Ferrel cell Ferrel cell Ferrel cell Hadley cell Ferrel cell Polar cell The Physical Environment Image from NASA

Ferrel cell

Ferrel cell

Ferrel cell

Hadley cell

Ferrel cell

Polar cell

The Physical Environment

Image from NASA

Joseph GrinnellGrinnellian Niche “Habitat”

“The niche relationships of the California Thrasher” (1917)

“The ultimate distributional unit within which each species is held by its structural and instinctive limitations" (1928)

The Ecological Niche

Photos of Grinnell and California Thrasher from Wikimedia Commons

Charles EltonEltonian Niche “Profession” or “Role”

“The status of an animal in its community… its place in the

biotic environment, its relations to food and enemies" (1927)


Photo of Elton from http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/chronob/ELTO1900.htm

Dr. Seuss


And NUH is the letter I use to spell NutchesWho live in small caves, known as Niches, for hutches.

These Nutches have troubles, the biggest of which isThe fact there are many more Nutches than Niches.

Each Nutch in a Niche knows that some other NutchWould like to move into his Niche very much.

So each Nutch in a Niche has to watch that small NicheOr Nutches who haven’t got Niches will snitch.

Image from Geisel, T. S. (1955) On beyond zebra, by Dr. Seuss

G. Evelyn HutchinsonHutchinsonian Niche = “n-dimensional hypervolume”

“an n-dimensional hypervolume… defined on axes [representing] all of the ecological factors relative to [the species]… [and] every point in which

corresponds to a state of the environment which [permits]…the species… to exist indefinitely” (1958)


Photo of Hutchinson from http://peabody.yale.edu/collections/archives/biography/g-evelyn-hutchinsonFigure image from http://www.eplantscience.com/index/general_zoology/environment_and_the_niche.php


Figure from Bruno et al. (2003) Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Why might the fundamental and

realized niches differ?

Atmospheric environmental conditions at a given time and place

Weather

Photo of lightning in Western Australia from Wikimedia Commons

The long-term, average weather patterns of a given place

Climate

Climate Diagram from Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Ecological Toolkit 3.1, Fig. A

– differential heating & cooling1. Shape of the Earth

Major Determinants of Global Climate

1. Shape of the Earth

Ferrel cell

Ferrel cell

Ferrel cell

Hadley cell

Ferrel cell

Polar cell

– differential heating & cooling results in rising & sinking air masses: Hadley & Ferrel cells


Figure from NASA

– results in seasons as Hadley & Ferrel cells move latitudinally, tracking changes in the position of the solar equator with a slight time lag

2. Revolution of the Earth around the Sun on a tilted axis


Northern Hemisphere summer – Northern

Hemisphereis tilted towards

the Sun

Northern Hemisphere

winter – Southern

Hemisphere is tilted towards

the Sun


Figure from Wikimedia Commons







3. Rotation of Earth on Earth’s axis Creates Coriolis effect (actually conservation of momentum) Currents in air and water are deflected right in

N. Hemisphere and left in S. Hemisphere




3. Rotation of Earth on Earth’s axis Creates Coriolis effect (actually conservation of momentum) Currents in air and water are deflected right in

N. Hemisphere and left in S. Hemisphere




Figure from NASA

Albedo – solar radiation that a surface reflects

Local-Scale Influences on Climate

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 2.19

Sensible heat loss – exchange of kinetic energy via conduction (molecules in direct contact) or

convection (air movement) that involves a temperature change

Latent heat loss – involves no change in temperature, e.g., phase shift of H2O

Rainshadow

Local-Scale Influences on Climate


… and modified by Coriolis effects

Ocean Currents are Driven by Surface Winds


Upwelling – brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface

Local-Scale Influences on Marine Conditions

Upwelling animation from Wikimedia Commons

Marine Biological Zones


Increasing pressure

Decreasing temperature

Decreasing light availability

Stream order influences energy, nutrients, and other conditions

Rivers & Lotic Zonation


Temperate zone river systems

Decrease in particle sizein stream bed

Allochthonous input of detritus decreases relative

to volume of water

Rivers & Lotic Zonation

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), 3.14

Location within a given section also determines conditions

Lake stratification & turnover

Lakes & Lentic Zonation


Increasing pressure

Decreasing temperature

Decreasing light availability

E.g., El Niño Southern Oscillation

Images from Wikimedia Commons

Year-to-Year and Decadal Climate Variation

Normal yr

El Niño yr

La Niña yr

Milankovitch Cycles

Long-Term Climate Variation

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 2.26 A & B

Orbital Eccentricity

Periodicity 100,000 yr

Orbital Obliquity


Milankovitch Cycles

Long-Term Climate Variation

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 2.26 C

Orbital orientation


pH

Chemical Environment

Kelly et al. (2013) Global Change Biology, Fig. 4

E.g., development – sea urchin development suffers under reduced pH (resulting from elevated pCO2)

pH levelp < 0.001

Oxygen


Projecto-Garcia et al. (2013) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Fig. 1b.

E.g., biochemical phenotype – hemoglobin’s O2 binding affinity increases with the average elevation range of Andean hummingbird species

Elevation

Hb-

O2

affin

ity(I

ncre

asin

g)

Salinity / Salt Availability

Bravo et al. (2010) Journal of Tropical Ecology, Fig. 1


Dry season Wet season

Seasonp = 0.48

Site p < 0.001

Season x SiteInteraction p = 0.62

E.g., behavior – frugivorous bats seek sodium at mineral licks in southeastern Peru

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Ferrel cell Ferrel cell Ferrel cell Hadley cell Ferrel cell Polar cell The Physical Environment Image from NASA