BIOL 104 - Unit 1

Question 1

What is biodiversity?

Answer 1

Variety and variability of life on Earth, a measure of variation at different scales

Question 2

What are ecosystem services?

Answer 2

1. Supporting: nutrient cycling, soil formation, primary production
2. Regulating: climate regulation, flood control, disease regulation (benefits from regulation of ecosystem, Earth climate, flood control, purification of water)
3. Provisioning: food, water, fuel, medicine (directly consumed by people)
4. Cultural: recreation, education, religion, aesthetic

Question 3

Generating hypothesis

Answer 3

If… then

Question 4

Controlled experimental design components

Answer 4

compare 2 groups that are “identical” except one variable. experimental group: group that recieves variable.
control group: group that does not recieve variable (known response)

Question 5

experimental unit

Answer 5

a physical entity that is the primary unit of interest in a specific research objective

Question 6

Define morphological species

Answer 6

visually different

Question 7

define biological species

Answer 7

can only produce viable offspring with members of their own species

Question 8

How to measure species diversity?

Answer 8

1. Species composition
2. Species Richness
3. Species evenness

Question 9

Define species composition

Answer 9

which species are present

Question 10

Species richness

Answer 10

The number of different species present in a defined area

Question 11

species evenness

Answer 11

relative proportion of species in an area, measures homogeneity of abundance in a sample

Question 12

Endemic species

Answer 12

species found in a particular geographical region + nowhere else in the world

Question 13

What is alpha diversity?

Answer 13

Richness of species within a habitat unit (community)
Ask: what is the number of species in this specific place?

Question 14

What is beta diversity?

Answer 14

Expression of diversity between different habitats
Ask: How many species are DIFFERENT between these two species?

Question 15

What is Gamma Diversity?

Answer 15

Species diversity at the landscape diversity/regional level
count the total number of species in the region

Question 16

Describe methods of sampling used to estimate diversity

Answer 16

1. Transects: capture diversity along a landscape gradient (mobile and immobile)
2. Quadrats: capture diversity of different “patch types” (sessile)

Question 17

What is the goal of the Shannon-Weiner Index?

Answer 17

Combine both species richness and evenness

Question 18

How do you determine whether a sample has been sequenced to an extent sufficient to represent true diversity?

Answer 18

If a rarefaction plot has reached an equilibrium or is flattening out, this suggests enough samples were completed and no new species are likely to be identified in additional samples.

Question 19

what is a biodiversity hotspot?

Answer 19

biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity. often treated by human habitation

Question 20

Why do we measure biodiversity?

Answer 20

1. Conservation
2. Ecological Research
3. Policy Initatives

Question 21

Why do we have seasons?

Answer 21

Solar radiation, tilt of planet, orbital motion!

Question 22

define insolation

Answer 22

solar radiation received by Earth’s atmosphere or at its surface

Question 23

Why is it hotter at the equator?

Answer 23

the sun’s rays are more concentrated

Question 24

how many degrees is the planet tilted?

Answer 24

23.5

Question 25

Warm air _____ while cool air _____.

Answer 25

warm air rises while cool air falls

Question 26

why does warm air rise?

Answer 26

particles of air are moving around more, there is more space between particles, less dense, rises!

Question 27

air’s ability to hold moisture increases with ___ temperature

Answer 27

WARMER (think humidity)

Question 28

____ air absorbs moisture from the environment

Answer 28

warm dry (think desert) air is sucked out of the environment

Question 29

What are Hadley Cells?

Answer 29

convection cells that circulate air and determine large scale patterns of precipitation and moisture

Question 30

Biomes are determined by:

Answer 30

1. Climate factors (temperature and precipitation)
2. Physical factors (topography and latitude)

Question 31

What is NPP?

Answer 31

amount of biomass or carbon produced by primary producers per unit area and time

Question 32

Respiration = GPP - NPP

Answer 32

yes.

Question 33

What does NPP represent?

Answer 33

the energy available for growth and reproduction

Question 34

ecological footprint

Answer 34

area of land required to sustainably provide all resources a population uses AND assimilate all waste

Question 35

How does CO2 enter/exit the atmosphere on our planet?

Answer 35

enters: cellular respiration, fossil fuel combustion, fires, decomposition of organic matter
exits: photosynthesis, absorbed by oceans

Question 36

When are the highest concentrations of atmospheric Co2 found on our planet?

Answer 36

Varies through seasons, but concentrated in areas of high human population density

Question 37

Highest CO2 vs lowest CO2 by season?

Answer 37

high: winter months more CR than PS
low: summer: more PS than CR

Question 38

what parts of globe are CO2 concentrations least variable over the year?

Answer 38

antarctica, covered in snow and ice, low human density, few plants

Question 39

Why does nutrient cycling matter for biodiversity?

Answer 39

• nutrient cycling increases with biodiversity
• organisms are adapted for flux of nutrients in their ecosystem (if this changes, bad)

Question 40

What nutrients cycle?

Answer 40

carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, water, oxygen, silicon