Wildlife - Habitat Requirements and Behaviour Patterns of Wild Animals

• the way in which an animal uses the resources in its environment
• dependent on the biotic and abiotic factors
• predator/decomposer/parasite
• leads to greater biodiversity

Niche specialists - e.g., giant panda, hummingbird

Niche generalists - e.g., rats, humans

Interspecific competition - with different species

Intraspecific competition - same species

• type of environment in which animals and plant live
• can have microhabitats
  • smaller habitats within a larger habitat
• dictated by:
  • what plants live there
  • the climate
  • the geography

Requirements: food (fauna and flora), water, shelter

'the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterised by adaptations of organisms of that particular environment'

• biotic and abiotic factors
• geography
• soil type
• climate patterns

the major difference between ecosystems and biomes is that a single biome can encompass multiple ecosystems

• aquatic: freshwater + marine
• desert
• forest = tropical, temperate and boreal
• grassland = savanna, temperate
• tundra

There are four main layers in a tropical rainforest. The forest floor is covered with fallen plant debris and is quite humid and shady. The next layer is the Understory, which consists of palms, ferns and vines. Understory plants have larger leaves to get enough sun. The canopy shields the lower levels from sun and lighter rain, and is the most wildlife rich layer. The emergent layer has only the tallest trees. Wildlife tends to stay within its own layer, and residents of the canopy hardly every descending.

In rainforests there are also pitcher plants which lure and trap insects, which are then absorbed by digestive enzymes. The warm and wet conditions of tropical forests also house larger insect species than in temperate regions. Birdwing butterflies can have wingspans of up to 28cm. Bird eater spiders can also be found in tropical forests regions and are able to catch small birds and rodents.

The entire rainforest ecosystem revolves around a complex network of symbiotic relationships. For example, Brazil nut trees rely on ground-dwelling mammals to crack open the fallen seed-pods and disperse the seeds to new areas away from the parent tree. Some orchids, like those from the Ophrys genus, have evolved flowers to cater to certain insects. In return for the nutrients the plant gives them, they pollinate the plant. .

Tropical inhabitants include macaws, sloths, tree frogs, birds of paradise, orchids and tapirs.

Tropical rainforests can have longer-lasting economic value to the world if they are retained and their products harvested sustainably. Agro-forestry can be used in order to harvest wood sustainably and provide land for agriculture as livestock grazing. Low-scale tourism can also raise awareness, especially when indigenous communities are involved in hosting and guiding tourists.

The best way to conserve forest wildlife is to protect their home. Most species rely on primary forest, with plenty of mature trees, an intact canopy structure and a diverse understorey. Secondary forests, where larger trees have been removed, support fewer species. One of the most urgent problems is fragmentation, when forests are cleared and surviving trees are isolated. Planting forest ’corridors’ can connect these patches and enable wildlife population to reconnect and maintain their genetic variability.

• Mountain Gorillas inhabit forests in East Africa. Only a few hundred survive in an area that is inaccessible and difficult to monitor.
• Duikers are small antelope that are hunter for human consumption. This had led to a widespread extinction of species in African rainforests.
• Large birds of prey such as the Harpy Eagle are highly sensitive to disturbance. They are one of the first forms of life afffected by logging.
• The forests of Central Africa are home to African forest elephants, but they are a constant target for ivory poachers
• The tiger has been brought to the brink of extinction in Southeast Asia due to habitat loss and poaching for body parts for traditional medicines
• Hornbills in Asia and Africa are often shot for food

• species include tree frogs, jaguars, tapirs and giant otters
• plant life is prolific, including many types of orchid
• there are more than 400 tree species per hectare (2.5 acres)

• Found at altitudes above 1,000m
• in Africa it is home to Mountain Gorillas, Colobus Monkeys and nectivorous birds
• At the highest levels is cloud forest, where trees are draped in moss and there is a profusion of ferns, orchids and bromeliads.

• Monsoon rainforests have defined wet and dry seasons
• Many tree species are deciduous
  • Shed their leaves during the dry season
  • Come back into leaf after the wet season
• Found mainly in India and Southeast Asia
• Wildlife includes elephants, giant squirrels and a variety of reptiles including the King Cobra

Grasslands can survive and keep growing no matter how much they are eaten by animals, allowing them to support all kinds of wildlife. However, most of the world’s grassland are rapidly being turned into farmland.

The biggest threat to grassland worldwide is the conversion to farmland, either growing monoculture crops such as wheat and corn. In Brazil’s Cerrado, growing soya to feed farm animals is the main threat. The land often ends up over-grazed, over-farmed or polluted.

Grasslands are home to Asian Rhinoceros, African Buffalo, African Wild Dogs, African Elephants, African Lions, Tigers, African Rhinoceros, Zebra and Asian Elephants.

• Temperate Grasslands include prairies, steppes and pampas.
• Drier than Tropical Grasslands and are also colder for at least part of the year

Prairie

• Grasses characterised by vast root systems that can withstand fire and drought
• Predators include grey wolf and birds of prey
• Wildflowers
  • e.g. milkweed feeds Monarch butterfly caterpillars 

Pampas

• Found in South America
• Prone to wildfires
  • larger forms of plant life struggle to survive
  • almost all animals live on the ground
• e.g., maned wolf has evolved long legs to see over the grass

Steppe

• dry areas of grassland plain
• found in parts of the Mediterranean and eastern Europe and in Asia
• Known for their contrasting hot summers and harsh winters
• after long winters the steppe comes alive in spring
  • e.g., crocuses and tulips

Dowland

• mainly found in Britain and Western Europe
• Characterised by chalky soil
• grazing animals prevent the land turning to scrub
• abundance of wildflowers, e.g., pasque flower, orchids, daisies, thistles
  • spring - pasque flower
  • summer = orchids, daisies
• mammals are plentiful
  • e.g., rabbit, brown hare, stoat

• tropical grasslands include the hot savannas of sub-Saharan African and Northern Australia
• 500 to 1,500 m of rain annually
• 15 to 35 degrees celsius
• the dry season may last 8 months
• an excess of rainfall over evaporation, leading to ephemeral river flow

Savanna

• mix of open grassland and thorny scrub
• diversity of vegetation supports a wide variety of wildlife
  • large grazing mammals (such as wildebeest and zebra) and browsers (such as giraffe)
• plants 
  • e.g., acacia trees

• Many species of reptile rely on the hot morning sun to raise their body temperature to the required level for them to become active
  • when the temperature becomes too hot, they will hide under stones and in crevices
• most birds and mammals start looking for food before dawn
  • seek shade and rest when the head becomes excessive and emerge again to forage towards the end of the day

Sand Dunes

• Dunes sculpted by winds can reach over 300m high
• they characterise the deserts of Africa, Australia and the Arabian Peninsula
• the shifting nature means that wildlife has to adapt ways to move easily over the sand
• plants are largely restricted to grasses
• e.g., sidewinder, brown-necked raven, spinifex grass

High Arid Plateaux

• high-altitude cold deserts have the most extreme conditions
• mammals like yaks and bactrian camels must be able to withstand the bitter winter temperature and winter snow
• vegetation is sparse and highly seasonal
• predators such as golden eagles soar overhead, looking for weakened prey

• Seasonal Lakes and Salt Pans
  • water is always scarce in a desert
  • heavy rainfall often forms temporary lakes
  • provide a lifeline for amphibians, visiting birds and other animals
  • salt pans are more permanent
    • often home to specialised feeders like flamingos who rely on the brine shrimps to survive
    • can get so cold the surface freezes over overnight
• Gravel and Stony Plains
  • expanses of gravel, stones and sand are often prehistoric seabeds
  • there is little to no shade
  • creatures such as scorpions shelter under rocks
  • sandgrouse search for food in the open
  • annual flower blooms after winter rains
• Bajada
  • occurs where open plains abut mountains
  • made up mainly of slopes of rocky debris
  • supports rattlesnakes, gila monsters, gilded flickers, ground squirrels, foxes and bobcats

• Bloodsuckers
• Carnivores: flesh-eating animals
• Herbivore: an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material for the main component of its diet
• Omnivores: an animal that usually obtains their nutrients by feeding on both plants and animals
• Kleptoparasites: an animal that steals food or prey from another animal
• Scavengers: feeds on dead or decaying matter
• Dung eaters
• Foragers

Precocial: young are very mature and mobile from the moment of birth

Altricial: 'requiring nourishment'

Precocial animals must find abundant food whilst pregnant/laying eggs, but not afterwards

Altricial animals must find sufficient food to feed their helpless young at birth

• Defensive of young
• More learning
• Brood vulnerable to predation
• Must find sufficient food after hatching

-       If social, how is the group organised?

Foxes are solitary predators; they do not live and hunt in socially structured groups.