Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
from lotic to lentic communities occurs, is also well documented.
Streams may also exhibit seasonal succession related to changes in
deciduous vegetation or predictable seasonal flooding. Riparian
wetlands also exhibit successional patterns related to seasonal
flooding.
5. Indirect interactions are likely important in all aquatic habitats. Such
interactions may be difficult to predict without sound knowledge of
the life history and ecological roles of organisms in a particular
habitat.
6. Some species in aquatic ecosystems have disproportionately strong
effects on many other species. These are termed keystone species.
QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
1. How can disturbance in a habitat act as an agent of natural selection?
2. Are indirect interactions so strong and numerous that they complicate
predicting the effects of interactions within an ecological community?
3. How predictable are successional trajectories (i.e., can sequences of
species colonization be predicted or just general patterns)?
4. How might understanding species interactions be important for
predicting the effect of introduced species?
5. How can disturbance make competition less intense?
6. If a species is a keystone species, should greater attention be paid to
conservation of that species than others in a habitat?
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