Limiting Factors
-The distribution of species is affected by limiting factors
-Abiotic factors have a huge impact on the distribution of the species
-Plants are limited by abiotic factors such as: temperature, water availability, light intensity, soil pH, soil salinity, and availability of mineral nutrients
-Animals are limited by abiotic factors such as temperature, water, breeding sites, food supply, and territory
-The distribution of species is affected by limiting factors
-Abiotic factors have a huge impact on the distribution of the species
-Plants are limited by abiotic factors such as: temperature, water availability, light intensity, soil pH, soil salinity, and availability of mineral nutrients
-Animals are limited by abiotic factors such as temperature, water, breeding sites, food supply, and territory
Transect Sampling provides wider range of abiotic factors
-Instead of using a square and randomly choosing an area in which the abiotic factors showing would be all the same, one could use transect sampling, because even though it is not as wide as a square, it can extend the possibilities of encountering different abiotic factors -For example, it can extend from grass lands to dry lands, in which quadrant sampling would most probable only sample one -This wider range of abiotic factors provided by the transect method can also provide us different distribution of species due to the different abiotic factors -For example, a specie that can only tolerate grassy lands will only be distributed by the grassy lands and scarce in the dry lands, which would be depicted by transect sampling |
TOK: Random samples are a useful tool for scientists despite the potential bias sampling because even if the samples are bias, there should always be a repetition of samples in varied places, meaning that scientists will always have an overview of the samples, and the fact that one of those samples is bias is not significant
Key-stone Species
-Community structure can be strongly affected by keystone species -Any change in the distribution of the keystone specie will affect the rest of the ecosystem -When the keystone is removed from the ecosystem, another specie will replace it and lead to the extirpation of other species that are being over-consumed by these new keystones -They keystone specie is the one with less pressure on it and faces the less amount of danger, however, changes in the ecosystem surrounding it and the rest of the species can affect their distribution too |
The Niche concept
-Each species plays a unique role within a community because of the unique combination of its spatial habitat and interactions with other species
-This role includes:
-Each species plays a unique role within a community because of the unique combination of its spatial habitat and interactions with other species
-This role includes:
- It's spacial habitat (between the levels of tolerance of abiotic factors)
- How the species obtains food
- Interactions with other species (which need to be present in the environment)
Interspecific Interactions
-Interactions between a community can be classified according to their effect
-These include competition: when two species fight for a common need (such as food or habitat)
-Predation: when an organism kills and feeds from the other
-Mutualism: When two species benefit from the relationship
-Commensalism: When one organism benefits and the other is not affected in any way
-Parasitism: When an organism benefits from a bigger one which results being harmed (but not killed)
-Either good or bad relationship, a specie cannot thrive without interactions and live in isolation
-Interactions between a community can be classified according to their effect
-These include competition: when two species fight for a common need (such as food or habitat)
-Predation: when an organism kills and feeds from the other
-Mutualism: When two species benefit from the relationship
-Commensalism: When one organism benefits and the other is not affected in any way
-Parasitism: When an organism benefits from a bigger one which results being harmed (but not killed)
-Either good or bad relationship, a specie cannot thrive without interactions and live in isolation
Examples in Curacao:
-Mutualism: Crab and coral clump in coral reefs. The coral crab feeds from the coral and the coral is able to be clean and protected, because of the coral crab
-Commensalism: Clownfishes that live in sea anemones, the clownfishes are able to live in the anemones, because they produce a mucus that counterattacks the charges of cnidoblast that the anemones produce
-Parasitism: the sea spider larvae will find hostage on Table corals and absorb it’s nutrients. They don’t have to waste any energy looking for food and instead just take up the coral’s nutrients which is unbeneficial for the coral
-Competition: A competition in a mangrove is the flamingo and the jabiru. They both eat fish, crab, and mollusk
-Predation: Bigeye trevally fish form schools for hunting patrol around the reefs. When they find a school of prey they create chaos to attack, they often attack the Cardinalfish and feed from it
-Mutualism: Crab and coral clump in coral reefs. The coral crab feeds from the coral and the coral is able to be clean and protected, because of the coral crab
-Commensalism: Clownfishes that live in sea anemones, the clownfishes are able to live in the anemones, because they produce a mucus that counterattacks the charges of cnidoblast that the anemones produce
-Parasitism: the sea spider larvae will find hostage on Table corals and absorb it’s nutrients. They don’t have to waste any energy looking for food and instead just take up the coral’s nutrients which is unbeneficial for the coral
-Competition: A competition in a mangrove is the flamingo and the jabiru. They both eat fish, crab, and mollusk
-Predation: Bigeye trevally fish form schools for hunting patrol around the reefs. When they find a school of prey they create chaos to attack, they often attack the Cardinalfish and feed from it
Zooxanthallae and the coral reef-building species
-Zooxanthallae is an algae found on the coral reefs. This algae uses photosynthesis to provide food for itself and the rest of the coral reef. In exchange, the coral reef provides home and protection to Zooxanthallae
-This is a symbiotic relationship, or mutualism
-Zooxanthallae is an algae found on the coral reefs. This algae uses photosynthesis to provide food for itself and the rest of the coral reef. In exchange, the coral reef provides home and protection to Zooxanthallae
-This is a symbiotic relationship, or mutualism
Competitive Exclusion Principle
-Two species cannot survive indefinitely in the same habitat is their niches are identical
-If two species compete for the same food and habitat, then they cannot coexist together
-One of the two species will significantly decline or extirpate, or it will reduce it's niche to void competition
-This is determined by the strengths of the species: the stronger one will win
-Two species cannot survive indefinitely in the same habitat is their niches are identical
-If two species compete for the same food and habitat, then they cannot coexist together
-One of the two species will significantly decline or extirpate, or it will reduce it's niche to void competition
-This is determined by the strengths of the species: the stronger one will win