climate and ecology Flashcards
(112 cards)
1
Q
adaptation
A
evolutionary process where an organism becomes better able to live in their habitat
2
Q
biome
A
group of ecosystems with the same climate, dominate plants, and animals
3
Q
ecology
A
study of living things and how they interact with their environment
4
Q
ecosystem
A
living and nonliving things that interact in an area
5
Q
marine
A
marshes, tidal zones, estuaries, lagoon, coral reef
6
Q
wetland
A
marshes or swamps
7
Q
types of adaptations
A
structural, physiological, behavioral
8
Q
species
A
an organism that can reproduce and produce a fertile offspring
9
Q
biotic factors
A
living factors that affect the environment
10
Q
community
A
group of different populations in an area
11
Q
habitat
A
where an organism lives and gets its needs met (food, shelter, air)
12
Q
niche
A
your habitat and you role in it (mother/child, predator/prey)
13
Q
population
A
group of organisms that belong to the same species in an area
14
Q
how do you estimate a population size
A
using quadrats and the mark recpature methods
15
Q
examples of abiotic factors and their impact
A
fossil fuels: carbon dioxide in put into the atmosphere, rocks: release calcium, magnesium, potassium waterL involved in photosynthesis
16
Q
competitive exclusion principle
A
two species that compete for the exact same resources cannot stably coexist
17
Q
autotroph
A
makes their own food,
18
Q
carbon cycle
A
process by which carbon travels from the atmosphere into organisms and the earth and then back into the atmosphere
19
Q
carnivore
A
eats only meat (lion)
20
Q
carrying capacity
A
species average population size in a particular habitat
21
Q
commensalism
A
when one organism gets helped and the other not affected(bird nest/tree, barnacle/whale)
22
Q
cooperation
A
where groups of organisms work together for mutual benefits
23
Q
exponential growth
A
when the resources availability is unlimited so the pop grows at an exponential rate
24
Q
herbivore
A
eats only plants (cow)
25
heterotroph
need to find and eat foods (carnivores, herbivores, omnivores)
26
limiting factor
the factor that limits the reaction rate in any physiological process
27
mutualism
when both organisms help each other (bee, flower)
28
nitrogen cycle
process by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates the atmosphere and different ecosystems
29
omnivore
eats meat and plants (bear)
30
parasitism
when one benfits (parasite) and one is harmed (host) but not necessarily killed (tick/dog, mistletoe/deciduous tree)
31
predation
the preying of one animal on others
32
prey
organism that is hunted
33
producer
makes their own food from minerals, water and sunlight
34
scavenger
organism that eats already dead animals (hyenas, vultures)
35
succession
process by which ecosystems change and develop over time
36
symbiosis
two organisms that depend on each
37
trophic level
an organisms position on the food web
38
difference between exponential growth curve and linear
exponential growth is much faster
39
what is a limiting factor and how does is affect carrying capacity
limiting factors determine the carrying capacity of a population
40
types of interaction in a community
predation, competition, and symbiosis
41
what are resources that organisms compete for
air, water, food, space
42
what is interdependence
the dependence of two or more organisms on each other
43
difference between predation and parisitism
parisitism the parisite live in the host whereas predation is the process of conquer and eat
44
difference between cooperation and mutualism
mutualism is beneficial interaction between organisms whereas cooperation is looser interactions and a general term
45
how do prey affect predator population
an increase in prey an increase in predator
46
difference between secondary succession to primary succession
primary: occurs following an opening a habitat, secondary: response to a disturbance
47
what is a food chain, how does it relate to trophic levels
a hierarchy of organisms and how each are dependent on the next for food. The trophic level of an organism is the number of steps it is from the start of the chain
48
difference between primary, secondary, tertiary consumers
primary are herbivores, secondary are carnivores/omnivores and tertiary are apex predators that feed on the primary and secondary consumers
49
describe the structure of the ecological pyramid
a graphic representation of the relationship between different organisms in an ecosystem
50
where does the energy go when it moves through a food chain
it moves up in the chain to each organisms
51
what is a food web, what are the organisms involved and how are they related
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains, plants and animals are involved and they relate because it shows how they all are connected
52
denitrification
loss/removal of nitrogen that usually results in the escape of nitrogen into the air
53
mark and recapture
how to estimate an animals population size
54
nitrogen fixation
process by which nitrogen in the air is converted into ammonia
55
transpiration
process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation
56
photosynthesis
process by which plants take in c02 and release o2
57
behavioral adaptation
things organisms do to survive (bird calls, migration)
58
biosphere
part of earth that has life
59
pioneer species
are the first to colonize at a previously damaged ecosystem (fungi, bacteria, lichen)
60
lightning
high current electric charge in the atmosphere
61
random sampling
used to examine difference between contrasting habitats within a habitat
62
greenhouse effect
atmospheric heating cause by radiation being transmitted inward through the earths atmosphere
63
albedo
amount of solar energy that gets reflected off the earth and back into space
64
feedback
effect that change in one part of an ecosystem has on another
65
mechanisms
a system of interacting parts and processes that produce an effect on another
66
microclimate
climate of a very small area
67
leeward
a place that is protected from the prevailing wind
68
specific heat
amount of heat on gram of a substance must absorb/lose to change it temp by 1 degree C
69
topography
arrangement of natural/artficial feature of an area
70
rainshadow
a dry area on the leeward side of a mountain area
71
aerosols
suspension of fine solid particles/liquid droplets in the air can be natural or artificial (fog, dust, haze)
72
windward
place that faces the prevailing wind
73
permafrost
thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen all throughout the year
74
major factors that affect climate
latitude, elevation, nearby water, ocean currents, topography, vegetation, prevailing winds
75
two main types of environmental data used to classify climate
temperature and precipitation
76
causes of seasons
the tilt of earths rotational axis away/toward the sun
77
natural causes of climate change
volcanic eruptions, ocean currents, solar variations, earths orbit
78
similarities and differences of greenhouse effect and global warming
they both involve the heating of the earth, however global warming can have many different causes whereas greenhouse gas effect is caused by carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses absorbing radiation
79
major greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere
water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone
80
how does depletion of the ozone layer impact the planet
increases the amount of uv rays that reach the earth so it can increase the rate of skin cancer, immune system damage
81
biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem
82
sustainable
based on a long pd of time, we conserve the productivity of the waters, soil and ecosystems
83
list and describe species interactions
mutualism, commensalism, predation, competition, and parisitism
84
affects of population growth/decline
pop growth: running out of room for people so they are using ecologically sensitive areas (tropical forests etc)
decline: impacts economic growth
85
three types of growth curves
linear, exponential or cubic
86
why does the typical population growth pattern have an s shape
the population grows slowly in the beginning the has a sharp increase in growth rate
87
what is a density dependent limiting factor
factors who affect the size or growth of population based on the size of the population (food, predation, disease)
88
what is a density-independent limiting factor
factors that are not dependent on the number of individuals in a population (earthquake)
89
erosion
the process of eroding by wind water or other natural occurrences
90
estuary
tidal mouth of a large river where the tide meets the stream
91
nonpoint source
pollution that is due to lad runoff, precipitation, drainage etc
92
benthic
study of organisms that make up the bottom communities in bodies of waters
93
deforestation
permanent removal of trees to make room fr something else
94
desertification
process by which fertile land becomes desert due to drought, deforestation etc
95
photic
surface layer of a body of water that receives sunlight
96
environmental issues of land and water biomes
land: deforestation, agriculture development, erosion
water: oil spilage, overfishing, acidification, marine pollution, sea temp rise
97
biologic magnification
increase buildup of toxic substances within organisms
98
invasive
an organisms not native to an ecosystem and causes harm
99
organism
one member of a species
100
climate
the average temp and precip in a certain area
101
why does the arrow in a food chain point towards the consumer
shows the transfer of energy from one organism to another
102
human factor
factor caused by human actions: pollutions, trees cut down, global warming
103
decomposer
digests and absorbs nutrients from decaying organisms (mushrooms, bacteria)
104
abiotic factor
nonliving factors that affect the environment (sun, wind, water)
105
tropical rainforest
found at equator, high temp, high rainfall, high humidity, little humus and organic litter, poor soil, high biodiversity, threats: deforestation, agriculture
106
temperate deciduous forests
30-50 n latitude, trees drop leaves in fall to save energy, seasons, rich layer of humus, fertile soil, NA, EU, Asia, broad thin leaves with large surface areas for mx light absorption, seeds and underground stems survive winters, high biodiversity, birds migrate to warmer weather, mammal hibernation
107
taiga
north coniferous forests south of arctic circle, long cold winters (6-10 mo), short grpwing seasons, constant sun, snow precip, conifer leaves are thin and waxy to retain water, cones protect seeds, high biodiversity in summer, birds migrate south in winter, animal fur is thick,
108
temperate grasslands
prairies, steppes, pampas, inland part of continent, grass is main vegetation, very fertile soil, little rain, fires, grass survives year to year, few trees survive, dense root system, few large herbivores, underground burrows, agriculture threats (wheat, corn), overgrazing (soil erosion)
109
deserts
rich soil, little organic matter, some made by rainshadow effect, rain falls on windward side of mountains, dry air sweeps over leeward side, thick fleshy stems, spines on plants to protect against predators, sudden growth spurts, animal adaptations: summer sleep (estivation), nocturnal, absorb water from food, increase in resedential areas, recreational vehichle threats, cold at night hot during day
110
tundra
permafrost, pools of water lots of insects, treeless, mosses and lichen covered rocks, short woody plants, reproduce quickly in summer, migratory birds, reindeer and caribou, small rodents, oil removal and transportation, land easily damaged and slow recovery
111
amount of energy that is passed from one level on the food pyramid to the next
10%
112
characteristics of living things
reproduce, have cells, dna, use energy, grow, react to environment, evolve, maintain homeostatsis
