Environmental Science Chapters 4, 5, & 8

Question 1

The relative numbers of organisms of each age within a population.

Answer 1

Age distribution

Question 2

English naturalist who proposed, independently of Charles Darwin, the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution and as a way to explain the great variety of living things.

Answer 2

Alfred Russell Wallace (1823-1913)

Question 3

Species formation due to the physical separation of populations over some geographic distance (separated on an island or by mountains).

Answer 3

Allopatric speciation

Question 4

Natural selection conducted under human direction.

Answer 4

Artificial selection

Question 5

Normal rate at which species go extinct. 1 species out of 1,000 in 1 to 10,000 years.

Answer 5

Background extinction rate

Question 6

The sum total of all organisms in an area, taking into account the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and communities.

Answer 6

Biological diversity (biodiversity)

Question 7

The sum total of all the planet’s living organisms and the abiotic portions of the environment with which they interact.

Answer 7

Biosphere

Question 8

The maximum population size that a given environment can sustain.

Answer 8

Carrying capacity

Question 9

English naturalist who proposed the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution and as a way to explain the great variety of living things.

Answer 9

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Question 10

The study of the interactions among species, from one-to-one interactions to complex interrelationships involving entire communities.

Answer 10

Community ecology

Question 11

A limiting factor whose effects on a population increase or decrease depending on the population density.

Answer 11

Density-dependent

Question 12

A limiting factor whose effects on a population are consistent regardless of population density.

Answer 12

Density-independent

Question 13

The science that deals with the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interactions among them, and the interactions between organisms and their abiotic environment.

Answer 13

Ecology

Question 14

Genetically based change in the appearance, functioning, and/or behavior of organisms across generations, often by the process of natural selection.

Answer 14

Evolution

Question 15

The increase of a population (or of anything) by a fixed percentage each year.

Answer 15

Exponential growth

Question 16

The disappearance of an entire species from the face of the earth.

Answer 16

Extinction

Question 17

The cumulative body of fossils worldwide, which paleontologist study to infer the history of past life on earth.

Answer 17

Fossil record

Question 18

The remains, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of past geological ages that has been preserved in rock or sediments.

Answer 18

Fossil

Question 19

A species that can survive in a wide array of habitats or use a wide array of resources. Ex: dogs and rabbits

Answer 19

Generalists

Question 20

The specific environment in which an organism lives, including both biotic and abiotic factors.

Answer 20

Habitat

Question 21

Term denoting a species with low biotic potential whose members produce a small number of offspring and take a long time to gestate and raise each of their young, but invest heavily in promoting the survival and growth of these few offspring. ______ species generally regulated by density-dependent factors.

Answer 21

K-selected

Question 22

A physical, chemical, or biological characteristic of the environment that restrains population growth.

Answer 22

Limiting factor

Question 23

A plot that shows how the initial exponential growth of a population is slowed and finally brought to a standstill by limiting factors.

Answer 23

Logistic growth curve

Question 24

The extinction of a large proportion of the world’s species in a very short time period due to some extreme and rapid change or catastrophic event. Earth has seen 6 mass extinction _____ in the past half-billion years including the one happening now.

Answer 24

Mass extinction events

Question 25

An accidental change in DNA that may range in magnitude from the deletion, substitution, or addition of a single nucleotide to a change affecting entire sets of chromosomes. Mutation provides the raw material for evolutionary change.

Answer 25

Mutations

Question 26

The process by which traits that enhance survival and reproduction are passed on more frequently to future generations of organisms than those that do not, thus altering the genetic makeup of populations through time. Natural selection acts on genetic variations and is a primary driver of evolution.

Answer 26

Natural selection

Question 27

The functional role of a species in a community.

Answer 27

Niche

Question 28

A treelike diagram that represents the history of divergence of species or other taxonomic groups of organisms.

Answer 28

Phylogenetic trees

Question 29

The number of individuals within a population per unit area.

Answer 29

Population density

Question 30

The spatial arrangement of organisms within a particular area.

Answer 30

Population distribution

Question 31

The number of individual organisms present at a given time.

Answer 31

Population ecology

Question 32

A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area.

Answer 32

Population size

Question 33

Term denoting a species with high biotic potential whose members produce a large number of offspring in a relatively short time but do not care for their young after birth. Populations of _____ species are generally regulated by density-independent factors.

Answer 33

r-selected

Question 34

The proportion of males to females in a population.

Answer 34

Sex ratio

Question 35

A species that can survive only on a narrow range of habitats that contain very specific resources. Ex: panda and kiwi bird

Answer 35

Specialists

Question 36

The process by which new species are generated.

Answer 36

Speciation

Question 37

A population or group of populations of a particular type of organism, whose members share certain characteristics and can breed freely with one another and produce fertile offspring.

Answer 37

Species

Question 38

A major regional complex of similar plant communities; a large ecological unit defined by its dominate plant type and vegetation structure.

Answer 38

Biome

Question 39

A biome of northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across much of Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Scandinavia. Also known as taiga, boreal forests consist of a limited number of species of evergreen trees, such as black spruce, that dominate large regions of forests interspersed with occasional bogs and lakes.

Answer 39

Boreal forest (taiga)

Question 40

A biome consisting mostly of densely thicketed evergreen shrubs occurring in limited small patches. Its “Mediterranean” climate of mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers is induced by oceanic influences. In addition to ringing the Mediterranean Sea, chaparral occurs along the coasts of California, Chile, and southern Australia.

Answer 40

Chaparrel

Question 41

When two or more species evolve in response to one another (predator and prey, host and parasite)

Answer 41

Coevolution

Question 42

The driest biome on Earth, with annual precipitation of less than 25cm. Because ____ have relatively little vegetation to insulate them from temperature extremes, sunlight readily heats them in the daytime, but daytime heat is quickly lost at night, so temperatures vary widely from day to night in different seasons.

Answer 42

Desert

Question 43

An organism, such as a millipede or soil insect, that scavenges the waste products or dead bodies of other community members. Ex: Vultures

Answer 43

Detritivor

Question 44

An organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down leaf litter and other nonliving matter into simple constituents that can be taken up and used by plants.

Answer 44

Decomposer

Question 45

Efforts to reserve the effects of human disruption of ecological systems and to restore communities to their “natural” state.

Answer 45

Ecological restoration

Question 46

when two species (predator vs. prey, parasite vs. host, herbivore vs. plant, etc.…) become locked in a never ending duel of escalating adaptations against each other (ex: mouse become immune to snake venom -> snake becomes more poisonous)

Answer 46

Evolutionary arms race

Question 47

Energy transfer from lower to higher levels, represented in a linear series of feeding relationships. Not as accurate as food web.

Answer 47

Food chain

Question 48

A visual representation of feeding interactions within an ecological community that shows an array of relationships between organisms at different trophic levels.

Answer 48

Food web

Question 49

The consumption of plants by animals.

Answer 49

Herbivory

Question 50

Competitive interactions among members of two or more different species

Answer 50

Interspecific competition

Question 51

competitive interactions between members of the same species

Answer 51

Intraspecific competition

Question 52

A species that widely and rapidly becomes dominant in a community, interfering with the community’s normal functioning.

Answer 52

Invasive species

Question 53

A species that has an especially far-reaching effect on a community.

Answer 53

Keystone species

Question 54

near shore regions

Answer 54

Littoral

Question 55

A relationship in which all participating organisms benefit from their interaction.

Answer 55

Mutualism

Question 56

A relationship in which one organism, the parasite, depends on another, the host, for nourishment or some other benefit while simultaneously doing the host harm.

Answer 56

Parasitism

Question 57

A species that arrives earliest, beginning the ecological process of succession on a terrestrial or aquatic community.

Answer 57

Pioneer species

Question 58

The process in which one species (the predator) hunts, tracks, captures, and ultimately kills its prey.

Answer 58

Predation

Question 59

An organism that consumes producers (plants) and feeds at the 2nd trophic level. (Grazers/Herbivores) Ex: deer, krill, grasshoppers, cows

Answer 59

Primary consumer

Question 60

A stereotypical series of changes as an ecological community develops over time, beginning with a lifeless substrate. In terrestrial systems, primary succession begins when a bare expanse of rock, sand, or sediment becomes newly exposed to the atmosphere and pioneer species arrive. Ex: First colonizers of a lava plain - lichen

Answer 60

Primary succession

Question 61

Organisms at the 1st tropic level. Autotrophs (Produce own food) Ex: plants and phytoplankton

Answer 61

Producers

Question 62

The ability of an ecological community to change in response to disturbance but later return to its original state.

Answer 62

Resilience

Question 63

The ability of an ecological community to remain stable in the presence of a disturbance.

Answer 63

Resistance

Question 64

The process by which species adapt to competition by evolving to use slightly different ways, thus minimizing interference with one another.

Answer 64

Resource partitioning

Question 65

The study of the historical conditions of ecological communities as they existed before humans altered them.

Answer 65

Restoration ecology

Question 66

A biome characterized by grassland interspersed with clusters of acacias and other trees. ____ is found across parts of Africa, South America, Australia, India, and other dry tropical regions.

Answer 66

Savanna

Question 67

An organism that consumes primary consumers and feeds at the 3rd tropic level. (Those that eat herbivores) Ex: wolves, penguins, wrens, blue whales, eye-eyes, ant eaters, praying mantis

Answer 67

Secondary consumers

Question 68

A stereotypical series of changes as an ecological community develops over time, beginning when some event disrupts or dramatically alters an existing community.

Answer 68

Secondary succession

Question 69

A stereotypical series of changes in the composition and structure of an ecological community through time.

Answer 69

Succession

Question 70

A parasitic or mutualistic relationship between different species of organisms that live in close physical proximity.

Answer 70

Symbiosis

Question 71

A biome consisting of midladitude forests characterized by broad-leafed trees that lose their leaves each fall and remain dormant during winter. The forests occur in areas where precipitation is spread relatively evenly throughout the year: much of Europe, eastern China, and eastern North America.

Answer 71

Temperate deciduous forest

Question 72

A biome whose vegetation is dominated by grasses and features more extreme temperatures differences between winter and summer and less precipitation than temperate deciduous forest.

Answer 72

Temperate grasslands

Question 73

A biome consisting of tall coniferous trees, cooler and less species-rich than a tropical rainforest and milder and wetter than temperate deciduous forest.

Answer 73

Temperate rainforest

Question 74

An organism that consumes secondary consumers and feeds at the 4th trophic level. (Those that eat secondary consumers – eat other carnivores) Ex: Orcas, leopard seals, owls

Answer 74

Tertiary consumers

Question 75

Ranking in the feeding hierarchy of a food chain. Organisms at higher trophic levels consume those at lower trophic levels.

Answer 75

Trophic level

Question 76

A biome that consists of deciduous trees and occurs at tropical and subtropical latitudes where wet and dry seasons each span about half the year. Widespread in India, Africa, South America, and northern Australia.

Answer 76

Tropical dry forest

Question 77

A biome characterized by year-round rain and uniformly warm temps. Found in Central America, South America, southeast Asia, west Africa, and other tropical regions. ____ ______ have a dark, damp interiors; lush vegetation; and highly diverse biotic communities.

Answer 77

Tropical rainforest

Question 78

A biome that is nearly as dry as desert but is located at very high latitudes along the northern edges of Russia, Canada, and Scandinavia. Extremely cold winters with little daylight and moderately cool summers with lengthy days characterize this landscape of lichens and low, scrubby vegetation.

Answer 78

Tundra

Question 79

The average rate of extinction that occurred before the appearance of humans. For birds and mammals, one species in the world typically became extinct every 500-1,000 years.

Answer 79

Background rate of extinction

Question 80

An area that supports an especially great diversity of species, particularly species that are endemic to the area.

Answer 80

Biodiversity hotsposts

Question 81

A phenomenon that E. O. Wilson has defined as “the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.”

Answer 81

Biophilia

Question 82

The practice of capturing members of threatened and endangered species so that their young can be bred and raised in controlled environments and subsequently reintroduced into the wild.

Answer 82

Captive breeding

Question 83

The practice of engaging local people to protect land and wildlife in their own region.

Answer 83

Community-based conservation

Question 84

A scientific discipline devoted to understanding the factors, forces, and processes that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity within and among ecosystems.

Answer 84

Conservation biology

Question 85

An international treaty that aims to conserve biodiversity, use biodiversity in a sustainable manner, and ensure the fair distribution of biodiversity’s benefits. Although many nations have agreed to the treaty, several others including the United States, have not.

Answer 85

Convention on Biological Diversity

Question 86

A 1973 treaty facilitated by the United Nations that protects endangered species by banning the international transport of their body parts.

Answer 86

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Question 87

Visitation of natural areas for tourism and recreation. Most often involves tourism by more-affluent communities near natural areas and thus provided economic incentives for conservation of natural areas.

Answer 87

Ecotourism

Question 88

Native or restricted to particular geographic region. An ______ species occurs in one area and nowhere else on Earth.

Answer 88

Endemic

Question 89

A theory that was initially applied to oceanic islands to explain how species come to be distributed among them. Since its development, researchers have increasingly applied the theory to islands of habitat (patches of one type of habitat isolated within a vast “sea” of others). Aspects of the theory include immigration and extinction rates, the effect of island size, and the effect of distance from the mainland.

Answer 89

Equilibrium theory of island biogeography

Question 90

The disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally.

Answer 90

Extirpation

Question 91

A measurement of the differences in DNA composition among individuals within a given species.

Answer 91

Genetic diversity

Question 92

An updated list of species facing unusually high risks of extinction. The list is maintained by the World Conservation Union.

Answer 92

Red List

Question 93

The number and variety of species in the world or in a particular region.

Answer 93

Species diversity

Question 94

Galapagos

Answer 94

Spanish word for saddle; turtle named after saddle; island named after turtle