5. What creates community and ecosystem diversity Flashcards
what is a community
group of interacting species in our geographical scale of interest
what is an ecosystem
same as community, but abiotic component is added to it. nutrients and energy cycle through biotic and abiotic sphere.
examples of things happening in a community
herbivory
predation
competition
mutualism
biotic interactions like predation and herbivory are?
trophic
competitive or mutualistic interactions happen…
among species
what are some ecosystem names
grassland
wetland
forest
aquatic
( very informal all of these )
ecosystems and community fail to capture small or rare ecosystem (T/ F)
true
what’s a more formal classification system as opposed to ecosystem and community
biomes and ecoregions
canada’s ecozones are broken down into…
ecoregions and ecodistricts
are some examples of ecoregions in canada
taiga plains
boreal plains
pacific maritime
northern arctic
when does boreal forest succession occur
after natural disturbances like wildfires or clear-cutting anthropogenic ways or insect disturbance or windstorm disturbance
what happens after forest disturbance
early successional communities emerge
what types of species usually emerge after forest distrubance? what traits do they have?
shade intolerant
drought tolerant plants
specialist bird and mammals
fireweed, blueberry are early colonialists
three-toed woodpeckers are post-fire specialists
what ecooregion covers most of canada
boreal forest
covers most of sub arctic Canada
forest disturbane backfire: kelp forest decline, why?
mainly due to anthropogenic disturbance
small scale kelp harvesting
really important for fish, shellfish, brown algae survival
trophic cascades after disturbance , what happens
when humans affect sea otters, then affect kelp population
which family of species are important decomposers? what they do
fungi
they cycle nitrogen back into the soil
trophic levels with human involvement
alter structure of food webs
what has evolved through human and ecosystem interactions
mutualism
parasitism
are complex food webs more resilient to a disturbance
yes
do hares eat lynx carcass when they need it
yes
plant pollinator interactions are a great what interaction
mutualistic
difference between generalist and specialist pollinator
the generalist will go to multiple different plants, specialist only goes to one plant
why do keystone species affect community structure so much
due to their
abundance
presence contributed to the diversity of the ecosystem vastly
what are some keystone species
bats
wolves
fig trees
disease causing organisms
what are some dominant species
forest trees
deers
prairie grass
rare and common species have less role in ecosystem (T/F)
True
Example of ecosystem engineer
Beavers
Why are beavers ecosystem engineers and keystone species
created distinct ecosystem across boreal forest
do ecosystem engineers poositively affect species diversity
yes
what are the 3 types of engineers
- habitat forming
- habitat modifyign
3.Bioturbators
what are some keystone species and ecosystem engineers
prairie dogs
earthworms
leafcutter ants
fig trees
vines
what would happen if we looss keystone and engineers
extinction cascade
sea turtles are facing aftermath
dished at risk
what are issues when making designated protected areas
reserves sometimes occupt small area but it’s important to many species
keystone resources like hollowed trees, or rotting wood in forests
resistance and resilience
ability to role back is resilience
when there’s a new stable state for ecosystem, deeper valley means reversal is less likely
