Biology SL Option G (Ecology and Conservation) Revision Notes

Community Ecology
Factors effecting distribution of plant species
Abiotic (non-living) Temperature + Water Light Soil PH Salinity (salt) Mineral nutrients

Factors effecting distribution of animal species

Abiotic (non-living) Temperature Species adapt according to their habitat therefore making it impossible for certain species to thrive elsewhere Water Adaptations, water needs, breeding sites, food Breeding sites Specific needs according to specific adaptations: water, shade, sun, safety etc. Food supply Must live where their specific food needs are met Territory

Random Sampling

Transect use

Samples must come from all over the habitat in order to accurately estimate population Each organism has an equal chance of being selected for the count Map entire area Determine size of quadrat Number grid, chose which to use, count number of species Calculate average Multiply average by number of quadrats on map Used to measure the effect of abiotic factors on distribution of animal or plant species Decide abiotic factor to measure Tape, quadrat 10-20m and count species Determine pattern of distribution according to abiotic factor measured

The Niche concept

Interactions with other species

An organisms role in/ influence on an ecosystem: Spatial habitat Feeding activities Interactions with other species Fundamental niche: the potential mode of existence, given the adaptations of the species Realized niche: the actual mode of existence, which results from its adaptations and competition with other species Competition When two species rely on the same limited resource, one will be better adapted to benefit from the resource E.G 1 Coyotes & Red Foxes o Both eat small rodents and birds o Coyotes grassland, Red Fox edges of forests and meadows o Forests being scrapped means red foxes moving into grasslands E.G 2 Natter jack toad & Common toad o Disturbance of the dune area in the UK limiting habitat needed by both Herbivory An herbivore is a primary consumer feeding on producers therefore the growth of the producer is vital for the consumer E.G 1 Rabbits & Marram grass E.G 2 Monarch butterfly larvae & leaves of the milkweed plant Predation

Biology SL Option G (Ecology and Conservation) Revision Notes

A consumer eating (predator) another consumer (prey) thus the number of prey affects the number of predator and vice versa E.G 1 The Canadian Lynx & Arctic Hare, numbers of one affects the other E.G 2 blue heron & Frogs in ponds of the sand dune ecosystem Parasitism Parasites live in or on and depend on its host and the host is harmed by the parasite E.G 1 Plasmodium lives in the human liver and red blood cell causes Malaria E.G 2 Leeches & humans or other mammals Mutualism Two species that live in the same habitat and benefit from the presence of one another E.G 1Lichen is a mutualistic relationship between algae and fungi E.G 2 Rhizobium (a nitrogen fixing bacterium) & plants o Rhizobium fixes nitrogen which the plant can use to make proteins as well as carbohydrates which can be used as food by the rhizobium

Competitive Exclusion Biomass

No two species in the same community can occupy the same niche Gause 1934 P. Aurelia and P. Cuadatum (died out) The total mass of organic matter Carbon compounds such as carbohydrates, Lipids Proteins Water is NOT ORGANIC thus the matter has to be dried Dry mass of organic matter of living organisms, measures in g m -2 yr. -1 (grams per metre squared per year)

Ecosystems and Biomes

Gross Production
The total amount of organic material produced by plants in an ecosystem Gross production less the material expended by the plants in respiration

Net Production

Both of these are measured in kJ per squared meter per year

Biomass
The dry weight of organic matter in organisms of an ecosystem Gross production - respiration = net production It is difficult due to the fact that some organisms can be secondary, tertiary, and may be quaternary consumers at the same time, such as humans. It is difficult to place them on a certain level of the food pyramid. For this reason, an alternate method of classification - the food web - has been developed. The food web displays relationships not as a simple hierarchy but rather a complex network, with the various feeding relationships between species existing as connections and the animals themselves existing as the hubs. There is a decreasing biomass of organisms in the higher trophic levels because energy is lost between levels in the form of heat (respiration), waste, and dead material. Around 10-20% of the energy proceeds on to the next trophic level The lowest bar of the pyramid of energy represents gross primary productivity; the next bar is the energy ingested as food by primary consumers, and so on. The arrows demonstrate the direction of energy flow. The units are energy per unit area per unit time.

Trophic Levels

Pyramid of Energy

Biology SL Option G (Ecology and Conservation) Revision Notes Primary Succession

When a plant grows in a previously barren or lifeless area Newly created volcanic island: usually lichens (can exist in extreme temperature changes and little or no soil) pioneer plants, can decompose thin layers of rock As they die and decompose they form a thin layer of soil on which mosses can grow, thus starting a primary succession When a new group of organisms takes over following a natural or artificial upheaval of the primary succession, much faster E.G after a forest fire Primary Succession Begins with no life No soil New area Lichen and mosses first plants Biomass low Low production Secondary Succession Follows disturbance of the primary succession Soil is present Old area Seeds and roots already present Biomass higher Higher production

Secondary Succession

Changes in species diversity and production during primary succession

Living organisms can help with soil development, as a plant grows, their roots grow deeper down and break rock into small particles, helping soil formation. Plants enrich the soil with minerals as they die and decompose. The plant roots hold the soil particles together, preventing soil erosion and retain nutrients. The water that evaporates from many plant leaves condenses and comes down in the form of rain. The presence of organic materials in the soil and the presence of roots and root hair help in the retention of water and slow down drainage

Effect of plants on abiotic environment

Organic matter increases as a result of dead and decaying plants allowing the hummus to quickly absorb and release water making is good for plant growth as well as being lightly packed allowing oxygen to get to plant roots Soil gets deeper Soil erosion reduces as plant roots support structure Soil structure improves Mineral recycling (bacteria and fungus)

The restricted zone which living things inhabit

Biosphere

Biome

A major life zone within the biosphere; characterised by a dominant plant life present

Biome Distribution The abiotic factors which appear to determine the occurrence and distribution of the biomes are rainfall and temperature The interaction of these two factors, which vary with latitude, longitude, position within land masses and proximity to the sea, are critical The reason why temperature is influential on distribution of organisms is mainly because of its effects on their metabolism. Many plants (and animals) have phases in their life cycles that require particular temperature conditions for success e.g. seed germination Similarly, the availability of water in the soil is critical for plants, so animals further up the food chain

Biology SL Option G (Ecology and Conservation) Revision Notes Biome Desert Temperature Mostly very hot with soil temperatures above 60 Cold in winter, hot in summer Moisture Low precipitation less than 30cm a year Seasonal drought, occasional fires medium moisture Small amount of precipitation but wet due to lack of evaporation High rainfall Very high rainfall Little precipitation Characteristics of Vegetation Cacti and shrubs with water storage tissues Prairie grasses which hold the soil with their long roots

Grassland

Coniferous

Slightly warmer than the Tundra Very hot summer and very cold winter Very warm Very cold

Cone-bearing trees; pine, spruce, fir and hemlock Deciduous trees; oak, hickory, maple Diversity high, canopy, shrubs, herbaceous plants and ferns Low growing plants; lichen and mosses, no deep roots

Temperate F Tropical F Tundra

Impacts of Humans of Ecosystems 3

Reasons for conservation
Ecological Most species restricted to a narrow range of the Earths surface so the ONLY habitat of a huge range of species is destroyed Outdoor laboratories in which we study the evolution and range of life Poor soils which cannot long support an alternative biota, removing the most productive biome on the earths surface in terms of converting the suns energy into biomass Only species which were not made extinct can return if rainforest is destroyed and left to regenerate: rainforests will be deprived of their diversity Economic All living things are a functioning gene pool resource, when extinct this no longer exists meaning future genetic engineers loose resources Many natural products are manufactured by plants which are classified as rare, exotic and are often newly discovered Rainforest soil does not sustain agricultural production: only 2km2 have remained so Hardwood timber resource Trees help to prevent disastrous flooding downriver meaning the loss of productive land Trees absorb carbon dioxide thus reducing global warming Aesthetic Should be available to future generations for their enjoyment too Ethical Often a home to forest people who have the right to remain there The needs of all species should be respected, some of which live EXCLUSIVELY in these habitats

Biology SL Option G (Ecology and Conservation) Revision Notes Alien Species

1) Rabbit Deliberately introduced from Europe to Australia No natural predator Spread swiftly over whole continent Grassland previously available to endemic species was lost Once realised the virus Myxoma was introduced as a biological control Myxoma virus causes a parasitic disease of rabbits, Myxomatosis 2) American Grey Squirrel Accidentally introduced into Britain in the nineteenth century Outcompeting the natural occurring Red Squirrel as the grey squirrel is bigger and a more generalist feeder 3) Japanese Knotweed Deliberately introduced into northern Europe in the early nineteenth century as an ornamental plant for garden ponds and lakes In Britain is not eaten by natural herbivore so has spread into natural waterways Plant parasites there do not attack the plant Grow into dense, submerged thickets that over-shadow and crowd out native water plants, block public access to stream banks Biological control: another alien species/organism introduced to control the overdrive of the original alien species (commonly, viruses)

Biomagnification
The process by which chemical substances become more concentrated at each trophic level Biomagnification, also known as bioamplification or biological magnification, is the increase in concentration of a substance, such as the pesticide DDT, that occurs in a food chain as a consequence of: * Persistence (can't be broken down by environmental processes) * Food chain energetics * Low...