DOCSLIB.ORG

Glossary Ecology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Glossary Ecology 1 Glossary Ecology Abundance: The number of organisms in a population, combining “intensity“ (density within inhabited areas) and “prevalence“ (number and size of inhabited areas). Adaptation: 1) Characteristics of organisms evolved as a consequence of natural selection; 2) Changes in the form or behavior of an organism during life as a response to environmental stimuli; 3) Changes in the excitability of a sense organ as a result of continuos stimulation. Allochoton: see biomass. Autochoton: see biomass. Biodiversity: (Gk. bios, life) Refers to aspects of variety in the living world; used to describe the number of species, the amount of genetic variation or the number of community types present in the area. Biogeochemical Cycle: The movement of chemical elements between organisms and non-living compartments of the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. Biogeography: The study of the geographical distribution of organisms; it largely depends on abiotic factors, resources, community interaction, mobility of organisms (whether large or small), topography, geo- historical factors (continental drift, island formation, etc.) e.g. small island hosts fewer species, fewer resources, fewer habitats than a larger one; the species on an island are balanced by the death- and immigration rate of organisms but is less stable compared to a larger island or even continent - applies for natural reserves as well (see ecology pattern and disturbance - space). Biomagnification: The increasing concentration of a compound in the tissues of organisms as the compound passes along a food chain, resulting from the accumulation of the compound at each trophic level prior to its consumption by organisms at the next trophic level, as seen with DDT. Biomass (organic matter): Total dry weight of all organisms in a particular population, sample or area; [J/m2]; Allochoton: Organic matter entering a stream, lake or ocean but derived from an adjacent terrestrial system; e.g. falling leaves from a tree located at the banks of the river. Autochoton: Organic matter produced within a community e.g., fresh-water plants within a river. Necromass: The weight of dead organisms, usually expressed per unit of land or volume of water. The term is sometimes used to include the dead parts of living organisms, e.g. the bark and heartwood of trees, the hair and claws of animals. Production of B.: (see also trophic level); • Gross Primary P: (GPP) The total fixation of energy by photosynthesis in a region. • Net Primary P.: (NPP) The total energy accumulated by plants during photosynthesis (gross primary production minus respiration). • Primary P.: The rate at which biomass is produced per unit area by plants. • Secondary P.: The rate at which biomass is produced per unit area by heterotrophic organisms. Biome: Large, ecological unit composed of similar types of climax communities on a global scale, arising as a result of complex interactions of climate, other physical factors, and biotic factors (e.g., rainforest, tundra, grassland....) Biosphere: The zone of air, land and water at the surface of the earth that is occupied by organisms. Biotic: Living; usually applied to the biological aspects of an organism’s environment, i.e. the influence of other organisms (opposite of abiotic). Abiotic: Non-living; usually applied to the physical and chemical aspects of an organism’s environment; e.g. salinity, pH, humidity, light (is a biotic necessity in autotrophic organisms) etc. the environment can be considered a heteromosaic of abiotic conditions, changing with time and space. Biotope: Canopy: (Gk. canopion, net) The dense roof-forming vegetation, typically represented by the crowns of the trees; kelps, brown algae, can also form dense forest-like canopies. Carrying Capacity (K): The maximum population size that can be supported indefinitely by a given environment, at which intraspecific competition has reduced the per capita net rate of increase to zero (idealized) - or the N, population density [-] crosspoint of natality and mortality patterns in a population K, carryaing capacity [-] (see population and growth): r, intrinsic rate of growth [1/s] dN/dt = r⋅N⋅(K-N)/K t, time [s] r = (natality + immigration) - (mortality + emigration) Climate: The accumulation of seasonal weather patterns in an area over a long period of time. Macroclimate: Global climatic patterns. Microclimate: The climate within a very small area or in a particular, often tightly defined habitat; e.g., temperature gradient a few mm above a leaf, or along a tree trunk, etc.). 1 2 Climax: The presumed endpoint of a successional sequence. Climax Community: Is largely determined by the climate and soil of the region; such a community has reached a steady state in a successional series (see there). Climax Mosaic: A once established climax community can’t be considered stationary but rather follows a pattern of micro-successional events caused by death and birth cycles of every organism living within. Succession occurs anywhere at any time and just depends upon the scale based on (climatic region, altitude, etc.). Coexistance: The living together of two species (or organisms) in the same habitat, such as that neither tends to be eliminated by the other. Community: The species that occur together in space and time; (see diversity and isotherms). C. Stability: The tendency of a community to return to its original state after a disturbance (competition, temporarily changing environment, etc.) • Resiliance: The speed at which a community returns to its former state after it has been disturbed. • Resistance: The ability of a community to avoid displacement from its present state by a disturbance. C. Dynamically Fragile: One that is stable for only a very limited range of environmental charac- teristics, e.g. a stable and predictable environment (predator-prey and human caused disturbances). C. Dynamically Robust: One that is stable within a wide range of conditions, e.g. in a very variable and unpredictable environments. C. Interaction: Specifies how many species can flourish in a given system, e.g., tide pool, canopy, grassland, etc. A generalist (predator) can have a positive effect by increasing species diversity; if the prey (established by growth and reproduction) is more dominant than the predator community. C. Environmental Interaction: A stable “environment“ that has the potential to evolve to a complex and very stable system; a constantly changing environment will not allow an ever increasing complexity - complexity does not necessarily stand for stability, instead it should be seen as a dynamic succession within the food-web. C. Structure: The list of species and their relative abundance in a community; the higher the probe, the better the interpretability of its structure. Competition: Interaction between members of the same population or of two or more populations to obtain a resource that both require and which is available in limited supply, hence, limiting overall fitness (survival, growth, reproduction of an organism). Asymmetrical C.: Competition between two organisms (or species) in which one is much more severely affected than the other (principle of displacement of the weaker by the stronger organism). Exclusion C.: The elimination from an area or habitat of one species by another through interspecific competition. Exploitation C.: Competition in which any adverse effects on an organism are brought about by reductions in resource levels caused by other competing organisms (on a first come first serve basis). Interference C.: Competition between two organisms in which one physically excludes the other from a portion of a habitat and hence from the resources that could be exploited there. Interspecific C.: Competition between individuals for the same limited resources by different species - (exclusion principle of Gausse) competing species relying on the same ecological resources cannot exist together. Intraspecific C.: Competition between individuals for the same limited resources by the same species. Symmetrical C.: (see asymmetrical competition). Competitive Exclusion Principle: Two species with similar environmental requirements cannot coexist indefinitely in the same habitat. (see Gausse’s principle.) Consumer: An organism within an ecosystem, plant or animal, that derives its food from another organism (see predator). 2 3 Cycle: Biogeochemical cycles on a global and local scale. Carbon C.: The global flow of carbon atoms from plants through animals to the atmosphere, soil, water and back to plants. CO2 level increased significantly over the last 200 years, mainly through burning of fossil fuels, exploitation of tropical forests aggravate this trend (see greenhouse effect). Nitrogen C.: The cycling of nitrogen between organisms and the earth. Deforestation and land clearance leads to a substantial increase in N and NO2- loss in the atmosphere. N-rich fertilizers find its way as run-offs into oceans and lakes - eutrophication. NH3, as atmospheric pollutant from livestock farms change flatlands in other geographical areas by enriching the net N equation favoring organisms not found there so far. NOx- emissions from combustion processes aggravate the already stressed atmospheric N-balance. Phosphorus C.: The cycling of phosphorus between organisms and soil, rocks, or water. Open, sedimentary cycle; mineral P tends to be carried from land to the oceans (e.g. by fishing) or is mined from mineral storage sites and will be added to the global cycle later on. Much of it is agricultural run- off;
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Grassland & Shrubland Vegetation
    Grassland & Shrubland Vegetation Missoula Draft Resource Management Plan Handout May 2019 Key Points Approximately 3% of BLM-managed lands in the planning area are non-forested (less than 10% canopy cover); the other 97% are dominated by a forested canopy with limited mountain meadows, shrublands, and grasslands. See table 1 on the following page for a break-down of BLM-managed grassland and shrubland in the planning area classified under the National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS). The overall management goal of grassland and shrubland resources is to maintain diverse upland ecological conditions while providing for a variety of multiple uses that are economically and biologically feasible. Alternatives Alternative A (1986 Garnet RMP, as Amended) Maintain, or where practical enhance, site productivity on all public land available for livestock grazing: (a) maintain current vegetative condition in “maintain” and “custodial” category allotments; (b) improve unsatisfactory vegetative conditions by one condition class in certain “improvement” category allotments; (c) prevent noxious weeds from invading new areas; and, (d) limit utilization levels to provide for plant maintenance. Alternatives B & C (common to all) Proposed objectives: Manage uplands to meet health standards and meet or exceed proper functioning condition within site or ecological capability. Where appropriate, fire would be used as a management agent to achieve/maintain disturbance regimes supporting healthy functioning vegetative conditions. Manage surface-disturbing activities in a manner to minimize degradation to rangelands and soil quality. Mange areas to conserve BLM special status species plants. Ensure consistency with achieving or maintaining Standards of Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management for Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
    [Show full text]
  • A Short History of Canopy Biology
    CHAPTER 23 Tarzan or Jane? A Short History of Canopy Biology Margaret D. Lowrnan Cirowing up in the midwestern United States I knew trees IPPII.I looped~firrzone bare branch to the next in the backyard red maple with, I believed, thp sp~6.d and graw (!fa monkey making its rounds. Like Kiling? Mowgli, I had the po~itio~zand strength tf tcach branch memorized. I learned how to rest my body comfortabb arrzong thp orduly boughs in order to have a clear view of my mother, small as an ant, tending I~Bgarden below. The branches I favored became burnishedjom rqeated scuings. In tim~I ident$ed with the monkey's world. I grew up to be a ~oologist. -Mark Mofett, Thc High Fronticr, 1993 Why Study the Treetops? E.O. Wilson called it "the last frontier" of biological rcscarch on thc planct (Wilson 1992). Andrrw Mitchell referred to its invisible inhabitants as "a ~vorldI could only dream of" (Mitchell 2001). Tom Lolrejoy confessed that "thc canopy rendered me the biologist's equivalent of Tantalus from the \.cry outsidc" (I,o\.r.joy 1995). And Stevc Sutton compared it to "Alice grows up" as canop); science n~o\.csfrom a scnsc of wonder to a reality of hypotheses (Sutton 2001). Nalini Nadklrni esclaimed about "trcc climbing for Lgrown-ups" (Nadkarni 2001) and I simply notcd, "hly career is not conventional. I climb trecs" (Lowman 1999). In 1985, thcsc six indi- viduals may ha1.e represented almost half of thc canopy scientists worldwidc. Today, only two decades later, thrrc arc scveral hundred explorers of Wilson's last frontier.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Causes of Bush Encroachment in Africa: the Key to Effective Management of Savanna Grasslands
    Tropical Grasslands – Forrajes Tropicales (2013) Volume 1, 215−219 Understanding the causes of bush encroachment in Africa: The key to effective management of savanna grasslands OLAOTSWE E. KGOSIKOMA1 AND KABO MOGOTSI2 1Department of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana. www.moa.gov.bw 2Department of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Francistown, Botswana. www.moa.gov.bw Keywords: Rangeland degradation, fire, indigenous ecological knowledge, livestock grazing, rainfall variability. Abstract The increase in biomass and abundance of woody plant species, often thorny or unpalatable, coupled with the suppres- sion of herbaceous plant cover, is a widely recognized form of rangeland degradation. Bush encroachment therefore has the potential to compromise rural livelihoods in Africa, as many depend on the natural resource base. The causes of bush encroachment are not without debate, but fire, herbivory, nutrient availability and rainfall patterns have been shown to be the key determinants of savanna vegetation structure and composition. In this paper, these determinants are discussed, with particular reference to arid and semi-arid environments of Africa. To improve our current under- standing of causes of bush encroachment, an integrated approach, involving ecological and indigenous knowledge systems, is proposed. Only through our knowledge of causes of bush encroachment, both direct and indirect, can better livelihood adjustments be made, or control measures and restoration of savanna ecosystem functioning be realized. Resumen Una forma ampliamente reconocida de degradación de pasturas es el incremento de la abundancia de especies de plan- tas leñosas, a menudo espinosas y no palatables, y de su biomasa, conjuntamente con la pérdida de plantas herbáceas. En África, la invasión por arbustos puede comprometer el sistema de vida rural ya que muchas personas dependen de los recursos naturales básicos.
    [Show full text]
  • Carbon Sequestration in Managed Temperate Coniferous Forests Under Climate Change
    Biogeosciences, 13, 1933–1947, 2016 www.biogeosciences.net/13/1933/2016/ doi:10.5194/bg-13-1933-2016 © Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Carbon sequestration in managed temperate coniferous forests under climate change Caren C. Dymond1, Sarah Beukema2, Craig R. Nitschke3, K. David Coates1, and Robert M. Scheller4 1Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Government of British Columbia, Victoria, Canada 2ESSA Technologies Ltd., Vancouver, Canada 3School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Richmond, Australia 4Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, USA Correspondence to: Caren C. Dymond ([email protected]) Received: 16 November 2015 – Published in Biogeosciences Discuss.: 21 December 2015 Revised: 11 March 2016 – Accepted: 16 March 2016 – Published: 30 March 2016 Abstract. Management of temperate forests has the poten- 1 Introduction tial to increase carbon sinks and mitigate climate change. However, those opportunities may be confounded by nega- tive climate change impacts. We therefore need a better un- As a global society, we depend on forests and land to take −1 derstanding of climate change alterations to temperate for- up about 2.5 C 1.3 PgC yr , about one-third of our fossil est carbon dynamics before developing mitigation strategies. emissions (Ciais et al., 2013). A reduction in the size of The purpose of this project was to investigate the interac- these sinks could accelerate global change by further increas- tions of species composition, fire, management, and climate ing the accumulation rate of greenhouse gases in the atmo- change in the Copper–Pine Creek valley, a temperate conifer- sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Strengthening Protection of Marojejy National Park
    SPECIAL POINTS DECEMBER 2016 OF INTEREST: Vol. 5, No. 2 ñ Workshop for Forest GuiDes ñ Brief but Meaningful Conservaton news from the Sambava-Andapa-Vohemar-Antalaha region of NE Madagascar ñ WorlD Lemur Festival Strengthening Protecton of Marojejy Natonal Park INSIDE THIS by Charlie Welch ISSUE: Earlier this year DLC- Strengthening Protec- 1 tion of Marojejy Na- SAVA was fortunate to tional Park receive a grant from Workshop for Forest 3 Save Our Species (SOS) Guides to increase the Brief but Meaningful 4 protecton of Marojejy Natonal Park, in World Lemur Festival 8 collaboraton with “Climate Change and 9 Madagascar Natonal Lemurs” Workshop Parks (MNP). The grant Environmental Educa- 12 supports clearly tion Teacher Training establishing and marking DLC-SAVA “Lamba” 13 the boundary with Now Available! metallic signs to prevent First CURSA Gradua- 14 both intentonal and unintentonal intrusion into the park. Although DLC-SAVA had already tion includes Sylvio sponsored delineaton of certain priority sectons of the park boundary, extensive areas in Exploring Human and 15 remote parts of Marojejy remained unmarked. There was no way for local people to know Environmental Health exactly where the boundary was supposed to be. Agricultural land ofen extends right up to in the SAVA Region the boundary around much of the park, and if Duke Engineers in 18 the limit is not clear, burning and cultvaton SAVA can actually extend into the park. A clear Closing Comments 20 boundary also discourages other illegal actvites in the park, such as wood collecton and huntng. Teams of local people, organized by MNP, installed the signs, which were made in Andapa.
    [Show full text]
  • Shrubl Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland
    Maritime Juniper Woodland/ShrublWoodland/Shrublandand State Rank: S1 – Critically Imperiled The Maritime Juniper Woodland/ substrate stability; even Shrubland is a predominantly evergreen in stable situations community within the coastal salt spray community edges may zone; The trees tend to be short (less not be clear. Different than 15 feet) and scattered, with the types of communities tops sculpted by winds and salt spray; grade into and interdigitate with each forests, in areas of continuous changes of other. Very small patches levels of salt spray and substrate types. of any type within The dominant species is eastern red cedar another community (also called juniper), though the should be considered to Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland above a abundance of red cedar is highly variable. be part of the variation of salt marsh. Photo: Patricia Swain, NHESP. It grows in association with scattered trees the main community. Description: Maritime Juniper and shrubs typical of the surrounding Maritime Pitch Pine Woodland/Shrublands occur on and vegetation such as pitch pine, various Woodlands on Dunes are between sand dunes, on the upper edges oaks, black cherry, red maple, blueberries, dominated by pitch pine. Maritime provide habitat for shrubland nesting birds of salt marshes and on cliffs and rocky huckleberries, sumac, and very often, Shrubland communities are dominated by and are important as feeding and resting/ headlands: all areas receiving salt spray poison ivy. Green briar can be abundant in a dense mixture of primarily deciduous roosting areas for migrating birds. from high winds. The maritime juniper more established woodlands, particularly shrubs, but may include red cedar.
    [Show full text]
  • Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (2012)
    FGDC-STD-018-2012 Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee Federal Geographic Data Committee June, 2012 Federal Geographic Data Committee FGDC-STD-018-2012 Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard, June 2012 ______________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS PAGE 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Need ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Scope ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.4 Application ............................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Relationship to Previous FGDC Standards .............................................................. 4 1.6 Development Procedures ......................................................................................... 5 1.7 Guiding Principles ................................................................................................... 7 1.7.1 Build a Scientifically Sound Ecological Classification .................................... 7 1.7.2 Meet the Needs of a Wide Range of Users ......................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Inspirational Aquariums the Art of Beautiful Fishkeeping
    Inspirational aquariums The art of beautiful fishkeeping For more information: www.tetra.net Discover the art of keeping a beautiful aquarium Fashionable fishkeeping You want your aquarium to be a source of pride and joy and a wonderful, living addition to your home. Perhaps you feel you are there already but may be looking for inspiration for new looks or improvements. Perhaps that is just a dream for now and you want to make it a reality. Either way, the advice and ideas contained in this brochure are designed to give you a helping hand in taking your aquarium to the next level. 2 3 Create a room with a view An aquarium is no longer a means of just keeping fish. With a little inspiration and imagination it can be transformed into the focal point of your living room. A beautiful living accessory which changes scenery every second and adds a stunning impression in any decor. 4 Aquarium design There are many ideas to choose lakes of the African Rift Valley; from: Plants in an aquarium are an Amazon riverbed, even a as varied as they are beautiful coral reef in your own home. and can bring a fresh dimension The choices are limitless and to aquarium decoration as well with almost any shape or size as new interest. possible. Maybe you would like to consider a more demanding fish species such as a marine aquarium, or a biotope aquarium housing fish from one of the 5 A planted aquarium What is a planted aquarium? As you can see there are some So, if you want your fish to stand stunning examples of planted out and be the main focus of aquariums and results like these attention in your aquarium, you are within your grasp if you may only want to use very few follow a few basic guidelines.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Principles and Function of Natural Ecosystems by Professor Michel RICARD
    Intensive Programme on Education for sustainable development in Protected Areas Amfissa, Greece, July 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ecological principles and function of natural ecosystems By Professor Michel RICARD Summary 1. Hierarchy of living world 2. What is Ecology 3. The Biosphere - Lithosphere - Hydrosphere - Atmosphere 4. What is an ecosystem - Ecozone - Biome - Ecosystem - Ecological community - Habitat/biotope - Ecotone - Niche 5. Biological classification 6. Ecosystem processes - Radiation: heat, temperature and light - Primary production - Secondary production - Food web and trophic levels - Trophic cascade and ecology flow 7. Population ecology and population dynamics 8. Disturbance and resilience - Human impacts on resilience 9. Nutrient cycle, decomposition and mineralization - Nutrient cycle - Decomposition 10. Ecological amplitude 11. Ecology, environmental influences, biological interactions 12. Biodiversity 13. Environmental degradation - Water resources degradation - Climate change - Nutrient pollution - Eutrophication - Other examples of environmental degradation M. Ricard: Summer courses, Amfissa July 2014 1 1. Hierarchy of living world The larger objective of ecology is to understand the nature of environmental influences on individual organisms, populations, communities and ultimately at the level of the biosphere. If ecologists can achieve an understanding of these relationships, they will be well placed to contribute to the development of systems by which humans
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature and Dynamics of Soil Organic Matter: Plant Inputs, Microbial Transformations, and Organic Matter Stabilization
    Soil Biology & Biochemistry 98 (2016) 109e126 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Soil Biology & Biochemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/soilbio Review paper The nature and dynamics of soil organic matter: Plant inputs, microbial transformations, and organic matter stabilization Eldor A. Paul Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, USA article info abstract Article history: This review covers historical perspectives, the role of plant inputs, and the nature and dynamics of soil Received 19 November 2015 organic matter (SOM), often known as humus. Information on turnover of organic matter components, Received in revised form the role of microbial products, and modeling of SOM, and tracer research should help us to anticipate 31 March 2016 what future research may answer today's challenges. Our globe's most important natural resource is best Accepted 1 April 2016 studied relative to its chemistry, dynamics, matrix interactions, and microbial transformations. Humus has similar, worldwide characteristics, but varies with abiotic controls, soil type, vegetation inputs and composition, and the soil biota. It contains carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, phenol-aromatics, protein- Keywords: Soil organic matter derived and cyclic nitrogenous compounds, and some still unknown compounds. Protection of trans- 13C formed plant residues and microbial products occurs through spatial inaccessibility-resource availability, 14C aggregation of mineral and organic constituents, and interactions with sesquioxides, cations, silts, and Plant residue decomposition clays. Tracers that became available in the mid-20th century made the study of SOM dynamics possible. Soil carbon dynamics Carbon dating identified resistant, often mineral-associated, materials to be thousands of years old, 13 Humus especially at depth in the profile.
    [Show full text]
  • 7. Shrubland and Young Forest Habitat Management
    7. SHRUBLAND AND YOUNG FOREST HABITAT MANAGEMENT hrublands” and “Young Forest” are terms that apply to areas Shrubland habitat and that are transitioning to mature forest and are dominated by young forest differ in “Sseedlings, saplings, and shrubs with interspersed grasses and forbs (herbaceous plants). While some sites such as wetlands, sandy sites vegetation types and and ledge areas can support a relatively stable shrub cover, most shrub communities in the northeast are successional and change rapidly to food and cover they mature forest if left unmanaged. Shrub and young forest habitats in Vermont provide important habitat provide, as well as functions for a variety of wildlife including shrubland birds, butterflies and bees, black bear, deer, moose, snowshoe hare, bobcat, as well as a where and how they variety of reptiles and amphibians. Many shrubland species are in decline due to loss of habitat. Shrubland bird species in Vermont include common are maintained on the species such as chestnut-sided warbler, white-throated sparrow, ruffed grouse, Eastern towhee, American woodcock, brown thrasher, Nashville landscape. warbler, and rarer species such as prairie warbler and golden-winged warbler. These habitat types are used by 29 Vermont Species of Greatest Conservation Need. While small areas of shrub and young forest habitat can be important to some wildlife, managing large patches of 5 acres or more provides much greater benefit to the wildlife that rely on the associated habitat conditions to meet their life requirements. Birds such as the chestnut- sided warbler will use smaller areas of young forest, but less common species such as golden-winged warbler require areas of 25 acres or more.
    [Show full text]
  • Can More K-Selected Species Be Better Invaders?
    Diversity and Distributions, (Diversity Distrib.) (2007) 13, 535–543 Blackwell Publishing Ltd BIODIVERSITY Can more K-selected species be better RESEARCH invaders? A case study of fruit flies in La Réunion Pierre-François Duyck1*, Patrice David2 and Serge Quilici1 1UMR 53 Ӷ Peuplements Végétaux et ABSTRACT Bio-agresseurs en Milieu Tropical ӷ CIRAD Invasive species are often said to be r-selected. However, invaders must sometimes Pôle de Protection des Plantes (3P), 7 chemin de l’IRAT, 97410 St Pierre, La Réunion, France, compete with related resident species. In this case invaders should present combina- 2UMR 5175, CNRS Centre d’Ecologie tions of life-history traits that give them higher competitive ability than residents, Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), 1919 route de even at the expense of lower colonization ability. We test this prediction by compar- Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex, France ing life-history traits among four fruit fly species, one endemic and three successive invaders, in La Réunion Island. Recent invaders tend to produce fewer, but larger, juveniles, delay the onset but increase the duration of reproduction, survive longer, and senesce more slowly than earlier ones. These traits are associated with higher ranks in a competitive hierarchy established in a previous study. However, the endemic species, now nearly extinct in the island, is inferior to the other three with respect to both competition and colonization traits, violating the trade-off assumption. Our results overall suggest that the key traits for invasion in this system were those that *Correspondence: Pierre-François Duyck, favoured competition rather than colonization. CIRAD 3P, 7, chemin de l’IRAT, 97410, Keywords St Pierre, La Réunion Island, France.
    [Show full text]