Catalina Cisneros

1. (a) Distinguish, using examples between the process of succession and zonation. (4)

Zonation are the changes of an ecosystem depending on some short-term factors like the altitude, latitude,
tidal level or distance from shore (coverage by water). On the other hand, succession is the process of
change over time in an ecosystem involving pioneer, intermediate and climax communities, like going from
one single plant to a complete forest.

(b) Explain the relationship between ecosystem stability, diversity and succession. (7)

The biodiversity in an ecosystem has a large impact on the ecosystem stability. The more diverse the
ecosystem, the more stable they are because areas with high levels of species and genetic diversity are likely
to have a more complex ecosystem. The more complex the ecosystem, the more stable they are due to the
variety of nutrient and energy pathways. If one collapses its overall effect is low as there are many others to
takes its place. This stability is obtained through the process of succession, since stability is obtained
through the whole process in which the ecosystem is created.

(c) Compare the reproductive strategies of organisms in pioneer and climax communities, with
the help of sketches of survivorship curves. (9)

Species that are r-strategies reproduce fast and in big number or offspring so they can colonize new
habitats quickly and make use of short-lived resources, making good pioneer species in a succession.
Species that are k-strategists tend to produce a small number of offspring, increasing their communities at
a slower rate, increasing their survival rate and enabling them to survive in long-term climax communities.
In general, communities in early succession will be dominated by fast-growing, well-dispersed species (r-
strategies). As succession proceeds, these species will tend to be replaced by more competitive (k-
strategies) species. They tend to inhabit relatively stable biological communities, such as late-successional
or climax forests
2.

a)

The tricellular model explains the distribution of precipitation and temperature and how they
influence structure and relative productivity of different terrestrial biomes. The tricellular model is
made up of three different air masses, these control atmospheric movements and the redistribution
of heat energy. The three air masses, starting from the equator, are called the Hadley cell, Ferrel
cell and the polar cell.
The tricellular model also contains the ITCZ (Inter-tropical convergence zone), this is the meeting
place of the trade winds from both the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. The
ITCZ is a low-pressure area where the trade winds, which have picked up latent heat as they
crossed oceans, are now forced to rise by convection currents. These rising convection currents are
then cooled adiabatically to form massive cumulonimbus clouds.
 As substance gain heat energy, density decreases so particles rise
 As you go up in altitude air cools, becomes denser and falls back towards earth’s surface.
 These convection currents drive the Earth’s wind patterns and affect the biomes.
 The same phenomena drive ocean currents

b) Most of the world's deserts are located near 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude
because it is where the heated equatorial air begins to descend. The descending air is dense and
begins to warm again, evaporating large amounts of water from the land surface. The resulting
climate is very dry.

c) Deserts are areas of low available water. In extreme desert, be it hot or cold, the absence of water
will prevent most plants surviving and productivity is negligible. High temperatures during the
day, and low precipitation levels cause lack of water, which lowers photosynthesis rates.
Organisms that inhabit deserts must overcome extreme temperatures, which forces them to adapt
of die. All of this makes the NPP of deserts very low.