacteria, instead of predatory
Abiotic Factors
Nonliving, physical phenomena
Climate
Critically important part of environment
Most important part of climate is its highest and lowest
The temperatures between the highest and lowest that a plant can tolerate is referred to as its tolerance range
Soil
Not very fertile when fresh, due to relative lack of nitrogen
For this reason, the first plants to enter new soil, called pioneers, are subject to harsh conditions
After many years, the soil will develop three layers
The first layer consists of litter and debris.
The second layer contains the nutrients that accumulate from the first layer. This is where plants obtain nutrients via roots
The third layer consists of the bed rock
Mature soil tend to be more uniform in chemical composition
Latitude and Altitude
At the equator, the days and nights are of equal length, and there is no change in the seasons. As ecosystems appear further and further from the equator, they will have longer days or longer nights depending on the season
Disturbances
Quick, radical changes in environment
Caused by natural disasters
The Structure of Populations
Boundaries of the geographic range
Factors that keep the populations of organisms in check is called limiting factors
For plants, limiting factors could include factors such as light intensity, carbon dioxide, and water, and space
Somewhat related
Local Geographic Distribution
Random Distribution
No distinct pattern to distribution
Clumped Distribution
A pattern of spacing being either exceptionally small or exceptionally large, but usually not average
Uniform Distribution
Plants are evenly spaced
Found in trees and orchards
Not Very Common
This is thought to be due to interspecies competition in the form of chemicals produced by the plant called allelochemicals that inhibit other plants from growing nearby
Age Distribution
Also known as demography
Relative proportions of young, middle-aged, and old individuals
Rate of population growth is effected by two factors
Generation TIme
Time between birth of an individual and birth of its offspring
Intrinsic rate of natural increase
Also called biotic potential
Number of viable offspring produced by an individual
Keep in mind that this number is different from the number of offspring that actually reproduce
This is due to biotic potential assuming an environment under ideal conditions, which is very rare and always temporary in ecosystems
The main reason for this is the carrying capacity of ecosystems, which is the amount of organisms it can support according to the water, space, and nutrients it contains
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This rule only applies when there are few individuals in a population and the resources are plentiful
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The Structure of Ecosystems
Types of Structure
Physiognomic Structure
Physical size and shape of the organism and how far apart they are from each other
Main categories are trees, shrubs, and herbs
Temporal Structure
The changes an ecosystem undergoes relative to time
One thing included in this structure is the daily cycle of day and night. Another is the changing of the season
Organisms will engage in different activities during the different times of day and different times of year
Species Composition
Number and diversity of species coexisting in an ecosystem
Depends on different factors in the ecosystem, i.e. climate, soil, and the tolerance ranges of the species
Trophic Levels
Feeding levels, simply put
Trophic levels, from lowest to highest
At the bottom of the pyramid is the producers, which are the plants and select other organisms that use solar energy to produce their food. They constitute the first and largest trophic level
The image of a pyramid might be best way to think of trophic levels because the higher the trophic level, the less individuals the ecosystem can support, illustrated through the pyramid going from its widest point winding up to its narrowest point
The reason behind the dwindling size of populations as we go up the pyramid is the idea of only 10% of the energy of one trophic level being transferred to the next.
The second trophic level is made up of primary consumers, which are usually herbivores, that feed on the producers
The third trophic level is made up of secondary consumers, which are usually omnivores that feed on the primary consumers as well as the producers
The fourth level is made up of tertiary consumers, which are carnivores that feed on the omnivorous secondary consumers
The fifth level is made up of quaternary consumers, which are the carnivores that feed on the carnivorous tertiary consumers. These are most often the apex predators of an ecosystem
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