REWM 3500 Friday August 28 2009 Organizing concepts

REWM 3500 Friday, August 28, 2009 Organizing concepts in physiological plant ecology I. Reductionism and holism in ecology II. Physiological ecology and the distribution of organisms III. Plant responses to “stress”

I. Reductionism and holism in ecology

II. Physiological ecology and the distribution of organisms

Multiple limiting resources is the reality

Single limiting resource Excess of resources (toxic) Multiple limiting resources Figure 5. 03 – Taiz and Zeiger 2006

Tolerance to environmental extremes

The biotic “filter” Grown alone Grown together

Response to stress in plants From Lambers, Chapin and Pons 1998

Population adaptation to environmental temperature From Lambers, Chapin and Pons 1998

Ecotypes - locally adapted populations From Lambers, Chapin and Pons 1998

Terms to know: Reductionism Holism Organismal theory of community organization Individualistic theory of community organization Historical filter Physiological filter Biotic filter Microenvironment Liebig’s law of the minimum Law of [multiple] limiting factors Law of tolerance Optimal vs realized distribution (physiological vs ecological amplitude) Homeostasis Stress response Acclimation Phenotypic plasticity Adaptation Stress resistance Stress tolerance Stress avoidance