Bio NOTES: Succession and Population Ecology Succession - a series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time Two types: 1. primary succession 2. secondary succession Terms: pioneer species – the first organisms that live in a previously uninhabited area climax community – a stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change limiting factors – environmental factors that affect an organism’s ability to survive (food, predators, space) Each biome on Earth has a different type of climax community - grasslands - rainforest

Primary Succession Secondary Succession occurs when a disturbance of some kind changes an existing community without removing the soil occurs on surfaces where no soil exists the colonization of new sites by communities of organisms called pioneer species takes less time than primary succession because soil is already present disturbances include wildfires, storms, deforestation, farming rocks  lichens  mosses   grasses, shrubs  trees soil  grasses, shrubs  trees

All living organisms are limited by factors in the environment Population Ecology

CHAPTER 3.1 & 4.1 POPULATION ECOLOGY In Chapter 2, you learned that organisms depend on one another for survival. You also learned about abiotic factors and that abiotic factors affect individual organisms. How, then, might these factors affect communities and populations?

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW TERMS Population is a group of individuals of the same type (or species) Species is a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Population growth = an increase in the size of a population over time  Birth rate greater than death rate  population grows  Birth rate equals death rate  population stays the same  Death rate greater than birthrate  population shrinks

Factors that change population size: 1.immigration – movement of individuals into a population from another population 2. births – causes an increase in population size 3. emigration – movement of individuals out of a population and into another population 4. deaths – causes a decrease in population size

BIRTH DEATH IMMIGRATION EMIGRATION

Exponential growth = as a population gets larger, it grows faster Under ideal conditions with unlimited resources, a population will grow exponentially. Exponential growth = as a population gets larger, it grows faster “J” curve Humans are currently experiencing exponential growth. But we know this is not always the case.

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH CURVE Population growth is NOT limited Takes on an J-shape Ideal and doesn’t normally occur in most populations What kinds of organisms might have exponential growth and why?

Two types of Limiting Factors: Limiting factor = Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the numbers of organisms Examples: food, water, shelter, etc Two types of Limiting Factors: density-dependent density-independent

Density-dependent limiting factors - affected by the number of individuals in a given area competition and availability of food, water and space predation parasitism and disease DEPENDS on the # of individuals

Density-independent limiting factors - limit a population’s growth regardless of the density of the population unusual weather natural disasters human activities (pollution or dam building)

CARRYING CAPACITY The maximum number of individuals that can be supported by the ecosystem. The limit is determined by the availability of resources and by their interactions with other organisms.

LOGISTIC GROWTH CURVE: Occurs when population growth is limited by factors in the environment As resources become less available, the growth of the population slows or stops. Take on the “S” curve carrying capacity Reaches carrying capacity All organism eventually reach this

J-CURVE VS. S - CURVE All populations will eventually display an S-curve.

Human Population Growth!

REPRODUCTIVE PATTERNS Species of organisms vary in the number of births per reproductive cycle, in the age that reproduction begins, and in the life span of the organism. R-strategist K-strategist

R-strategist Small organism (fruit fly or a mouse) Short life span Produce many offspring Strategy is to produce as many offspring as possible in a short time in order to take advantage of some environmental factors Populations are controlled by density-independent factors (changes in abiotic factors)

K-strategist (also called Carrying Capacity Strategy) Large organism (elephant) Long life span Produce fewer offspring but invest a lot of care Strategy is to produce only a few offspring who have a better chance of living due the care they get from parents Populations are controlled by density-dependent (biotic factors)

Which are you? R-strategist K-strategist

Human Impacts on the Environment How do humans affect the populations of species? Human Impacts on the Environment

Humans have played a large role in the loss of Biodiversity on the planet. Biodiversity = the variety of life in an area

Worldwide, about half of the area covered by forests has been cleared. Bio NOTES: Human Impact on the Environment 1. Effects of Human Overpopulation: loss of land/habitat water and food shortage poor sanitation species extinction poverty emerging disease 2. Deforestation – loss of forests - cause soil erosion, loss of habitat, and species extinction Worldwide, about half of the area covered by forests has been cleared. 3. Threats to biodiversity – the variety of organisms is decreasing - an imbalance can cause extinction 4. Pesticide use – using chemicals to kill and control pests - will sometimes kill non-target species - pollutes water sources - causes health problems 5. Biological magnification – concentrations of a harmful substance increase in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food web

Effects on Air Quality Global Warming Acid Rain The earth’s atmosphere keeps some heat from going out into space Rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air. Pollution in our atmosphere causes too much heat to stay on earth Changes overall temperature/ climate Raises sea level Affects health of ecosystems pollutants = sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from burning fossil fuels causes health problems damages forests and lakes damages buildings Harmful to animals

The Greenhouse Effect:

Effects on Water Quality The runoff of silt, soil, pesticides, and fertilizers from agricultural land is the largest single source of water pollution. Eutrophication: - excess fertilizers can run off into lakes and ponds - this stimulates plant and algae overgrowth - a buildup of algae can lower the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water - this leads to the dying off of the fish population - over time, lakes and ponds slowly begin to fill in Why can’t you just clean up polluted water? - it is expensive - who pays for it? - technology not available for all types

Effects on Natural Resources Renewable resources - can regenerate if they are living or can be replenished by biochemical cycles if they are nonliving - ex. trees, fresh water Nonrenewable resources - cannot be replenished by natural processes - ex. fossil fuels Sustainability = a way of using natural resources without depleting them for future generations use renewable resources that can be “restocked” recycle and reuse products plant tree farms only cut down selected trees instead of clear-cutting follow emission standards 28

The Story of Easter Island Humans first landed on Easter Island between 400 and 700 A.D. Island had thick forests, rich soil, many bird and animal species Human population grew quickly over next 1000 years They cut down forests for lumber and boats faster than the trees could grow back Eventually, there were no trees left….no wood for shelter or boats, rich soil washed away, habitat lost for animal species, no fishing without boats With no food, and island resources nearly gone, the Easter Island human population crashed and the Easter Islanders disappeared.