Final Exam

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

study of house where we live (both place and interactions)

Question 2

species

Answer 2

group of actually/potentially interbreeding natural populations which are reproductively isolated

Question 3

actually/potentially interbreeding

Answer 3

biological species concept

Question 4

natural population

Answer 4

geography, attraction, and reproductive cycles keep them separate

Question 5

reproductively isolated

Answer 5

different times of reproduction

Question 6

population

Answer 6

organisms of the same species occupying a particular place at a particular time

Question 7

community definition

Answer 7

all individuals of species in a given area

Question 8

levels of food pyramid

Answer 8

produces, consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, quarternary consumer

Question 9

keystone species/top predator

Answer 9

quarternary consumers

Question 10

10% rule

Answer 10

as you move up pyramid you only retain 10% of energy from previous level

Question 11

5 level rule

Answer 11

in typical ecosystem, limited to 5 levels because original energy runs out

Question 12

humans

Answer 12

omnivores (eat at multiple levels)

herbivores (vegetarians) get more energy

Question 13

decomposers

Answer 13

throughout pyramid

break things down

Question 14

ecosystem

Answer 14

community (biotic component) and its non-living surrounding (water and air) (abiotic component)

Question 15

population growth formula

Answer 15

N = rX + I - E - D
r=reproductive capacity (how quickly pop. can grow)
X=initial #
I=immigration (coming out)
E=emmigration (leaving)
D=mortality factor (death)

Question 16

carrying capacity determined by

Answer 16

limiting factors

Question 17

limiting factors

Answer 17

density dependent

density independent

Question 18

density dependent

Answer 18

food, disease, space, predators, etc.

Question 19

density independent

Answer 19

weather, etc.

Question 20

reproductive strategies

Answer 20

opportunistic species (r)
equilibrium species (K)

Question 21

opportunistic species

Answer 21

many small young
rapid maturation
little parental care
reproduce only once
small body size
poor adult survival
ex: insects, fish (smaller), rats, rabbits

Question 22

equilibrium species

Answer 22

maintain at carrying capacity
few large young
slow maturation
intense parental care
reproduce many times
large body size
good adult survival
ex: humans, oak trees
*most endangered species found in this category

Question 23

community

Answer 23

symbiosis
competition
predation

Question 24

symbiosis

Answer 24

close/intimate relationship between 2 species living in 1 area
mutualism
commensalism

Question 25

mutualism

Answer 25

both species benefit

lichens (fungus and algae)

Question 26

commensalism

Answer 26

one benefits, the other is unaffected
spanish moss and tree
remora and shark

Question 27

competition

Answer 27

2 species compete with each other (typically have similar needs and compete for resources)

Question 28

ecological niche

Answer 28

all physical, chemical, and biological needs of species
habitat occupied (where it lives) and roles it plays (what it does)

Question 29

fundamental niche

Answer 29

environment occupied with no competition

Question 30

realized niche

Answer 30

smaller part of fundamental niche based on competition

Question 31

Gause’s principle

Answer 31

principle of competitive exclusion

complete competitors cannot coexist (1 species per niche, no more)

Question 32

MacArthur

Answer 32

one of first to use numbers in ecology

looked at warblers and noticed different species occupied different parts of the tree (removes competition)

Question 33

niche partitioning

Answer 33

dividing up environment between different species to remove competition

Question 34

predation

Answer 34

one animal eats another
helps keep population under carrying capacity
predators in nature go for young, old, sick

Question 35

coevolution of predators and prey

Answer 35

predators get better at hunting and prey get better at escaping

Question 36

prey defenses

Answer 36

structural defense
chemical defense
coloration defense
mimicry

Question 37

structural defense

Answer 37

shells, thorns, etc

armadillos, porcupines, sclerenchyma seed coat (plants)

Question 38

chemical defense

Answer 38

plants
use secondary compounds (defense compounds)
oak leaves (tannis--bitter), latex production (poisonous)

Question 39

coloration defense

Answer 39

camouflage
fish-countershading (top dark, bottom light)
warning coloration

Question 40

mimicry

Answer 40

one organism mimics another
mullerian: set of species that share same defense and coloration (bees, wasps, yellow, jackets, etc.)
batesian mimicry: one creature mimics harmful creature

Question 41

parasitism

Answer 41

small parasite eats larger creature
doesn’t want to invade something and kill right away
parasitoids: lay eggs in living creature, eggs incubate, eat up insides, adult flies away (bot flies)

Question 42

ecological succession

Answer 42

changes in communities over time

sere A –> sere B –> sere C –> climax community

Question 43

climax community of homewood

Answer 43

mixed (hardwood and softwood) mesophytic (in middle, not wet not dry) forest

Question 44

energy of ecological succession

Answer 44

takes more energy to stop at certain sere than it does to let it go to climax community

Question 45

island biogeography

Answer 45

MacArthur and EO Wilson
interested in how succession occurs in vacuum (can you predict what will grow)
predict based on how big target (island) is and how close it is to mainland
applies to any isolated area

Question 46

what is better in island biogeography

Answer 46

want round because less edges (invasive species grow on edges)
want 1 big instead of many small