BIOL 180 Chapter Notes - Chapter 55: Ecosystem Services, Autotroph, Primary Production
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BIOL 180 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Predicting species richness: the theory of island biogeography. Larger patches of habitat contain more species than do smaller patches: larger areas should have more types of niches and therefore higher numbers of species that are supported. However, islands in oceans have smaller numbers of species than do areas of the same size on continents. Possible explanation for why islands have less species than same sized areas on continents: two processes: Individuals that arrive are more likely to be members of a species that is already there. Competition should also prevent new species from becoming established when many species are already present on an island. Immigration should seldom result in establishment of a new population. Extinction rates should increase as species richness increases. Niche overlap and competition for resources should be more intense. Equilibrium - balance between arrival of new species and extinction of existing ones.
