Chapter 6-10 (Unit2) Flashcards
(124 cards)
0
Q
Includes all of the organisms in a given area plus the nonliving components of the physical environment in which they interact
A
Ecosystem
1
Q
This sum total of all earth’s ecosystems, refers to the total area on earth were living things are found. Also called a biomass.
A
Biosphere
2
Q
The physical environment in which individuals a particular species can be found
A
Habitat
3
Q
A group of plants or animals that have a high degree of similarity and can generally only interbreed among themselves
A
Species
4
Q
The role of species plays in its community, including how it gets its energy and nutrients, and what habitat requirements it has, and what other species and parts of the ecosystem interact with.
A
Niche
5
Q
Energy ________, a one-way passage of energy through an ecosystem
A
Flows
6
Q
Nutrients ________, the movement of lights essential chemicals or nutrients through an ecosystem also known as biogeochemical cycles.
A
Cycles
7
Q
The sum of all organic material, plant and animal matter, that make up an ecosystem also called a biosphere.
A
Biomass
8
Q
Specific portions of the biosphere determined by client identified by the predominant vegetation and organisms that have adapted to live there.
A
Biome
9
Q
Organization of life from biosphere to individual levels:
A
Biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community, population, individual.
10
Q
Tundra, boreal forest, desert, Savannah, temperate grasslands are all an example of what….
A
Biomes
11
Q
The critical resource whose supply determines the population of a given species in a given biome such as deadwood flowers and CO2
A
Limiting factor
12
Q
The range, within upper and lower limit, that living things can survive and reproduce
A
Range of tolerance
13
Q
The living or organic components of an ecosystem, such as the plants and animals and their waste. (Dead leaves/feces)
A
Biotic
14
Q
The nonliving components of an ecosystem, such as rainfall and mineral composition of the soil
A
Abiotic
15
Q
Abiotic or biotic components of the environment that serve as a storage place for cycling nutrients
A
Reservoirs or sinks
16
Q
And organismic convert solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis i.e. plants
A
Producer
17
Q
An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on another organism - such as a bunny eating a plant
A
Consumer
18
Q
The process in which all organisms break down sugar to release its energy, using oxygen and giving off CO2 as a waste product
A
Cellular respiration
19
Q
Movement of carbon through biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem. Cycles via photosynthesis and cellular respiration as well as in and out of other reservoirs such as ocean and soil. Is also released by human actions such as fossil fuel burning
A
Carbon cycle
20
Q
Continuous series of natural process by which nitrogen passes from the air to the soil, two organisms, and then returns back to the air or soil through decomposition or denitrification
A
Nitrogen cycle
21
Q
The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a biologically usable form, carried out by bacteria found in the soil and also via lightning
A
Nitrogen fixation
22
Q
The process in which ammonium is oxidized into nitrites and nitrates by bacteria called “nitrifying bacteria”
A
Nitrification
23
Q
When animals excrete waste or when an animal dies and it decays back into the soil with the help of bacteria.
A
Ammonification
24
When microbes use ammonium and converted back into nitrogen release it into the atmosphere
Denitrification
25
Series of natural processes by which the nutrient phosphorus moves from rock to soil or water, to living organisms, and back to the soil. It is never airborne.
Phosphorus cycle
26
All individuals of a species that live in the same geographic area and are able to interact interbreed
A population
27
The changes over time of population size in composition
Population dynamics
28
The smallest number of individuals that would still allow population to persist or grow, ensuring long-term survival
Minimum viable population
29
An evaluation of the possible positive and negative impacts of a proposed environmental action, including alternative actions that could be pursued
Environmental impact statement
30
The number of individuals per-unit area
Population density
31
The location and spacing of individuals with in their range
Population distribution
32
When Individuals are found in groups or patches with in the habitat
Clumped distribution
33
When individuals are spread out over the environment irregularly with no discernible pattern
Random distribution
34
When individuals are spaced evenly, perhaps due to territorial behaviors or mechanisms for suppressing the growth of nearby individuals (rarely seen)
Uniform distribution
35
The change in population size over time, births minus deaths over a specific time period.
Population growth rate
36
The number of births per 1000 individuals per year
Birthrate
37
The number of deaths per 1000 individuals per year
Death rate
38
The maximum rate at which the population can grow due to births if each member of the population survives and reproduces symbolized by (r)
Biotic potential
39
Population size because progressively larger each breeding cycle, produces the J curve when plotted overtime
Exponential growth
40
The kind of growth and which population size increases rapidly at first but then slows down as the population becomes larger, produces an s-curve when plotted overtime
Logistic growth
41
The population size of a particular environment can support indefinitely without long-term damage to the environment, represented by the (K)
Carrying capacity
42
Factors, such as predation, competition or disease, whose impact on the population increases as population size goes up
Density dependent
43
Factors, such as storms, natural disasters, fire and floods, whose impact on population is not related to population size
Density independent
44
How quickly a population can potentially increase, reflecting the biology of the species. Factors are lifespan, fecundity, maturity rate, etc.
Reproductive strategies
45
Species that have a high biotic potential and share other characteristics such as short lifespan, early maturity, and high fecundity.
r - selected species
46
Species That have a low biotic potential and share characteristics such as long lifespan, late maturity, and low fecundity; generationally show logistical population growth
K - selected species
47
Fluctuations in population size that produce a very large population followed by a crash that lowers the population size drastically, followed again by an increase to a large-size and a subsequent crash
Boom and bust cycles
48
Local extinction of a species
Extirpation
49
The study of how a given ecosystem functions. Plants, animals, and other species living and interacting in an area
Community ecology
50
A species that is particularly vulnerable to ecosystem upsets, and that, when we monitor them, can give us advance warning of a problem with that ecosystem
Indicator species
51
All of the organisms in a given area plus the physical environment in which they live and interact.
Ecosystems
52
Is simple linear path that shows what eats what.
Food chain
53
Any given ecosystem might have dozens of individual food chains. Linked together they create a __________ which shows the manny connections it the community.
Food web
54
A photosynthetic organism that captures solar energy directly and uses it to produce its own food (ie. moss, plants and lichen)
Producer
55
An organism that eats other organisms to gain energy. Includes animals, fungi, and bacteria. An example would be when a bunny eats a plant
Consumer
56
The individual levels in a food chain
Tropic levels
57
Consumers such as worms insects and crabs who eat dead organic material
Detritivores
58
Organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter down to atoms or molecules in a form that plants can take back up
Decomposers
59
A measure of total photosynthesis - the plant only uses a portion of this usually less than 50%, the rest is transferred to consumers.
Gross primary productivity
60
A description of how much energy is left over and actually stored in the photosynthetic organism
Net primary productivity (NPP)
61
The ability of an ecosystem to recover when it's damaged or perturbed
Resilience
62
The variety of species in the area, includes measures of us species richness and evenness
Species diversity
63
The total number of different species in a community
Species richness
64
The relative abundance of each species any community
Species evenness
65
Places were two different ecosystems meet such as the edge between of a forest and field, or river and stream
Eco-tones
66
The different physical makeup of eco-tones which creates different conditions that either attract or repel certain species
Edge effects
67
Species that prefer to live close to the edge of two different habitats in what are known as eco-tone areas
Edge species
68
Species that prefer core areas of the habitat, areas deep within the habitat away from the edge
Core species
69
A species that impacts it's community more than it's mere abundance would predict (alligator, wolves)
Keystone species
70
Species interaction in which individuals are vying for limited resources. Can be members of the same species.
Competition
71
Competition between two members of the same species
Intraspecific competition
72
Competition between individuals of different species
Interspecific competition
73
When different species use different parts or aspects of a resource, rather than competing directly for the same resource.
Resource partitioning
74
A close or ecological relationship between two species
Symbiosis
75
A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which both parties benefit
Mutualism
76
A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which one benefits from the presence of the other but the other is unaffected
Commensalism
77
A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which one benefits and the other is negatively affected, a form of predation
Parasitism
78
The science that deals with the repair of damaged or disturbed ecosystems
Restoration ecology
79
Predictable transitions that can be observed in which one community replaces another (conditions that the plants themselves create more soil, shade, etc)
Ecological succession
80
Ecological succession that occurs in an area where no ecosystem existed before
Primary succession
81
Ecological succession that occurs in an ecosystem that is been disturbed, occurs more quickly than primary succession because soil is present (fire, flooding)
Secondary succession
82
Plant species that move into an area during early stages of succession, these are often (r) species and may be annuals: species that live once year, leave behind seeds and then die
Pioneer species
83
Species that move into an area at later stages of ecological succession
Climax species
84
The end stages of ecological succession in which the conditions created by the climax species are suitable for the plants that created them so they can persist as long as the environment remains unchanged
Climax community
85
The variety of life on earth, it includes species, genetic and ecological diversity
Biodiversity
86
The variety of species, including how many are present (richness) and their abundance relative to each other (evenness)
Species diversity
87
The heritable variation among individuals of a single population or then the species as a whole
Genetic diversity
88
The variety within an ecosystem structure, including many communities, habitats, niches and tropic levels
Ecological diversity
89
Benefits that are important to all life including humans, provided bifunctional ecosystem; include such things as nutrient cycles, air and water purification, and ecosystems goods such as food and fuel
Ecosystem services
90
And objects or species worth, based on its usefulness to humans
Instrumental value
91
An object or species worth, based on it's near existence. It has an inherent right to exist on its own
Intrinsic value
92
Describes species that is made it to a particular area and is not naturally found elsewhere
Endemic
93
An area that contains a large number of endemic but threatened species; usually tropical areas
Biodiversity hotspot
94
Describes a species that is locally extinct in one or more areas but still has some individual members in other areas
Extirpated
95
When a wealthy nation forgive the debt of a developing nation in return for a pledge to protect natural areas in that developing nation
Debt for nature swap
96
The primary law under which biodiversity is protected in the United States
The Endangered Species Act
97
A non-native species, a species outside of its range, whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm
Invasive species
98
The complete loss of the species
Extinction
99
A nonrandom influence affecting who survives or reproduces
Selective pressure
100
A trait that helps an individual survive or reproduce, the traits that an environment favors
Adaptation
101
The process by which organisms best adapted to the environment, (the fittest) survive to reproduce, leaving more offspring than less well adapted individuals
Natural selection
102
Stretches of DNA, the cells hereditary material, that each direct the production of a particular protein and influence individuals traits
Genes
103
Changes in how common certain genes are in the population from one generation to the next / the frequency of some genes increase and others decrease
Evolution
104
Assortment and abundance of particular variants of jeans relative to each other within a population
Gene frequencies
105
When different individuals have different versions of genes. Variations among individuals of a single population or within the species as a whole
Genetic diversity
106
Two species each provide the selective pressure that determines which of the others traits is favored by natural selection
Coevolution
107
Describe the species that is needed to a particular area and is not naturally found elsewhere
Endemic
108
Local extinction in one or more areas, though some individuals exist in other areas
Extirpation
109
The change in gene frequencies in a population over time due to random mating results in the loss of some gene variants
Genetic drift
110
When population size is drastically reduced, meeting to the loss of some genetic variants and resulting in a less diverse population
Bottleneck effect
111
When a small group with only a subset of the larger populations genetic diversity becomes isolated and it involves into a different population, missing some of the traits of the original population
Founder effect
112
The average rate of extinction that occurs outside of mass extinction events
Background rate of extinction
113
The total collection of fossils found on earth. (Remains, impressions, traces of ancient organisms)
Fossil record
114
A species that faces a very high risk of extinction in the immediate future
Endangered
115
A species that is likely to become endangered in the near future
Threatened
116
Altering a natural area in a way that makes it uninhabitable for the species living there
Habitat destruction
117
Hazardous or objectionable substances that are released into the environment; also includes noise and light
Pollution
118
Human activity that removes more of a resource then can be replaced in the same timeframe, such as taking too many individuals from a population
Overharvesting
119
Alterations to climate resulting from human impact
Anthropogenic climate change
120
Destruction of part of an area that separates suitable habitat patches from one another; patches that are too small maybe come on usable for that species
Habitat fragmentation
121
Species that prefer core areas of the habitat – areas deep within the habitat away from the edge
Core species
122
Species that prefer to live close to the edges of two different habitat (ecotone areas)
Edge species
123
When humans decide which individuals breed and which do not an attempt to produce a population with desired traits. Such as the selective breeding of wolves into domestic dogs.
Artificial selection
