In: Biology
It is a very dry year in New Mexico. Described two adaptations and two acclimatization's that plants have for dealing with drought (4 points).
Adaptation 1:
Adaptation 2:
Acclimatization 1:
Acclimatization 2:
Explain the two-fold cost of stomatal closure for water conservation during drought (2 points).
18) In your own words, explain the difference between the fundamental niche and the realized niche (2 points). Provide an example (can be real or hypothetical, can be plant or animal) of when the fundamental and realized niches of a species would differ. (2 points)
Q1. Adaptation is the gradual change over the generations brought in the physiology/morphology of an organism to withstand the environmental conditions and these changes are permanent. On the other hand, the acclimation is a temporary adjustment or action towards altering the outcome of a sudden environmental challenge.
Plants in drier climate are susceptible to water starvation and hence would always preserve water and one can expect a higher volume to surface area ration making sure that very little water escapes the plant, opening of stomata only during the night time when the temperatures are relatively cooler than the day.
Acclimation towards a dry weather would be drooping and wilting reducing the surface area of exposure to reduce water loss. And as the plants regain water they drift back to their original form.
Q2. Drought is a time/period when the rainfall is less and the available water for the plants is less. During such environmental conditions, the first acclimation of plants is to safeguard the amount of water and is usually achieved by the stomatal closure. But apart from the transpiration, the stomata are also used for the exchange of gases which would be hindered and the photosynthesis suffers.
Q18) Niche is the functional role an organism plays in the habitat. It includes the food habits, behavior, and space
Fundamental niche - This is the area where the organism can live for example a deer can live in any region in the forest.
Realised niche - This is the area and functional space where the organism surivves. For example, through a deer can live in any part of the forest due to the presence of a threat in a specific place such as a cave it lives and acts away from this region reducing the area it prefers to live and this final region or the amount of area is the realised niche of an organism.
Q. For most of the organisms, the fundamental niche and realized niche are the same but sometimes they differ when they are living in their habitat with a species which shares the niche and these organisms adjust to accommodate the new species at that time the fundamental and realized niche differ.