In a strict way, a community consists of all the organisms that live together in a particular habitat. Community structure concerns all possible ways in which the members of that community relate to and interact with each other. This includes the community-level properties that emerge from these interactions, such as trophic structure, energy flow, species diversity, relative abundance, and community stability [1]. Ecological communities are one of the most complex systems that natural scientists attempt to understand. Ecologists have investigated patterns of species richness, population abundance and community structure in an effort to discern the basic principles of community ecology as they continue to search for a conceptualization of communities [2]. For example, we are interested in the rules by which species are included or excluded from communities. In extension, how will species densities change in relationship to species richness, or as result of a changing environment? How do temporal, spatial and trophical heterogeneity, as well as biodiversity, shape communities? Identifying these patterns and …show more content…
Instead, research is often focused on a convenient and tractable subset (usually a taxonomic subset) of a particular community or a series of communities. One of the most basic descriptions of an ecological community is a species abundance distribution (SAD), which describes the abundance (number of individuals observed) for each different species encountered. When plotted as a histogram, the hyperbolic shape of the SAD seems to be universal, as communities consistently contain very few abundant species and many rare species [5]. Studies on communities of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals have already improved our knowledge of the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors and of how species coexist in communities
The ecosystem I have chosen is tropical rainforest. In the following paragraphs, I am going to firstly introduced the structure of tropical rainforest in brief, with the second part of the plant ecology and last the diversity within this ecosystem.
Discerning the spatial patterns of biodiversity and understanding their ultimate (why) and proximate (how) causes is very dear to biogeography and is one of the key concepts of Macro ecology. Some places on earth contain more species as compared to others. All species occurring at a given space and time either originated (speciated) there or dispersed and arrived from another place and settled there. Biogeographers try to understand the past and current distributions of species by incorporating historical, evolutionary and ecological factors. Earlier biogeographers or the ‘naturalists’ in their sacred quest to serve ‘the creator’, travelled to various parts of the world and imparted valuable knowledge about the diverse patterns and processes of nature. Linnaeus (1743), on the one hand, hypothesized that early Earth was filled with water except for it’s highest mountain top i.e., Mount Ararat which was known to be the site of paradise and as the sea level dropped the exposed land was colonized by plants and animals that migrated down from high elevational zones of Mount Ararat whereas Willdenow (1805) hypothesized that within each geographical region of the earth, plants and animals were first placed and later survived the great flood on many mountain ranges (Lomolino,2001). Von Humboldt and Darwin in the South American Andes and Wallace Southeast Asian islands noticed the decreasing trend in elevational species richness patterns (McCain and Grytnes, 2010). Later work done by Grinnell (1917), Whittaker (1952), Terborgh (1977, 1985) on elevational species richness became accepted and set a established pattern for all species for more than two decades (McCain and Grytnes, 2010). However current researches on elevational gradients are...
The earth is divided climatically and geographically into specific areas where there are similarities in communities of vegetation, organisms and animals. These ecosystems are often referred to as biomes. Differences in biomes usually consists of identifiable plant structures where there is a specific pattern of ecological activity. Biomes are also major types of habitats for different types of organisms and animals.
This review will be useful for research scientists and conservation practitioners as it will highlight the current paradigms of biodiversity conservation in relation to reducing habitat fragmentation through the use of ecological
The next topic for discussion in this paper is ecology. This will include, preferred habitats and interactions with abiotic and biotic elements of the environment.
...ultiple Diversity--Stability Mechanisms Enhance Population And Community Stability In Aquatic Food Webs." Ecology 95.1 (2014): 173-184. General Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
A niche is a position or role taken by a kind of organism within its community. Such a position may be occupied by different organisms in different localities. Over time, animals have evolved through natural selection to their physical structures, physiology, and behavior to survive. These changes have helped determine the niche in which an animal is placed. It is impossible for two different species to have the same niche. The determinacy of a niche consists of three components: dispersal of ability—how well individuals or their offspring can move from place to place—tolerance to different environmental conditions, and interactions with other niches. An organism with high dispersal ability may not be affected as much by spatial structure.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
A Population in an ecological perspective refers to a group of organism that are of the same species interacting with one another and their environment. For these organisms to be classified as the same species, they would need to be able to interbreed with one another. A population can consist of animal, plants, bacteria, or any other organism that are able to reproduce and live together. Metapopulation is defined as a set of local populations occupying a range of habitat patches and linked by the movement of individuals through migration. There are small “island” patches that are within dispersal distance of a larger “mainland patch.” When organism migrates to the poorer and smaller “island” patches, this explains source-sink dynamics. Without
With reference to at least ONE ecosystem you have studied, explain the biophysical interactions which lead to diverse ecosystems and their functioning.
The more one observes the world, the more one will realize that everything in this world is connected somehow. Everything and every one in this world, is part of one or more systems. An ecosystem is a complex set of relationships between living and non-living organism and their physical environment. Ecosystems vary in sizes and the living and non-living organisms that make them up. Ecosystems contain biotic factors such as plants, animals, and other organisms and also abiotic factors, such as rocks, temperature, and humidity (Coniferous Forest). Often times, ecosystems are divided into different categories based on climate patterns, soils types, and the animals and plants that inhibit them
Smith, T. M., & Smith, R. L. (2012). Elements of ecology (8th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
The branch of science that deals with how living things, including humans, are related to their surroundings is called ecology . The Earth supports some 5 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. These interact and influence their surroundings, forming a vast network of interrelated environmental systems called ecosystems. The arctic tundra is an ecosystem and so is a Brazilian rain forest. The islands of Hawaii are a relatively isolated ecosystem. If left undisturbed, natural environmental systems tend to achieve balance or stability among the various species of plants and animals. Complex ecosystems are able to compensate for changes caused by weather or intrusions from migrating animals and are therefore usually said to be more stable than simple ecosystems. A field of corn has only one dominant species, the corn plant, and is a very simple ecosystem. It is easily destroyed by drought, insects, disease, or overuse. A forest may remain relatively unchanged by weather that would destroy a nearby field of corn, because the forest is characterized by greater diversity of plants and animals. Its complexity gives it stability.
Different scales were used to compare macroinvertebrate community assembly in natural and modified habitats. At the catchment scale, 32 reaches were studies. Seventeen drained pastured grassland and fifteen drained semi natural vegetation. Hand net collections were taken at 3 minute intervals. At the patch scale, communities in undisturbed substrate were compared with communities under attack by fine sediment due to upstream erosion. Eight streams and a total of sixty stream patches were sample using a surper-sampler. At the microhabitat scale, controlled in situ conditions were used to reproduce fine sediment deposition. Three streams with low loads of sediment were examined. Sixty five total trays full of natural substrate free of animals were used. They were placed at the predetermined sites. Twenty-one trays were used as control, 23 trays were treated with fin...
Biodiversity refers to wide diversity found in the living components of the earth which refers to the numerous varieties of flora and fauna including those of microorganisms too. The interaction of biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem is very important aspect of life on earth. Biodiversity helps us to understand the variations among species and also how life originated on earth. Its study helps us to understand the inter-relationship between various forms of life and their adaptation to different conditions.