ENVI 101 Unit 2 Flashcards
(133 cards)
1
Q
Prokaryotic Cells
A
Bacteria, enclosed by a membrane, no nucleus
2
Q
Eukaryotic Cells
A
All other life besides bacteria, enclosed by a membrane, nucleas, specialized internal structures
3
Q
Three domain classification system
A
Bacteria, archaea, eukarya
4
Q
Taxonomic Classification
A
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
5
Q
Kingdoms
A
Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Plants, Fungi, Animals, Protists
6
Q
Protists
A
Diatoms and protozoans
7
Q
Species
A
Group of living organisms with characteristics that distinguish it from others and produce fertile offspring
8
Q
Species diversity
A
The number and abundance of different species living in an ecosystem
9
Q
Species richness
A
The number of different species
10
Q
Species evenness
A
A measure of the comparative abundance in an ecosystem
11
Q
Genetic diversity
A
Variety of genes within a population or in a species
12
Q
Biomes
A
Large regions distinguished by climate, plant, and animal life
13
Q
Eight major biomes
A
Tropical forest, savanna, temperate grasslands, desert, shrublands, temperate forest, conifer forest, tundra
14
Q
Core habitats
A
Center of a biome
15
Q
Edge habitats
A
Edge of a biome
16
Q
Ecological niche
A
Total use of biotic and abiotic resources for a species in its environment
17
Q
Habitat
A
Place in which a species lives
18
Q
Generalists
A
Broad niches, can live in many places, eat anything, tolerate wide range of conditions
19
Q
Specialists
A
Narrow niches, more prone to extinction
20
Q
Native species
A
Naturally occur in a region where they evolved
21
Q
Nonnative species
A
Species that migrate deliberately into an ecosystem
22
Q
Invasive species
A
A species that causes ecological or economic harm to a new environment where it is not native
23
Q
Indicator species
A
Provide early warnings of changes in environmental conditions, represent the health of an ecosystem
24
Q
Keystone species
A
Has a large effect on the types and abundance of other species in an ecosystem, relative to their size
25
Example of a keystone species
Wolves in Yellowstone, controlled elk populations, which restricted killing of trees by elk
26
Trophic cascade
Top predator controls the populations of the trophic levels below them
27
Adaptive trait
Improves the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce compared to other individuals in the population
28
Heritable trait
Passed from one generation to the next
29
Allele
Form of a gene
30
Mutations
Changes in the coded genetic information in your DNA
31
Bilateral symmetry
Divisible in symmetrical halves
32
Amniotes
Embryo develops in an amnion
33
Speciation
When one species evolves into two or more different species
34
Geographic isolation
Different groups of the same population of a species become physically isolated from one another for a long time
35
Reproductive isolation
Mutations and changes in the gene pool from natural selection operate independently in the geographically isolation populations
36
Artificial selection
Scientists change the genetic characteristics of populations with similar genes, ex. selective breeding
37
Endemic species
Species only found in one area
38
Grasses
Photosynthetic tissue because little energy is required for support tissues (stems)
39
Shrubs
A plant with multiple woody, persistent stems (no central trunk) and under 4m tall
40
Trees
Will invest more resources in stems and other supporting structures, increased height and access to light
41
Deciduous leaves live...
for only a single growing season / year
42
Evergreen leaves live...
beyond a year
43
Needle-leaf evergreen grow in...
environments where the growing season is very short (higher latitudes)
44
Tropical rainforests
Dominated by broadleaf evergreen plants, between 10 degrees N and S, temperatures warm all year and rain happens daily
45
Dry tropical forests
Undergoes a dry season, length of season based on latitude
46
Savanna
Mainly grasses with trees or shrubs, warm temperatures with distinct seasonality in precipitation, many large herbivores
47
Grasslands
Occur in the midlatitudes in midcontinental regions where annual precipitation is reduced as air masses move inland
48
Grasslands evolved under...
the selective pressure of grazing
49
Deciduous temperate forests
Dominate the wetter regions in temperate areas, high annual rainfall
50
Conifer forest
Cone-bearing trees, snowy winter
51
Chaparral / Shrublands
Found along the western margins of the continents between 30 and 40 degrees latitude, hot, dry summers with at least one month of drought, leading to fires, cold moist winters
52
Alpine tundra
Lower latitudes in higher mountains, severe environment with strong winds, snow, and fluctuating temperatures
53
Arctic Tundra
High latitudes and cold temperatures, most vegetation short and mainly belowground
54
Ecological succession
The gradual change in species composition in a given terrestrial or aquatic system
55
Primary succession
Begins in environments that lack organic matter and have not been altered, ex. lava field, newly exposed glacial till
56
Secondary succession
Occurs where there has been organic matter that went through a disturbance that removed most or all of the existing community, ex. fires, tornados, logging
57
Facilitation
Pioneer species modify environment making it more suitable for later species
58
Inhibition
Competition determines succession
59
Tolerance
Shade-tolerant species begin to flourish
60
Water covers ____ of the Earth's surface
71%
61
Examples of marine zones
Oceans, estuaries, coasts, coral reefs, mangrove forests
62
Coral reefs
Oldest, most diverse, and most productive ecosystems
63
Polyps
Tiny animals that form coral reefs with the help of single celled algae
64
Why coral reefs are important
Protect coastlines, are a habitat for 1/4-1/3 of the oceans organisms
65
Threats to coral reefs
Soil runoff, climate change, increasing ocean acidity
66
Coral bleaching
Changing temps and acidity cause the algae to die off, removing the color from the polyps
67
Ultraplankton
Make up the base of the aquatic food chain, produces about a half of Earth's oxygen
68
Zooplankton
Consumers, include single-celled protozoa to jellyfish
69
Nekton
Strong swimmers that can swim against the currents - fish, turtles, whales
70
Benthos
Bottom dwellers - oysters, sea stars, clams, lobsters, crabs
71
Decomposers
Mostly bacteria
72
Factors that determine aquatic diversity
Temperature, dissolved oxygen content, salinity, availability of food, access to light, access to nutrients for photosynthesis
73
Major life zones
Neritic zone, oceanic zone
74
Four zones in ocean sea
Epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssalpelagic
75
Epipelagic zone
1st zone, phytoplankton, low nutrient levels
76
Mesopelagic zone
2nd zone, light, oxygen, temperature decreases from epipelagic
77
Bathypelagic zone
3rd zone, dark, relies on nutrients from above zones
78
Abyssalpelagic zone
4th zone, dark and cold, high nutrient levels, deposit / filter feeders
79
Estuaries
Aquatic zones where the river meets the sea
80
Coastal wetlands
Coastal land covered with water all or parts of the year
81
Seagrass beds
Occur in shallow coastal water
82
Human impacts on marine environments
Coastal development, overfishing, destruction of habitats, runoff of pollutants
83
Lotic
Flowing water in freshwater ecosystems
84
Lentic
Non-flowing water in freshwater ecosystems
85
Lakes
Standing freshwater formed from precipitation, runoff, streams, rivers, and groundwater seepage that fill depressions in the Earth's surface
86
Limentic zone
main photosynthetic zone of a lake, 2nd zone, away from the shore, extends to the depth that light can penetratend
87
Littoral zone
Shallow sunlit waters in a lake, 1st zone, growth of rooted plants, high biodiversity
88
Profundal zone
3rd zone of a lake, Too dark for photosynthesis, low oxygen levels
89
Benthic zone
4th zone of a lake, decomposers, detritus feeders, bottom feeders
90
Oligotrophic
Type of lake with a small amount of plant nutrients, with deep waters and steep banks, low NPP, small populations of plankton and fish species
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Eutrophic
Type of lake with a large supply of nutrients, high NPP, typically shallow and have murky brown or green water
92
Source zone
Headwater streams are shallow, cold, and clear and swiftly moving, dissolves large amounts of oxygen from the air, lack nutrients and primary producers, fish with streamlined bodies
93
Transition zone
Wider, deeper, and warmer streams that flow down gentler slopes with fewer obstacles, less dissolved oxygen
94
Floodplain zones
Streams join into wider deeper rivers that flow across broad flat valleys, high temperature, low dissolved oxygen, higher concentration of silt, muddy waters
95
Delta
An area at the mouth of a river built up by deposited sediment, usually containing coastal wetlands and estuaries
96
Inland wetlands
Marshes, swamps, the composition of social and specific plants will determine if something is a wetland
97
How are humans degrading freshwater systems?
Dams, canals, cities and farms adding pollutants and excess plant nutrients, draining of wetlands for farmland, eutrophication
98
Interspecific competition
Use similar resources, -/-
99
Intraspecific competition
Individuals with a species compete for resources
100
Niche or resource partitioning
Species evolve in tandem to balance out resources, ex. warblers and nesting in different spots in a tree
101
Herbivory
Consumption of plants by animals, +/-
102
Adaptations to herbivory
Spikes, poison
103
Predation
Consumption of animals by other animals, +/-
104
Batesian mimicry
Some animals living with inedible species will evolve coloration to match them, model and mimic
105
Mullerian mimicry
Two or more species evolve to share similar honest warning signs
106
Parasitism
A species forms a long close association with a host who is harmed, +/-
107
Mutualism
+/+, both species benefit from working together
108
Commensalism
One species benefits and another is unaffected, +/0
109
Emigration
Portion of a population leaving the population
110
Immigration
Portion of a population joining another population
111
Carrying capacity
Maximum number of individuals a habitat can support
112
Survivorship curve
A species' population drop off with respect to age
113
Type 1 Survivorship curve
Mortality rates low until late in life
114
Type 2 Survivorship curve
Constant proportion of individuals die throughout the life cycle
115
Type 3 Survivorship curve
Juvenile mortality high, those that survive have a high survivorship
116
r-Strategists
Produce a large number of offspring but provide few resources for their support
117
K-Strategists
Produce relatively few young but invest considerable resources into their support
118
r-Selected
environmental instability reduces population size before it approaches carrying capacity
119
K-Selected
population size near carrying capacity due to density dependent factors
120
Old-growth forest
Uncut or regrown forest that has not been seriously disturbed by human activities or natural disasters for 200 years or more, high biodiversity, ex. sequoia forests
121
Second-growth forest
Stand of trees resulting from secondary ecological succession (usually containing pines, oaks)
122
Tree plantation
Forest containing 1 or 2 species of forest all around the same age
123
Tree harvesting methods
Selective cutting, clear-cutting, strip cutting
124
Surface fires
Burn undergrowth and leaf litter
125
Crown fires
Fires take place in the crowns of the trees
126
Deforestation
Temporary or permanent removal of large expanses of forest for agriculture, settlements or other uses
127
____% of US land area covered by forest
30%
128
Tropical rainforests
small land area, hold immense amount of biodiversity
129
Tropical rainforests
Small land area, hold immense amount of biodiversity
130
Prescribed burns
Carefully planned and controlled fires to remove flammable small trees and underbrush
131
Rehabilitation
Turning a degraded ecosystem into a functional or useful ecosystem without trying to restore to the original
132
Restoration
Returning a degraded habitat or ecosystem to a condition as close as possible to its original one
133
Catch-share systems
The fisherman gets a share of the total catch in a community, fisher must stop when they reach their quota, can buy and sell shares
