2.

6: Changes
THE ECOSYSTEM
2.6.1 Limiting factors & carrying capacity
Populations are constrained by limiting factors
Main limiting factors are temperature, water and nutrient
availability.
Has tolerance range for any environmental factor;
Stenoecious species (wide range), euryoecious species (narrow
range)
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of organisms that an
area or ecosystem can sustainably support over a long period of
time.
The concept of tolerance suggest that there are upper and lower
levels of environmental factors beyond which a population cannot
survive, and that there is an optimum range within which species
can thrive.


The concept of Tolerance










Species at the lower end of the tolerance curve are known as
oligotypic, those at the higher end are known as polytypic, and
those in the middle are known as mesotypic.

Temperature
Many aspects of temperature affect species
Daily, monthly, annual extremes ex: Savannah grasslands
In animals, temperature is a vital limiting factor
Cold blooded on warm rocks sunny areas,
In dessert, animals are limited by excessive heat.
Plants vary enormously in their ability to tolerate extremes of
temperature




Categories of cold-tolerance in plants
Chill-sensitive Plants are damaged below 10c (eg. Tropical
plants)
Frost-sensitive Plants can survive below 10c but are damaged if
ice forms in their tissues.
Frost Resistance Plants can survive temperature as low as - 15c
Frost-Tolerant Plants can survive by withdrawing water from their
cells, so preventing ice from forming.
Cold tolerant Plants with needle-shaped leaves which can survive
low temperatures.