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Bio20 - Unit B - 3 - Notes - Characteristics of Ecosystems (NEW)

The document discusses characteristics of ecosystems. It defines ecological niche as an organism's role in an ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, its habitat, and active times. Having distinct niches decreases competition. Terrestrial ecosystems provide varied habitats from canopy to forest floor. Aquatic ecosystems include photic and aphotic ocean zones and littoral, limnetic, profundal, and benthic lake zones. Ecotones between ecosystems support high biodiversity. Factors like soil, water, sunlight, temperature, and seasonality influence terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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Jhalak Garg
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44 views13 pages

Bio20 - Unit B - 3 - Notes - Characteristics of Ecosystems (NEW)

The document discusses characteristics of ecosystems. It defines ecological niche as an organism's role in an ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, its habitat, and active times. Having distinct niches decreases competition. Terrestrial ecosystems provide varied habitats from canopy to forest floor. Aquatic ecosystems include photic and aphotic ocean zones and littoral, limnetic, profundal, and benthic lake zones. Ecotones between ecosystems support high biodiversity. Factors like soil, water, sunlight, temperature, and seasonality influence terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Uploaded by

Jhalak Garg
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unit B:

Ecosystems & Population


Change
Chapter 4 – Characteristics of
Ecosystems
Ecological Niche
• Ecological niche – the organism’s place in the ecosystem
• Includes: what it eats, what eats it, it’s habitat, breeding
area, active time of day
o Ex. Warblers - 5 different species all feed on different parts of the tree
o Ex. Hawk and owl – hawk hunts during day and owl at night
• Having different niches decreases competition (
ex. Birds of Paradise)
• “Exotic” species (or invasive species) - once introduced
they compete for a niche
o Often outcompetes “native” species
Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Variety of habitats in a
terrestrial ecosystem:
o Canopy – most light
o Sub-canopy/understory
o Forest floor
o Soil
• Allows for many different
niches
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Ocean has two main areas:
o Photic zone
• Upper layer of water, enough light for photosynthesis
o Aphotic zone
• No light, energy comes from sinking detritus
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Lakes have four main zones:
o Littoral – close to shore, plants growing on bottom
o Limnetic – light zone in center
o Profundal – no light for photosynthesis
o Benthic – bottom – contains detritus
Ecotone
• Ecotone – the transition area between ecosystems
o Supports of large biodiversity
o Ex. Edge of a lake or estuary
Comprehension Check
• What areas of a terrestrial ecosystem do you expect
the highest biodiversity?
• What areas of a lake ecosystem do you expect the
highest biodiversity?
• Explain why?
Factors that Affect Terrestrial
Ecosystems
• Soil - quality and amount determine the
size, health, and biodiversity of plant
community
• Levels of soil:
o Litter – partially decomposed organic
materials
o Topsoil – minerals and humus (decaying plant
and animal matter) – nutrients!
o Subsoil – Rock particles and minerals
o Bedrock
Factors that Affect Terrestrial
Ecosystems (cont’d)
• Available water – determined by amount of
precipitation
o Once inside soil and rock, water is called groundwater
o Water table – the boundary between saturated and unsaturated soil

• Temperature
o Seasonal variation in temperature increases closer to the poles

• Sunlight
o Near poles, daily sunlight is seasonal
o Can also vary by micro-ecosystem (ex. Forest floor)
Sunlight
Factors that Affect Aquatic
Ecosystems
• Chemical Environment
o Fresh or salt water – salt water is more dense
o pH
o Dissolved oxygen – aquatic organism must get oxygen from
the water
• Depends on:
• Temperature (more when cold)
• Pressure (depth of water)
• Turbidity (how much water is moving)
• Amount of salt
Factors that Affect Aquatic
Ecosystems (cont’d)
• Chemical Environment (cont’d)
o Dissolved nutrients (ex. phosphorus and nitrogen)
• Too low – not enough life,
• Too high – algal blooms, which decreases O2
• Temperature and light levels
o Depends on season and depth of water
• Water Pressure
• Seasonal Variation
o As water cools it becomes more dense, until 4° when it starts
becoming less dense
o Can affect dissolved oxygen
o Winter and spring tend to have more dissolved oxygen
Factors that Affect Aquatic
Ecosystems (cont’d)
• Seasonal Variation
o As water cools it becomes more dense, until 4° when it
starts becoming less dense
o Can affect dissolved oxygen
• Winter – ice, epilimnion (0°), thermocline, hypolimnion (4°)
o If ice becomes too thick, light does not get through, so photosythesis
cannot occur and dissolved oxygen depletes.
• Spring – turnover (water warms and falls)
• Summer - epilimnion (warm), thermocline, hypolimnion (cold 4°)
• Fall – turnover (cool water sinks)

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