The physical relief of the island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range, and the central plain they encompass, the Mesaoria. The Mesaoria plain is drained by the Pedieos River, the longest on the island. 

 

Cyprus lies on major migration routes for birds. In spring and autumn millions pass over the island, while many species winter there. Among the numerous resident species are francolin and chukar partridges.

●      two parasitic organisms

●      the ecological niche of two characteristic animals

●      two organisms that share the same food (niche partitioning) and the way that they manage it;

●      based on the simplified trophic pyramid found in slide 6 of the resource topic 2.1 'Relationship of organisms in ecosystems', make an analogous one with plants and animals from your own BioArea.

The largest lizard in the Mediterranean region and a very successful predator, hunting small mammals, lizards, snakes and insects. Because of its hunting ability, local people call it “the desert wolf”. Varanus griseus monitor lizards normally display a variety of body coloration from light brown and yellow to grey. They average about one meter in length, but can reach total body lengths of almost two meters. Like most members of the genus Varanus, V. griseus is a carnivore. The preferred prey of the species is mice, eggs, or fish, but it will also prey on smaller mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, insects, or other invertebrates, if the opportunity presents itself.

Finke, D. L. & Snyder, W. E. Niche partitioning increases resource exploitation by diverse communities. Science 321: 1488–1490 (2008).

Grant, P. R. Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986.

Grant, P. R. & Grant, B. Evolution of character displacement in Darwin's finches. Science 313, 224–226 (2006).

Kahmen A. et al. Niche complementarity for nitrogen use — An explanation for the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationship in grasslands? Ecology 87, 1244–1255. (2006)

Pyke, G. H. Local geographic distributions of bumblebees near Crested Butte, Colorado: competition and community structure. Ecology 63, 555–573 (1982).

Schoener, T.W. Resource partitioning in ecological communities. Science 185, 27–39 1974.

●      Wildlife overexploitation in your BioArea for the food industry, pet market, traditional medicine or the fashion industry.

●      Species of your BioArea that appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

●      Possible invasions of alien species in your BioArea during the last decade. Consult also the list of 100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.

●      Possible signs of climate change in your BioArea, such as weather extremes.

 Illustrate your findings by adding interviews with relevant actors, photos, maps, case studies, opinions, google earth photos, myths or anything you think that could improve your BioArea. 

The middle of summer is hot – in July and August on the coast the average temperature is usually around 33 °C (91 °F) during the day and around 22 °C (72 °F) at night (inland, in the highlands average temperature exceeds 35 °C (95 °F)) while in the June and September on the coast the average temperature is usually around 30 °C (86 °F) during the day and around 20 °C (68 °F) at night in Limassol, while is usually around 28 °C (82 °F) during the day and around 18 °C (64 °F) at night in Paphos. Large fluctuations in temperature are rare. Inland temperatures are more extreme, with colder winters and hotter summers compared with the coast of the island 

Today, this activity has grown into an uncontrolled tax-free business with a profit of millions of euros. According to BirdLife Cyprus, more than 2.5 million birds are trapped each year by the illegal use of nets and lime sticks.Cyprus is within one of the most important migratory bird corridors between Europe, Asia and Africa. This natural wealth could be harnessed to attract bird watching tourism.