Ecology Flashcards
What are the 3 main domains?
Archaea, bacteria and eukarya
What is speciation?
The formation of new species through evolution
What ways can extinction occur?
Changes to environment over geological time
Lack of food or prey
New predators
New diseases
Catastrophic events
What 2 levels are used in the binomial naming system?
Genus and species
What is extinction?
When there are no remaining individuals of a species alive
What are fossils important?
Used to determine how much or how little organisms have changed as life developed
What is an evolutionary tree?
Used to represent the relationships between organisms
What do the junctions between lines in an evolutionary tree mean?
A common ancestor of two species
What re positives about human interaction in an ecosystem
Breeding programs for endangered species
Protection and regeneration of rare habitats
What are negatives of human interaction in an ecosystem
Clearing of land for agriculture
Hunting for species
Mining
What is global dimming
Decrease in solar radiation reaching earths surface
What ways is biomass lost through a food chain
Absorbed material is lost as waste like co2 and water
Not all ingested material absorbed
What is a trophic level
The position a species occupies in a food chain
What organism are found in trophic level 1
Plants and algae
What are consequences of global warming
Increased spread of pathogens
Affecting migration patterns
Melting of polar ice caps
