In conducting my research, I am observing activity on the rocky shallow shore off the coast of Washington located in the Northwest United States, where the species are nearly on top of each other (workbook). This environment inhabits 10 species; Each species helps form a complicated ecosystem in which species protect, consume, and compete for space with one another. The community consists of three producers, three sessile consumers (otherwise known as filter feeders), and four mobile consumers- one of which is an invasive species. In the environment the producers are Nori Seaweed (Porphyra), Black Pine (Neorhodomela), and Coral Weed (Corallina). Producers make their own food through sunlight, so in order to survive they must avoid predators …show more content…
The next type of species are the sessile consumers consisting of Goose Neck Barnacles (Mitella), Acorn Barnacles (Semibalanus), and Mussels (Mytilus). The sessile consumers are those that are stationary and feed off small plankton creating competition for their food source which allows some sessile consumers to be more dominant than others. Mussels are the most dominant between the sessile consumers with the Starfish as its predator, followed by Goose Neck Barnacles whose predators are Whelk and Starfish, and Acorn Barnacles whose predator is Whelk. The mobile consumers consist of Whelk (Nucella), Chiton (Katharina), and Starfish (Pisaster). The mobile consumers are the species that have a possibility to be the Keystone species because they are predators competing for …show more content…
Between the Mobile Consumers the only competition for food is between the Whelk and Starfish, both of which prey on Goose Neck Barnacles. Lastly, there is one more mobile consumer that is the invasive species known as the Green Crab (Carcinus) invading the environment. The Green Crab has been brought over from Europe and can gain competitive advantage over all other species in this environment (workbook). The Green crab invades the area and is a predator to all (Note that Green Crab preys on all other species, meaning each and every species in the environment also has green crab on its predator list in addition to the predators I have named for each species) until it takes over the environment without any possibilities of stopping it. In the environment there is loads of competition between each other. Not only do they compete for food, but they also compete for space. All of this competition creates an interesting environment, yet there is one species that controls the whole environment known as the keystone
T. californicus is found from Alaska to Baja in small, shallow tidepools and tidal flats in the upper spray zone where they cannot avoid the full effect of visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Individuals assemble in areas of lower radiation at midday, yet have no preference to the intensity of light at dawn and dusk (Hartline and Macmillan 1995). These tiny arthropods inhabit all types of marine sediments from sand to fine mud and ooze. Along with plankton, T. californicus eats microscopic algae, protists, bacteria, diatoms, algae and microbes (McGroarty 1958). When the concentrations of the species in their habitats are high, T. californicus will turn to cannibalism for a food source. The nautilus eye present in the species is rich with fatty acids and provides a good food source for the animal.
In 1927, Charles Elton took niche theory a step further and included food. He defined the niche of an animal as its place in the biotic environment and its relations to food and enemies (Elton, 1927). Grinnell also wondered if food was a limiting factor to the California Thrasher’s niche, but since the bird is omnivorous, it could find food in other habitats such as a forest floor or a meadow. There had to be other factors that restricted the bird to the chaparral bushes (Grinnel, 1917). Elton believes that the niche of an animal can be defined by its size and its food habits. It is important to study niches because it enables ecologists to see how different animal communities may resemble each other in the essentials of organization (Elton, 1927). For example, in a forest there could be a niche of owls that feeds on small animals such as rats. This same carnivore niche is filled with kestrels in the open grasslands. This carnivore niche is then dependent on the small animals in the herbivore niche (Elton, 1927). Hutchinson also discusses niche theory in his “Concluding Remarks” paper. His theory seems to combine some of the ideas
In conducting my research, I observed activity on a rocky shore off the coast of Washington in the Northwest United States (workbook). This environment inhabits 10 species in shallow water nearly on top of each other. Each species helps form a complicated ecosystem where species protect, consume, and compete for space with other species. Out of the 10 species there are three producers, three sessile consumers (otherwise known as filter feeders), and four mobile consumers- one of which is an invasive species. In this environment the producers are Nori Seaweed (Porphyra), Black Pine (Neorhodomela), and Coral Weed (Corallina). Producers make their own food through sunlight, so only have predators and competition for space. Coral Weed is the strongest
Introduction Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals capable of spending their entire lives in water. Being carnivorous in nature, they feed on sea urchins, crabs, fishes, mussels and clams. They are referred to as keystone species due to their profound impact on marine ecology. The interaction between sea otters, sea urchins and kelp forests has been studied as a model for the impact of predator-prey interactions on community ecology. Sea otters are keystone predators, whose presence has a far-reaching influence on the marine food web by affecting the populations of sea urchins, which indirectly affects the populations of kelp forests & other marine organisms.
The piece I chose to do my literary analysis on was the article, The Truth About Invasive Species, written by Alan Burdick. The article states that invasive species are all around us, but the area with the most prominent amount is the suburbs of Miami. It goes into detail about how abundant invasive species are in this area. Most people who would see a strange animal in their lawn or area would be bemused, however for the people of Southern Florida, this is a recurring scene. Burdick states that “virtually everyone in the South Florida, including Hardwick, has a neighbor with a backyard menagerie of lucrative critters on hold for resale”. Burdick describes both how an invasive species is introduced into an ecosystem, and the impact the have on other species upon their arrival.
For a species to survive and flourish within a given environment, it not only needs to replace itself but also all the other species around it exclusively. Hence, if one species completely replaces another species, the result is a single dominant species, a monoculture (source 2). According to Gause’s law, every species in a given environment occupies different niches for survival. Therefore, two separate species competing for similar resources cannot fundamentally coexist (source Gause). This is known as the competitive exclusion principle. When comparing animal niche’s to that of different autotrophic plants, one can rather easily differentiate adequate ecological niches for the animal species merely based on food-requirements (P.J. Grubb). On the contrary, many autotrophic plants contradict the competitive exclusion principle by sharing similar ecological niches such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and alike mineral nutrients (p.j. grubb).
Competition is always over the supply of a limited resource. There are two types of competition: intraspecific and interspecific. Intraspecific is competition between the same species. This is usually beneficial to the species as a whole because it results in the best fit organism. Interspecific is competition between different species and is known to be detrimental to both species. There are three principles that apply to competition. Competition exclusion principle is when two species live together and occupy the same niche and eventually one species will out compete the other and replace it in that environment. The second principle is niche overlap which means that when two species live together over a large area one species will replace the other in part of that area. The last principle, character displacement, is when two species live together and initially occupy the same niche they may evolve to become different over time in order to avoid competition. When more than one species occupy the same niche and are very similar it is common for one of them to become specialized in that area. For example if two birds are eating the same food one may develop a different beak over time in order to hunt for a different food.
Zipkin, Elise F., Kraft, Clifford E., Cooch, Evan G., and Sullivan, Patrick J., “When Can Efforts to Control Nuisance and Invasive Species Backfire?,” Ecological Applications, Vol. 19, No. 6 (2009): 1585-1595, accessed October 11, 2013. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40346271.
Mills, Scott L., Daniel F. Doak, and Michael E. Soule. "The Keystone-species Concept in Ecology and Conservation." BioScience 43.4 (1993): 219-25. Apr. 1993. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
Though food is everlasting in both the coral reef and deep sea, space is very limited. Organisms in both habitats have to compete for space and survival, having defense mechanisms to keep other species from killing out their kind. Some fishes in the coral reef hide in cracks and crevices along the rocks and corals to hide from their predators. Other fishes camouflage within the brightly colored corals to hide from predators, or even humans looking into their tank. The deep sea holds many small fish, but with large mouths. The large mouths and pointy teeth help the miniscule fish eat their prey, whi...
off of just one host but very few predators can feed on the same prey(1973). In
Introducing exotic species has been a highly debated issue. Why should we bring another animal or plant into a region to eradicate another species? That’s the question that people have been asking for ages. Of course, there are positives to bringing in another species, but many times, there are just as many negatives. Also, these species can be introduced accidentally or intentionally. The new organism may cause no obvious problems and eventually, it will be considered “native” to the area. For example, corals are “perhaps the oldest animals on the planet, and these long-lived corals have evolved in one of the Earth’s most stable environments” (Eichenberg, p.2). If a new type of fish were to be put into the ecosystem with the corals, the coral would be affected. First, the fish might eat the coral. Second, they could use the coral for shelter, and possibly damaging it that way. Third, the fish could bring predators that might also eat the coral. Introducing an exotic species has the “rippling affect” of dropping a stone into a pool of water. Everything outside the epicenter is affected. A study was done at Cornell University, and they estimated that $120 billion per year are spent fixing the problems caused by exotic species” (Chiras, p.
One of the big causes of extinction or the endangerment of species is foreign species entering a habitat. This species that are not native to the land can disrupt the food web in that community. These species take control of the food web and endanger some of the other species. The native species become endangered and over the course of many years they either adapt to their new way or life, the foreign predator leaves or is killed off due to the different environment, or the species is killed off and becomes extinct. Organizations like the “World Wild Li...
This pictures demonstration the level of food chain in the ecosystem. The bottom level is the producer and the higher level will be the predator.
Yamada, K., & Kumagai, N. H. (2012). Importance of seagrass vegetation for habitat partitioning between closely related species, mobile macrofauna Neomysis (Misidacea). Hydrobiologia, 680(1), 125-133.