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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBOsqmBQBQk

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http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/successn/summary.htm

Lectures:
Population & Community Ecology
Oh Deer! Lab

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What is ecological succession?

The changing of the plant community over time.

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Discuss the difference between primary and secondary succession. Describe 2 examples of each in Florida.

Primary succession occurs in an environment which has been completely destroyed and lacks soil entirely.

Can occur after a volcanic eruption

Secondary succession occurs in an environment which has been damaged, not destroy, and still has nutrients left in the soil.

Can occur after a fire

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Discuss, in detail, the role that fire plays in regards to ecological succession in Florida.

‌◼ Fire helps maintain an ecosystem. It resets ecological succession and in some ecosystems, like the High Pines, fires provide nutrients to the soil and and germinates plants. Fire reduces the competition of hard pines. It also reduces the population of invasive species.

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What are some natural and anthropogenic ways ecological succession can be restarted?

Natural causes of ecological succession are fires, floods, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions.

Anthropogenic, or human-caused, ways of ecological succession being restarted are logging and mowing the lawn -- this typically limits biodiversity.

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What percent of energy is transferred between trophic levels in an ecosystem? Why?

Only 10%, because the other 90% is lost as heat due to the rule of 90.

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How come we do not see 4th level or 5th level consumers in an ecosystem.  Use the rule of 90/10 in your answer?

Because 90% of the energy being lost between every trophic level, by the time we get to the 4th or 5th level, there is simply not enough energy left.

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Define the following terms:

Producer - an organism that makes its own food from non-living resources

Consumer - an organism that gets its food by eating other living or once-living resources

Autotroph - another word for a producer, who makes its food from non-living resources

Heterotroph - another word for a consumer, who gets it’s energy by eating other organisms

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If there is 10000 kcal available in an area from producers, how much energy is left for the tertiary consumers?
Because of the Rule of 90, there would only be 10 kcal left for the tertiary consumers.

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Provide examples of at least 2 different energy pyramids showing how energy is transferred between trophic levels.

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What is the difference between a population and a community?

A population consists of all of the individuals in one species, while a community is various populations in one ecosystem.

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What is a major consequence of losing top trophic level predators in an ecosystem?

Losing top trophic level predators would lead to the species in the trophic level below to greatly increase. With so many new predators, the next trophic level would gradually become extinct because the new individuals would prey on them. This cycle would continue and overall cause a great imbalance in the food chain and trophic levels.

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Discuss the differences between the "J-shaped" and the "S-shaped" growth models of a population.

The J-shaped curve is graph showing exponential growth in a population, while an S-shaped curve models logistic growth

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What are limiting factors? Discuss the difference between density-dependent and density independent limiting factors.

Factors that limit growth of the population.

Density-dependent factors have to do with the density of the population, for example, disease, competition, and predation.

Density-independent factors, like the name suggests, does not rely on the density of the population. Factors like natural disasters are density-independent.

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Discuss "carrying capacity," "overshoots," and "dieoffs."

Carrying capacity - is the population size that an ecosystem can support in the presence of limiting factors

Going over a carrying capacity is called “overshoot”

Going downwards from a carrying capacity is called “die-off”

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Often we use the phrase “balance of nature” to describe a healthy ecosystem. Based on our graph, what does the “balance of nature” look like? Be sure to use the terms limiting factors and carrying capacity in your response. What would our graphs look like if nature is “out of balance?” Explain.

A healthy ecosystem with a balance of nature typically varies slightly around carrying capacity and maintains itself.

If nature is out of balance, there would likely be several limiting factors acting upon the ecosystem and creating a graph with extreme overshoots at some points, and extreme die-offs at other points.

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K-selected species, k for carrying capacity, tend to stay around carrying capacity and have a high growth rate, k-selected species are called k-selected species because ‘k’ for hovering around carrying capacity. Example: Florida panther

R-selected species, fast growth rate, tend to fluctuate wildly around carrying capacity and have a low growth rate r-selected species are called r-selected species because they have a fast growth rate. Example: Florida mouse

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What is the competitive exclusion principle?

Over time one species will outcompete the other species and eventually one species will take over one type of food or source and another species has to adapt to consume or live with another food or source.

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Discuss what a "Keystone" species is and give 2 examples in Florida.

A species in which it is essential for them to be in the ecosystem to keep it working, many other species depend on it, it is the link between the other species, without the whole ecosystem could fall apart.

Flordia example is the Gopher Tortoise, their burrows provide a home for a variety of different animals found in various ecosystems.

Longleaf pine it provides habitat for many animals and it provides a majority of the canopy in the longleaf pine ecosystem.

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Trophic Cascade

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Trophic Cascade: Wolves in Yellowstone park

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Trophic Cascade: Wolves in Yellowstone park

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wolves introduced helped kill off the deers and push them back to other areas

without wolves deers took over and started killing off and eating grass and other plants

more and more animals and different species started moving in as a ripple effect of wolves restoring the ecosystem

ex: birds moved in so more trees, beavers moved in causing otters to move in since the beavers made the niches and different habitats to move in, etc.

wolves not only changed the ecosystem of the park but also its physical geography