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Ecology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Density

A

Number per unit area, calculated by dividing abundance by area

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2
Q

Community

A

Populations of species living together in an area

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3
Q

What were the first organisms?

A

Prokaryotes

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4
Q

How did eukaryotes arise?

A

A bacterium engulfed another bacterium that then became a mitochondria

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5
Q

Producers

A

Convert chemical energy into resources

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6
Q

Consumers - or heterotrophs

A

Obtain energy from other organisms

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7
Q

Mixotrophs

A

Can switch better being producers and consumers

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8
Q

Scavengers

A

Consume dead animals

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9
Q

Detritivores

A

Break down dead organic matter into smaller particles

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10
Q

Decomposers

A

Break down detritus into simpler elements that can be recycled

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11
Q

Ecological System

A

Biological entities that have their own internal processes and interact with their external surroundings

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12
Q

Predation

A

When an organism kills and consumes an individual

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13
Q

Parasitism

A

When one organism lives in or on another organism

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14
Q

Commensalism

A

When 2 species live in close association and one receives a benefit, whereas the other is unaffected

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15
Q

Mutualism

A

When 2 species benefit from eachother

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16
Q

Habitat

A

The place, or physical setting, where an individual lives. Distinguished by physical features

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17
Q

Niche

A

The range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate. No two species have the same niche because each has unique phenotype a that determine the conditions it can tolerate

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18
Q

Proximate hypothesis

A

Address the cause of immediate changes in individual prototypes or interactions

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19
Q

Ultimate hypothesis

A

Address the fitness costs and benefits of a response

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20
Q

Life history

A

The schedule of an organisms growth, development, reproduction and survival; represents an allocation of limited time and resources to achieve maximum reproductive success

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21
Q

Fecundity

A

The number of offspring produced by an organism per reproductive episode

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22
Q

Parity

A

The number of reproductive episodes an organism experiences

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23
Q

Parental investment

A

The time and energy given to an offspring by its parents

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24
Q

What did J. Philip Grime propose that plant life history depends on?

A

Stress, competition and the frequency of disturbances. Plants functioning at the extremes could be categorised as stress tolerators, competitors or ruderals

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25
Q

Stress tolerators are typically…?

A

Small herbs with a long life span, slow growth and a long time to sexual maturity

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26
Q

What do many stress tolerators rely on?

A

Vegetative reproduction - reproducing from roots and stems

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27
Q

Principle of allocation

A

The observation that when resources are devoted to one body structure, physiological function, or behaviours, they cannot be allotted to another

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28
Q

Offspring number vs size

A

For many organisms the number of offspring can be variable, but the size remains relatively constant

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29
Q

Offspring number vs parental care

A

As the offspring number increases, the parental care per offspring decrease, reducing chance of survival

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30
Q

Parental care vs parental survival

A

Having more offspring can stimulate parents to hunt harder for food, this additional effort can affect their fitness

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31
Q

Growth rate vs fitness

A

Allocation of energy to increased fecundity during one year occurs at the cost of further growth that year

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32
Q

Determinate growth

A

A growth pattern in which an individual does not grow any more once it initiates reproduction; occurs in many birds and mammals

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33
Q

Indeterminate growth

A

A growth pattern in which an individual continues to grow after it initiates reproduction; occurs in plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles and amphibians

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34
Q

Organisms with a long life span follow which growth pattern?

A

Determinate growth - which allows them to grow first and reproduce later

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35
Q

Organisms with a short life span follow which growth pattern?

A

Indeterminate growth - allows them to quickly reproduce before death

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36
Q

Semelparity

A

When organisms reproduce only once during their life

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37
Q

Iteroparity

A

When organisms reproduce multiple times during their life

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38
Q

Annual organisms

A

Have a life span of one year

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39
Q

Perennial organisms

A

Have a life span of more than one year

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40
Q

Senescence

A

A gradual decrease in fecundity and an increase in the probability of mortality

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41
Q

Photoperiod

A

The amount of light that occurs each day; provides a cue for many evens in the live histories of organisms

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42
Q

Spatial structure

A

The pattern of density and spacing of individuals in a population

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43
Q

Fundamental niche

A

The range of abiotic conditions under which a species can persist

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44
Q

Realized niche

A

The range of abiotic and biotic conditions under which a species can persist

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45
Q

Geographic range

A

A measure of the total area covered by a population

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46
Q

Ecological niche modelling

A

The process of determining the suitable habitat conditions for a species

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47
Q

Ecological envelope

A

The range of ecological conditions that are predicted to be suitable for a species, differs from the realized niche, which described conditions in which a species currently exists.

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48
Q

Endemic

A

Species that live in a single, often isolated, location

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49
Q

Cosmopolitan

A

Species with very large geographic ranges that can span several continents

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50
Q

Abundance

A

The total number of individuals in a population that exist within a defined area

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51
Q

Dispersion

A

The spacing of individuals with respect to one another within the geographic range of a population

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52
Q

Clustered dispersion

A

When individuals are aggregated in discrete groups

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53
Q

Evenly-spaced dispersion

A

When each individual maintains a uniform distance between itself and its neighbours

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54
Q

Random dispersion

A

When the position of each individual on independent of other individuals

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55
Q

Dispersal

A

The movement of individuals from one area to another

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56
Q

Census

A

Counting every individual on a population

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57
Q

Area and volume based surveys

A

Surveys that define the boundaries of an area or volume and then count all the individuals on the space

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58
Q

Line-transect surveys

A

Surveys that count the number of individuals observed as one moves along a line

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59
Q

Lifetime dispersal distance

A

The average distance an individual moves from where it was born to where it reproduces

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60
Q

Dispersal limitation

A

The absence of a population from suitable habitat because of barriers to dispersal

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61
Q

Habitat corridor

A

A strip of favourable habitat located between 2 large patched of habitat that facilitates dispersal

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62
Q

Ideal free distrubution

A

When individuals distribute themselves among different habitats in a way that allows them to have the same per capita benefit

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63
Q

Subpopulations

A

When a large population is broken up into smaller groups that live in isolated patches

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64
Q

Basic metapopulation model

A

A model that described a scenario in which there are patched of suitable habitat embedded within a matrix of unsuitable habitat

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65
Q

Source-sink metapopulation model

A

A population model that builds upon the basic metapopulation model and accounts fro the fact that not all patched of suitable habitat are of equal quality

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66
Q

Source subpopulation

A

In high quality habitats, subpopulations that serve as a source of dispersers within a metapopulation

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67
Q

Sink subpopulation

A

In low quality habitats, subpopulations that rely on outside dispersers to maintain the subpopulation within a metapopulation

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68
Q

Landscape metapopulation model

A

A population model that considers both differences in the quality of the suitable patched and the quality of the surrounding matrix

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69
Q

Social behaviours

A

Interactions with members of ones own species

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70
Q

Dilution effect

A

The reduced of diluted probability of predation to a single animals when it is in a group

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71
Q

Lek

A

The location of an animal aggregation to put on a display to attract the opposite sex

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72
Q

Territory

A

Any area defended by one of more individuals against the intrusion of others

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73
Q

Dominance hierarchy

A

A social ranking among individuals in a group, typically determined through contests such as fighting or other contests of skill of strength

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74
Q

Donor

A

The individual who directs a behaviour toward another individual as part of social interaction

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75
Q

Recipient

A

The individual who receives the behaviour of a donor in a social interaction

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76
Q

Cooperation

A

When the donor and the recipient of a social behaviour both experience increased fitness from an interaction

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77
Q

Selfishness

A

When the donor of a social behaviour experiences increased fitness and the recipient experiences decreased fitness

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78
Q

Spitefulness

A

When a social interactiob reduced the fitness of both donor and recipient

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79
Q

Altruism

A

A social interaction that increases recipient fitness and decreases the fitness of the donor

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80
Q

Direct fitness

A

The fitness an individual gains by passing on copies of its genes to its offspring

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81
Q

Indirect fitness

A

The fitness that an individual gains by helping relatives pass on copied of their genes

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82
Q

Inclusive fitness

A

The sum of direct fitness and indirect fitness

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83
Q

Direct selection

A

selection that favours direct fitness

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84
Q

Indirect selection (Kin selection)

A

Selection favouring indirect fitness

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85
Q

Coefficient of relatedness

A

The numerical probability of an individual and its relatives carrying copied of the same genes from a recent common ancestor

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86
Q

Indirect fitness benefit

A

B x r

B = benefit given to a recipient
r = coefficient of relatedness between donor and recipient
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87
Q

Altruism will be favoured when..?

A

The B times the recipients r is greater than the direct fitness cost to the donor

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88
Q

Eusocial characteristics

A
  1. Several adults living together in a group
  2. Overlapping generations parents and offspring living together in the same group
  3. Cooperation in nest building and brood care
  4. Reproducible dominance by one of few individuals, and the presence of sterile individuals
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89
Q

Caste

A

Individuals within a social group sharing a specialized form of behaviour

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90
Q

Queen

A

The dominant, egg-laying female in eusocial incest societies

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91
Q

Haplodiploid

A

A sex-determination system in which one sex is haploid and the other is diploid

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92
Q

Demography

A

The study of populations

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93
Q

Growth rate

A

In a population, the number of new individuals that are produced per unit of time minus the number of individuals that die

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94
Q

Intrinsic growth rate

A

The highest possible per capita growth rate for a population

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95
Q

Exponential growth model

A

A model of population growth in which the population increases continuously at an exponential rate

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96
Q

J-shaped curve

A

The shape of exponential growth then graphed

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97
Q

Geometric growth model

A

A model of population growth that compares population sizes at regular time intervals

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98
Q

Density independant

A

Factors that limit population size regardless of the population density

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99
Q

Density dependant

A

factors that affect population size in relation to the population’s density

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100
Q

Negative density dependance

A

When the rate of population growth decreases as population density increases

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101
Q

Self-thinning curve

A

A graphical relationship that shows how decreases in population density over time leaf to increases in the size of each individual in the population; often has a slope of -3/2

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102
Q

Positive density dependance

A

When the rate of population growth increases as population density increases

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103
Q

Carrying capacity

A

The maximum population size that can be supported by the environment

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104
Q

Logistic growth model

A

A growth model that described slowing growth of populations at high densities

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105
Q

S shaped curve

A

The shape of the curve when a population is graphed over time using the logistic growth model

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106
Q

Inflection point

A

The point on a sigmoidal growth curve at which the population has its highest growth rate

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107
Q

Type 1 survivorship curve

A

Depicts a population that experiences low mortality early in life and high mortality in later life

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108
Q

Type 2 survivorship curve

A

Depicts a population that experiences constant mortality throughout its life span

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109
Q

Type 3 survivorship curve

A

Depicts a population with a high mortality early in life and high survival later in life

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110
Q

Life tables

A

Tables that contain class-specific survival and fecundity data

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111
Q

Stable age distribution

A

When the age structure of a population does not chnage over time

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112
Q

Net reproductive rate

A

The total number of female offspring that we expect an average female to produce over the course of her life

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113
Q

Generation time

A

The average time between the birth of an individual and the birth of its offspring

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114
Q

Cohort life table

A

A life table that follows a group of individuals born at the same time from birth to the death of the last individual

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115
Q

Static life table

A

A life table that quantifies the survival and fecundity of all individuals in a population during a single time interval

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116
Q

Overshoot

A

When a population grows beyond its carrying capacity; often occurs when the carrying capacity of a habitat decreases from one year to the next

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117
Q

Die-off

A

A substantial decline in density that typically does well below the carrying capacity; typically occurs after a population overshoots

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118
Q

Population cycles

A

Regular oscillation of a population over a linger period on time

119
Q

Delayed density dependance

A

When density dependence occurs based on a population density at some time in the past

120
Q

Damped oscillations

A

A pattern of population growth in which the population initially oscillates but the magnitude of the oscillations declines over time

121
Q

Stable limit cycle

A

A pattern of population growth in which the population continues to exhibit large oscillations over time

122
Q

Deterministic model

A

A model that is designed to predict a results without accounting for random variation in population growth rate

123
Q

Stochastic model

A

A model that incorporates random variation in population growth rate; assumes that variation in birth and death rates is random

124
Q

Demographic stochasticity

A

Variation in birth rates and death rates due to random differences among individuals

125
Q

Environmental stochasticity

A

Variation in birth rates and death rates due to random changes in the environment

126
Q

Habitat fragmentation

A

The process of breaking up large habitats into a number of smaller ones

127
Q

Sources

A

High-quality patches that produce a large number of individuals that disperse to other patches

128
Q

Sinks

A

Low-quality patched that produce few individuals and rely on dispersers to keep the sink population from going extinct

129
Q

Rescue effect

A

When dispersers supplement a declining subpopulation and thereby prevent it from going extinct

130
Q

Introduced, exotic or non-native species

A

Species that have been introduced into a region of the world where that have not historically existed

131
Q

Invasive species

A

Species that are introduced and spread rapidly and negatively affect other species

132
Q

Mesopredators

A

Relatively small carnivores that consume herbivors

133
Q

Top predators

A

Predators that typically consume both herbivores and predators

134
Q

Lotka-Volterra model

A

A model of predator-prey interactions that incorporates oscillations in predator and prey populations and shows predator numbers lagging behind those of their prey

135
Q

Equilibrium (zero growth) isocline

A

The population size of one species that causes the population of another species to be stable

136
Q

Joint populations trajectory

A

The simultaneous trajectory of predator and prey populations

137
Q

Joint equilibrium point

A

The point at which the equilibrium isoclines for predator and prey populations cross

138
Q

Functional response

A

The relationship between the density of prey and an individual predator’s rate of food comsumption

139
Q

Type 1 functional response

A

When a predator’s rate of prey consumptions increases in a linear fashion with an increase in prey density until satiation occurs

140
Q

Type 2 functional response

A

When a predator’s rate of prey consumption begins to slow as prey density increases and the plateaus; often happens because predators must spend more time handling more prey

141
Q

Type 3 functions response

A

When a predator exhibits low, rapid and slowing prey consumption under low, moderate, and high prey densities, respectively

142
Q

Search image

A

A learned mental image that helps a predator locate and capture food

143
Q

Numerical response

A

A change in the number of predators through population growth or population movement due to immigrations or emigration

144
Q

Types of plant-herbivore population dynamics

A
  1. Interactive herbivore systems (Herbivore affect plant population traits)
  2. Non-interactive (No relationship between herbivore densities and plant population dynamics)
145
Q

Crypsis

A

Camouflage that either allows an individual to match its environment or breaks up the outlive of an individual to blend in better with the background

146
Q

Aposematism

A

A strategy where distastefulness evolves in association with very conspicuous colours and patterns

147
Q

Batesian mimicry

A

When palatable species evolve warning colouration that resembles unpalatable species

148
Q

Mullerian mimicry

A

When several unpalatable species evolve a similar pattern of warning colouration

149
Q

Coevolution

A

When 2 or more species affect each others evolution

150
Q

Parasite

A

Lives in or on another organisms, consumes the hosts resources and causes harm to the host

151
Q

Ectoparasite

A

Lives on the outside of an organism

152
Q

Endoparasite

A

Lives inside organisms

153
Q

Emerging infectious disease

A

A newly discovered or rare disease that increases in abundance

154
Q

Horizontal transmission

A

What a parasite moves between individuals other that parents and offspring

155
Q

Vertical transmission

A

When a parasite is transmitted from a parent of its offspring

156
Q

Vector

A

An organism that disperses a parasite between hosts

157
Q

Susceptible-Infected-Resistant model

A

The simplest model of infectious disease transmission that incorporates immunity

158
Q

Generalists

A

A species that interacts with many other species

159
Q

Specialists

A

A species that interacts with one other species or a few closely related species

160
Q

Obligate mutualists

A

Two species that provide ftness benefits to each other and require each other to persist

161
Q

Faculative mutualists

A

2 species that provide fitness benefits to each other, but the interaction is not critical to the persistence of either species

162
Q

Mycorrhizal fungi

A

Fungi that surround plant roots and help plants obtain water and minerals

163
Q

Endomycorrhizal fungi

A

Fungi characterised by hyphal threads that extend out far into the soil and penetrate root cells between the cell wall and the cell membrane

164
Q

Ectomycorrhizal fungi

A

Fungi characterized by hyphae that surround plant roots and enter between root cells by rarely enter the cells

165
Q

Intraspecific competition

A

Competition among individuals of the same species

166
Q

Interspecific competition

A

Competition among individuals of different species

167
Q

Resource

A

Anything an organism consumes or uses that causes an increase in population growth when it becomes more available

168
Q

Renewable resource

A

Resources that are constantly regenerated

169
Q

Leibig’s law of the minimum

A

Law stating that a population increases until the supply of the most limiting resource prevents it from increasing further

170
Q

Competitive exclusion principle

A

2 species cannot coexist indefinitely when they are both limited by the same resource

171
Q

Competition coefficients

A

Variables that convert between the number of individuals of one species and the number of individuals of the other species

172
Q

Zero population growth isocline

A

Population sizes at which a population experiences zero growth

173
Q

Exploitative competition

A

Competition in which individuals consume and drive down the abundance of a resource to a point that other individuals cannon persist

174
Q

Interference competition

A

When competitors do no immediately consume resources but defend them; considered direct competition

175
Q

Apparent competition

A

When 2 species have a negative effect on each other through an enemy

176
Q

Allelopathy

A

A type of interference competition that occurs when organisms use chemicals to harm their competitors

177
Q

Ecotone

A

A boundary created by sharp changes in environmental conditions over a relatively shore distance, accompanied by a major change in the composition of species

178
Q

Interdependent communites

A

Communities in which species depend on each other to exist

179
Q

Independent communites

A

Communities in which species do no depend on each other to exist

180
Q

Species richness

A

The number of species in a community

181
Q

Relative abundance

A

The proportion of individuals in a community represented by each species

182
Q

Log-normal distribution

A

A normal, or bell-shaped, distribution that uses a logarithmic scale on the x-axis

183
Q

Rank-abundance curves

A

A curve that plots the relative abundance of each species in a community in rank order from the most abundant species to the least abundant species

184
Q

Species evenness

A

A comparison of the relative abundance of each species in a community

185
Q

Keystone species

A

A species that substantially affects the structure of communities, although species might nit be particularly numerous

186
Q

Ecosystem engineers

A

Keystone species that affect communities by influencing the structure of a habitat

187
Q

Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

A

The hypothesis that more species are present in a community that experiences occasional disturbances than in a community with either frequent or rare disturbances

188
Q

Food chain

A

A linear representation of how different species in a community feed on each other

189
Q

Food web

A

A complex and realistic representation of how species feed on each other in a community

190
Q

Trophic level

A

A level in a food chain or food web of an ecosystem

191
Q

Primary consumer

A

A species that eats producers

192
Q

Secondary comsumer

A

A species that eats secondary consumers and so on

193
Q

Omnivore

A

A species that feed at several trophic levels

194
Q

Guild

A

Within a given trophic level, a group of species that feeds on similar items

195
Q

Direct effect

A

An interaction between 2 species that does not involve other species

196
Q

Indirect effect

A

An interaction between 2 species that involves one or more intermediate species

197
Q

Trophic cascade

A

Indirect effects in a community that are initiated by a predator

198
Q

Density-mediated indirect effect

A

An indirect effect caused by changes in the density of an intermediate species

199
Q

trait-mediated indirect effect

A

An indirect effect caused by changes in the trains of an intermediate species

200
Q

Bottom-up control

A

When the abundances of trophic groups are determined by the amount of energy from producers

201
Q

Top-down control

A

When the abundances of trophic groups are determined by the existence of predators at the top of the food web

202
Q

Community stability

A

The ability of a community to maintain a particular structure

203
Q

Community resistance

A

The amount a community changes when acted upon by a disturbance

204
Q

Community resilience

A

The time it takes after a disturbance for a community to return to its original state

205
Q

Alternative stable state

A

When a community is disturbed so much that species composition and relative abundance change, and the new community structure is resistant to further change

206
Q

Succession

A

The process by which the species composition of a community changes over time

207
Q

Seral stage

A

Each stage of community change during seccession

208
Q

Pioneer species

A

The earliest species to arrive at a site; typically able to disperse long distances and arrive quickly at dusturbed sites

209
Q

Climax community

A

The final stage in the process of succession; generally composed of organisms that dominate in a given biome

210
Q

Chronosequence

A

A sequence of communities tat exist over time at a given location

211
Q

Primary succession

A

The development of communities in habitats that are initially devoid of plants and organic soil

212
Q

Secondary succession

A

The development of communities in disturbed habitats that contain no plants but still contain organic soil

213
Q

Stream succession

A

Streams undergo rapid succession because organisms can move downstream from sites that are less disturbed

214
Q

Facilitation

A

A mechanism in which one species increases that probability that a second species can become established

215
Q

Inhibition

A

A mechanism in which one species decreases the probability that a second species will becomes established

216
Q

Prority effect

A

When the arrival of species at a site affects the colonisation of other species; often occurs through unhibition

217
Q

Tolerance

A

A mechanism of succession in which the probability that a species can become established depends on its dispersal ability and its ability to persist under the physical conditions of the environment

218
Q

Transient climax communities

A

A climax community that is not persistent; occurs when a site is frequently disturbed so a climax community cannot persist

219
Q

Fire-maintained climax community

A

A successional stage that persists as the final seral stage due to periodic fires

220
Q

Grazer-maintained climax community

A

When a successional stage persists as the final seral stage due to intense grazing

221
Q

Landscape ecology

A

The field of study that considers the spatial arrangement of the habitats at different scales and examines how that influence individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems

222
Q

Legacy effects

A

A long-lasting influence of historical processes on the current ecology of an area

223
Q

Local diversity - alpha

A

The number of species in a relatively small area of homogenous habitat

224
Q

Regional diversity - gamma

A

The number of species in all of the habitats tat comprise a large geographical area

225
Q

Beta diversity

A

The number of species that differ in occurrence between 2 habitats

226
Q

Regional species pool

A

The collection of species that occurs within a region; serves a source of species of all local sites within a region

227
Q

Species-area curve

A

A graphical relationship in which increases in area are associated with increases in the number of species

228
Q

Stepping stones

A

Small intervening habitat patches that dispersing organisms can use to move between large favourable habitats

229
Q

Equilibrium theory of island biogeography

A

A theory stating that the number of species on an island reflects a balance between the colonization of new species and the extinction of existing species

230
Q

Potential evapotranspiration (PET)

A

The amount of water that could be evaporated from the soil and transpired by plants given the average temperature and humidity

231
Q

Energy-diversity hypothesis

A

Sites with higher amounts of energy are able to support more species, and higher abundances on individual species

232
Q

Continental drift

A

Movement of landmasses across the Earth’s surface

233
Q

Pangaea

A

The single landmass that existed on Earth 250 mya and subsequently split into Laurasia and Gondwana

234
Q

Laurasia

A

The northern landmass that separated from Pangaea 160 mya and subsequently split into North America, Europe and Asia

235
Q

Gondwana

A

The southern landmass that separated from Pangaea and split into South America, Africa, Antarctica and India

236
Q

Biome

A

Geographic regions that contain communities composed of organisms with similar adaptations

237
Q

Convergent evolution

A

When 2 species which descended from unrelated ancestors look similar because they have evolved under similar selective forces

238
Q

Climate diagrams

A

Graphs that plot the average monthly temperature and precipitation of a specific location on Earth

239
Q

Growing season

A

Months that are warm enough to allow plant growth

240
Q

Tundra

A

The coldest biome, characterized by a treeless expense above permanently frozen soil (Permafrost)

241
Q

Boreal forest

A

A biome densely populated by evergreen needle-leaved trees, with a short growing season and severe winters

242
Q

Temperate rainforest

A

A biome known for mild temperatures and abundant precipitation, and dominated by evergreen forests

243
Q

Temperate seasonal rainforest

A

A biome with moderate temperature and precipitation conditions dominated by deciduous trees

244
Q

Woodland/Shrubland

A

A biome characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, a combination that favours the growth of drought-tolerant grasses and shrubs

245
Q

Temperate grassland/cold desert

A

A biome characterised by hot, dry summers and cold winters; dominated by grasses, non-woody flowering plants and drought-adapted shrubs

246
Q

Tropical rainforest

A

A warm and rainy biome with multiple layers of lush vegetation

247
Q

Tropical seasonal forest/savanna

A

A biome with warm wet temperatures and pronounced wet and dry seasons, dominated by deciduous trees that shed leaves during the dry season

248
Q

Subtropical desert

A

A biome characterized by hot temperatures , scarce rainfall, long growing seasons and sparse vegetation

249
Q

Lotic

A

Characterized by flowing water

250
Q

Streak or creek

A

A narrow channel of fast flowing fresh water

251
Q

River

A

A wide channel of slow flowing fresh water

252
Q

Riparian zone

A

Terrestrial vegetation alongside rivers and streams that is influences by seasonal flooding and elevated water tables

253
Q

Allochthonous

A

Inputs of organic matter, such as leaves, that come from outside an ecosystem

254
Q

Autochthonous

A

Inputs of organic matter that are produced by algae and aquatic plants inside an ecosystem

255
Q

Pond

A

An aquatic biome that is smaller than a lake and characterized by non flowing fresh water with some area of water that is too deep for plants to rise above the waters surface

256
Q

Lake

A

An aquatic biome that is larger than a pond and is characterized by non flowing fresh water with some area of water that is too deep for plants to rise above the waters surface

257
Q

Littoral zone

A

The shallow area around the edge of a lake of pond containing rooted vegetation

258
Q

Limnetic, pelagic, zone

A

The open water beyond that littoral zone, where the dominant photosynthetic organisms are floating algae

259
Q

Profundal zone

A

The area in a lake that is too deep to receive sunlight; typically has low concentrations of oxygen

260
Q

Benthic zone

A

The area with sediments at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and oceans; is a habitat for burrowing organisms

261
Q

Epilimnion

A

The surface layer of water in a lake or pond

262
Q

Hypolimnion

A

The deeper layer of water in a lake or pond; can incluce the lower limnetic profundal zone

263
Q

Thermocline

A

A middle depth of water in a lake of pond that experiences a rapid change in temperature over a relatively short distance in depth; slow mixing between epilimnion and hypolimnion

264
Q

Spring overturn

A

The vertical mixing of lake water that occurs in early spring, assisted by winds that drive the surface currents

265
Q

Stratificaion

A

The condition of a lake or pond when the warmer, less dense surface water floats on the cooler, denser water below

266
Q

Fall overturn

A

The vertical mixing that occurs in fall, assisted by the winds that drive the surface currents

267
Q

Fall bloom

A

A rapid increase in the population of phytoplankton in fall that occurs with the infusion of nutrients from fall overturn

268
Q

Freshwater wetland

A

An aquatic biome containing standing freshwater, or soils saturated with freshwater for at least part of the year; shallow enough for emergent vegetation throughout all depths

269
Q

Swamp

A

Freshwater wetland that contains emergant trees

270
Q

Marsh

A

Freshwater wetland that contains emergent non-woody vegetation

271
Q

Bog

A

Freshwater wetland that contains acidic water and plants adapted to these conditions

272
Q

Salt marsh

A

A saltwater biome that contains non-woody emergent vegetation

273
Q

Mangrove swamp

A

A biome that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water

274
Q

Intertidal zone

A

A biome consisting of the narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide

275
Q

Coral reef

A

A marine biome found in warm, shallow waters that are 20 degrees year-round

276
Q

Open ocean

A

Characterized as part of the ocean that is away from the shorelines and coral reefs

277
Q

Neritic zone

A

The ocean zone beyond the range of the lowest tidal level and which extends to depths of about 200m; generally a region of high productivity

278
Q

Oceanic zone

A

The ocean zone beyond the neritic zone, nutrients are sparse and production limited

279
Q

Photic zone

A

The area of the neritic and oceanic zones that contain sufficient light for photosynthesis by algae

280
Q

Aphotic zone

A

The area of the neritic and oceanic zones where water is so deep that sunlight cannot penetrate; less productive but organisms have adaptations

281
Q

Intrinsic value of biodiversity

A

A focus on the inherent value of a species, not tied to any economic benefit

282
Q

Instrumental value of biodiversity

A

A focus on the economic value a species can provide

283
Q

Provisioning services

A

Benefits of biodiversity that humans use, including lumber, fur, meat, crops, water and fibre

284
Q

Regulating services

A

Benefits of biodiversity that include climate regulation, flood control, and water pollution

285
Q

Cultural services

A

Benefits of biodiversity that provide aesthetic, spiritual, or recreational value

286
Q

Supporting servies

A

Benefits of biodiversity that allow ecosystems to exist

287
Q

Mass extinction events

A

Events in which at least 75% of the existing species go extinct within a 2 million year period

288
Q

First mass extinction - 443 mya

A

Most species lived in the oceans; an ice age caused sea levels to drop and ocean chemistry changed

289
Q

Second mass extinction - 359 mya

A

Much of the ocean lacked oxygen; reasons unclear

290
Q

Third mass extinction - 248 mya

A

Causes uncertain, 96% of all species went extinct

291
Q

Fourth mass extinction - 200 mya

A

Hypotheses include volcanic activity, asteroid collisions, and climate change

292
Q

Fifth mass extinction - 65 mya

A

Volcanic eruptions generated cold weather, followed by an asteroid impact in the Yucatan Peninsula

293
Q

Biomagnification

A

The process by which the concentration of a contaminant increases as it moves up the food chain

294
Q

Minimum viable population - MVP

A

The smallest population size of a species that can persist in the face of environmental variation

Ecology (3 decks)

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