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Ecology Flashcards

(77 cards)

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1
Q

Ecology

A

The study of the interactions of organisms with their physical environment & with each other

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2
Q

Population

A

Group of individuals of 1 species in 1 area who can interbreed & interact with each other

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3
Q

Community

A

Consists of all organisms living in 1 area

Populations that interact with environment & with each other

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4
Q

Ecosystem

A

All organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic (nonliving factors) with which they interact

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5
Q

Abiotic Factors

A

Nonliving factors

Include temperature, water, sunlight, wind, rocks & soil

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6
Q

Biotic Factors

A

All organisms with which an organisms might react

Birds, prey, insects, predators & parasites

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7
Q

Biosphere

A

The global ecosystem

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8
Q

Niche

A

What an organisms eat & needs to survive

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9
Q

Size (in population)

A

Total number of individuals in a population, 4 limits:

Number of births & deaths, immigration & emigration

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10
Q

Density (in population)

A

Number of individuals per unit area/volume

Use “mark & recapture” technique

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11
Q

Dispersion (in population)

A

Pattern of spacing of individuals within area the population inhabits
Clumped, uniform, random

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12
Q

Biotic Potential

A

The maximum rate at which a population could increase under ideal conditions
Affected By: age, life span, reproductive periods, offspring

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13
Q

Exponential Growth

A

Unrestrained/exponential growth with no predation, parasitism, competition, immigration or emigration in environment with unlimited resources

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14
Q

Carrying Capacity (K)

A

A limit to the number of individuals that can occupy 1 area at a particular time
Can change as environmental conditions change

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15
Q

Limiting Factors

A

Those factor that limit population growth;

density-dependent & density-independent

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16
Q

Density-Dependent Factors

A

Limiting Factor
Those factors that increase directly as the population density increases composition for food, buildup of wastes, predation & disease

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17
Q

Density-Independent Factors

A

Limiting Factor
Those factors whose occurrence is unrelated to the population density
Earthquakes, storms, naturally occurring fires & floods

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18
Q

Competition

A

2 possible outcomes, 1 will evolve & 1 will become extinct
“2 species cannot coexist in a community if they share a niche, that is, if they compete for the same resources”

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19
Q

Predation

A

Animal eating another, or animal eating plants

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20
Q

Aposematic Coloration

A

Defense against predation

Bright colors warns possible predators to avoid them

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21
Q

Batesian Mimicry

A

Defense against predation

Harmless butterfly looks like poisonous one

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22
Q

Mullerian Mimicry

A

Defense against predation

2/more poisonous species resemble each other & gain an advantage from their combined numbers

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23
Q

Carnivores

A

Feeding

Eat other animals

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24
Q

Herbivores

A

Feeding

Eat plants

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25
Detritivores
Feeding | Eat dead plants/animals
26
Mutualism
Relationship based of feeding behaviors | Both organisms beneift, +/+
27
Commensalism
Relationship based of feeding behaviors | One organisms benefits, other is neither helped/harmed, +/0
28
Parasitism
Relationship based of feeding behaviors | Parasite benefits, host is harmed, +/-
29
Food Chain
The pathway along which energy is transferred from one trophic/feeding level to another
30
Producers (Food Chain)
Convert light energy to chemical bond energy - have greatest biomass of any trophic level
31
Primary Consumers (Food Chain)
Eat producers - are herbivores
32
Secondary Consumers (Food Chain)
Eat primary consumers - are carnivores
33
Tertiary Consumers (Food Chain)
Eat secondary consumers - are carnivores | Top of food chain, fewer than any organisms of food chain
34
Productivity
The rate at which an organic matter is created by producers | When ecologists study energy transformations within ecosystems
35
Gross Primary Productivity
The amount of energy converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis per unit time in an ecosystem
36
Net Primary Production
The gross primary productivity minus the energy used by the primary producers for respiration
37
Biological Magnification
Organisms at higher trophic levels have a greater concentration of accumulated toxins stored in their bodies than those at lower trophic levels
38
Decomposers
Organisms that play a vital role in ecosystem & that recycle dead organic matter
39
Biomes
Very large regions of Earth whose distribution depends on amount of rainfall & temperature in an area
40
Marine (Biome)
Largest biome Most stable with temp. that vary little & can absorb lots of heat Provides most of Earth's food & oxygen
41
Tropical Rainforest (Biome)
Greatest diversty of animal species Near equator, abundant rainfall with high humidity & stable temp. Cover 4% of Earth, >20% of Earth's net carbon fixation
42
Desert
Experience most extreme fluctuations in temperature of any biome, hot days & cold nights <10 in. rainfall/year
43
Temperate Grasslands
Cover huge areas in both temperate & tropical regions | Low annual rainfall & uneven occurence so inhospitable for forests
44
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Northeast America, south of taiga - trees that drop leaves in winter Vertical stratification of animals - some on ground, treetops,... Rich soil due to decomposition of leaf litter
45
Conifer Forest - Taiga or Boreal Forest
Northern areas, largest territorial biomes with seasonal temperatures (more than 70C) Dominated by evergreens, dotted with lakes, ponds,... Abundance of rainfall, trees dominated landscape, heavy snowfall
46
Tundra (Biome)
Far northern parts of North America, Europe, Asia Permafrost, permanently frozen subsoil Frozen desert, little rainfall that cant penetrate frozen ground Treeless, many lakes, ponds,... Low number of different species
47
Water Cycle
Water evaporates from Earth, forms clouds, rains over oceans & land
48
Carbon Cycle
Process of photosynthesis & respiration
49
Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria
Convert free nitrogen (N2) into ammonium ion (NH4)
50
Nitrifying Bacteria
Convert ammonium ion (NH4) into nitrites (NO2) & then into nitrates (NO3)
51
Denitrifying Bacteria
Convert nitrates (NO3) into free atmospheric nitrogen (N)
52
Decomposers
Bacteria that break down dead organic matter, into ammonia (NH4)
53
Eutrophication
Process that cause a runoff from sewage & manure from pastures increase in lakes & cause excessive growth of algae & other plants
54
Greenhouse Effect
Carbon dioxde & water vapor in air absorb much of infrared radiation reflecting off Earth, causing average temperature on Earth to rise
55
Global Warming
Increase in average temperature of Earth, due to greenhouse effect
56
Pesticides
Chemicals that kill undesirable organisms | Save lives by increasing food production & killing animals that carry/cause disease
57
Mark & Recapture
Organisms are captured, tagged & then released | Some time later, the same process is repeated & a special formula is used to determine the density of the population
58
Factors that can cause a population crash
Predation, parasitism, severe competition, an end to resources, and/or too much waste that poisons the environment
59
r-Strategists
Opportunistic, reproduce rapidly when the environment is uncrowded & resources are vast
60
K-Strategists
Tend to maximize population size near the carrying capacity for an environment
61
Competitive Exclusion Principle
2 species cannot coexist in a community if they share a niche, that is, if they compete for the same resources
62
Resource Partitioning
Instead of extinction, a species will evolve through natural selection to exploit different resources
63
Character Displacement
Instead of extinction | Divergence of adaption, like finches on Galapagos Islands
64
Diatoms (Producer)
Photosynthetic algae that drift in the oceans
65
Phytoplankton (Producer)
Algae & photosynthetic bacteria that drift passively in aquatic environment
66
Ecological Succession
Process of sequential rebuilding of the ecosystem after drastic destruction of a community or an entire ecosystem
67
Primary Ecological Succession
Soil building | Rebuilding in a lifeless area where even soil has been removed
68
Pioneer Organisms
First organisms to inhabit a barren area
69
Climax Community
Final stable community that remains until another blowout
70
Blowout
A disaster that destroys the ecosystem
71
Secondary Succession
When an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil intact
72
Epiphytes
Photosynthetic plants that grow on other trees rather than supporting themselves
73
Vertical Stratification
Some species live on ground, some in low branches, some in the treetops
74
Eutrophication | (as photosynthetic organisms die) FIRST
Organic material accumulates on the lake bottom & reduce the depth of the lake
75
Eutrophication | (as photosynthetic organisms die) SECOND
Detritivores use up oxygen as they decompose the dead organic matter Impossible for fish to live, decomposers expand activity & oxygen decrease until lake disappears
76
Acid Rain
Nitrogen & sulfur pollutants in the air turn into nitric, nitrous, sulfurous & sulfuric acids Cause pH of rain to be less than 5.6
77
Biological Control
Crop Rotation Introduce natural enemies of the pests Use natural plant toxins instead of synthetic ones Use insect birth control

Biology (17 decks)

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