Distribution Flashcards
State 6 levels of organisation in ecology.
Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, Biosphere.
What determines the spacial and temporal distribution of a species?
Abiotic and biotic factors,
The Environment.
State 3 biotic factors that affect species distribution.
Herbivory/ Predation,
Competition,
Mutualistic relationships.
Name 11 abiotic factors that affect species distribution.
Light, Aspect, Water, Soil factors, Humidity, Temperature, Nutrient availability, Salinity, Exposure, Altitude, Pollutants.
Resources can be patchy in space and time, affecting distribution. Can you name 4 such resources?
Nitrogen,
Phosphorous,
Water,
Light.
State 3 reasons productivity and size decrease with altitude.
10oC drop every 1000m,
Increased exposure,
Decreased solar radiation.
Name 4 zones of a vegetated freshwater shoreline.
Littoral (in the water),
Emergent,
Riparian,
Upland.
Define macroclimate
A large scale climate pattern.
Define microclimate.
Small scale climate variations measured over a short period of time, ranching from a few cm’s to a few km’s.
Name 6 factors that influence microclimates.
Altitude, Aspect, Vegetation, Colour of ground, Topography, Exposure.
Define ecological niche.
The environmental limits within which a species can survive, grow and reproduce.. Not to be confused with habitat- where an organism lives.
A niche is multi-dimensional and can include factors such as temp. pH and light.
Define fundamental niche.
The entire set of conditions under which a species can survive.
Define realised niche.
The set of conditions actually used by a species after interacting with other species.
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
No two species can occupy the same niche at the same time.
What results when species overlap in one or more niche dimension?
Niche partitioning- where a resource is divided.
Competetive exclusion- a species resorts to using a different resource.
These can result in divergent evolution and extinction.
