APES Ch. 6 – Ecosystems and Ecosystem Management Terminology Keystone species Ecological community Succession Watershed

Levels of organization

Basic Characteristics of Ecosystems 1. Structure – living and nonliving a) living/biotic – ecological community which is a set of interacting species b) nonliving/abiotic – water, soil, local atmosphere etc.

Variations in abiotic factors within an ecosystem

Basic Characteristics of Ecosystems Processes – cycling of chemical elements and flow of energy

Simple ecosystem

Basic Characteristics of Ecosystems Change – through a process called succession

Succession The process of change in an ecosystem Primary succession – where life has not existed previously 2) Secondary succession – begins with destruction or disturbance of an existing ecosystem

Keystone Species Species whose role in an ecosystem is much more important than their abundance or biomass suggests

4 Types of Keystone Species 1. Predator – Ex) Sea Otter – considered keystone if they control the density of ecologically significant prey species, or on overall community composition

Sea otter eating urchin

Types continued Keystone Prey – their removal affects other species which are sensitive to predation and lead them to extinction thereby controlling the density of a predator Example: Lynx and Snowshoe Hare

Types continued Keystone mutualist – Banksia tree

Types continued 4. Keystone modifier – Ex) Beaver

Community-Level Interactions when the interaction between two species leads to changes in the presence or absence of other species or to a large change in abundance of other species, then a community effect is said to have occurred Example?

How do you know when you have found an ecosystem? Vary greatly in structural complexity Borders not easily defined Differ in size, community composition, and relative proportions of their nonbiological constituents

Watersheds All the land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland Largest watershed in the United States? http://geology.com/lakes-rivers-water/new-jersey.shtml

Elevation map New Jersey

Watershed Map New Jersey

Watershed Studies

Hubbard Brook Aerial View