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Nature of Science :Use models as representations of the real world—zones of stress and limits of tolerance graphs are models of the real world that have predictive power and explain community structure. (1.10)
Shelford's law of tolerance is a useful tool to understand the relative abundance of a species and hence predict community structure. It plots the range of a biotic or abiotic factor that is tolerated by a species. Because there is variability within a population the limits of tolerance and where the zones of stress start is not always easy to measure.
Understandings:
The distribution of species is affected by limiting factors
Community structure can be strongly affected by keystone species
Each species plays a unique role within a community because of the unique combination of its spatial habitat and interactions with other species
Interactions between species in a community can be classified according to their effect
Two species cannot survive indefinitely in the same habitat if their niches are identical
Applications:
Distribution of one animal and one plant species to illustrate limits of tolerance and zones of stress
Local examples to illustrate the range of ways in which species can interact within a community
The symbiotic relationship between Zooxanthellae and reef-building coral reef species
Skills:
Analysis of a data set that illustrates the distinction between fundamental and realized niche
Use of a transect to correlate the distribution of plant or animal species with an abiotic variable. See online simulation here.
Watch the video below on how to see how to use the Ecology Lab.
Click here to access the lab.
Task:
To begin with:
To begin with:
Try to build a food chain which contains 4 species which all survive until the end of the run.
State what the conditions for survival were for each species.
Write down at least three, "what would happen if ..?" questions that have been asked and tested while trialing and improving the model.
More advanced
More advanced
Build an ecosystem which has the largest number of surviving species - a) without the top predator, b)with the top predator.
What have your learned about each community?
Could the top predator be described as a "Keystone species" - that is a species which has a significant effect on many species in the community. E.g. "A single mountain lion can roam a Canadian forest area of hundreds of miles. The deer, rabbits, and bird species in the ecosystem are at least partly controlled by the presence of the mountain lion."
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