Biodiversity and Limiting Factors in Ecosystems

Biodiversity-measure of the number of different species presenting a given area.-i.e. classroom = 1 species

Biodiversity

Check out the board to your right for the blanks on the Biodiversity diagram from your noteEcotone – transition zone between ecosystems where organisms from both ecosystems interact with each other

Energy and Food Chains- every organism in an

ecosystem passes energy to organisms that eat them.- a food chain on it’s own is unstable because removal of one organism will destroy the chain.- the most stable ecosystems are those with the most biodiversity.

Energy and Food Chains (Higher Biodiversity --> more complex food

webs--> many interconnections)

*removal of one species will not have catastrophic effects.Example - stable ecosystem = Rain Forest (High Biodiversity)

- less stable ecosystem = Arctic (Low Biodiversity)

Limiting Factors in Ecosystems

population: all of the individuals of a species that live in a certain place at a certain timecarrying capacity - the largest population size an ecosystem can sustain

Limits on Populations

A. Biotic Potential - The max. number of offspring that a species could produce if resources were limited.Birth Potential – max number of offspring per birthCapacity for survival – number of offspring that reach reproductive ageProcreation – number of times a species reproduces each yearLength of reproductive life – the age of sexual maturity and the number of years the Individual can reproduce

Limiting FactorsB. Limiting factors - any resources that limit the size to which a population can grow

Decreasing oxygen supplylow food supplydiseasepredatorslimited space

Limiting FactorsC. Carrying Capacity - the largest population size an ecosystem can sustainStability is achieved when all of the population is in equilibrium (none of the population exceeds carrying capacity)Equilibrium - a stable, balanced, or unchanged ecosystem