BIOC50H3 Study Guide - Schizachyrium Scoparium, Centaurea Maculosa, Semibalanus Balanoides
Document Summary
Examined competition of silica (sio2) in fresh water diatoms = single-celled algae. Diatoms use silica to construct cell walls. Tilman grew 2 diatom species = synedra ulna and asterionella formosa. Grew s. ulna and a. formosa both separately and then in completion w/ each other = measures how diatom pop densities and silica concentrations in water changed over time. When grown alone, each species reduced resource = silica to a low, constant concentration each species reached stable pop size. S. ulna had a lower stable pop size than a. formosa and also reduced silica levels lower than a. formosa. When 2 species competed w/ each other, s. ulna drove a. formosa to extinction b/c it reduced silica levels so low that a. formosa couldn"t survive. Scott wilson & david tilman = transplant experiment: Used schizachyrium scoparium = perennial grass species native to minnesota. 5x5 plats of natural vegetation growing in low-nitrogen, sandy soils.
