Ectotherms: they rely on external sources of heat to determine the pace of their
metabolism.
Endotherms: they can regulate their body temperature by producing heat within their
body.
chilling injury: organisms may be forced into extended periods of inactivity and the cell
membranes of sensitive species may begin to break down.
Acclimatization: exposure to relatively low temperatures may lead to an increased
rate of metabolism at such temperatures and/or to an increased tolerance of even
lower temperatures.
*The effects of conditions on interactions between organisms may affect the
availability of a resources
*The rate of photosynthesis increases with the intensity of the radiation that a leaf
receives and to minimize water loss stomata of plants is close at night.
Roots extract water from the soil, but they also extract key minerals. Shoot tips are the
richest concentrations of plant proteins (and hence of nitrogen) are in the meristem in
the buds at and in leaf axils.
Animals used camouflage/cryspsis or mimicry and Aposematism (the use of
warning coloration to inform potential predators that an animal is poisonous, venomous,
or otherwise dangerous.) to defend themselves.
Exploitation: This type of competition – in which competitors interact only indirectly,
through their shared resources.
Interference: its ultimate effect is on the vital rates of the competitors – their survival,
growth and reproduction – compared with what they would have been if resources had
been more abundant.
Intraspecific competition is competition between individuals of the same species.
*Effects of Intraspecific competition resources, is resources are consumed. The
consequence is that there may not be enough of a resource to satisfy the needs of a
whole population of individuals. Individuals may then compete with each other for the
limited resource.
C3 pathway: majority of plants on Earth photosynthesize using this process
•
Although these plants are highly productive photosynthesizers, they
are relatively wasteful of water
C4 pathway: have a particularly high affinity for carbon dioxide, and so absorb more
per unit of water lost.
CAM pathway: open their stomata at night and absorb carbon dioxide and fix it as
malic acid
•
They close their stomata during the day and release the carbon dioxide
internally for photosynthesis.
* C4 and CAM plants are most common in arid and, in particular, hot arid areas
Green plants are autotrophs: their resources are quanta of radiation, ions and simple
molecules.
Heterotrophs: these packages that form the food resources for virtually all other
organisms
•
•
•
•
•
generally, be grouped as follows:
Decomposers, which feed on already dead plants and animals.
Parasites, which feed on one or a very few host plants or animals
while they are alive but do not (usually) kill their hosts, at least not
immediately.
Predators, which, during their life, eat many prey organisms, typically
(and in many cases always) killing them.
Grazers, which, during their life, consume parts of many prey
organisms, but do not (usually) kill their prey, at least not immediately.
Niche – an organism describes how, rather than just where, an
organism lives.
-
is a summary of an organism’s tolerances and require
Habitat - Where an organism lives