BIOL1003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Great Dividing Range, Coriolis Force, Rain Shadow
Abiotic influences
Niche
What roles do organisms fulfil in their habitat (and where)
Fundamental niche
The possible distribution of the organisms as determined by its evolutionary history
Realised niche
The actual distribution of the organism as limited by interactions with other
organisms
Population dynamics
Shows how organisms are utilising their niches e.g. thriving or dwindling
Biogeography
Abundance and diversity of organisms depends on available resources
Such as:
oEnergy: light, temperature
oNutrients
Water (H2O)
Air (CO2 and O2)
N, P
K, Na
S
Mg
Ca
Micronutrients (Cl, Fe, B, Mn, I, Cu, Zn)
Climate
Temperature, sunlight, wind and precipitation
Macroclimate- patterns on the global, ecosystem, and landscape levels
Microclimate- finer scale pattern, e.g. community of organisms on a tree trunk
Examples
oAtacama desert, Chile
22-30C (doesn’t show extremes)
Rainfall 3-15mm
oLake Eyre, South Australia
20-26C (not extreme)
Rainfall 15-150mm
oCherrapunji, India
19-24C
Monsoon rains
oBabinda Creek, Queensland
23-28C
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Document Summary
What roles do organisms fulfil in their habitat (and where) The possible distribution of the organisms as determined by its evolutionary history. The actual distribution of the organism as limited by interactions with other organisms. Shows how organisms are utilising their niches e. g. thriving or dwindling. Abundance and diversity of organisms depends on available resources. Micronutrients (cl, fe, b, mn, i, cu, zn) Macroclimate- patterns on the global, ecosystem, and landscape levels. Microclimate- finer scale pattern, e. g. community of organisms on a tree trunk. Rainfall 3-15mm: lake eyre, south australia. Temperature, sunlight, wind and precipitation all affect the distribution and abundance of organisms in terrestrial environments, but the availability of water is most important. Movement of air determines the distribution of water on land (rain, snow, fog) At the equator and 60 latitude ascending air releases water, resulting in an abundance of vegetation. At the poles and 30 latitude, descending air sucks water away, resulting in deserts.
