The Wolves, Moose, and Fir Trees of Isle Royale:
● Isle Royale: Fir trees are primary producers, moose are primary consumers, wolves are
secondary consumers. Temporal fluctuations in wolf and moose populations and growth in
balsam firs.
● Primary productive or “bottom up” hypothesis: Plant growth is limited by energy available to
plants, which determines in turn by temperature and precipitation. As plants increase, moose
increase.
● Trophic cascade or “top down” model predicts the changes in the trophic level are caused by
opposite changes in the trophic level immediately above it. Wolves go up, moose go down,
trees go up.
● Energy decreases with each different level in the food chain. Heat loss and respiration.
● Decrease is what lessens trophic level.
● Population decreases with less energy. More plants than animals.
● Abundance/biomass of trophic levels.
● Inbreeding depression: Non-random mating. Decreases survival and increases genetic
problems.
● Ocean ecosystems are most prominent (70% of Earth’s surface).
● Freshwater ecosystems are most rare.
● Resistance: The ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances.
● Resilience: The speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed.
● A grazing food web has plants or other photosynthetic organisms at its base, followed by
herbivores and carnivores.
● Detrital food web consists of a base of organisms that feed on decaying organic matter called
decomposers.
● Holistic ecosystem model: Attempts to quantify the composition, interactions, and dynamics
of entire ecosystems. Most representative of the ecosystem in its natural state. Food web.
● Mesocosm: Partitioning a part of a natural ecosystem that can be used for experiments.
● Microcosm: Recreating an ecosystem entirely in an indoor or outdoor laboratory environment.
● Conceptual model: An ecosystem model that consists of flow charts to show interactions of
different compartments of living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
● Analytical model: An ecosystem model that is created through simple mathematical formulas
to predict the effects of environmental disturbances on ecosystem structure and dynamics
, ● Simulation model: An ecosystem model that is created using complex computer algorithms to
holistically model ecosystems and to predict the effect of environmental disturbances on
ecosystem structure and dynamics.
●
● Adaptations for:
● Successful predation by wolves: Lighter feet, fur that allows them to camouflage, hunting in
packs, communication, vision, smell, groups, hearing.
● Successful avoidance of predation by the moose: Moose, firmer feet. The antlers to fight back,
speed, hearing, vision, hearing
● Limiting/avoiding impacts from herbivory by the plants: Stinging effect. Mimicry. Thorns
etc, height, toxins, morphology.
● Plant adaptations:
● Water
● Herbivory
● Plants get water from roots, needed for photosynthesis. Water is transferred along with
nutrients.
● Plants lose water through evapotranspiration in stomata.
● Photosynthesis: 6Co2+6H20→ C6H12O6+ 6O2.
● Mitochondrion: Cellular respiration-generates energy. Has its own DNA.
● Thylakoid: When light comes in, chlorophyll molecules donate electrons from one protein to
another down a transport chain. When donated, they need to be replaced by the hydrogen ion
from water. Build up of hydrogen ions on the inside (concentration gradient- more on one
side than others). Hydrogen ions are from the splitting of water. They will then move out.
● Chloroplast: Outer membrane, inner membrane, thylakoid. Stroma (aqueous fluid).
● You need NADPH in order to use the Calvin cycle.
Light dependent reaction: ATP, NADPH, H+. Occurs in Thylakoid
Light-independent reactions: Glucose: Occurs in Stroma.
Drought would cause the rate of photosynthesis to decrease.
Leaves are eaten, surface area and photosynthesis is reduced, light transferred is reduced.
Summer, photosynthesis is at a high rate.
● Isle Royale: Fir trees are primary producers, moose are primary consumers, wolves are
secondary consumers. Temporal fluctuations in wolf and moose populations and growth in
balsam firs.
● Primary productive or “bottom up” hypothesis: Plant growth is limited by energy available to
plants, which determines in turn by temperature and precipitation. As plants increase, moose
increase.
● Trophic cascade or “top down” model predicts the changes in the trophic level are caused by
opposite changes in the trophic level immediately above it. Wolves go up, moose go down,
trees go up.
● Energy decreases with each different level in the food chain. Heat loss and respiration.
● Decrease is what lessens trophic level.
● Population decreases with less energy. More plants than animals.
● Abundance/biomass of trophic levels.
● Inbreeding depression: Non-random mating. Decreases survival and increases genetic
problems.
● Ocean ecosystems are most prominent (70% of Earth’s surface).
● Freshwater ecosystems are most rare.
● Resistance: The ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances.
● Resilience: The speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed.
● A grazing food web has plants or other photosynthetic organisms at its base, followed by
herbivores and carnivores.
● Detrital food web consists of a base of organisms that feed on decaying organic matter called
decomposers.
● Holistic ecosystem model: Attempts to quantify the composition, interactions, and dynamics
of entire ecosystems. Most representative of the ecosystem in its natural state. Food web.
● Mesocosm: Partitioning a part of a natural ecosystem that can be used for experiments.
● Microcosm: Recreating an ecosystem entirely in an indoor or outdoor laboratory environment.
● Conceptual model: An ecosystem model that consists of flow charts to show interactions of
different compartments of living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
● Analytical model: An ecosystem model that is created through simple mathematical formulas
to predict the effects of environmental disturbances on ecosystem structure and dynamics
, ● Simulation model: An ecosystem model that is created using complex computer algorithms to
holistically model ecosystems and to predict the effect of environmental disturbances on
ecosystem structure and dynamics.
●
● Adaptations for:
● Successful predation by wolves: Lighter feet, fur that allows them to camouflage, hunting in
packs, communication, vision, smell, groups, hearing.
● Successful avoidance of predation by the moose: Moose, firmer feet. The antlers to fight back,
speed, hearing, vision, hearing
● Limiting/avoiding impacts from herbivory by the plants: Stinging effect. Mimicry. Thorns
etc, height, toxins, morphology.
● Plant adaptations:
● Water
● Herbivory
● Plants get water from roots, needed for photosynthesis. Water is transferred along with
nutrients.
● Plants lose water through evapotranspiration in stomata.
● Photosynthesis: 6Co2+6H20→ C6H12O6+ 6O2.
● Mitochondrion: Cellular respiration-generates energy. Has its own DNA.
● Thylakoid: When light comes in, chlorophyll molecules donate electrons from one protein to
another down a transport chain. When donated, they need to be replaced by the hydrogen ion
from water. Build up of hydrogen ions on the inside (concentration gradient- more on one
side than others). Hydrogen ions are from the splitting of water. They will then move out.
● Chloroplast: Outer membrane, inner membrane, thylakoid. Stroma (aqueous fluid).
● You need NADPH in order to use the Calvin cycle.
Light dependent reaction: ATP, NADPH, H+. Occurs in Thylakoid
Light-independent reactions: Glucose: Occurs in Stroma.
Drought would cause the rate of photosynthesis to decrease.
Leaves are eaten, surface area and photosynthesis is reduced, light transferred is reduced.
Summer, photosynthesis is at a high rate.
