Community Structure & Organization: Body Size & Trophic Levels Perspective, Slides of Geology

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The distribution of

communities

Spatial distributions

of communities

Part I: Community

structure and

gradients

Outline

Part I:

1. Basic definitions
2. Community function – energy
3. Spatial patterns

Part II:

1. Terrestrial classifications
2. Aquatic classifications

Basic definitions

Community

• Assemblage of interacting organisms that share the same habitat
• Boundaries – sharp or diffuse; somewhat arbitrary
  • ecotone: transition zone between communities

Basic definitions

Ecosystem

• A set of abiotic and biotic components interacting in a given environment
• Emphasizes function

Biomes

Soil types

Climate

Soil type and climate are strong determinants of global biome distribution

Hierarchy

Body size :

1. Larger organisms require more energy
2. Smaller organisms require more energy per unit
3. Larger organisms generally have a greater capacity to withstand prolonged stress (higher storage reserves)