A LOCAL ECOSYSTEM

1. THE DISTRIBUTION, DIVERSITY AND NUMBERS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS FOUND IN

ECOSYSTEMS ARE DETERMINED BY BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS

1.1 COMPARE THE ABIOTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS

Abiotic factors non-living components of an ecosystem, e.g. temperature, light, wind, salinity, water availability
Biotic factors living things in an ecosystem, all organisms (plants, animals, bacteria etc.)

Biotic factors that could affect the distribution and abundance of a particular species include predators, competition
from other species for food and shelter, and the spread of disease from one organism to another.

ABIOTIC FACTOR TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT
Light Readily available Less available, decreases with depth
Water availability Variable High, depends on osmotic factors
and salinity
Oxygen availability High Less, decreases with depth or
increase of temperature
Buoyancy Low High
Viscosity Low High
Nutrient availability Variable Readily available in dissolved form
Temperature Fluctuates (variable) Less variable, decrease with depth


1.2 IDENTIFY THE FACTORS DETERMINING THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF A SPECIES IN EACH
ENVIRONMENT

Population: a group of individuals of a single species in a given area at the same time they interact with each other
and interbreed

Distribution: the spread of a species over a geographical area

Abundance: the number of organisms of a species in an ecosystem

DISTRIBUTION ABUNDANCE
Where an organism is found in an environment
It is usually uneven throughout the ecosystem
Organisms are found where abiotic and biotic
factors favour them
Organisms are distributed where:
Survival rate is high
Predation is low
Requirements for survival are met
How many organisms in an ecosystem
Not the same throughout environment
Changes over time:
Increases due to births and immigration
Decreases due to deaths and emigration


Abiotic factors affecting distribution and abundance Biotic factors affecting distribution and abundance
Light
Strength of wind
Rainfall
Temperature variations
Topography
Tides, currents and waves

Space and shelter
Oxygen
Availability of food
Number of competitors
Number of mates available
Number of predators
Number and variety of disease causing organisms

Factors affecting distribution and abundance of the cane toad:
warm (ectothermic)
wet (amphibian)
food resources
number of competitors
number of mates
number/variety of disease causing organisms
habitat availability
births and deaths, immigration and emigration (cane toad is migrating across the northern part of Australia at an
alarming rate due to the suitability of the habitat)

1.3 DESCRIBE THE ROLES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND RESPIRATION IN ECOSYSTEMS

All energy for organisms within an ecosystem comes from the sun, and is harnessed by plants in photosynthesis
Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and glucose. Glucose is the source of food for
other organisms.
Respiration is the process by which cells obtain energy. It is a series of chemical reactions.

1.4 IDENTIFY USES OF ENERGY BY ORGANISMS

Synthesis complex molecules proteins, lipids, carbohydrates
Growth differentiation, elongation, division
Repair and maintain old/damaged cells
Active transport of materials across cell membranes
Specialized cells that require energy nerve, muscle and kidney cells
Transport o materials (e.g. through phloem, circulatory system)

1.5 IDENTIFY THE GENERAL EQUATION FOR AEROBIC CELLULAR RESPIRATION AND OUTLINE THIS AS A SUMMARY
OF A CHAIN OF BIOCHEMICAL REACTIONS

Glucose + Oxygen Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy

Respiration is the process to release energy
aerobic requires oxygen
the energy is in the bonds amongst glucose it is released when the bonds are broken
respiration involves over 50 different reactions each catalyzed by its own enzyme

1.6 PROCESS AND ANALYSE INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM A VARIETY OF SAMPLING STUDIES TO JUSTIFY THE
USE OF DIFFERENT SAMPLING TECHNIQUES TO MAKE POPULATION ESTIMATES WHEN TOTAL COUNTS CANNOT BE
PERFORMED

A population is a group of similar organisms living in a given area as a time
Populations can never be 100% accurately counted; this is because of the difficulty of describing in detail large
areas. Also it would be too time-consuming and damaging to the environment
Populations are estimated using sampling techniques. These make an estimate, which is roughly accurate of the
population.

Measuring Distribution:
A transect is used
This a narrow strip that is placed across the area being studied from one end to another
The organism on the strip, from one end to another, are recorded and this represents the distribution of
organisms for that area

Measuring Abundance: Plants:
The quadrat method is used
Method: quadrats (squares of a fixed area) are placed randomly in an area.
The abundance of the organism in that area is measured
Animals - Quadrat method cant be used, as animals move around Capture recapture method is used instead








2. EACH LOCAL OR TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM IS UNIQUE

2.1 EXAMINE TRENDS IN POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR SOME PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES WITHIN AN
ECOSYSTEM

Population growth = (births + immigrations) (death + emigrations)

Area Studied: Grey Mangrove forest at Homebush Bay:
As the water level rose, the amount of mangrove seedlings decreased, but the amount of semaphore crabs
increased
As the water level reduced, the amount of mangrove seedlings increased, but the amount of semaphore crabs
decreased
his pointed out that mangrove seedlings do not prefer to be covered in water, while crabs do


2.2 OUTLINE FACTORS THAT AFFECT NUMBERS IN PREDATOR AND PREY POPULATION IN THE AREA STUDIED

Predator population controlled by prey, as it depends on how many prey it can eat

Prey population controlled by predator activity as the predators rely on prey as a source of food

Biotic factors food, competition, shelter, predators, parasites/disease
Abiotic factors sunlight, temperature, rainfall, wind, soil minerals

2.3 IDENTIFY EXAMPLES OF ALLELOPATHY, PARASITISM, MUTUALISM AND COMMENSALISM IN AN ECOSYSTEM
AND THE ROLE OF ORGANISMS IN EACH TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP

Mutualism Relationship that is mutually beneficial for both organisms.
e.g. lychen relationship between algae (provides food) and fungi (provides structure)
Allelopathy This happens when a plant releases a chemical to inhibit the growth of other plants.
e.g. cassuarina tree has toxic needles which fall to the ground, inhibiting the growth of other
plants.
Commensalism A relationship that benefits one organism and does no harm to the other.
e.g. golden orb spider builds web in tree so benefits the spider, but tree is unaffected.
Parasitism One organism benefits, but the host organism is harmed.
e.g. mosquitoes, harm animals (usually mammals humans)


2.4 DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF DECOMPOSERS IN ECOSYSTEMS

Decomposers are the rubbish cleaners of the ecosystems
They feed on the left overs of other organisms, dead organisms and decaying organisms and their wastes.
They enable the materials of decomposition available to plants
They keep the biomass in circulation.

2.5 EXPLAIN TROPHIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ORGANISMS IN AN ECOSYSTEM USING FOOD CHAINS, FOOD
WEBS AND PYRMAIDS OF BIOMASS AND ENERGY

A trophic interaction is one where one organism is consumed by another

A Producer is also known as an autotroph
A consumer is also known as a heterotroph

Food Chain Is a single chain of feeding patterns. It shows a liner process in which organism is consequently
consumed by another in increasing trophic order.

Food Web This is the combination and interaction of numerous food chains and shows the interactions and feeding
patterns of numerous organisms. It is non-linear and one organism can be in many different trophic levels depending
on the chain/web. A food web and a food chain also show the flow of energy and matter in an ecosystem.

Biomass pyramid A biomass pyramid indicates the relative amount of matter in the organisms of a community. The
total amount of mass in a community is called its biomass. In a self-sustaining ecosystem, the biomass significantly
decreases at each trophic level. The normal pattern of a biomass pyramid has a huge percentage of producers, a
limited percentage of herbivores and a small percentage of carnivores. Biomass pyramids show the amount of
matter at each trophic level. These when used with food webs are best used to describe the energy and matter
transfer through a community.

Energy pyramid Energy pyramids show the amount of energy at each trophic level in a community. The lower the
organism on a food chain the more energy it has available to it. Energy pyramids indicate the relative amount of
energy transferred from one trophic level to another. In a stable community, biomass and energy pyramids decrease
rapidly as the trophic level increases. Biomass and energy pyramids can be used to predict and explain changes in a
community.

2.6 DEFINE THE TERM ADAPTATION AND DISCUSS THE PROBLEMS WITH INFERRING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ORGANISMS AS ADAPTATIONS FOR LIVING IN A PARTICULAR HABITAT

An adaptation is a feature of a organism that makes it well suited to its environment and its lifestyle
Adaptations can be:
Structural: A physical characteristic relating to the structure of an organism
Physiological: Relating to the way an organism functions
Behavioural: How an organism relates to it environment
Adaptations are always genetic; they are the result of natural selection
Problems associated with inferring characteristics of organisms include:
If you do not know the environment an organism lives in, then saying a characteristic is an adaptation is just
guesswork
Sometimes, organisms gain features that are advantageous to its survival, but are a result of the organisms live
experience. This is not an adaptation, as adaptations are always genetically based

2.7 IDENTIFY SOME ADAPTATIONS OF LIVING THINGS TO FACTORS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Animal adaptations Spider:

8 legs (structural adaptation)
Ability to produce web (physiological adaptation)
Crawl away from any points of bright light (behavioral adaptation)

Plant adaptations Old man Banksias:
Huge Flower, thick bark, extremely fine intricate roots (structural)
Seeds falling to the ground after a fire (physiological)

2.8 IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE IN DETAIL ADAPTATIONS OF A PLANT AND AN ANIMAL FROM THE LOCAL ECOSYSTEM



2.9 DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES ON THE ECOSYSTEM OF SPECIES
COMPETING FOR RESOURCES

Competition in ecosystems is the struggle between organisms for the same resource
Competition can be between members of the same species or between members of different species.
In the short-term, competition reduces the chance of survival and restricts the abundance of all competitors
In the long-term, one of the competitors will eventually be more successful and drive out or significantly reduce
the numbers of other competitors

2.10 IDENTIY THE IMPACT OF HUMANS IN THE ECOSYSTEM STUDIED