Habitat Niche and Selection

Range of Tolerance: Species

Tolerance range defines suitable habitat (potential range)

Ecological Niche
A niche consists of all the factors necessary for a species existence in terms of time, space, and required resources Two concepts: o Fundamental Niche: all the possible dimensions in which species can survive o Realized Niche: after the effects of biotic interactions

What factors contribute to the expansion of range limits?

An increase in the suitable habitat type Evolution of broad tolerances (generalist genotypes/phenotypic plasticity) Have evolved different tolerance optima in different parts of their distribution (ecotypic differentiation)

Plasticity
Plasticity: physiological acclimation to the abiotic environment

Ecotypes An Evolutionary Response to Natural Selection

Ecotypes are populations of the same species genetically adapted to different environmental conditions Ecotypic differentiation is the evolutionary change in response to a novel abiotic environment

Tolerance to Heavy Metals

Why cant species continue to evolve wider tolerance ranges?

Lack of Genetic Variation

Many species near mine waste have not evolved tolerance Populations often lack metal-tolerant genotypes

Tradeoffs Physiological tolerance to one factor results in lack of tolerance to another Increased tolerance to one specific toxin (heavy metal) linked to reduced tolerance to other toxins Adaptation to one habitat results in reduced performance in a different habitat

Species Distributions
Transplant survival, growth, and reproduction Restricted by dispersal limitations or behavioural reactions Habitat is the range of environments in which a species occurs

Passive Habitat Selection

Isopods (sow bug) passively select humid habitats over dry ones Movement is random, but is more rapid in dry habitats Selected habitat is one where movement is minimal

Culturally Inherited Habitat Selection

Salmon return to spawn in the exact stream in which they were hatched Olfactory cues lead them to the river, creek, and spawning bed Transplant eggs to a hatchery on a different river and salmon return to hatchery to spawn First few weeks of life are crucial in the development of olfactory expectations

Anopheles Mosquitoes
Carry the deadly disease Malaria and West Nile Virus Each species is associated with a particular breeding habitat Habitat selection in female mosquitoes Larvae survive in moist shallow pools Shade does not inhibit larvae development

Learned or Inherited?
Is older and wiser true for birds? How does this influence distributions? Starlings use distance and directional navigation during migrations Young birds were transplanted and could not locate their winter range Adult birds are less disrupted when transplanted