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Ecosystems and Factors, EEJ, CS, image, image - Coggle Diagram

- - - - aquatic planst, such as water lilies, have light leaves that sit on top of the water, keeping them afloat - they don't have woody stems, so they rely on being in water for support
      - Land plants rely on the right amount of water in the soil - if they are watered too much or it rains too much, the soil gets waterlogged. Air spaces between the soil particles are filled with water, which then reduces oxygen available for plants.
      - In most populations, a lack of water leads to stress, which, if severe, will lead to death - some organisms, such as xerophytes and hydrophytes, have adapted to different levels of water in their ecosystems. Because water does not change temperature easily, it provides a constant environment in which organisms can live.
    - - Ice is important for aquatic life in cold environments - because ice is less dense than water, it forms a layer that floats on top of the water, creating an insulating layer for organisms that would not be able to survive in such freezing temperatures.
      - Example ecosystem - the Artic
      - The arctic ice sheet provides a surface on which algae can grow - this algae is then eaten by zooplankton, which are eaten by fish, which are eaten by seals, which are preyed on by polar bears. As the ice sheet has been melting, it has reduced the area for this to take place, therefor disrupting the food chain
    - - Epiphytes are plants that grow upon another plant, with no attachment to the ground - this means that they cannot obtain water through roots in the soil and instead get it from the water vapour in the air. Most absorb water with their roots, though many have specialised leaves that also take in moisture.
      - Example of ecosystem - rainforests
  - - - The rainforest in Borneo is made of different layers, starting at the forest floor and moving upwards to the canopy and emergent layer. Further up the trees, there is more light available, so this affects the plants and animals in each layer.
  - - - Example of organism - Fish, corals, lobsters, clams, seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles are only a few of the thousands of creatures that rely on reefs for their survival.
      - How does carbon dioxide levels effect the fish in the coral reef? - Increased levels of carbon dioxide interferes with a key brain receptor in fishes' brains, which can affect their ability to hear, smell, turn and evade predators. Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous systems of sea fish, with serious consequences for their survival.
      - Example of ecosystem - Coral reef
      - How carbon dioxide affects the coral reef - Climate change is the greatest global threat to coral reef ecosystems. As temperatures rise, mass coral bleaching events and infectious disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent. Additionally, carbon dioxide absorbed into the ocean from the atmosphere has already begun to reduce calcification rates in reef-building and reef-associated organisms by altering seawater chemistry through decreases in pH. This process is called ocean acidification.
      - Coral reefs are under threat if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, new research has shown. When CO2 dissolves in the ocean, it raises the water's acidity level. This prevents a build up of calcium carbonate, which corals draw from seawater to build their skeleton.
  - - - Effects of low oxygen levels in water:
        
        The behavior and growth of fish and other ocean organisms is affected
        
        Can make organisms more susceptible to disease or make it more difficult to reproduce
        
        In extreme cases, they can suffocate
        
        While certain types of microorganisms thrive under low oxygen conditions, most larger forms of sea life either die or abandon oxygen-starved waters, invading nearby ecosystems where they may upset the balance of life, disrupt food webs or increase their vulnerability to predators.
  - - - Example of an ecosystem: Temperate Forests
        
        Temperate forests in the southern United States often have ultisol soil, which is characterised by a red colour due to iron oxide, a pH of less than 5, deficiency in calcium and potassium, and clay minerals.
        
        Soil pH in temperate forests with ultisol soil:
        
        The high levels of clay minerals in utisol soils (40%+) gives the soil good bearing capacity so it can support large trees, as well as having no shrink-swell property. This means that the soil does not expand or retract much when it is wetter or dryer, which also provides good support for large structures like trees to grow in.
- - - - Competition is when species compete for the same resources. Competition between the same species, such as 2 sharks going after the same dolphin, is called intraspecies competition. Competition between different species, such as a seasnail and starfish competing to eat the same coral, is called interspecies competition.
        
        In a coral reef the need for organisms to obtain food causes predation and competition. Predation is when one species hunts and kills another species for food. The predator is the one that hunts and prey is the one that gets eaten. In a coral reef, an example of this is a shark, which is the predator, and a dolphin, which is the prey. The dolphin gets eaten by the shark. This means the number of dolphins is controlled by the sharks that eat them.
        
        Competition and predation help maintain a natural balance and a stable ecosystem in the coral reef. Each organism in the coral reef is connected in their food webs so the all help maintain this balance and species are dependent on other species for their survival which is why there are big effects when a species is removed.
    - - Example of ecosystem - Rainforest
      - Example of organisms - sloth, jaguar, macaw, gorilla, toucan, monkeys, frogs and more
      - How it all works - when an organism finds an area with everything it needs to survive, it does everything it can to hold onto it- if this area is challenged by another species, a territorial battle is bound to ensue. this aggressive behaviour can lead to a decrease in biodiversity and species richness - the dominant species will win the space and continue to live and reproduce.
      - Space is important to allow the organism to find food/hunt, find a mate, build a home, and generally complete all the activities it needs to survive.
        
        E.g. Cougars can cover up to 175 square miles of land to hunt and find a mate - their likely competition would be bears and wolves.
        
        Another example are carpenter ants who only need a few square inches for an entire colony to develop tunnels and find food - their likely competition would be birds and ant eaters.
  - - - Predators are necessary for Ecosystems to thrive, without predators to regulate the populations of prey , these species would reproduce beyond the capacity of the ecosystems resources and the environment of that ecosystem
  - - - E.g. Muscles in the Pacific Northwestern US - Muscles outcompete all the other organisms for space on the rocks. They are the most abundant species in this ecosystem. However, to maintain numbers of muscles and allow space for other organisms such as barnacles to grow, they are eaten by starfish.
    - - E.g. Corals in the Great Barrier Reef - The corals provide lots of different structures for a vide range of different species to live in and is a source of food.
    - - E.g. The American Beaver in North America - These beavers will remove old species of trees for their dams, which will allow new species to grow. Also, their dams create wetlands which allow lots of different species of animals and plants to grow, increasing biodiversity in their enviroment.
  - - - How breeding partners effect the ecosystem -
        Breeding partners increase populations and biodiversity within an ecosystem because as the populations of each species increases, there are more food sources for the organisms to eat and increase survival. For example: Cheetahs breed with other cheetahs and as they produce offspring, they increase the population. Cheetahs feed on gazelles so as the populations of cheetahs increase, the population of gazelles would decrease if gazelles did not have breeding partners. However, because gazelles breed with other gazelles, their population does not decrease because they are able to reproduce and make up for the loss of gazelles due to them being cheetah prey