Ch 52 Flashcards
(62 cards)
What is ecology?
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment.
What do ecological interactions determine?
They determine the distribution of organisms and their abundance.
What methods does modern ecology use?
Modern ecology uses observation and experimentation.
At what levels do ecologists conduct their work?
Ecologists work at levels ranging from individual organisms to the entire planet.
What is global ecology?
Global ecology examines the influence of energy and materials on organisms across the biosphere, which is the global ecosystem.
What is landscape ecology?
Landscape ecology focuses on the exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems, viewing a landscape or seascape as a mosaic of connected ecosystems.
What does ecosystem ecology study?
It studies the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact, emphasizing energy flow and chemical cycling among biotic and abiotic components.
Define community ecology.
Community ecology deals with the array of interacting species in a community, where a community is a group of populations of different species in an area.
What is population ecology?
Population ecology focuses on factors affecting population size over time within a group of individuals of the same species living in an area.
What does organismal ecology study?
It studies how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet environmental challenges, including aspects of physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral ecology.
How are ecological studies connected to evolutionary biology?
Events that occur in ecological time can affect life over evolutionary time.
For example, pesticide resistance in pests.
How does ecology relate to environmental science and policy?
Ecologists provide a scientific basis for solving environmental problems, distinguishing between ecological science and environmental advocacy.
What is dispersal in ecology?
Dispersal is the movement of individuals or gametes away from their parent location, which can expand a population’s or species’ geographic range.
What is a species’ range?
It is the geographical area where a species can be found.
What is a natural range expansion?
It’s when the geographic area occupied by a species changes over time naturally.
What is a species transplant?
It is the accidental or intentional introduction of a species to an area where it was not previously found.
What is the difference between an actual range and a potential range?
An actual range is where a species is currently found; a potential range is where it could survive but is not currently found.
What is habitat selection?
Habitat selection is when species choose suitable habitats, meaning they may not occupy every part of their potential range based on resource availability.
How can behavior affect species distribution?
Behavior, like whether species live solitarily or in groups, build territories, or form colonies, influences where they live.
What are biotic factors?
Biotic factors are living components of the environment that affect species distribution.
What are examples of negative biotic interactions?
Predation, parasitism, competition, and the absence of prey or pollinators.
What are examples of positive biotic interactions?
Niche exclusivity, absence of predators or parasites, and abundant prey species.
What are abiotic factors?
Abiotic factors are the nonliving physical and chemical properties of the environment.
