Ecology Flashcards
(121 cards)
1
Q
Biosphere
A
The global ecosystem
2
Q
Global ecology
A
Examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere
3
Q
Landscape ecology
A
The factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
4
Q
Ecosystem
A
The community of organisms in an area in the physical factors with which those organisms interact
5
Q
Ecosystem ecology
A
Emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling within organisms in the environment
6
Q
Community
A
A group of populations of different species in an area
7
Q
Community ecology
A
Examines how interactions between species such as predation and competition affect community structure and organization
8
Q
Population
A
A group of individuals of the same species living in an area
9
Q
Population ecology
A
Analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time
10
Q
Climate
A
The long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area
11
Q
Components of climates
A
Temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind
12
Q
Abiotic
A
Nonliving; factors: Chemical and physical attributes of the environment influence the distribution and abundance of organisms
13
Q
Biotic
A
Living; factors: other organisms that are part of the individual’s environment
14
Q
Biomes
A
Major life zones characterized by vegetation type or by the physical environment
15
Q
Disturbance
A
Event such as a storm, fire, or human activity that changes a community removing organisms from it and altering resource availability
16
Q
Photic zone
A
Where there is sufficient light for photosynthesis
17
Q
Aphotic zone
A
Where little light penetrates
18
Q
Benthic zone
A
Consists of organic and inorganic sediments and is occupied by communities of organisms called benthos
19
Q
Thermocline
A
A narrow layer of abrupt temperature change; it separates the warm and cold air
20
Q
Estuary
A
The transition zone between a river and the sea
21
Q
Oligothrophic lakes
A
Nutrient poor and generally oxygen rich
22
Q
Eutrophic lakes
A
Nutrient rich and often to pleaded of oxygen in the deepest zone in summer and is covered with ice in the winter
23
Q
Dispersal
A
The movement of individuals or gametes away from their area of origin or from centers of high population density
24
Q
Density
A
The number of individuals per-unit area or volume
25
Dispersion
The pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the population
26
Immigration
The influx of new individuals from other areas
27
Emigration
The movement of individuals out of the population into other locations
28
Territoriality
The defense of a bounded physical space against encroachments by other individuals
29
Demography
The study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change over time
30
Cohort
A group of individuals of the same age from birth until all of the individuals are dead
31
Type I curve
Flat at the start indicating low death rates at younger age then drops deeply as death rates increase among older age groups
32
Type III curve
Dropped sharply at the start reflecting high death rates for the young but flattens out as death rates decrease for those who survive
33
Type II curve
Intermediate with a constant death rate over the organisms life span
34
Zero population growth
Occurs when the per capita birth and death rates are equal
35
Exponential population growth
A population whose members all have access to abundant food and are free to reproduce at their physiological capacity
36
Carrying capacity (k)
The maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain
37
Logistic population growth
The per capita rate of increase approaches zero as the population size nears it's carrying capacity
38
Density independent
A birth or death rate that does not change with population density
39
Density dependent
Death/birth rate that rises as population density rises
40
Population dynamics
Population fluctuations; influenced by many factors and in turn affect other species
41
Metapopulation
When a number of local populations are linked
42
Interspecific competition
-/- Interaction that occurs when individuals of different species compete for a resource that limits their growth and survival
43
Competitive exclusion
A slight reproductive advantage will eventually lead to local elimination of the inferior competitor
44
Ecological niche
The specific set of biotic and abiotic resources that an organism uses in its environment
45
Resource partitioning
The differentiation of niche is that enable similar species to coexist in a community
46
Fundamental niche
The niche potentially occupied by that species
47
Realized niche
The portion of its fundamental niche that it actually occupies in a particular environment
48
Character displacement
Tendency for characteristics to diverge more in overlapping than in separate populations
49
Cryptic coloration
Camouflage
50
Aposemartic coloration
Chemical defense; warning coloration
51
Batesian mimicry
A palatable or harmless species mimics and unpalatable or harmful one
52
Müllerian mimicry
Two or more unpalatable species resemble each other
53
Herbivory
An organism eats parts of a plant or alga
54
Symbiosis
When individuals of two or more species live in direct and intimate contact with one another
55
Parasitism
+/- symbiotic interaction; when a parasite derives its nourishment from its host which is harmed in the process
56
Mutualism
An interspecific interaction that benefits both species
57
Commensalism
And interaction between species that benefits one of the species but neither harmed nor helps the other
58
Facilitation
When a species has positive effects on the survival and reproduction of other species without necessarily living in the direct and intimate contact of a symbiosis
59
Biomass
The total mass of all individuals in a population
60
Ecological succession
When a disturbed area is colonized by a variety of species which are gradually replaced by other species which are intern replaced by still other species
61
Primary succession
A process that begins in a virtually lifeless area where soil has not yet formed
62
Secondary succession
When an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance the leaves the soil intact
63
Primary producers
Ultimately supports all others consists of autotrophs
64
Primary consumers
Herbivores
65
Secondary consumer
Carnivores
66
Tertiary consumers
Carnivores that eat other carnivores
67
Detritivores/decomposers
Consumers they get their nutrients from nonliving organic material
68
Detritus
Nonlivingorganic material such as remains of dead organisms, feces, fallen leaves, and wood
69
Primary production
The amount of light energy converted to chemical energy in the form of organic compounds by autotrophs during a given time period
70
Gross primary production
The amount of energy from light converted to the chemical energy of organic molecules per unit of time
71
Net primary production
Equal to gross primary production minus the energy used by the primary producers for their outer traffic respiration; Amount of new biomass added in a given period of time
72
Net ecosystem production
A measure of the total biomass accumulation during that time
73
Limiting nutrient
The element that must be added for production to increase
74
Eutrophication
A process of the nutrients becomes highly concentrated in a body of water causing an increase in phytoplankton
75
Secondary production
The amount of chemical energy in consumers food that is converted to new biomass during a given period
76
Production efficiency
The percentage of energy stored in assimilated food that is not used for respiration
77
Trophic efficiency
The percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next
78
Turnover time
The time required to replace the standing crop of a population or group of populations calculated
79
Minimum viable population
The minimal population size at which a species is able to sustain its numbers
80
Critical load
The amount of added nutrient usually nitrogen or phosphorus that can be absorbed by plants without damaging ecosystem integrity
81
Greenhouse effect
The warming of her due to the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide and other gases which absorbs reflected infrared radiation and reradiate some of it back toward earth
82
Ecology
The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment
83
What is the most inclusive level of organization
A biosphere
84
2 major climatic factors affecting the distribution of organisms in terrestrial ecosystems are
Water and temperature
85
To determine density you need to the the population size and
The size of the area they live in
86
In wild populations individuals most often show a __ pattern of dispersion
Clumped
87
In models that describe population growth r stands for
Per capita population growth rate
88
Resource competition, territoriality, disease, and toxic wastes are some of the factors that provide__ and help regulate population
Negative feedback
89
A broad-based pyramid-shaped age structure is characteristic of a population that is
Growing rapidly
90
If rmax is doubled how would the population growth rates change
The population growth rates will double
91
Consider a population whose growth over a given time period can be described by the exponential model: dN/dt=rN
A population with a positive value of r will grow exponentially
92
Consider a population whose growth can be described by the logistics growth model dN/dt=rmaxN[(K-N)/K]
At low values of N the logistic growth and exponential growth (dN/dt=rN models predict similar population growth
93
According to the principle of competitive exclusion two species cannot continue of occupy the same
Ecological niche
94
An organism's Trophic level refers to ___
It's food source
95
Keystone species are those species
Whose absence would cause major disruption ins a community
96
Grass growing in a sand dune, is replaced by shrubs, and then by trees is an example of
Ecological succession
97
An earthworm that feeds on the remains of plants and animals is acting as a ___
Detritivore
98
When a human eats a steak the human is acting as a
Secondary consumer
99
A surface exposed by a retreating not glacier is a starting point for
Primary succession
100
If a local population of a species goes extinct which of the following outcomes is/are possible
Population numbers of species that interacted with the extinct population may increase, genetic variation may be lost from the species as a whole, the overall adaptive prospects of the species may decline
101
Biological magnification means
The concentration of toxins increases at higher Trophic levels in a food chain
102
On a global scale energy __ ecosystems whereas chemical elements ___ ecosystems
Flows through..... Are recycled in
103
The relationship between biomass and primary productivity is that___
Primary productivity is the rate at which biomass is produced
104
Why is a diagram of energy flow from Trophic level to Trophic level shaped like a pyramid
Most energy at each level is lost leaving little for the next
105
Biogeochemical cycles are crucial to ecosystem function because
Nutrients and other life-sustaining molecules are in a limited supply and mist be continually recycled
106
What process your body with energy
Fats
107
Which element is found in a lol organic compounds
Carbon
108
What name is given to organisms that convert the carbon in organic compounds into carbon in carbon dioxide
Decomposers
109
What is not an organic molecule
Minerals
110
To find Trophic efficiency
You take the top number and divide by the bottom number and put it as a percent
111
Approximately __% of the energy at one Trophic level is passed on to the next highest Trophic level
5-10
112
What removed carbon from the atmosphere
Algae
113
Detritus is composed of
Dead organic matter and excreted wastes
114
Which of these are the two major sources of nitrate pollution in rivers
Animal wastes and fertilizers
115
Aquatic nitrate pollution can result is
An algal bloom that when the algae dies and are decomposed by bacteria leads to hypoxia and the death of fish
116
Which area is not one of the 3 major reservoirs of the global carbon cycle
Sedimentary rock
117
How does carbon move from the biota to the atmosphere
Carbon dioxide is released during cellar respiration
118
Nitrifying bacteria convert__ to ___
Ammonium.... Nitrites
119
____ removed nitrogen from the atmosphere
Nitrogen fixation
120
Denitrifying bacteria convert___ to___
Nitrates... Nitrogen gasses
121
Why is it that nitrogen is often a limiting plant nutrient despite the fact that the atmosphere is 80% nitrogen gas (N2)
Because plants cannot fix N2
