Topic 2 – Habitat and Lifestyle
Environment
 Organisms have special adaptations that allow them to play a specific role in their
_________________________
 An organisms _______________________ is its physical surroundings.
Habitat
 ______________________________ is the place where an organism lives
 Supplies organism with food, water and shelter
 Example: Cougars live near mountain ranges.
Niche
 A ___________________________ is an organisms way of life
 A ____________________________ is made up of two parts:
 Where an organism lives (habitat)
 What it does in the ecosystem (its job)
 A niche consists of both physical space and interaction with the environment.
 A poplar tree’s habitat is just outside of Banff ---- but WHAT DOES IT DO????
What is your Niche?
 Role as a family member, student, friend, citizen, etc…
 What do you use from Earth?
Example
 Robin:
 Habitat: Open areas, lawns, bushes, trees, air, ground
 How does it use other things?
 Uses bush or trees for a nesting site, also for protection
 Uses twigs and grass for making nest
 Eats worms and insects
 How is it used by other things?
 Eaten by larger birds, snakes or cats
 Eggs eaten by other birds
 Parasites (mites and Lice) in feathers.
Overlapping Niches
 ____________________________ means that different species must subdivide their resources (food, living area
etc.)
 This is done through ______________________________
 ____________________________ of different species may give advantages!!!
Variation and Competition
 When water or food run short, species must ________________________ for it.
 _____________________________ can occur between members of the same or different species
 Some species may have ____________________________ that give them an advantage in
competition
Real Life
 In one spruce tree, there can be many species of birds
 Would there be competition even though they have overlapping niches?
 Cape May Warblers live at the top of the tree and feed on insects and spruce bud
worms
 Yellow Warblers live at the base of the tree and feed on insects and berries – tend to fly
away from the tree
 Black-throated green Warblers feed near the middle on insects and berries
Humans Rule
 For many species, humans are their competitors
 What species do we compete with and what resources do we share?
 Who do you think is “winning”
Survival of the Fittest
 Those species well adapted to their environment will survive and poorly suited species die out!!
 The best competitors get enough resources to survive and reproduce
 The worst competitors do not survive to reproduce
 Through the “survival of the fittest” the stronger traits get passed on
Avoidance of Competition
 Sometimes species avoid competition by:
 Using a different food source
 Learning different habits and behaviors
 Example: hawks and owls can co-exist and eat the same things ---- why?
Broad vs. Narrow Niche
BROAD NICHE
NARROW NICHE
Usually found in Northern areas
Usually found in the tropics
Few different species of plants and animals but very large
populations of the species you do find (caribou/arctic hare)
Lots of different species but low numbers of each
Adaptations allow species to spread over large areas (found
all over the world
Have adaptations that allow them to survive in own
environment but prevents them from spreading to larger
areas
Can tolerate daily and seasonal changes in temperature
Where food supplies and temperatures are stable
Eat a variety of plants or other animals as seasons and
conditions change
Have one dependable food source, one type of soil or one
level of light (increased competition for food)
GENERALISTS
SPECIALISTS
Generalist vs. Specialist
 Based on their niche animals will be considered generalists or specialists
THE GENERALIST
THE SPECIALIST
Able to spread over larger areas
Adapted to one small area competing for one type of soil
or level of light
Have many different food sources
Have one type of food source
Can survive many seasons
Need a constant temperature
Usually found in large numbers which creates competition
Only a few in each area
Known to have a broad niche
Known to have a narrow niche
Problem?
 Do you see a problem with narrow niche species? YES!!!!
 Explanation: narrow niche species fall into the “trap of specialization”
Examples:
 The Lion-Tailed Monkey
 Is specialized at living in the forest canopies.
 As the forest is continually cut down, it has no where to live since it is not
adapted to living on the ground
 Giant Panda
 Is specialized and only eats ONE thing
 Through habitat destruction, they are vulnerable to extinction
Dependencies between species
 In the competition to survive, many organisms DO NOT work alone.
 Some species have a _________________________________________________
 Symbiosis: Sym (together) Bios (life)
Mutualism
 __________________________________________ is where both organisms benefit from the relationship
 Examples:
 Elk have mico-organisms that help them digest food. In return, the elk gives the organism a
place to live
 Clusia flower dispenses medicine to bees and in return they get pollinated
Commensalism
 ____________________________________________ is when only one organism benefits from the relationship
 Examples:
 A robin uses a tree for shelter and nesting but the tree does not benefit nor is harmed
 Barnacles on a whale
Parasitism
 ____________________________________________ is where one organism benefits while the other is harmed
 Examples
 People and tapeworms
 Rust and wheat
 Spruce tree and pine beetle
Bioinvasion
 Humans sometimes things it is a good idea to import a species from one area to another.
 Sometimes species move themselves (blown off course or stole aways on a ship).
 _____________________ is when a new species, somehow, ends up in a new ecosystem and starts to take over