Environmental Conditions and Resources Flashcards
Mimicry
Physical resemblance of two or more species resulting from inherit advantages of similar appearance
Imitative species
Mimic
Model
Species that imitative species resembles
Types of Mimicry
Batesian
Mullerian
Aggressive
Batesian Mimicry
Benign species resembles a noxious or dangerous one
Mullerian Mimicry
Noxious species come to resemble each other
Aggressive Mimicry
Noxious or dangerous species comes to resemeble a benign one
Contemporary Evolution
Evolution due to human involvement (Peppered moth in Britain)
Contemporary Evolution Causes
Habitat loss and degradation
Overharvesting and exotic species
Contemporary Evolution Inculences
Population size
Genetic Variation
Strenth of selection
Geneflow
How are adaptations shaped?
Interactions with the environment and interactions between individuals
Habitability
Ability of physical environment to support life
How do organisms interact with the physical environment over time?
Adaptation
Acclimatization
Adaptation
Over many generations the physical environment is a guiding force of natural selection
Irreversible
Acclimatization
Over shorter periods of the physical environment influences resource availability and an organism’s physiology
Reversible, seasonal in nature
Condition
An abiotic environmental factor which varies in space and time, and to which organisms are deferentially responsive
Resource
That which may be consumed by an organism and as a result, becomes unavailable to other organisms
Climate
General description of the average temperature and rainfall conditions of a region over the course of a year (or longer)
What drives Climate?
Differences in solar radiation to the Earth’s surface produce unequal heating and induce pressure gradients
What transports heat?
Ocean currents
This can modify climate
Macroclimate
Climate over larger geographic areas (zones, continents, oceans, planet)
Microclimate
Macro-climate interactions with local landscape produces small scale climactic variation
The actual conditions experienced by an organisms in its particular location
What is Micro-climate influenced by?
Drainage, altitude, aspect, vegetation, color of the ground, presence of boulders/burrows
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Measurement of time
Differences: Weather
Combination of temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, cloudiness and other atmospheric conditions occurring at a specific place and time
Difference: Climate
Long term average pattern of weather, how the atmosphere’behaves’ over relatively long periods of time
What controls Climate?
Latitude Land and Water Landforms Elevation Ocean and Wind Currents
Latitude
Varying, changing amounts of energy from the sun
Land and Water
Heat at different rates
Large bodies of water moderate nearby land temperatures
Landforms
Hills and mountains can alter wind flow
Exposed side can have different climate than sheltered side (rain shadows)
Elevation
Higher up = temperature, moisture air pressure decrease
Ocean and Wind Currents
Circulation of warm and cold air around Earth
What is the goal of Land Classification?
Simplify information so that it an be used for planning and management purposes
Can contribute to the goal of conserving a full array of natural diversity
Two Systems of Land Classification
Natural Regions and Subregions
Ecoregions
Natural Regions and Sub regions
Emphasis on predominance of geological or sail factors
Primarily used for ecosystem and biodiversity conservation purposes
Ecoregions
Emphasis on climate as a determinant of structure
Primarily use for agriculture, forestry, recreation and wildlie management purposes
What classification system is used in Alberta?
Natural Regions and Subregions classification
What natural features does Alberta use to classify regions?
Geology Landform Hydrology Soils Climate Vegetation Wildlife
Regions in Alberta
Boreal Forest Rocky Mountain Foothills Canadian Shield Parkland Grassland
Boreal Forest
Largest region in Alberta
Broad lowland plains and isolated hill systems
Vegetation = mixed and coniferous forests
Rocky Mountain
Defined by mountain range
Highly varied with grasslands, deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests and alpine tundra
River systems start in this area, water courses tend to be steep, fast and cold
Foothills
Transitional zone between boreal forest and Rock Mountains
Flat topped hills surrounded by mixed wood forests.
Forests consist f=mostly of lodgepole pines with white spruce and aspen poplar occur on borders with Boreal Forest
Canadian Shield
Far northeastern portion
Exposed bedrock, jack pine woodlands, rock barrens and black spruce bogs
Extensive sand plains, dune complexes and moraines. Lakes are common
Parkland
Transitional zone between Grasslands and Coniferous forests.
Wetter than Grasslands with more permanent streams, lakes and wetlands.
Aspen and Balsam poplar woodlands and Rough Fescue grasslands
Grasslands
Southern Alberta west of Rocky Mountains
Flat/gently rolling plain with valley systems containing coulees, ravines and intermittent water courses.
Valleys often contain extensive badlands
Permanent water courses have cottonwoods and a variety of tall and low shrubs
Differences in Adaptation and Acclimatization
Adaptation increases function associated with genetic change where acclimatization increase function that can’t be passed on to offspring
Strategies of Resistance to environmental conditions
Tolerance
Avoidance
Tolerance
Persist in the face of adversity, ability to survive abiotic stress, including internal regulation
Internal regulation
Physiological Adaptaions
Avoidance
Keep the external condition constant via evasion
External regulation
External Regulation
Behavioural response to detrimental environmental
Resistance to conditions by regulation: Dormancy
Torpor
Hibernation
Stratification
Diapause
Torpor
Short term, driven by ambient temperature and food availability
Hibernation
Longer term, driven by day length and hormone change
Stratification
Seed dormancy, seed coat softened by cold moist weather
Diapause
Developmental delays in response to adverse environmental conditions
Resistance to conditions by avoidance: Migration
Behavioural response of moving away
Long distance movement of individuals, usually seasonal
Triggers of migration
Local climate
Local food/resource availability
Heterotrophs
Consumers
Autotrphs
Primary Producer
How can food be obtained?
Decomposition
Parasitism
Predation
What can consumers be?
Generalists
Specialists
Niche
The range of a single condition or resource in one dimension.
Hypervolume
Multidimensional space of all resources (more conditions and resources, n-dimension)
Habitat
Place where a plant or animal lives
What is habitat influenced by?
Environmental conditions and resources
Other organisms
Can be selected or matter of chance
Habitat Selection
Should allow survival and successful reproduction (suitable conditions and resources)
In vertebrates is likely a genetic trait (adaptation) which can be modified by learning and experience
Order of Habitat Selection
4 Orders
1st Order Selection
Selection of the physical or geographic range of a species
2nd Order Selection
Determines the home range of a species
3rd Order Selection
Pertains to the usage of various habitat components withing the home range
4th Order Selection
Involves the selection of feeding sites and the procurement of food items
Regulator
Physiological or behavioural control over internal body temperature
Non-Regulator
Exert no physiological or behavioural control over internal body temp
Homeotherm
Maintain a relatively constant internal body temperature
Poikilotherms
Allow internal body temperature to vary with environment
Ectotherm
Rely on external sources of heat for thermoregulation, usually poikilotherms, but ectothermic homeotherms can exist
(fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, invertebrates)
Endotherms
Use physiological mechanisms (metabolic heat) to control body temperature
Maintain a fairly constant internal temperature independent of external environment
(birds/mammals)
Requirements for Metabolic Regulation
Higher Vertebrates
Physiology (ability to be warm despite cold temperature)
Ability to acquire food for long term
Adaptations
Adaptations created for Metabolic Regulation
Physiological changes accompanied by behavioural adjustments
Morphological features
Homeothermy Adaptations
Fur, buzz flight muscles
Shivering
Evaporative cooling
Evaporative cooling
Sweating, panting, gular fluttering, wallowing
Temperature Regulation and Size
As body size increase, volume increases more rapidly.
Surface area/volume ratio important, smaller the organisms, greater the heat loss to the surrounding environment
Allen’s Rule
Endothermic animals from colder climates usually have shorter extremities than animals with otherwise similar characteristics
Bergmann’s Rule
Mammals with wide distributions are often larger in colder regions
Endothermy Tradeoffs
Can remain active regardless of environmental temperatures
Must consume a lot of food to meet the energy demands of endothermy (minor amount goes to growth)
Ectothermy Tradeoffs
Can allocate more energy to biomass production (instead of temperature maintenance), require fewer calories per gram of body weight
Body size constrained, entire body must be warmed by the environment
Restricted to warmer environments (operative temperature range for activity)
Ectotherm and Endotherm
Mechanisms that determine body temperatures
External vs. internal
Homeotherm and Poikilotherm
Nature of body temperature
Constant vs. variable
How do Amphibians and Reptiles survive the cold?
Cryoprotection (Glucose and Glycerol)
Lowered metabolism
Reanimation
How do Aquatic Animals survive the cold?
Antifreeze proteins (Glycoproteins)
How do Insects survive the cold?
Ice nucleating proteins
Vitrification
Supercooling
What do endotherms use to cool off?
Conduction and Radiation for temp below body temp
Evaporation is used when temperature is close to body temp.
Solution for Endotherms and heat
Cool microclimates
Reduce heat-generating activity
Migration
What environmental cues are there for organisms to detect?
Photoperiod
Climate - Rainfall/temperature
Food Supply
Photoperiod
Season
How do plants deal with temperature changes?
Alter rates of conduction, convection, radiation
Orient inflorescence and leaves in response to sun
Reflectivity of leaves and bark
Leaf size and shape
Pigmentation
Frost hardening
Antifreeze
