Bio20 - 10 - Marine Ecology - Color

Lecture 10: Marine Ecology
Learning Objectives:
1. Explain how populations grow over time in
ideal conditions and limited conditions.
2. Describe the three major types of species
interactions and provide examples
3. Explain the concepts of competitive exclusion
and resource partitioning
4. Describe how some species are more important
than others in ecosystems.
5. Describe trophic structure in marine food webs
6. State how energy and nutrients move through
marine ecosystems
Ecology is the study of the interaction between
organisms and their environment.
Some Ecology Terms...
• Population – All individuals of the same
species living together.
• Community – All populations of organisms
of different species living in a defined area.
• Ecosystem – All the biotic (living) and
abiotic (nonliving) components in a
particular area
• Habitat – The physical place where an
organism lives.
• Ecological niche – All the resources (biotic
& abiotic) an organism uses for survival,
growth, and reproduction.
Population Growth Models
…predict how a population could grow given
current population and growth rate
Two broad types of growth patterns:
• Exponential Growth
• Logistic Growth
Exponential Model
• …describes the increase of a population in an ideal unlimited
environment
• Results in a J-shaped curve
• Equation of exponential population growth:
• Results in a population explosion
Populations
• Populations require specific resources to survive.
• These resources can affect population growth if
they are in short supply.
• Resources that affect the growth of a population
are called limiting resources.
• The limiting resources include, but are not limited
to:
• Food and nutrients
• Physical factors (light, salinity, substrate, etc.)
• Space (habitat)
• Oxygen or carbon dioxide
Logistic Growth Model
• Even if a population is not checked by a limiting resource,
there is a maximum number of individuals that any habitat
can support.
• This number is known as the carrying capacity.
• As a population becomes more crowded, the growth rate of
that population will decrease (logistic growth).
Ecological Interactions
Ways that species can interact:
1. Competition (-/-)
2. Predator-Prey Interactions
(+/-)
3. Symbiosis (+/+, +/-, & +/0)

Competition
Competition occurs when two different
populations use the same limiting resource they
both require for survival.
intraspecific vs. interspecific

Competitive Exclusion
• An organism can use
a resource at the
expense of another
organism.
• Poorer competitors
may die out due to
this competition
(competitive
exclusion).
In this example, Balanus barnacles
compete with Chthamalus barnacles for
space and resources.
Resource Partitioning
Species coexist (resource partitioning) by sharing a
resource by becoming specialized (eating a particular food,
feeding at different times, etc.)
Predation
One species (predator) kills another (prey) for food.
• Herbivory: An organism (herbivore) that eats seaweeds
or plants.
Prey species often have adaptations that help them
avoid being eaten such as…
Symbiosis – Species Living in
Close Association
Types of Symbiosis:
1. Mutualism (+/+) - both species benefit
Cleaning shrimp and fish
Coral and zooxanthellae

Close Association
Types of Symbiosis:
2. Commensalism (+/0) - one species benefits with no
apparent effect on the other
Barnacles and whales
Close Association
Types of Symbiosis:
3. Parasitism (+/-) - one species benefits & the other is
harmed
Fish and parasitic isopod Whales and tapeworms

Some species are more important
• Dominant species: most
abundant or have the highest
numbers
• Ecosystem engineers: an organism that creates,
significantly modifies, maintains, or destroys a
habitat
• Keystone species: species that has a
disproportionally large effect on its ecosystem
Energy Flow
• Energy flows
through an
ecosystem (trophic
structure).
• Primary
producers –
autotrophs that
make food.
• Consumers –
heterotrophs that
feed on food made
by primary
producers.
Primary Productivity
Primary Production: the
organic matter left over after
the primary producers meet
their own needs: base of the
trophic pyramid
Primary Productivity
Global distribution of marine primary producer abundance
Trophic Structure
Trophic structure - feeding relationships in an ecosystem
Where Does all the Energy Go?
On average, about 10% is transferred to the next level
of the food chain: pyramid of energy.
Energy pyramid represents each trophic level by a volume

directly proportional to the energy stored in new tissues per
unit time.
The Carbon Cycle
• Carbon is used by primary producers to
manufacture organic molecules (photosynthesis).
• Complex carbon compounds are manufactured
by both primary producers and consumers.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is eventually released from
all organisms through respiration and
decomposition.
The Carbon Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen is also required for primary production
and must be cycled through the ecosystem.
• Nitrogen is often an important limiting factor for
primary production in many marine ecosystems.
The Nitrogen Cycle

Bio20 - 10 - Marine Ecology - Color

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bio20 - 10 - Marine Ecology - Color

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bio20 - 10 - Marine Ecology - Color

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 10: Marine Ecology

3. Symbiosis (+/+, +/-, & +/0)

intraspecific vs. interspecific

Cleaning shrimp and fish

Coral and zooxanthellae

Fish and parasitic isopod Whales and tapeworms

Energy pyramid represents each trophic level by a volume

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.