Topic 2: Ecosystems and

ecology
2.1 Species and population
2.1 Learning objectives
• Define the following terms:
• Species
• Habitat
• Ecosystem
• Niche
• Biotic and Abiotic Factors
• Describe the concepts of fundamental and realised niche.
• Explain what is meant by carrying capacity and how limiting
factors affect population growth.
 What is a species?
• A group of organisms that share common characteristics and that
interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
• Why can’t we use just appearance alone?
• Why can’t we just use genetic analysis alone?
 Latin Binomials
Which animal?
Carassisus auratus
• Pysgodyn aur (Welsh) Genus species
• Carassius (Malthese) Can be shortened to: C. auratus
• Peix de colors (Catalan) When typed: italics
• Goudvis (Afrikaans) When handwritten: underlined

• Guldfisk (Swedish)
We must now be referring to species by their
proper names.
E.g.
1. Instead of fish we must say Goldfish or
Carassisus auratus
2. Instead of fish we must say Atlantic Salmon
or Salmo salar
And what is a habitat?
• The environment in
which a species
normally lives.
• Different individuals
within the same species
can live in very different
habitats.
• Habitats can change
over time as a result of
migration.
What is an ecosystem?
• A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
Biotic and Abiotic factors within
an ecosystem
Biotic Factors: The living
components of an
ecosystem.
NOT just a list of all the
living things in an
ecosystem, but the roles
played by each of those
organisms.

Abiotic Factors: The

physical and chemical
components of an
ecosystem.
 A niche describes the
particular set of abiotic
and biotic conditions and
resources to which an
organism or population
responds.
 The fundamental niche
describes the full range of
conditions and resources in
which a species could
survive and reproduce.
The realized niche describes
the actual conditions and
resources in which a species
exists due to biotic
interactions.
 Competition leads to Resource Partitioning

The green anole is native to Florida and the brown anole is an introduced, non-native
species to the area. The fundamental niches of these two species overlapped and
through competition the green anole developed a narrower realized niche. The
Resources have been partitioned.
Fundamental vs Realized Niches

Green Brown
Anole Anole Green Anole
Anole
Brown

Competition
Niches and • If two species have an identical or
competition very similar niches they cannot live
in the same habitat.
• The Eurasian red squirrel and Eastern
grey squirrel both eat very similar
foods.
• The grey squirrel outcompetes the
red squirrel.
 Data interpretation:
The biologists Competition
Lotka and Volterra theorized that no two species with similar requirements for
resources (food, shelter, etc.) could coexist in the same niche without competition driving one to
local extinction.

In 1930s G.F. Gause tested the Lotka-Volterra theory by growing two Paramecium species in
identical conditions. However, he found that if he grew them together that only one species
prevailed.
Fundamental vs. Realised
Niche
• A species may not be able to occupy its entire niche
because of the presence of other species.
Fundamental niche: the set of resources a population is
theoretically capable of using under ideal conditions.
Realised niche: the resources a population actually uses.
Case study: Joseph Connell’s
barnacles

Chthamalus

Balanus