Succeeding a Disturbance
The Aftermath of Nuclear Disaster
Succeeding a
Disturbance
Chernobyl Fallout
What happens after a
disaster?
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6.
Niche
Adaptation
Generalist
Specialist
Invasive species
Succession
– Primary
– Secondary
7. Pioneer species
8. Climax community
Words to Define…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=6XDbcMND7fY
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Electricity and Hoover Dam (0-6:00)
Sewers
Dogs (7:39-12:30)
Pests (10:30Succession (-15:30)
Invasive mussels and hydroelectric (-18:35)
Fires (-19:57)
Succession and Central Park (Zoo animals (-22:50
Chernobyl/20 yrs. (23:00-32:48)
SPECIALISTS VS GENERALISTS
Which type of species tend to do well immediately
following a disaster?
Long-term?
r- Strategist
Focus on reprodxn
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Population Strategies
Many, small offspring
little/no parental care
Early reproductive age
Most offspring die before
reproducing
Small adults
Adapted to unstable enviro
High population growth rate
Erratic graph/not at K
Generalist
Not a good competitor
Early successionist
K- Strategist
Stabilizes at carrying capacity
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Few, large offspring
High parental protection
Late reproductive age
Most offspring reproduce
Large adults
Adapted to stable enviro
Low pop growth rate
Stable, S-graph around K
Specialist
Good competitor
Late successionist
Remember this????
• A trophic level is
an organism’s
feeding level.
• What trophic level
is the organism on
your card?
Can you make a food chain with
all the cards at your table?
• Draw the food chain in your
book.
• Remember what two things you
always need!
Everything’s connected!
What happens if you
spray a pesticide to
kill the mosquitos?
Owl Pellets
• What are they?
1. Using forceps, probes, and toothpicks dissect the owl
pellet.
2. Sort the bones onto the chart.
3. Draw a diagram of a food web (of at least 5 organisms)
with the owl at the uppermost trophic level.
What tells you more about a
person…
• Their address?
OR
• Their job?
What is an owl’s niche?
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Top predator
Eats rodents, small birds, snakes, etc.
Lives in trees
Lays eggs
Can fly
What defines an organism’s niche?
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Where it lives
What it eats
What eats it
How it reproduces
What nutrients it needs
Range of tolerance
Range of movement
Interactions
Role it plays (producer, consumer, scavenger, etc.)
Backwards Facts
• Play “20 questions” about your niche to define
who you are.
– Yes or no questions only
– No structural questions (Am I bigger than a dog?,
Do I look like…?)
III. Symbiosis
• “Living together” in a long-lasting relationship
3 types
Parasitism
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
1 species (PARASITE) gets nourishment by living on,
in, or near another species (HOST) over an
extended period of time
– Endoparasites
– Ectoparasites
Rarely Lethal!
Why would you kill a good thing?
Mutualism
• Both species benefit in various ways
– Having pollen dispersed for reproduction
– Being supplied with food
– Receiving protection
• Not as much cooperation as exploitation
Commensalism
• One species benefits, the other is neither
helped nor harmed
• Clownfish & Sea Anemone
– Protection
– Feed on anemone’s leftovers
Chernobyl
1986
This is an
example of
what natural
process?
2011
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
…How nature
changes over time
TIME
Arrange the pics in the correct
order…
Is it primary or secondary succession?
• Depends on starting conditions:
– Is there any soil present?
– Does not matter if life had been there previously
or not
Primary or Secondary?
Primary or Secondary?
Life begins with
PIONEER SPECIES
• Hardy, small, grows
quickly
• Breaks down rock to
make soil
• Makes an area more
suitable for other plants
• Ex: bacteria, moss,
lichens
The most mature
community is called
the climax
community
Climax Community
Plants Dictate Animals
Adaptations help an organism maximize
their success, but all organisms struggle…
• What are some things that limit a population?
– These are called limiting factors
• The resources available in an ecosystem
determine the maximum population that can
be supported by the environment over a long
period of time
– This is called the carrying capacity
Analyzing your data
1. Graph the class’s data.
– What type of graph do you want?
2. Draw in a horizontal line (make it dotted) to
represent carrying capacity
– This line is called K
3. Discuss the conclusion questions with your
group and be ready to share.
EXTRA SLIDES
What determines the existence of a population?
• 2 opposing forces
• BIOTIC POTENTIAL  focus is on increasing
the organism
• How much of yourself can you make?
• ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE  focus is on
limiting the organism
• How well can you survive?
• Populations strive to find a balance
• Different strategies are used to survive
GRAPHING POPULATION GROWTH
• J- shaped growth  young
populations will grow
exponentially at first. Times are
good!
• Eventually, environment resists
– (too crowded, not enough
resources)
• TWO CHOICES: stabilize or crash
(dieback)
• S- shaped curve = stabilizes at
carrying capacity (K)
– May not be smooth (time-lag)
Problem:
2 fundamental niches overlap
WHAT IS YOUR SOLUTION?
1. Migrate
2. Change feeding habits
3. Adapt behavior
4. Suffer a sharp population decline
5. Become extinct in that area
What type of species overcome this more easily?
 Generalists
 or Specialists?
Resource Partitioning: The evolutionary
result of competition
What does this graph say?
Keystone Species
Succession
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-ofPlants/Chernobyl-Accident/#.UYgqRMqumSo
http://www.douglasstownship.org/files/Limerick%20Area%20Emergency%20Plan
ning.pdf
Page 6
Happy Anniversary Mt. St. Helen’s
(May 18, 1980 eruption)
This is
an
example
of what
natural
process?