Eco Lecture 1

Question 1

what do ecologists do?

Answer 1

describe the distribution and abundance of organisms to solve ecological problems

Question 2

What are the 5 types of ecological problems?

Answer 2

a) conversation
b) environmental issues
c) wildlife and resource management
d) pest control
e) human health

Question 3

group of populations of different species in an area that interact

Answer 3

a community

Question 4

: a group of individuals of the same species living in an area

Answer 4

a population

Question 5

sets of species and physical environment they are found in

Answer 5

ecosystem

Question 6

sets of ecosystems that are connected

Answer 6

landscape

Question 7

terrestrial treeless biome?

Answer 7

tundra

Question 8

something sudden that comes in and kills individuals from a

population

Answer 8

disturbance

Question 9

is fire a natural disturbance? why?

Answer 9

natural as humans have been on the earth for a very long time

Question 10

what happens to grass after a disturbance?

Answer 10

grows back quicker

Question 11

as long as continual disturbance (on occasion) to a savanna ecosystem, the savanna will have largely ______ dominated ecosystem

Answer 11

grass

Question 12

terrestrial biome with evergreen trees with mostly needle shaped leaves

Answer 12

northern coniferous forest

Question 13

terrestrial biome with broadly shaped leaves that drop off once a year; on the northern hemisphere

Answer 13

temperate broad leaf forest

Question 14

terrestrial biome with broad leaves, evergreens, and that has a broad band across the equator?

Answer 14

tropical forest

Question 15

what is the hypothesis on the pattern of different vegetation in terrestrial ?

Answer 15

the pattern is driven by climate

Question 16

two most important aspects of climate?

Answer 16

temperature

precipitation

Question 17

distribution of tropical forest

Answer 17

occurs in equational and sub equatorial regions

Question 18

temp of tropical forest year round?

Answer 18

little seasonal change; hot

Question 19

plants in tropical forest

Answer 19

vertically layers, competition for light is high

Trees grow above closed canopy, canopy trees, one or two layers of subcanopy trees and layers of shrubs/ herbs

Question 20

precipitation of the tropical rain forest and the tropical dry forest?

Answer 20

tropical rain forest: rainfall is pretty constant;

Tropical dry forest: highly seasonal;

Question 21

distribution of desert biome?

Answer 21

occur in bands 30 degrees north and south latitude or at other latitudes in the interior of continents

Question 22

precipitation of desert biome?

Answer 22

low and highly variable

Question 23

plants of desert biome?

Answer 23

dominated by low, widely scattered vegetation; the proportion of bare ground is similar to other terrestrial biomes. Plants are succulents like cacti, deeply rooted shrubs and herbs that grow during the rare moist periods.

Question 24

human impact on desert biomes?

Answer 24

Long-distance water transport and deep groundwater wells have allowed humans to maintain substantial populations in deserts. Reduced biodiversity of some deserts are the result of human urbanization

Question 25

savanna distribution?

Answer 25

equatorial and sub equatorial regions

Question 26

savanna precipitation

Answer 26

seasonal rainfall low; dry season

Question 27

plants of savanna?

Answer 27

Thorny, small leafed trees; common fires during dry season→ dominant plants have adapted to the fires and are tolerant for the dry season

Question 28

distribution of temperate grasslands?

Answer 28

South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, plains and prairies of North America

Question 29

precipitation of temperate grasslands?

Answer 29

highly seasonal (dry winter, wet summer);

Question 30

temp of temperate grasslands?

Answer 30

cold winter; hot summer

Question 31

desert biome temperature?

Answer 31

highly variable both seasonally and daily;

Question 32

plants of temperate grasslands?

Answer 32

dominant plants are grasses and forbs vary in height from few centimeters to 2 meters; grasses can grow quickly after a drought or fire; grazing animals helps prevent woody shrubs and trees entering grasslands

Question 33

distribution of northern coniferous forest?

Answer 33

broadband across northern NA and Eurasia to edge of arctic; largest terrestrial biome

Question 34

precipitation of northern coniferous forest?

Answer 34

periodic droughts common; some in US pacific

Question 35

temperature of northern coniferous forest?

Answer 35

cold winter; hot summer

Question 36

plants of northern coniferous forest?

Answer 36

dominated by cone bearing trees (pine, spruce, fir, hemlock) some of these depend on fire to regenerate

Question 37

distribution of temperate broad leaf forest?

Answer 37

mainly at mid latitudes in Northern hemisphere

Question 38

precipitation of temperate broadleaf forest?

Answer 38

distributed somewhat evenly with summer rain and winter snow

Question 39

temperatiure of temperate broadleaf forest

Answer 39

winter (0 degrees), summer (max temp 35 degrees) and hot and humid

Question 40

plants of temperate broadleaf forest?

Answer 40

distinct vertical layers (closed canopy, one or two strata of understory trees, herb layer); Northern hemisphere → deciduous trees are dominant which shed leaves for winter; Australia→ evergreen eucalyptus trees are dominant

Question 41

_________ plays a big role in the transition from forested to non-forested biomes?

Answer 41

precipitation

Question 42

definition of can or cannot get there is a potential limit to a species; maybe just didn't get there and their home now is fine barrier time limit

Answer 42

dispersal/ movement

Question 43

_________: something about habitat that prevents species from thriving too cold? too dry? too salty (water organisms)?

Answer 43

abiotic factors

Question 44

____:insufficient food resources? predators? disease?

Answer 44

biotic factors

Question 45

what did the coyote range expansion have to do with?

Answer 45

wolves

Question 46

grey wolf used to occupy most of ______

Answer 46

north america

Question 47

if wolves and coyotes compete for the same resource who wins?

Answer 47

wolf

Question 48

do wolves prefer grassland or woodland? coyotes?

Answer 48

wolves--> woodland | coyotes--> grasslands

Question 49

what facilitated the expansion of the coyote?

Answer 49

the elimination of the wolf; biotic factors

Question 50

of individuals per unit area

Answer 50

density

Question 51

of individuals that belong to a population

Answer 51

abundance

Question 52

looks at changes in abundance of a species

Answer 52

populatin dynamics

Question 53

explain why deserts are not located at the equator despite them being the hottest biomes

Answer 53

hottest at the equator, air begins to warm here air rises and cools cool air doesn't hold as much moisture and it rains, (rainforest band) while the air rises more air comes in to replace it → circulation cell -doesn't rain, and it picks up moisture at surface before bringing it to the rainforests

Question 54

what causes outbreak of desert locust?

Answer 54

fast population growth--> quick and large change in abundance

Question 55

``` _______change depends on: birth death immigration (came into pop) emigration (left pop) ```

Answer 55

population growth, N

Question 56

what specifies a closed population

Answer 56

no immigration or emmigration

Question 57

what is "R"

Answer 57

difference between births and deaths in a population --> individuals added to a population

Question 58

what is "r"

Answer 58

per capital rate of population growth

Question 59

r is positive, population is ____

Answer 59

increasing

Question 60

r is negative., population is ____

Answer 60

decreasing

Question 61

specific open population characteristic?

Answer 61

there is a difference between immigration and emigration

Question 62

the difference between immigration and emigration rates is called ____ represented by the variable __

Answer 62

net per capital migration rate, m

Question 63

female locust egg laying explanation

Answer 63

the female locusts would sense the vegetation, feed, produce the eggs (more than usual) and lay eggs in soil around vegetation (good egg survival) then when the eggs hatch there is food for the young locusts (high young survival rate)

Question 64

distribution of eggs of locusts are ___

Answer 64

clumped

Question 65

is the density high in young hoppers?

Answer 65

no

Question 66

population of solitary forms --> population of swarms pale--> dark and sociable

Answer 66

gregarization

Question 67

when do locusts solitary forms fly? gregarious forms?

Answer 67

night (one); day (many)

Question 68

the main driver of gregarious changes

Answer 68

serotonin

Question 69

explain why gregarious goes back to solitary forms in desert locusts?

Answer 69

rains ends → no new food already have eaten all old food no more crowing not happy eatng together, resort back to solitary form