BLG 144 Chapter Notes - Chapter 50: Intertidal Zone, Benthic Zone, Neritic Zone
Document Summary
Ecology: the study of how organisms interact with their environment (biotic and abiotic factors) Goal: to understand the distribution and abundance of organisms. Conservation biology: the effort to study, preserve, and restore threatened populations, communities and ecosystems. Ecologists study the interactions of a species found in an area at a particular population size. Conservation biologists try to preserve species and restore the environment: how to produce a diversity of species, clean air, water and productive soils. Biotic factors: members of the same or different species. *3 factors that affect the distribution and abundance of organisms in freshwater and saltwater: nutrient availability: nitrogen and phosphorus, if water is moving: nutrients are washed away. , surface water , upwelling : lake turnover: occur in response to changes in air temperature: Winter stratification: ice at top of lake is oxygen rich, water at bottom is nutrient rich. Spring turnover: ice at top melts and sinks, oxygen goes down, carrying nutrients up.
