Final answer:
In ecosystem ecology, a watershed is the focus of study for terrestrial ecosystems, involving the interaction of living and nonliving components. Biogeography helps explain the distribution patterns of species, such as endemic and generalist species, and their relationship with environmental factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ecologists studying terrestrial ecosystems often focus on a watershed, which is an area drained by a single stream. This concept is essential in ecosystem ecology as it includes both the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) components that interact within a particular area. Biogeography plays a crucial role in this study by examining the distribution of species across different geographic areas, including the associated environmental factors such as climate, water, and soil nutrients.
Species can be characterized as endemic, like the Venus flytrap, which is found only in specific regions, or generalists, like the raccoon, which inhabit a broad range of areas. Understanding these patterns is important for ecologists, especially when considering factors that limit the distribution of species, like net primary productivity, and ecosystem dynamics, including the effects of disturbances on ecosystem structures.