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Biology > Biodiversity, Ecology & Climate Change > Flashcards

Biodiversity, Ecology & Climate Change Flashcards

1
Q

Niche

A

unique role of an organism in its habitat

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2
Q

Abiotic interactions

A

non-living components of the habitat important or limiting to a particular species (day length, nesting sites, temperature)

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3
Q

Biotic interactions

A

organisms sharing the habitat important to or limiting to a particular species

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4
Q

Fundamental niche

A

Potential niche that a species could occupy given its adaptations and tolerance limits

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5
Q

Realized niche

A

Actual niche that a species occupies given competitors and abiotic interactions (is always smaller than the fundamental niche)

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6
Q

Chemoautotroph

A

an organism, typically a bacterium, which derives energy from the oxidation of inorganic compounds

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7
Q

Photoautotroph

A

an organism, such as all green plants, that can synthesize its own food from inorganic material using light as a source of energy (algae and plants)

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8
Q

Heterotroph

A

an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients (bacteria, fungi, and animals)

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9
Q

3 Domains of Life

A

Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryota

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10
Q

Saprotrophic

A

Heterotrophic -> secrete enzymes on dead tissue, absorb simple organic molecules [decomposers, bacteria, and fungi]

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11
Q

Holozoic Nutrition

A

Heterotrophic -> eat organic food with mouth parts, digest internally and absorb simple organic molecules, animals (usually in food chains)

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12
Q

Mixotrophic Nutrition

A

can obtain organic food from other organisms and by photosynthesis, [euglena (& other similar plankton), some are obligate some facultative]

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13
Q

Obligate

A

An organism has to do something to survive (only being able to survive by anaerobic respiration)

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14
Q

Facultative

A

When an organism can choose to act one way or another depending on its circumstances (being able to use aerobic or anaerobic respiration)

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15
Q

Obligate anaerobes

A

Heterotrophic / Autotrophic -> bacteria and archaeans

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16
Q

Facultative anaerobes

A

Heterotrophic -> mostly bacteria (and yeast)
Autotrophic -> cyanobacteria

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17
Q

What are three plant adaptations for absorbing light?

A

Horizontal leaves (surface area), palisade shape and arrangement (cylinder), sunlight detection (reactivity)

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18
Q

Dichotomous key

A

A tool that can be used to identify organisms or objects in the natural world, such as plants, animals, or rocks. The key consists of a series of paired statements or clues about features or characteristics.

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19
Q

Biological species definition

A

a group of organisms that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring

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20
Q

Problems with the biological species definition

A
  1. Asexual species cannot interbreed
  2. Asexual species cannot produce fertile offspring
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21
Q

What definitions of a species would be correct for an asexual species?

A
  1. Separate evolution
  2. Morphological (physical) similarities
  3. Ecological adaptations
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22
Q

Evolutionary species definition

A

This concept defines a species as an independently evolving entity.

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23
Q

Ecological species definition

A

Ecological species concepts explain that a species is a group of organisms that thrive and exploit the same niche.

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24
Q

Morphological species definition

A

It is based solely on the morphology of the species, pertaining only to the physical appearance of the organisms.

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25
Q

Where is genetic information stored in animals?

A

Chromosomes in the nucleus and in the mitochondria

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26
Q

Where is genetic information stored in plants?

A

Chromosomes in the nucleus, in the mitochondria, and in the chloroplasts

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27
Q

What can we do with genome sequencing?

A
  1. Early disease diagnosis
  2. Speed up the development of new drugs
  3. Identify contributors to chronic diseases
  4. Personalize medicine
  5. Find evolutionary evidence
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28
Q

SNP’s

A

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms -> genome diversity (differences within and between species)
*species that are less closely related will have more SNP’s

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29
Q

Clade

A

A grouping that includes a common ancestor and all the descendants (can be only a Terminal Branch)

30
Q

Root

A

The most ancient common ancestor

31
Q

Terminal Branch

A

An extant species

32
Q

Genome

A

the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism

33
Q

Branding pattern

A

The characteristic pattern of light and dark transverse bands on a stained chromosome

34
Q

Telomeres

A

a compound structure at the end of a chromosome

35
Q

Centromere

A

The centromere appears as a constricted region of a chromosome and plays a key role in helping the cell divide up its DNA during division (mitosis and meiosis).

36
Q

Chromosome

A

A threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.

37
Q

Gene

A

A distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome, the order of which determines the order of monomers in a polypeptide or nucleic acid molecules which a cell (or virus) may synthesize.

38
Q

Why is classification important?

A
  1. It creates common language
  2. It makes finding information more efficient
  3. It allows for further research
39
Q

Who contributed largely to the classification system?

A

Carl Linnaeus

40
Q

What are the 8 taxa?

A

Domain (proposed in 1977), kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

41
Q

What are four benifits of switching to cladistics?

A
  1. It reflects evolutionary relationships
  2. It reflects the process of evolution
  3. It can be used to make predictions about the characteristics of organisms
  4. It helps us understand the diversity of life on earth
42
Q

Why is the taxonomic system bad at reflecting gradual evolutionary changes?

A

It’s arbitrary (not based on scientific evidence)

43
Q

If a researcher wants to determine an evolutionary relationship between several squirrel breeds which type of biochemical sequences should he compare?

A

Nucleic acids

44
Q

What is a molecular clock?

A

A technique of measuring time since there was a common ancestor.

45
Q

Node

A

A hypothetical common ancestor

46
Q

Explain the binomial naming system

A

The first part of a name identifies the genus and the second the species. (genus capital species lower case)

47
Q

Outline differences in chromosome numbers between species

A

Humans -> 46
Chimpanzees -> 48
Diploid cells -> even number of chromosomes

48
Q

What are Diploid and Haploid cells?

A

Diploid -> chromosome pairs which undergo mitosis
Haploid -> single chromosomes formed through meiosis

49
Q

Ecosystem diversity

A

The verity of different habitats, communities, and ecological processes.

50
Q

Species diversity

A

The number of different species present in an ecosystem and relative abundance of each of those species.

51
Q

Genetic diversity

A

The range of different inherited traits within a species.

52
Q

What is the sixth mass extinction and what is causing it?

A

A mass extinction driven by human activity, primarily but not limited to, the use of land, water, energy, and climate change.

53
Q

Methods of wildlife conservation

A

In situ -> conservation of species in their natural habitat (nature reserves, rewinding, reclamation)
Ex situ -> zoos, botanical gardens, tissue banks

54
Q

Habitat

A

The natural environment of an organism

55
Q

Biome

A

Groups of ecosystems with similar communities due to similar abiotic conditions and convergent evolution

56
Q

Archaea nutrition diversity

A

Use either light, oxidation of inorganic chemicals or oxidation of carbon compounds to provide energy for ATP production (they are diverse).

57
Q

What are some adaptations of herbivores and the plants they eat?

A

Herbivores -> piercing and chewing mouth parts
Plants -> thorns, toxic secondary compounds

58
Q

Competitive exclusion

A

Competition can result in the elimination of one species or at the very least restriction of both.

59
Q

What makes differentiating between species and populations difficult?

A

Divergence of non-interbreeding populations during specification (happens slowly and makes it difficult to draw the line)

60
Q

Temporal isolation

A

When two species reproduce at different times preventing mating.

61
Q

Allopathic speciation

A

When a species diverges due to a geographical barrier.

62
Q

Speciation is a result of…

A

Reproductive isolation

63
Q

What is an exsmaple of convergent evolution?

A

The development of wings in birds and insects.

64
Q

What’s the difference between analogous and homologous structures?

A

Analogous -> similar form and function
Homologous -> similar origin

65
Q

What determines the genomic size of a species?

A

The total amount of DNA

66
Q

Adaptive radiation

A

Organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic interactions or opens new environmental niches.

67
Q

How is the 6th mass extinction different from previous ones?

A

The 6th mass extinction is due to human activity whereas previous ones were due to environmental changes (temperature, sea levels, natural disasters)

68
Q

How can reproductive isolation occur?

A

Geographical changes, behavior, physiological processes

69
Q

What does it mean for a plant to be polyploid and how does the lead to speciation?

A

Polyploid -> more than two chromosome sets (3 - 6 or more)
This can lead to speciation because plants with polyploid typically can’t breed with diploid plants.

70
Q

Why are saprotrophs important?

A

They are key regulators of nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.

Biology (4 decks)

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