Community &

DYNAMIC
Ecosystem

S
Presented by Group 1
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the chapter, students
should be able to:

1. Describe the major terrestrial

biomes and the types of plants and
animals occurring there.
2. Relate the effect of increasing
altitude as one goes up a mountain to
biome changes seen as one moves
north of the equator toward the Polar
Regions.
 Community
and
Ecosystem
- community is the set of all
populations that inhabit a certain area.
Communities can have diferent sizes
and boundaries. These are often
identified with some difficulty.
-An ecosystem is a higher level
of organization the community
plus its physical environment.
Ecosystems include both the
biological and physical
components affecting the
community/ecosystem.
 Community
COMMUNITY
Structure
STRUCTURE - It refers to the
including
composition of a community the number of
species in that community
and their relative numbers
• Ecologists find that within a community many
populations are not randomly distributed.
• This recognition that there was a pattern and
process of spatial distribution of species was a
• major accomplishment
Community of ecology.
structure refers to the organization of
species and populations within an ecological
community, including how they interact, the
relationships between them, and their roles in the
environment. It reflects the diversity and
abundance of species, as well as how they are
distributed and interact within a particular
ecosystem.
 Components of
community
structure
1. Species Composition
2. Species Diversity
3. Trophic Structure
4. Dominant Species
5. Keystone Species
6. Niche
7. Succession
8. Interactions
 Components of
community
structure
1. Species Composition - It refers to the types of species in
a community which can change based on things like the
weather, location, and what resources (like food and water)
are available.
2. Species Diversity -refers to the variety of species within an
ecosystem. It includes two key aspects:
(a) Species Richness: The total number of different
species in a community. More species mean higher richness.
(b) Species Evenness: This measures how evenly
individuals are distributed among the species. If one species
dominates and others are less common, evenness is low. If all
species have similar numbers, evenness is high.
Example: Tropical Rain Forest
3. Trophic Structure: The feeding
relationships between species in a
community, often described in terms of
trophic levels.

• Producers
• Consumers
• Decomposers
4. Dominant Species - Species that
are most abundant or have the most
significant influence on community
structure. These species often shape the
environment or have a large impact on
other species.
Example: corasl, kelps, bison, eastern
5. Keystone Species - Species that have a
disproportionately large impact on the community,
even if they aren’t the most abundant. Their removal
can lead to dramatic changes in the ecosystem.
Example: sea otter, beavers, corals, wolves
6. Niche - The role of each species within the
community, including how it interacts with other
species, what it eats, and how it uses resources.
Example: owls, honeybee, earthworms
7. Succession: The process by which the structure of
a community changes over time, typically following a
disturbance (like a fire or storm). This can lead to the
development of a more stable community, known as
the climax community.
• Primary succession
• Secondary succession
2 important patterns
in community
structure

1. Open Community
Structure

2. Closed Community
Structure
 Community Structure
Patterns in

S tr u c t u re - A n op e n
1. Open C om m u n it y
s gr a d u a l, o ve rla p p in g
u c tu re h a
community str h n o c le a r b o u nd a ries,
ns betw e e n sp e cie s w it
transitio e n a re a s .
s t o m o v e e a s ily b e t w e
allowing specie ic a l R a in F o r es ts
ss la n d s a n d Tro p
Example: Gra - It h as c le a r
u n it y S t r u c tu re
2. Closed Comm h ic h a re d efi ne d b y
e c o t o n e s, w
boundaries, called a r at e d iffe re nt
l fa cto rs th a t s e p
environmenta
ecosystems.
and Deserts
8. Interactions - It refers to the way in which two or
more organisms influence or affect each other.

• Predation - One species preys on another.

• Competition - Species compete for resources like food or
space.
• Mutualism - Both species benefit from their interaction.
• Parasitism - One species benefits at the expense of the other.
• Resource partitioning - is a type of species interaction that
enables
different species to share resources and reduce competition,
helping maintain the stability of the community.
 CLASSIFICATION OF
COMMUNITIES
2 BASIC CATEGORIES OF COMMUNITIES
1. Terrestrial (Land)

2. Aquatic (Water)
These two basic types of community contain eight smaller
units known as biomes
Biome- a large area of land or water that is classified by
the types of plants and animals that live there, as well as
the environmental conditions that support them
Terrestrial Biomes: tundra, grassland, desert, taiga,
temperate forest, tropical fores.
Aquatic Biomes: marine, freshwater.

Terrestrial
Biomes
Terrestrial biomes are ecosystems found on land, categorized
according to their climate, plant life, and animal species. These
biomes are shaped mainly by factors such as temperature,
rainfall, and elevation. Each biome has unique environmental
features that sustain specific types of species.
 Types of Terrestrial
Biomes
Tundra and Desert

- The tundra and desert biomes occupy the most extreme

environments, with little or
no moisture and extremes of temperature acting as harsh selective
agents on organisms that
occupy thesethat
Species areas.
live in Tundra Biomes: Arctic
Fox and Polar Bear
Species that live in Desert Biomes: Camel
and Cacti
Tropical Rain Forests

- Tropical rain forests occur in regions near the equator. The climate is
always warm (between 20° and 25° C) with plenty of rainfall (at
least 190 cm/year). The rain forest is probably the richest biome, both
in diversity and in total biomass. The tropical rain forest has a
complex structure, with many levels of life. More than half of all
terrestrial species live in this biome. While diversity is high,
dominance
Shrublandby a particular species is low.

- The shrubland biome is dominated by shrubs with small but thick

evergreen leaves that are often coated with a thick, waxy cuticle, and
with thick underground stems that survive the dry summers and
frequent fires.
Grasslands

- Grasslands occur in temperate and tropical areas with reduced

rainfall (10-30 inches per year) or prolonged dry seasons. Soils in this
region are deep and rich and are excellent for agriculture. Grasslands
are almost entirely devoid of trees, and can support large herds of
grazing animals. Natural grasslands once covered over 40 percent of
Deserts
the earth's land surface.

- Deserts are characterized by dry conditions and a wide temperature

range. The dry air leads to wide daily temperature fluctuations from
freezing at night to over 120 degrees during the day.
 Aquatic
Biomes
It refers to all water-based ecosystems, which are divided into
two main categories: The marine biomes and freshwater biomes
Conditions in water are generally less harsh than those on land.
Aquatic organisms are buoyed by water support, and do not
usually have to deal with drought. Despite covering 71% of the
Earth's surface, areas of the open ocean are a vast aquatic
desert containing few nutrients and very little life.
The Marine Biome

-The marine biome contains more dissolved minerals than the

freshwater biome. Over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in
water, by far the vast majority of that being saltwater.

-It refers specifically to saltwater environments like oceans, seas,

estuaries, and coral reefs. Marine biomes tend to have more
diverse ecosystem because it covers a larger area than freshwater
biomes.
 Two Basic Categories of
Marine Biome
1. BENTHIC COMMUNITIES (bottom dwellers)
• are subdivided by depth, the shore or shelf and deep sea.
• They inhabit the ocean floor or what we called the benthic zone.
Benthic zone refers to the ecological region at the bottom of a
body of water, including the ocean floor.
2. PELAGIC COMMUNITIES (free-swimming organisms)
• are found in the water column, away from the shore and the sea
floor.
• These communities are characterized by their dynamic and varied
habitats, which are influenced by factors like light, temperature,
and nutrient availability.
Coastal Communities

- Estuaries are bays where rivers empty into the sea. Erosion brings
down nutrients and tides wash in salt water; forms nutrient trap.
Estuaries are called "nurseries of the sea" because many young
marine fish develop in this protected environment before moving as
adults into the wide open seas.
Seashores

- the land along the edge of the sea or ocean, typically characterized
by sandy or rocky terrain. It represents the interface between land
and water, where various natural processes occur due to tidal
movements and wave action.
Coral Reefs

- are complex underwater ecosystems primarily formed by colonies of

tiny marine invertebrates known as coral polyps. These polyps
secrete calcium carbonate, creating a hard exoskeleton that
contributes to the reef structure.

Oceans

- is a significant component of the aquatic biome, representing the

largest and most expansive biome on Earth. It covers about 75% of
the planet's surface and is characterized by its saltwater composition,
diverse ecosystems, and various environmental zones.
The Freshwater Biome

- is a vital ecological zone characterized by water bodies with low salt

content, typically less than 1%. This biome encompasses various
habitats, including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

- is subdivided into two zones: running waters and standing waters.

Running Waters
• also known as Lotic ecosystem
• It refers to the bodies of water that are continuously
moving, such as rivers, streams, and creeks.
• Have a higher oxygen content, which is very crucial for
aquatic organisms
• Cooler temperature
Standing Waters
• also known as Lentic ecosystem
• It refers to the aquatic ecosystems where water remains
relatively still or moves very slowly, such as lakes, ponds,
swamps and wetlands.
• Have a lower oxygen content due to less mixing of water
and air.
• Temperature vary depending on depth, season, and
Thank you!