Chapter 4

Ecosystems & Communities

 4.1Climate

• What is the difference between weather

and climate?
 Thethree main zones are the polar, tropical, and
temperate climates.

polar climate: the far northern and southern

regions of Earth

tropical zone: surrounds the equator

temperate zone: the wide area in between

the polar and tropical zones
 The Greenhouse Effect

• Greenhouse gasses
such as carbon dioxide
trap heat in the Earth’s
atmosphere.
4.2 Niches and Community
Interactions
 Every Organism has a habitat and
Niche
A habitat is the general place in
which an organism lives.
A niche describes not only the
place an organisms lives, but the
range of physical and biological
conditions in which it lives and
interacts.
 The Competitive Exclusion
Principal
• If two species attempt to
occupy the same niche, one
species will be better suited
to obtain limited resources
and will eventually exclude
the other.

What would happen if two of these warbler species tried to occupy the same niche
at the same time?
 Community Interactions

 Predator-Prey

 Herbivore-Plant
Symbiotic Species
 Two or more species living together
in a close, long-term association.

Parasitism– the host is harmed

and the parasite benefits

Ex: lice, hookworm,

roundworms Parasitism
0 Braconid
wasp

_ + Braconid
larvae feed on
Hornworm their host and
caterpillar release
The host themselves
hornworm will shortly before
eventually die as reaching
its organs are the pupae
consumed stage of
by wasp larvae. development.

_ Organism is harmed 0 Organism benefits

Mutualism – benefits both
participating species

Ex: Clownfish and sea anemone

Commensalism – one species

benefits, and the other is neither
harmed nor helped

Ex: Barnacles on a blue whale

 4.3 Succession

 When new land is created, or a habitat is

destroyed by disaster a new habitat will be
created.

 Succession
is a regular progression of species
replacement.
 Primary succession occurs where life has not
existed before.

Ex: A new volcanic island

 Secondary succession occurs where there has been

previous growth.

Ex: A forest that has been burned

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4.4 Biomes
 Biomes are described in terms of abiotic and biotic
factors.
 Tropicalrain forest
biomes produce lush
forests.
 warm temperature

Source: World Meteorological Organization

 abundant precipitation all year
 Grassland biomes are where the primary
plant life is grass.

Temperate grasslands are dry and

warm during the summer; most
precipitation falls as snow.
 Tropical grasslands (savanna) are warm through the
year, with definite dry and rainy seasons.
 Desert biomes are characterized by a
very arid climate.
 very low amount of precipitation

 four types: hot, semi-arid, coastal, and cold

 Temperate forest biomes include
deciduous forests and rain forests.
 Temperate deciduous forests have hot summers and cold winters.

 Deciduous trees are the dominant plant species.

 Thetaiga biome is located in cooler
northern climates.
 boreal forest

 long winters and short summers

 small amount of precipitation

 Thetundra biome is found in the far
northern latitudes with long winters.
 winter lasts 10 months

 limited precipitation

 permafrost
4.5 Aquatic Ecosystems

• Nearly ¾ of Earth’s surface is covered

with water.

• Aquatic organisms are affected primarily

by water depth, temperature, flow, and
amount of dissolved nutrients.
• Freshwater ecosystems include moving
and standing water (wetlands, lakes and
ponds, and rivers and streams).
 Estuariesare dynamic environments
where rivers flow into the ocean.

Mixture of fresh water with salt water

Serve as spawning and nursery grounds

for many fish and shellfish

Chesapeake Bay

Louisiana bayous

Florida Everglades
Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems.

 Estuaries provide a protected refuge for many

species.

 Estuaries
are primarily threatened by land
development.
 Marine Ecosystem
 Intertidal
Zone
 Affected by tides

 CostalOcean
 Coral reefs and kelp forests

 Open Ocean
 90% of ocean
 Photic and Aphotic zones