Unit B Ecosystems and Population Change

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Unit B Ecosystems and Population Change

• Ecosystems and their Diversity

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Studying Ecosystems

• Ecosystem
• Community of populations together with its
  abiotic and biotic factors that surround and
  affect it
• Small (lichen covered boulder on a hill side) or
  large (hill side)
• Aquatic and terrestrial

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Components of ecosystem
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Transition between Ecosystems

• Ecotone
• grey area between ecosystems
• Transition area where organisms from both
  ecosystems interact
• Lots of species diversity in this region

pond
ecotone
field
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Types of Ecosystems

• Artificial Ecosystems
• Living community is planned or maintained by
  humans
• School yard, local parks, farms, managed forests
• Natural Ecosystems
• Living community is free to interact with
  physical and chemical environment
• not untouched just not planned or maintained by
  humans
• Lakes, rivers, forests, deserts, meadows

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Case Study page 88
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Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems in Canada

• Canada has
• 2 major Aquatic biomes
• Freshwater
• Salt water/marine
• 4 major Terrestrial biomes
• Taiga (most)
• Tundra (north)
• Temperate Deciduous Forest (great lakes)
• Grasslands (prairies)

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Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems in Alberta

• Albertas aquatic ecosystems fit into the
  freshwater
• Lakes, rivers, streams, ponds etc
• Albertas terrestrial ecosystems fit into the
  Taiga and grassland biomes
• Taiga (boreal forest)
• Muskeg (bogs in boreal forest)
• Grassland
• Parkland, Foothills (ecotones)
• Deciduous

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Whos Who and Whats What

• Use the table of some of abiotic and biotic
  factors found in the four major ecosystems of
  Alberta
• Take a piece of chart paper and divide the paper
  into four quarters and label appropriately
• Place each factor in the quarter where you think
  it belongs be sure to justify
• When finished give a brief description of each
  ecosystem

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Alberta Ecosystems
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Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems Worksheet
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How are we doing so far Quiz?
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Ecology Now! Magazine Article
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Populations

• A group of organisms of one species that
  interbreed and live in the same place at the same
  time (e.g. deer population).

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Studying Populations in Ecosystems

• Ecologists sample random populations within
  ecosystems to collect data that helps them better
  understand the species
• Sampling Populations
• Count species of a few samples of entire
  population then average them
• Transects
• Quadrants

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Yeast Population Study
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Features of Populations

• Populations have a number of attributes that may
  be of interest to ecologists and we that we can
  measure during sampling
• Migration
• Distribution and Abundance
• Composition
• Dynamics

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Migration

• Movement of individuals into (immigration) and
  out (emigration) of population
• Affects density, distribution, dynamics and
  composition of a population

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Population Distribution and Abundance

• Tells us more about the numbers of the pop
• Density- of organism per unit area (avg number
  of individuals per quadrant and dividing by size
  of quadrant) Total abundance can be determined
  from this
• Distribution-Location of individuals within an
  area (random, clumped or uniform)
• Carrying Capacity-max of individuals that can
  be supported

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Population Composition

• Data that enables up to determine whether the pop
  is declining or increasing
• Sex ratios- of organisms of each sex
• Population fertility-reproductive capacity of the
  females
• Age structure- of organisms of different ages
• Capacity for survival- of offspring that reach
  reproductive age
• Length of reproductive life-age of sexual
  maturity of years the individual can
  reproduce

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Biotic Potential

• What is it?

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Population Dynamics

• Information that helps us understand what is
  happening within the pop
• Growth Rate-change in the total population per
  unit time
• Birth Rate- of organisms born per unit time
• Mortality Rate- of organisms dying per unit
  time
• Breeding Frequency- of times that a organism
  reproduces each year
• Birth Potential- of offspring per birth

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Population Worksheet
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Studying Individual Organisms in Ecosystems

• Ecologists study the following to find out more
  about specific species within a population
• Habitat and Range
• Ecological Niche
• Factors that limit growth
• Abiotic and biotic factors

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Habitat

• A place or area with a particular set of
  characteristics, both biotic abiotic
• Each species is found in a specific habitat that
  its physical, physiological and behavioural
  adaptations equip it to survive and reproduce
• One large area or a bunch of small areas that are
  similar

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Range

• Geographical area where the species is found
• Species will only be found where its habitat is
  present

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Ecological niche

• Functional position of an organism in its
  environment, comprising of its habitat and
  resources obtained there, and the periods of time
  which its active

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Habitats and Niches in AB ecosystems

• terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems can support a
  diversity of organisms because they have a
  variety of habitats and niches
• Terrestrial Niches/habitats
• Aquatic Niches/habitats

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Terrestrial
Canopy Understorey Forest floor
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Terrestrial Niches/Habitats

• Canopy
• Upper area of vegetation, lots of sunlight,
  diverse number of birds
• Sub canopy
• Usually shrubs and smaller trees, many browsers
  such as deer and moose
• Forest floor
• Lowest area, continuous shade, shelter nesting
  sites, supports many types of insects, shade
  loving plant
• Soil
• Temperature levels determine decomposition
  organic matter

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Aquatic Niches/Habitats
Benthic zone
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Aquatic Niches/Habitats (lake)

• Littoral zone
• Shallow, most productive part of the lake, plants
  and algae take full advantage of sunlight for
  photosynthesis
• Limnetic zone
• Enough light for photosynthesis to occur,
  plankton is the food for the higher level
  consumers
• Profundal zone
• Not enough light for photosynthesis, not alot of
  oxygen, carp and other invertebrates that can
  handle low o levels
• Benthic zone
• The ground, rooted and bottom dwelling
  organisms, amount of sunlight and temperature
  depend on depth of water

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What Am I? Worksheet
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Factors that affect Ecosystems Web
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Limiting Factors

• Abiotic and biotic conditions that limit the
  number of individuals
• Species cannot grow in an unlimited fashion for a
  sustained period of time
• Control the growth, distribution, survival of a
  species
• Anything in short supply (e.g. nutrients or
  sunlight)

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Abiotic Limiting Factors

• Soil
• Provides nutrients for all plants that grow on
  land
• Determined by nature of rock in which it was
  formed, nature of plants H2O acidity
• Water (availability, depth of water table,
  pressure)
• Organisms need water to survive
• Determined by amount type of ppt, how much
  collects then stays in soil, depth of water

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• Temperature
• Affects other abioitc and biotic factors
• Vary throughout year
• Sunlight
• Provides energy to system
• Depends on closeness to equator, seasons and
  location in ecosystem
• Chemical Nutrients
• Important to survival of organisms
• Determined by seasons, soil, temperature, ,
  amount dissolved

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Biotic Limiting Factors

• Competition
• Intraspecific members of same population compete
  with each other for limited resource (food,
  water, sunlight, mates, shelter, breeding sites
  etc)
• Interspecific members of two different
  populations compete (exotic species) resulting
  in extinction of one or both of the populations
• Predators
• Parasitismone organism (parasite) derives its
  nourishment from another organism (host) which is
  harmed in some way

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Yellow Perch Case Study
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How are we doing so far quiz?
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Classifying Organisms

• Scientists use classification system to
  understand similarities and differences between
  species
• Science of classifying Taxonomy (Taxonomists)

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Levels of Taxa

• 7 levels of classification
• Kingdom
• Phylum
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

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6 Kingdoms

• Eubacteria
• Archaebacteria
• Protista
• Fungi
• Plantae
• Animalia

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Binomial Nomenclature

• Developed by Carl Linneaus as a way to
  scientifically name and classify organisms
• Based on physical and structural features
  (anatomy, embryology, and ancestry)
• More features in common the closer the relation
• 2 part name (usually Latin)
• Genus species

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Using a Dichotomous Key

• Classification manuals that are constructed to
  help conduct their identification work
• A series of choices about the structure of the
  organisms must be made and each choice leads to a
  new branch
• If each choice is made correctly then the end
  result will be the organisms name

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Pg 162
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Creating and Using a KeyWorksheet