A Study Of Ecology And Its Effects On The Environment

This report discusses an experiment to study the relationship between the ecological niche and competition. The hypothesis formulated states that if competition traits are identical and resources are abundant than multiple species will be able to coexist, and if one species has an advantage over the others than this species will be more likely to out compete another species for resources. The objective of this experiment is to use a simulation model of a rabbit pen containing four different “species” of rabbits. The model establishes rules for each species that are based on a number of important characteristics reflecting their ecological niches and their competitive abilities. These

Plants are found everywhere on earth, up high on the ridge and down low in caves and caverns. The types of plants that live in these places depends on many factors. These factors are separated into two different categories, the biotic factors and the abiotic factors. Some of the biotic factors include, predation, competition, and habitat destruction. Plants with limited competition and large amounts of resources will be in a higher abundance than plants with limited resources and higher competition rates will be confined to areas and either out competed or will be the dominant species. Certain plants adapt to these factors and thrive and others don’t do as well. Some of the abiotic factors include, sunlight, water, temperature, and wind. These

Within communities, organisms compete for limited resources (food, space, mates, shelter). 613 of our native species (plants, birds, fish), compete with 240 introduced plant species, 19 introduced bird species, 9 introduced mammals and 2 amphibians. It is estimated that we have lost 30 native bird species due to this competition.

Predators and prey are organisms that interrelate, and they can influence on another’s success in reproduction. Predators are organisms that consume other organisms-their prey. These two organisms evolve together. They live in an environment where they must develop certain adaptations to survive. When an adaptation is developed, it gives an organism certain physical characteristics that create an advantage for survival and can come to dominate in a population. An adaptation aids survival by either decreasing a prey's chance of being eaten, or by increasing a predator's chance of obtaining food to survive and reproduce. Predators must fight for food. They face density-independent

Earth is home to many diverse and mysterious species. These species thrive within their own ecosystem by adapting to their living habitats and food source. Though when human actions introduce new species to a foreign area where that species never lived before, this is called an exotic species (Phelan, 2013, p.640). Some of these exotic species normally do not cause a threat to the ecosystem to which it is introduced, however some do and these are called invasive species. Invasive species tend to have no predators therefore they can multiply at vastly large numbers and outcompete the native species’ food source and living space. Furthermore these native species have no prior mechanisms to defend themselves from the new invasive species therefore they can fall prey to these new invaders (Phelan, 2013, p.640).

Competition happens between two or more things. In talking about plants they compete with each to survive. When competing against each other to survive they are using soil, water, nitrogen, and space. In using theses resources and having theses available gives the plant a greater chance in living. Even though plants compete environmental wise it is still scene that there is a lot of unknown to why plants compete. Some researchers believe it could be because of the root size of an individual plant or the size of the seed, which gives it better competition in surviving (Miller, 1995). Different types of competition can happen between plants likes intraspecific and interspecific competition. Miller (1995) believes there is not enough research shown to make a determination as to why competition between plants happens and that there should be research done in looking at the evolution of plants in different environments where they can compete with each other. In looking at competition in plants in class the experiment that we conducted looks at the Brassica rapa in a intraspecific competition in different densities. Miller (1995) found that the B. rapa in intraspecific competition did have increase in the number of flowers that were produced. Comparing this to the finding of Miller, when looking at different densities of plants in a interspecific competition could the B. rapa have more of a change in growth because a higher density will have more seeds and the B.

Since organisms living in communities form interdependent relationships, a change in the abundance of one species will not only affect the physical and more direct interactions, but could indirectly affect the number of other species within the community as a consequence (Wootton 1993). These indirect affects rise because the interactions between pairs of species are not independent of other species, such as increasing the density of vegetation may increase the survival rate of the prey, reducing the intensity of the interaction between the predator and prey (Wootton 1993, 1994). An

gracilis to acquire resources and outcompete B. rapa would increase as the ratio of B. gracillis to B. rapa increased. This hypothesis was based on the influence of community composition in interspecies competitive intensity (Elmendorf and Moore 2007). Competitive ability of invasive species are more intense when this species dominates within the community (Elmendorf and Moore 2007). However, by reversing the ratio, and allowing the non-invasive B. gracilis to dominate within the community, this would decrease the competitive ability of B. rapa, and consequently increase the competitive ability of B. gracilis. In doing so, high numbers of B. gracilis would overwhelm and inhibit B. rapa from colonizing the

In general, top predators and green plants are common because of the different community organisms such as the Chippewa Natural Forest that is in total disorder. These species come and go as free spirits and their colonization’s possible extinction are not determined by the presence or absence of other species (Wilson, 1992, p. 163). In fact, the amount of biodiversity is considered a random process in which the species fail to coexist except by accident. Secondly, some species are closely independent, that the food web is design so rigid the symbioses is so tightly bound and the community is virtually a super organism (Wilson, 1992, p. 16). Therefore, one species such as the Acadian flycatcher or goblin fern is a super organism, that thousands

Whether it is through competition, symbiotic relationships, pollinator dynamics or the millions of other interactions that occur in nature, species have evolved together and thus live in certain niches or behave in certain ways in order to survive. When I was younger I always thought of these observations as just the way things had to be in order for nature to work, but now I realize these relationships are key to understanding how the natural world has evolved due to environmental conditions. Furthermore, the understanding of the mechanisms behind these natural phenomena are important in developing solutions to the current mass extinctions and decline of species. The biodiversity I observed as a child in the mountains and the biodiversity that I am studying now in college is one of the subjects I find to be most intriguing and important about evolutionary biology. The ways in which species evolve through natural selection and thus differentiate how they behave, look, or live is what contributes to the natural beauty and interconnected interactions of nature that first made me love animals and the outdoors. The mechanisms of evolutionary biology keep me inspired to learn about the natural world in order to determine how I can help preserve it. This has led to my aspirations of going to graduate school in wildlife biology and pursuing a career in research to solve current issues in wildlife

Extinction: Most species become extinct because they can’t cope with the environmental change, and also because of introduced species that turned into competitors for

Until a stable balance is reached, healthy and balanced ecosystem keep this balance through several limiting factors, which can restrict and regulate the size or range of species such as natural climate, geography, presence or absence of predators. When, however, these invasive species are accidentally or intentionally transplanted into out waters. They can upset the ecological balance. They lack disease and predator controls, so these non-native species can rapidly reproduce and spread at an amazing and faster pace than native species. The consequence is that these invasive species compete with native species for food and habitat. These organisms harmful not because of what they are, but where they happen to be. Most of the world’s ecosystem are the result of coevolution by numerous different organisms in the worlds, adapting to their environment and each other. In other words, natural ecosystems become totally disrupt and out of balance. if the new species and habitat’s limiting factors fail to restrict the rapid

Predator-prey interactions can be seen in multiple biomes for multiple organisms. Evolutionary responses have been introduced to both sides to better enable either hunting and/or survivorship. A good example of the latter of the two is the response of snails to predation by crayfish. When other snails are crushed and consumed, a chemical is released allowing other snails to avoid the area. This is known as a chemical refuge and is what our study is mainly focusing on.

Ecology has been the study of different interactions amongst organisms with the abiotic environment (Pimm and Smith, 2007), examining how ecosystems have thrived upon these relations. Ecosystems have depended on the continued availability of energy supplied ultimately by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Plants have lived in association with each other from having occupied the same niche in nature (Khan and Hussain, 1999). Numerous plants have

According to Van Driesche, nonnative species are more likely to establish if they invade habitats with lowered biotic resistance, encounter prey with poorly developed mechanisms of self-defense, or invade habitats unaccompanied by their specialized natural enemies or when their invasion is facilitated by earlier invaders (2000).  Damage to these communities, then, can be seen both in cumulative effects and in a cycle of self-reinforcement.  Although pristine environments are still at risk from invasion, this positive feedback loop makes habitats already with a disturbance by exotics even more vulnerable to other invasions.