Mod 3 and 4 Notes – Combined

How do environmental pressures promote a change in species

diversity and abundance? Module 3
 predict the effects of selection pressures on organisms in
ecosystems, including:
– biotic factors
– abiotic factors

Population: All the organisms from the same species living in a particular area
Community: A group of populations in a particular area
Ecosystems: Community of living organism that interact with each other and
their surrounding environment (composed of biotic and abiotic factors)
Biotic Factors: The living components of an ecosystems
E.g. Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria
Abiotic factors: The non living components of an ecosystem
E.g. Light, temperature, wind Ph, salinity, water, shelter, etc
Selection pressures
Abiotic and biotic factors can exert pressure on organisms that live in an
ecosystem – When these pressures effect the ability of an organism to survive.
They affect the organism’s behaviour, survival and reproduction.
e.g. Low light intensity in a forest ecosystem will exert pressure on plants, which
rely on light to perform photosynthesis and survive.
Plants will either adapt to survive, or they will die
Significant changes in biotic or biotic conditions create selection pressures that
act upon organisms
Effects of selection pressures
Organisms best suited to the selection pressures will tend to be more abundant
because they have a better chance of survival, and reproduce more
- Population size changes
Changes in population sizes may affect other species living in the ecosystem
too
e.g. Predator Vs Prey relationship
The changes in population size of predatory organism will effect the
population size of the prey. It will decrease if the predator becomes more
abundant, and vice versa. This could alter the biodiversity of the whole
ecosystem
- Evolutionary changes
Selection pressures make some characteristics favourable and other
unfavourable, driving the evolution of the species towards the favourable trait
(how the organism looks, moves, or behaves)
Individuals with traits that are better suited to an environment are more likely to
reproduce, and pass on favourable trait to offspring. Overtime the favourable trat
will become common in the population.
e.g. Giraffes started off looking horse like but through the combination of biotic
and abiotic factors resulted in food being unable at low heights. Taller giraffes
were advantageous to reaching the leaves. They are more likely to survive and
are more likely to reproduce.

 Investigate changes in a population of organisms due to

selection pressures over time, for example
 - cane toads in Australia
- prickly pear distribution in Australia
Cane toads
Impact of selection pressures on the cane toad
- Not native to Australia but they were introduced into Queensland from Hawaii
in 1935 to control he cane beetle
Impact of biotic selection pressure
Pressure 1
Very few native predator in Australia
- Avoid being consumed
- Survive to reproduce
- Increase population size
Pressure 2
Few Australian diseases that can kill cane toads
- Avoid contracting disease
- Survive to reproduce
- Increase population size
Impact of Abiotic selection pressures
Cane toads can adapt to the abiotic conditions of many Australian ecosystems
Pressure 1 – suitable conditions (e.g. temperature, humidity, salinity)
- Live in diverse environments
- Survive to reproduce in many environments
- Increase population size
- Increase distribution

The prickly pear cactus

Introduced into Queensland from the Americas in 1788
Impact of Biotic selection pressures
Pressure 1 – No herbivorous predators in Australia
- Avoid being consumed
- Survive to produce seed bearing fruit
- Increase population size
Pressure 2 – Birds that spread seeds in their droppings of the cactus that they
ate
- Increase chance of successful reproduction
- Increase population size and expand distribution
Pressure 3 – Human influence (farming for dye, livestock feed)
- Germinate with the help of livestock manure
- Increase population size and expand distribution
Impact of Abiotic selection pressure
Pressure 1 – Climatic conditions (e.eg. high temperature, intense sunlight)
- Survive to reproduce
- Increase population size
Pressure 2 – Wind and flood waters
- Expand distribution in Australia

What effect can one species have on the other species in a community?
Module 4
  Investigate and determine relationships between biotic and
abiotic factors in an ecosystem, including:
Biotic factors: Predation and competition
Abiotic: light and temperature
Ecosystem: The combination of all the biotic and abiotic factors in a particular
area
Community: All the populations of different species living in he same place at the
same time

Comparing ecosystems
E.g. Desert and rainforest ecosystems

Desert ecosystems are terrestrial arid environments (which means they’re very
hot and very dry). They are vast, open ecosystems, most commonly found
around 30° of latitude above or below the equator. The climate is dry and
temperature ranges from below 0°C at night to 40°C during the day. There is
very little rainfall, and the availability of important nutrients such as phosphorus
and nitrogen is very poor. The low rainfall and harsh abiotic conditions in the
desert limit the biotic components to the few species that are well adapted to
survive in arid environments, like grasses and reptiles. So, biodiversity is low.

On the other hand we have another terrestrial environment: a tropical rainforest.

Unlike vast and open deserts, tropical rainforests are very dense, humid and
experience high rainfall. They are found near the equator, generally between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (hence the name). Temperatures
range between 20°C and 35°C all year round. Important nutrients like nitrogen
and phosphorous are plentiful. As a consequence of these favourable abiotic
conditions, far more organisms are able to survive in this climate. This means
that the biodiversity is very high, and includes a variety of trees, flowers, insects,
birds and mammals.

An ecological niche is defined as the specific set of environmental conditions

required by an organism or the functions it performs in nature

When describing an organisms niche, you should try to include...

- Its habitat (abiotic and biotic factors, including any if it's requirements)
- Its adaptations (any structural, physiological or behavioural traits that enable
to survive in its habitat)
- Its role (e.g. producer, how it fits into a food web or interacts with other
species)

Gause's Principal of Competitive Exclusion

No two species can occupy the same ecological niche; eventually one will out-
compete the other
If two species are in direct competition for the same resources one will
eventually out-compete the other. This occurs because if one of the two species
has even the slightest advantage or edge over another then it will be able to
produce more offspring in the run. Because it's descendants will be more
numerous they will consume an even greater share of the resource. As a result
the other species will go extinct or is forced to find an alternative way of making
a living; an alternative niche.

Population: all of the organisms of one species in a particular habitat

Population size: Number of species in habitat
Limiting factors
Biotic:
Predation and competition
Abiotic
Temperature
Light
Ph
Water and humidity

- the impact of abiotic factors

Abiotic factors
 temperature
Each species has a specific optimum temperature at which survived
best.
Ectotherms cannot control their internal temperature (if its too cold,
enzymes slow down, of its too hot the enzymes start to denature
Endotherms can control their internal temperature (Must expend
energy to keep temperature constant)
 Light
Photosynthesis – plants convert light enery to chemcical energy

Light intensity increases -> rate of photosynthesis increases -> plants

can grow faster

But too much light, can kill them (e.g. Ferns are in rainforests)
 pH
How acidic the environment is

Enzymes have an optimum pH. The closer the environment is to the

optimum pH, the faster the catalysis of metabolic reactions and the
greater the carrying capacity
 Water +humidity
Cacti are adapted to dry desert conditions (carrying capacity is high,
but in rainforests their carrying capacity is much lower)
Humidity affects the transpiration fo water in plants
Humid conditions -> less evaporations – less transpiration. Plants are
adapted to live and transpire in a particular humidity
 Area size
The amount of biomnass a population has to feed on affects its
population size. Different populations require differently sized habitats.
Tiny fish only need small bio mass. Different organisma re adapted to
survive in different depths. (crabs are found in bottom, because they
need the sand to find burrows within).

These conditions in the ecosystem makes it easier or harder for a

particular organim to survive and reproduce

-the impact of biotic factors, including predation, competition and

symbiotic relationships
Competition – biotic living factors
Competition always exists hen more than one individuals want the
same limited resources.

Interspeciifc competition
Organisms from different species compete for the same resources
Impacts:
Population size
Distribution of species (if one species is better adapted and able to
obtain more resources, it will out compete the other species)

Intraspecific competition
Organisms from the same species compete for the same resources

Predation
Predator – Prey relationships

There is always less predators than prey

Predator population rides and falls after the prey population as it is

depedents on the prey population for change in size.

Factors that can play a role in effecting a predator prey graph

- Climatic events and diseases may affect population size
- Availability of food for prey may affect population size

Symbiotic relationships

Symbiosis
Prolonged relationship between organisms of different species
(organisms live and function together) -> at least one organism MUST
benefit

Types of relationships
1. Mutualism
Both organism benefit from the relationship; Humans and bacteria
Human benefits: food is broken down into simple nutrients
Bacteria benefits: gain easy food source and a place to live
2. Commensalism
One organism benefits and the other is unaffected
E.g. whales and barnacles
Barnacles attaches to whale and are able to reach more plankton, but
the whale is unaffected
3. Parasitism
One organism benefits and the other is harmed
e.g. Dogs and ticks
Tick benefits from feeding from blood, and the dog is harmed
4. Amensalism (not symbiosis as no organism is benefitting)

One organism is unaffected, the other is harmed (not a symbiosis

relationship)
e.g. Big tree and small plant
Big tree is unaffected (not benefitted or harmed
Little plant is harmed as it is unable to reach light inhibiting growth
Competition is a type of amensalism

- Predicting consequences for populations in ecosystems due to

predation, competition, symbiosis and disease

- - the ecological niches occupied by species

Ecological niche: organism’s role within its habitat
Includes all its interactions with biotic and abiotic factors of an
ecosystem and is determined by tis habitat, feeding relationships, and
interactions with other species.

Each organism is adapted to exist in an ecosystem in a way that no

other species can.

e.g. River ecosystem

Fish and ducks live with abiotic factor of water. Fish go underneath, as
ducks live above ( they occupy different niches, even though they are in
the same place)

Different microorganisms occupy a number of different niches

1) Microbes in the human gut
-> responsible for digesting certain types of fibre

2) Microbes in the soil

 Play a key role in nutrient cycling
 Decompose dead matter to release simple nutrients

No two species can occupy the same niche: Competitive exclusion

principle

If two species try and occupy same nice, they will compete against each
other within the niche, so the better suited species will outcompete the
other species and occupy the niche and the losing species will either
adapt to fill a different niche (occupy a different habitat – birds feeding
from bottom trunk of tree rather than top), or it will become locally
extinct.

Interpreting graphs

 The higher the carrying capacity, the more they are better to
survive in those particular conditions
 With two lines in one graph (of two different species) ->
Interspecific or intraspecific competition occurs between two
 Competitive exclusion

Describe biological diversity by explaining the relationships between a

range of organisms in terms of specialisation for selected habitats and
evolution of species.