Evolution, Biological Communities, and Species Interactions

1
Environmental Science 2

• Evolution, Biological Communities, and Species
  Interactions
• Biomes Global Patterns of Life
• Population Biology

2
Field Trip 1

• Date/time Saturday, starts _at_ 900 am
• Location Santa Monica National Recreation Area,
  Leo Carrillo State Park.
• Hand-out in class Info/Map
• Logistics transportation and navigation
• Please be on time and prepared to do some
  walking bring multiple types of clothes and
  shoes for unknown conditions.
• Picnic (optional)

3
Activity 1

• Find 5 facts about the Santa Monica Mountains
  National Recreation Area and surroundings
• Fill-out Activity 1 hand-out and turn-in when
  complete
• Use computers (i-net) on campus
• Website suggestion www.nps.gov/samo/, also
  Google Earth.
• Plus navigation to fieldtrip location and maps!

4
Important Definitions

• Evolution gradual changes in species over
  time...
• Natural Selection better-fit individuals thrive
  and pass on traits to next generation
• Adaptation acquisition of traits allowing for
  species survival
• Speciation the development of a new species
• Why? environmental pressures allow for
  individual/species change

5
Some People of Interest

• Charles Darwin
• Alfred Wallace
• Both scientists published biological research at
  the same time (mid-1800s), leading to the main
  theory of evolution embraced by modern science.

6
Biology Basics

• Habitat the place or set of environmental
  conditions in which an organism lives
• Niche the role of a species in a biological
  community

7
Biology Basics

• Interactions between environment and other
  organisms
• Competition resources, mates, and more
• Predation eat or be eaten
• Mutualism together in harmony
• Disturbance poor environmental factors

8
Biology Basics

• Diversity the number of different species,
  niches, and/or genetic variation in a biological
  community
• Species A 300, B 25, C 150 per community
• Abundance the total number of organisms or
  species in a biological community
• Species A 1,000 individuals/community

9
Human Interruptions

• Habitat loss from human use
• Introduced species
• Extraction or eradication
• Fire, flooding, drought, storms, and other
  extreme phenomena caused by human negligence
• normal changes vs. human-induced changes

10
Biome Introduction

• Biome characteristics
• Large terrestrial ecosystem
• Recognizable assemblage of plants and animals
• Ecotone transitional boundary between adjacent
  biomes
• Vegetation Basis for biome names

11
Biogeography

• View Biomes from Environmental Geography course
• Located on website under Physical Geography
  lectures (ch11)
• Biome-related slides only (32-42)
• See website _at_
• lthttp//geography-venturacounty.info/index.htmgt

12
Population Biology

• Population growth, limits, and crash
• carrying capacity
• birth/death rates
• migratory vs. sedentary
• genetic diversity
• physical conditions
• humans

13
Conservation Biology

• Biogeography Environmental Science
• Saving Ecosystems, Communities, and Species
• Island Biogeography
• colonization/extinction
• barriers change
• speciation/endemism
• human influences

14
Conservation in SMNRA

• Islands and Mainland - connections
• Example giant coreopsis (plant)
• QA
• Dont forget to prepare for the Saturday field
  trip (mandatory)!

15
Homework (continued)

• Finish reading Ch.1 and three chapters of your
  choice from the following list
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Write a brief summary on each chapter you read,
  including
• chapter number/title, single favorite Case
  Study/Exploring Science subsection among the
  chapters, overall questions and/or comments