Populations and Biodiversity Name:

An ecosystem is a community made up of producers, consumers, decomposers (biotic factors), as well as, abiotic factors. Components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles (Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Water cycles) and energy flows (trophic levels). Ecosystems remain relatively stable (with variation) over time, this allows the ecosystem to remain relatively unchanged. However, a large enough disturbance may upset the balance of the ecosystem and change it permanently. Biotic Definition: Abiotic Definition: Ecosystems

Ecosystem Scale Define Vocabulary: Community: Habitat: Population: (Individual) Niche:

Initial Thoughts 1. 2. 3. 4.

Limiting Factors Please read Ecosystem growth is limited by the availability of resources This can be found at the front of the room. Limiting Factors

Abiotic Limiting Factors “Abiotic factors place physical limits on a population. The most important abiotic factors are light, water, soil, and temperature. Both the quality and quantity of these factors are important. Have you every tried to grow tomatoes or other vegetables in a backyard garden? The success of your garden depends on the amount of soil as well as its quality. Not all soil is created equal. Some soil has more nutrients and fewer toxins than other soil, making it easier to grow plants. The same is true for water and light. The amount, or quantity, or water in an ecosystem determines how many organisms can live there. A small pond can support fewer fish than a large lake. Similarly, a desert ecosystem can support fewer organisms than a rainforest because deserts receive so little rain. The quality of water is equally important. If water is unclean or polluted, it doesn't matter how much is in an ecosystem. Have you ever boiled water for tea? The steam that shoots out of the teapot is over 100° F. Most organisms cannot live in temperatures more than a few degrees above 100°F (37°C) or below 32° F (0°C). Temperature limits the organisms that can survive in a particular ecosystem. Polar bears, for example, could not survive the hot temperature of the desert. Their bodies are not designed to live in a hot ecosystem. Similarly, an iguana could not survive the freezing temperatures of the Arctic. The temperature of an ecosystem is a physical factor that limits population.” - LESOW Abiotic Limiting Factors https://dmps.owschools.com/owsoo/courseMgmt/section?id=31338257&

Biotic Limiting Factors Examples of food chains in an ecosystem. Competition, predation, and food are the most common limiting biotic factors. How might these 3 factors affect biodiversity (All of the living things) in an ecosystem?

Factors affecting deer carrying capacity for a given habitat. Year Deer population Plant biomass (kg/ha) Wolf population Ave. annual Temp (C) 2006 27 6 12 18 2007 26 14 17 2008 29 7 19 2009 35 9 13 20 2010 42 15 2011 44 2012 46 16 2013 21 2014 37 10 2015 31 8 Biotic & Abiotic limiting factors affecting deer population size: A Data Analysis. Which factors are biotic, which are abiotic? When did the deer population peak? When did plant biomass peak? When did the wolf population peak? Suggest a reason for the pattern you see in 2,3,4. What happened to each of these factors after their peak?

Predator and Prey Cycles

DATA TABLE Year Deer Population 1905 4,000 1910 9,000 1915 25,000 1920 65,000 1924 100,000 1925 60,000 1926 40,000 1927 37,000 1928 35,000 1929 30,000 1930 1931 20,000 1935 18,000 1939 10,000 The data table to the left and the graph above below shows the deer population of the Kaibab plateau of Arizona from 1905 to 1939. Interpret to help you answer the following questions. Describe how the deer population of the Kaibab has changed over time. In what year did the deer population peak? Provide one hypothesis to explain why the deer population has changed over the given time period. What additional evidence would you need in order to support or refute your hypothesis?

Chimpanzee Extinction Problems “Chimps will eat the whole African Nutmeg to help them when they have an upset stomach. After they eat the nut, the nut will travel through their digestive system to strip off the fuzzy outer layer After the chimpanzee poops out the hard nut the nut can now grow into a seedling because the chimpanzee’s digestive system took off the outside of the seed.” - http://www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/chimpanzee s/chimp_habitat.htm With out chimps this species of plant would also go extinct. Then the animals and insects that feed off this plant would have trouble finding food and their populations would dwindle and possibly become extinct as well. Chimpanzee Extinction Problems

Ecological Succession and Major Disturbances

Major Extinctions How do major extinctions affect biodiversity on this planet? How did this asteroid impact change the earth as we know it?