Environmental Systems and Societies for the IB Diploma Study and Revision Guide
All the revision notes you need to know for Ess topic 2.4 Well organised and has practice exam questions. Combined class notes with notes from a revision guide. Used for IB ESS exams.
QUICK CHECK QUESTIONS
-Describe the process of succession
-Distinguish between primary and secondary succession
-An ecosystem capacity to survive change may depend on diversity and resilience. Define the
terms diversity and resilience
-Explain how diversity and resilience will affect the ability of a named ecosystem to respond
to disturbance
ZONATION
The main biomes display zonation in relation to latitude and climate. Plant communities can
also display zonation with altitude on a mountain, or around the edge of a pond in relation to
soil moisture.
KEY DEFINITION
Zonation- The arrangement or patterning of plant communities or ecosystems into parallel
or sub- parallel bands in response to change, over distance, in some environmental factor.
CASE STUDY
Mount Kinabalu:
Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian north Borneo is an example of altitudinal zonation where
plant communities vary from tropical rainforest at low levels to alpine communities near
the summit. Zonation is caused by changes in temperature, from 26o C in the rainforest
zone to 0oC at the summit.
The concept of succession, occurring over time, should be carefully distinguished from the
concept of zonation, which refers to spatial pattern. An exam question may ask you to
distinguish between the two.
EXAM PRACTICE
-Explain the relationship between succession and stability (6m)
-Define the term succession (1m)
Explain how diversity changes through succession. (5m)
Using the terms diversity and resilience, outline the effects of disturbance on a named
ecosystem. (6m)
Compare the strategies that pioneer species and climax community species are likely to have
in terms of specific growth rate, parental care and competitive advantage. (4m)
Explain what is meant by the terms ecological succession, pioneer community and climax
community (6m)
Describe and explain how gross primary productivity changes during the stages of
succession. (6m)
Distinguish between the term succession and zonation. (6m)
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