国外动物学38.PPTVIP

Animal Ecology Chapter 38 Ecology Ecology investigates the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment. Hierarchy of Ecology Organism level studies focus on individuals. Physiological or behavioral ecology Population level studies examine groups of conspecific organisms living in a particular area. Hierarchy of Ecology Community level studies investigate interactions between the populations of various species in an area. Species diversity - # of different species Interactions – predation, parasitism, competition, symbiotic associations. Ecosystem level studies examine how a community interacts with the physical environment. Environment and Niche An animal’s environment includes all of the conditions that affects survival and reproduction. Abiotic factors (nonliving) – soil, air, water, sunlight, temperature, pH etc. Biotic factors (living) – food items, predators, parasites, competitors, mates, hosts etc. Environment and Niche Environmental factors that are directly utilized by an animal are resources. Space (nonexpendable) Food (expendable) Environment and Niche An animal’s habitat is the space where it lives. Size is variable Rotten log is a habitat for carpenter ants. Forest adjacent meadow is a habitat for deer. Environment and Niche The habitat must meet the requirements for life. Temp, salinity, pH etc. The unique multidimensional relationship of a species with its environment is its niche. Environment and Niche Generalists can withstand a variety of environmental conditions. Specialists can only tolerate a narrow range. Environment and Niche The fundamental niche describes the total potential role that an organism could fill under ideal circumstances. The realized niche describes the actual role an organism fills. Subset of the fundamental niche. Affected by competition Population Ecology Population ecology is the study of populations in relation to environment, including environmental influences on population density and distrib