Ecology Chapter: Range of Tolerance

Questions and Answers

What is the Ecological Range of Tolerance?

The range of social interactions among species

The ability of an organism to adapt to climate change

The level of biodiversity in an ecosystem

Range of conditions such as temperature, salinity, pH, or sunlight that an organism can endure before injury or death results (correct)

Provide an example of an ecological range of tolerance.

Salmon have a basic range of tolerance for temperature from 6°C to 22°C.

What is the Optimal Range?

Range where organisms survive, grow, and reproduce.

What does the Zone of Physiological Stress refer to?

Range where organisms survive but experience stress such as infertility or lack of growth. Signup and view all the answers

Define the Zone of Intolerance.

Range where the organism will die. Signup and view all the answers

What are Limiting Factors?

Environmental factors that are most often in short supply and regulate population growth. Signup and view all the answers

What nutrients are often found in soil that are crucial for plant growth?

Nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. Signup and view all the answers

What is often a limiting nutrient in the Open Ocean?

Nitrogen, silica, or iron. Signup and view all the answers

What nutrient is often a limiting factor in freshwater lakes and rivers?

Phosphorus. Signup and view all the answers

Which environmental condition is a limiting factor in Bays and Estuaries?

Salinity. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Ecological Range of Tolerance

Defines conditions like temperature, salinity, pH, or sunlight that organisms can withstand before suffering injury or death.
Both species and individual organisms have distinct ranges of tolerance for various environmental conditions.

Example of Ecological Range of Tolerance

Salmon exhibit a basic temperature tolerance range from 6°C to 22°C.
Certain individual salmon may have adaptations allowing them to tolerate conditions beyond this species-specific range.

Optimal Range

The optimal range is the specific set of conditions where organisms can survive, thrive, grow, and reproduce effectively.

Zone of Physiological Stress

A transitional range where organisms can survive but face stress, leading to issues such as infertility, stunted growth, and reduced activity levels.

Zone of Intolerance

Represents conditions that lead to the death of organisms.
Examples of intolerant conditions include thermal shock, suffocation, and scarcity of essential resources like food, water, or oxygen.

Limiting Factors

Identifies the environmental factor most limited in supply, which regulates population growth despite other factors being optimal.

Soil Nutrients

Critical nutrients in soil often include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, leading to the use of NPK testing kits and the formulation of fertilizers.

Open Ocean Nutrients

Key limiting nutrients can include nitrogen, silica, iron, or dissolved oxygen (DO) in marine environments.

Freshwater Nutrients

Phosphorus often serves as a limiting nutrient for lakes and rivers, influencing aquatic ecosystems.

Bays and Estuaries

Salinity is a crucial factor in these environments, affecting the ecological balance and species presence.

Description

Explore the ecological range of tolerance, which defines the conditions that organisms can withstand before facing injury or death. This quiz covers concepts such as optimal ranges, zones of physiological stress, and the implications of environmental conditions on species like salmon.