Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Biology 120 > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Ecology

A

Study of interactions between organisms and the environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Ecology Hierarchy

A

Global, Landscape, ecosystem, community, population, organismal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Organismal Ecology

A

studies structure, physiology and behavior.

Physiological, evolutionary, and environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Population

A

group of individuals same species living in an area. Pop ecology focuses on factor affecting pop size over time.
-pop density, distribution, age structure and variation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Community

A

group of populations of different species in an area. Com ecology deals with the whole array of interacting species in a community

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Ecosystem

A

community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact. Ecosystem ecology emphasizes the energy flow and chemical cycling among various biotic and abiotic components

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Landscape

A

landscape or seascape is a mosaic of connected ecosystems. Landscape ecology focuses on the exchange of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Global

A

The biosphere is the global ecosystem, the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems. Global ecology examines the influence of energy and materials on organisms across the biosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Climate

A

long-term prevailing weather conditions in an area. 4 abiotic components: temp, precipitation, sunlight, and wind.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Macroclimate

A

patterns on the global, regional and landscape level

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Microclimate

A

very fine patterns such as community of organisms under a log.
-abiotic and biotic factors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Global Climate patterns

A
  • determined by solar energy
  • warming effect causes temp variations which drive evaporation and circulation of air and water
  • angle which sun hits the earth affects intensity (greatest in tropics)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Global Air circulation and precipitation patterns

A

major roles in climate patterns.

  • water evaps in tropics and warm wet air flow from tropics to the poles.
  • Rising air release water and cause lots of rain
  • dry descending air masses create arid climates esp near 30 degree north and south
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Effects on Climate

A
  • seasonality
  • large bodies of water
  • geographic features like mountain ranges
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Seasonality

A
  • seasonal variations of light and temp increase steadily towards poles
  • tilt of earth’s axis of rotation and annual passage around the sun
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Bodies of water

A
  • moderating effect
  • day air rises from warm land and draws cool breeze across the water onto land
  • as land cools at night air rises over warmer water and draws cooler air back out over water
  • coastal breezes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Mountains

A
  • rising air releases water on windward side makes rain shadow
  • affect sunlight received.
  • south facing slopes get more sun in northern hemisphere
  • every 1000 m increase in elevation temp drops 6 degrees
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Global Climate change

A

changes in earths’ climate profoundly affect the biosphere

  • ocean sediment and glacier core sampling
  • glaciers retreated 16,000 years ago forest distribution has changed
  • climate change means species will go extinct
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Biomes

A
  • major life zones characterized by land (terrestrial) or water (aquatic)
  • Latitude in important in determining why terrestial are found where they are.
  • Climate affects the weather patterns of terrestrial biomes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Terrestrial Biomes

A
  • named for major physical or climatic factors and for vegetation
  • area of blending called ecotone may be wide or narrow
  • Vertical Layering in forest biomes
  • patchiness in biomes heterogeneity
  • maintained by disturbance
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Convergent Evolution

A

Similar characteristics evolved by unrelated species typically for a similar biome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Tropical Forest

A
  • -equatorial and subequatorial regions
  • -rainfall is constant in tropical rainforests
  • -in tropical dry forests rainfall is seasonal
  • -vertically layered and competition for light is intense
  • -So much biodiverse. 5-30 still undiscovered million insects alone
  • -human development destroys :(
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Deserts

A
  • -appear in bands at 30 degrees north and south of equator
  • -Precip is low and highly variable usaully less than 30 cm/yr
  • -hot or cold
  • -desert plants are adapted for heat and desiccation tolerance, water storage and reduced leaf area
  • -urbanization and irrigation have reduced biodiverse in some deserts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Savanna

A
  • -equatorial and subequatorial regions
  • -precip is seasonal
  • -warm year round (24-29) more variable than tropics
  • -Grasses and forms make up most of the ground cover
  • -dominant plants are fire resistant and tolerant of seasonal drought
  • -Insects and large mammals
  • -Fires set by humans to maintain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Chaparral

A
  • -Mid latitude and coastal regions
  • -preip is highly seasonal rainy winters and dry summers like Greece
  • -Summer is hot and rest of seasons are cool
  • -dominated by small plants adapted to fire and drought
  • -small mammals, insects amphibians and reptiles
  • -Humans reduce this biome by agriculture and urbanization
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Temperate Grassland

A
  • -found many places
  • -Winter is cool and dry while summer are hot and wet
  • -plants adapted to drought and fire
  • -Native mammals are large grazers like bison and small burrowers
  • -many convert to farmland
  • -SD Great Plains
  • -Tall grass prairie most threatened ecosystem
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

North Coniferous Forest

A
  • -also called taiga spans n america and eurasia
  • -largest terrestial biome on earth
  • -Precip is varied some have droughts and others near coast are quite wet
  • -winters are long and cols while summer may be hot
  • -conifers dominate
  • -the conical shape of them keeps from snow build up
  • -birds and large mammals
  • -some forests are being logged quickly
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Temperate Broadleaf Forest

A
  • -Found at mid latitude in n hemisphere small areas in chile, s africa, australis, and new zealand
  • -precip during all seasons
  • -winters average 0 c and summers are hot and humid
  • -vertical layers dominated by deciduous trees in north and evergreen eucalyptus in Australia
  • -Many mammals hibernate
  • -heavily settled on all continents
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Tundra

A
  • -Tundra covers expanses of the arctic
  • -Alpine tundra exists at high altitudes at all latitudes
  • -precip is low in arctic tundra and higher in alpine
  • -winters long and cold summers are cool
  • -Permafrost a perm frozen layer of soil prevents water infiltration
  • -Vegetation is herbaceous
  • -Big mammals
  • -short plants microclimate
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Aquatic biomes

A
  • -less latitudinal variation than terrestrial biomes
  • -Marine biomes have salt concentrations of ~3%
  • -Largest marine biome is made of oceans ~75% of earth’s surface
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Freshwater biomes

A
  • -have salt >1%

- -closely linked to soils and biotic components of surrounding terrestrial biome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Zonation in Aquatic Biomes

A

–stratified into zones/layers defined by light penetration, temp and depth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Photic Zone

A

–where light reaches: sufficient light for photosynthesis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Aphotic Zone

A

–receives little light

35
Q

Pelagic zone

A
  • -photic and aphotic zones
  • -constantly mixed by the wind driven ocean currents
  • -high oxygen levels
  • -Turnover in temperate oceans renews nutrients in photic zones year round stratification in tropics leads to lower nutrient concentrations
  • -this biome= ~70% of earth
  • -phytoplankton and zooplankton (protists, worms, copepods, krill, jellies and invertebrate jellies) are the dominant organisms
  • -Overfishing has depleted fish stocks and human pollution=bad
36
Q

Abyssal zone

A
  • -deep in aphotic zone

- -depth of 2k to 6k meters

37
Q

Benthic Zone

A
  • -organic and inorganic sediment at the bottom of all aqueous zones
  • -Invertebrates live here
38
Q

Benthos

A

–community of organisms that live in the benthic zone

39
Q

Detritus

A
  • -dead organic matter falls from surface water

- -important source of food

40
Q

Littoral zone

A

–zone where water plants grow

41
Q

Limnetic zone

A

–drop off where plants can’t reach the surface

42
Q

Neritic zone

A
  • -also called the coastal zone

- -OCEAN ZONE before the drop off, on the continental shelf

43
Q

Intertidal zone

A
  • -periodically submerged and exposed by tides
  • -organisms challenged by the change in temp and salinity and by pounding of waves
  • -oxygen and nutrient levels are high
  • -can be rocky or sandy
  • -rocky many animals have structure to hang from rocks
  • -In sandy zones worms clams and crustaceans bury themselves in the sand
  • -Oil pollution messes with these creatures
44
Q

Thermocline

A
  • -temp boundary separates the warm upper layer from the cold lower layer
  • -lakes undergo seasonal mixing called a turn over
  • -mixes oxygen rich water with nutrient rich water
45
Q

Oligotrophic Lake

A
  • -nutrient poor but oxygen rich lakes

- -have more

46
Q

Eutrophic Lake

A
  • -nutrient rich but oxygen poor lake especially if covered in ice during winter
  • -more surface area relative to depth
47
Q

Zoo plankton

A

drifting heterotrophs that graze on phytoplankton

48
Q

Nutrient enrichment in Lakes

A

-from humans can lead to algae blooms, oxygen depletion and fish kills

49
Q

Wetlands

A
  • habitat inundated with water at least some of the time and supports plants adapted to water saturated soil
  • -high organic production and decomposition and low dissolved oxygen
  • -can develop in shallow basins along flooded river basins and on coasts of large lakes and seas
  • -most productive biomes on earth
  • -lots of plants: carnivores!
  • -invertebrates
  • -humans have destroyed ~90% of wetlands
  • -purify water and reduce flooding
50
Q

Streams and Rivers

A
  • -physical characteristic of current
  • -headwaters are generally cold, clear, turbulent, swift, oxygenated, narrow and rocky
  • -downstream rivers are warmer, more turbid, less oxygen, wide meandering and silty bottoms.
  • -young is straight and fast
  • -old are braided and slow
  • -phytoplankton and plants
  • -pollution kills organsims
  • -damming impairs natural functioning of streams and rivers
51
Q

Estuaries

A
  • -Transition area between the river and the sea
  • -Salinity varies with the rise and fall of the tides
  • -Brackish mix of salt and fresh
  • -Salt water grasses and algae are the major producers
  • -oysters, crabs and fish
  • -human interference with upstream disrupts estuaries
52
Q

Coral Reefs

A
  • -Calcium carbonate skeletons of corals (cnidarians)
  • -shallow reef building corals live in the photic zone in clear water deep sea corals live in 200-1500 m.
  • -Corals need high oxygen and solid substrate for attachment
  • -fringing reef–>barrier reef–>atol (circular structure)
53
Q

Marine Benthic Zone

A
  • -water below neritic and the offshore pelagic
  • -organisms in abyssal zone are adapted to high pressure and cold temperatures
  • -soft sediment mostly, some rocky areas
  • -shallow parts contain sea weeds and filamentous algae
  • -deep sea hydrothermal vents of volcanic origin on mid oceanic ridges are surrounded by unique chemoautotrophic prokaryotes
  • -overfishing :(
54
Q

Interspecific competition

A

Competition between species

55
Q

Intraspecific competition

A

competition within species

56
Q

Competition Exclusion Principle

A

2 species competing for the same limiting resources cannot exist in the same place same niche=no way

57
Q

Ecological Niche

A

total of an organism’s use of biotic and abiotic features in its environment

58
Q

Niche partitioning

A

resource partitioning is the differentiation of the niches

59
Q

Predation

A

Interaction where the predator eats the prey

60
Q

Defensive Adaptations

A

like camouflage: difficult to spot coloration
Aposematic warns to stay away
Mimicry: Batesian–mimic another animal that is dangerous
Mullerians–two or more bad animals look similar

61
Q

Herbivory

A

Eating of plants

62
Q

Arms Race

A

Each adapt to survive

63
Q

Symbiosis

A

Two species living in direct and intimate contact with each other
Parasitism–one hurts the other
over 1/3 of organisms
Mutualism–benefits both
Commensalism–one benefits, other not harmed not

64
Q

Disease

A

Similar to parasites

–bacteria, viruses, protists

65
Q

Commensalism

A

one benefits, other not harmed

NOT SYMBIOSIS

66
Q

Facilitation

A

Some foundation species act as facilitates

67
Q

Species Diversity

A
  • variety of different kind of organisms that make up
  • species richness, how many of each
  • rel abundance proportion that each species represents in the community

Can have same richness but different rel abundance and so which is more bio diverse?

68
Q

Trophic Structure

A

Feeding relationship between organisms in a community

69
Q

Food chains

A

Link the levels

70
Q

Food web

A

complex trophic interactions

71
Q

Dominant Species

A

most abundant species or have highest bio mass

exert control over the occurrence and distribution of other species

72
Q

Hypothesis for dominant species

A
  • -best at exploiting limited resources

- -most successful at avoiding predators

73
Q

Keystone Species

A

Not necessarily abundant, but exert strong roles though their niches

  • -physical changes in environment
  • -
74
Q

Disturbance

A

–changes ecosystem
–takes organisms out or in
–alters resource availability
–restructure the community biotic assemblage
FIRE!

75
Q

Primary succession

A

Begins with no life

VOlcanic eruption makes land

76
Q

Secondary succession

A

Begins with life

FIRE

77
Q

Patterns of Dispersion

A
  • -clumped may be influenced by resource availability
  • -uniform maybe because social interactions
  • -random because nothing
78
Q

Survivorship curves

A
  • -Type I human
  • -Type II ground hog
  • -Type III mollusk or amphibians
79
Q

Population growth

A

Exponential logistic growth
–rate at its max is called the intrinsic rate of increase
r=B-M

80
Q

Carrying capacity

A

‘K’
cannot be sustained, where the resources available run out
per capita rate of increase declines as carrying capacity is reached
rmaxN(K-N/K)
1/2 of K is ideal

81
Q

Life History

A
  • when reproduction begins
  • how many offspring, how many at a time and over lifetime
  • how often reproduction occurs
82
Q

ESS

A

Evolutionary Stable Stragedy

83
Q

Semelparity

A

Big Bang reproduction reporduce a single time and die

84
Q

Iteroparity

A

Produce offspring repeatedly overtime

Biology 120 (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions