ESC110-3rd-ch03.ppt

Chapter 3. Key Terms McGraw-Hill Course Glossary Part 1: Who Lives Where, and Why? Abundance and Distribution of Species Liebig - proposed that the single environmental factor in shortest supply relative to demand is the critical determinant in species distribution Shelford - added to Liebigs work by proposing that the single environmental factor closest to tolerance limits determines where a particular organism can live Today we know that for many species the interaction of several factors, rather than a single limiting factor, determines biogeographical distribution. Sometimes, the requirements and tolerances of species are useful indicators of specific environmental characteristics. Adaptation and Natural Selection Two types of adaptation: Acclimation - changes in an individual organism due to non-permanent physiological modifications Evolution - gradual changes in a species due to changes in genetic material and competition Theory of evolution - developed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Natural selection - genetic combinations best adapted for present environmental conditions tend to become abundant Spontaneous, random mutations Selective pressure - physiological stress, predation, competition, luck Part 2: Species Interactions Most obvious are Predation and Competition - antagonistic relationships Three Types of Symbiosis: Commensalism - one member benefits, while the other is neither benefited nor harmed Mutualism - both members of the partnership benefit; the lichens (algae and fungi) above show mutualism Parasitism - a form of predation where one species benefits and the other is harmed Defensive Mechanisms Part 3: Population Dynamics Environmental Resistance Part 4: Community Properties Primary productivity - a communitys rate of biomass production, or the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy stored in living (or once-living organisms) Net primary productivity - primary productivity minus the energy lost in respiration Product