ANIMAL HABITATS Chapter 10

SUCCESSION Succession – the concept that communities proceed through a series of recognizable, predictable changes in structure over time Climax community – a relatively stable, long-lasting community that is the result of succession

SUCCESSION Primary succession – a successional progression that begins with a total lack of organisms and bare mineral surfaces or water Secondary succession – a successional progression that begins with the destruction or disturbance of an existing ecosystem

LICHENS (mutualism between algae and fungus)

PIONEER STAGES

LATER SUCCESSIONAL (SERAL) STAGES

MT. ST. HELENS

MT. ST. HELENS

MT. ST. HELENS

SUCCESSION AFTER A FIRE

BIOMES Biomes – terrestrial climax communities with wide geographic distribution Patterns of precipitation and temperature are two primary abiotic factors that have major impacts on the kind of climax community that develops in any part of the world

BIOMES OF THE WORLD

MAJOR BIOMES OF THE WORLD Desert Temperate grassland Savanna Chaparral Tropical dry forest Tropical rain forest Temperate deciduous forest Temperate rain forest Taiga, northern coniferous forest, boreal forest Tundra

DESERT Low precipitation (<10 in. per yr.) Temperature – hot daytime / cold at night

TEMPERATE GRASSLAND (Prairie) 10-30 inches of rainfall Hot summers / cold winters

SAVANNA 20 – 60 inches of rain but long droughts Tropical – no cold weather

CHAPARRAL Mediterranean Shrublands Wet, cool winters / long dry summers

TROPICAL DRY FOREST Several months of heavy rainfall followed by long dry period

TROPICAL RAINFOREST Always warm / rains almost every day

TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST 40 – 60 inches rainfall / has summer – winter changes of seasons / trees lose leaves in winter / place them in spring

TEMPERATE RAINFOREST 50 – 120 inches of rainfall / cool throughout most of year

TAIGA / NORTHERN CONIFEROUS FOREST-BOREAL Short, cool summer / long winter with heavy snowfall

TUNDRA North of the taiga with extremely cold winter / permafrost - < 10 inches rain

MAJOR AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS Marine ecosystems – saltwater areas such as bays, gulfs, seas, and oceans Freshwater ecosystems – ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers

PELAGIC MARINE ECOSYSTEMS Pelagic – open ocean environment; organisms float or swim Plankton – small, weak swimmers that drift with the currents Phytoplankton – plant-like plankton; they are photosynthetic (euphotic zone) Zooplankton – animal-like plankton

PELAGIC MARINE ECOSYSTEMS Meroplankton – temporary plankton such as larval fish, crabs, shrimp, etc. Holoplankton – permanently planktonic Neritic – nearshore, shallow areas of the ocean Intertidal – area between the high and low tide levels

NERITIC SPECIES

PELAGIC SPECIES

PHYTOPLANKTON

ZOOPLANKTON

MEROPLANKTON

HOLOPLANKTON

BENTHIC MARINE ECOSYSTEMS Benthic – live on, in, or near the bottom Coral reef ecosystems – corals grow in clear, shallow, tropical seas Mangrove swamp ecosystems – tropical forest ecosystems that grow in shallow water Abyssal ecosystem – benthic ecosystem that occurs at great depths in the ocean

CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM

MANGROVE SWAMPS

SALT MARSHES

ABYSSAL ECOSYSTEM

ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEMS Estuary – semi-enclosed body of water where freshwater and saltwater mix

FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS Lentic – stationary, non-flowing bodies of freshwater (ponds and lakes) Lotic – flowing freshwater environments such as rivers, creeks, and streams