Exam 2

Question 1

biodiversity (biological diveristy)

Answer 1

the sum of an area’s organisms, considering the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communities.

Question 2

evolution

Answer 2

genetic change across generations

Charles Darwin

Question 3

natural selection

Answer 3

process by which traits that enhance survival are passed on to future generations more than those that do not (good mutations)

Question 4

what does natural selection alter

Answer 4

genetic makeup of populations over time

Question 5

Natural selection

Answer 5

darwin proposed this theory as a mechanism for evolution and a way to explain the variety of living things

Question 6

adaptive trait/adaptation

Answer 6

trait that promotes success in natural selection

Question 7

artificial selection

Answer 7

used by humans to develop more successful species of plants and animals

Question 8

species

Answer 8

population of organisms who share similar characteristics, can breed, and produce fertile offspring

Question 9

speciation

Answer 9

mixing of genes to produce new species

Question 10

habitat

Answer 10

specific environment where a species lives, which includes both abiotic and biotic factors

Question 11

niche

Answer 11

functional role of a species in a community of organisms

Question 12

the niche of a species depends on what?

Answer 12

its use of habitats and resources, its consumption of certain foods, and its interaction with other species

Question 13

specialists

Answer 13

dependent upon a very narrow range of requirements

Question 14

generalists

Answer 14

can tolerate a wide range of requirements

Question 15

allopatric speciation

Answer 15

speciation due to the separation of populations by location

Question 16

sympatric speciation

Answer 16

formation of species together in a single location without geographic seperation

Question 17

phylogentic tree

Answer 17

shows how species evolved

Question 18

endemic species

Answer 18

species that occur in only one location on earth

at highest risk for extinction

Question 19

native species

Answer 19

plants, animals, fungi, and micro organisms that occur natural in a given habitat
becoming extinct because of invasive species

Question 20

rates of what determine earths biodiversity

Answer 20

speciation and extinction

Question 21

population

Answer 21

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

Question 22

characteristics of populations

Answer 22

density
distribution
size

Question 23

density

Answer 23

of individuals per unit area or volume

Question 24

distribution

Answer 24

pattern in which individuals are dispersed through a habitat

Question 25

size

Answer 25

of individuals making up the gene pool

Question 26

most common type of population distribution

Answer 26

clumped

Question 27

clumped

Answer 27

because organisms arrange themselves where the quality of resources is high and because of the formation of social groups

Question 28

factors that affect population size

Answer 28

density dependent variables | density independent variables

Question 29

density dependent variables

Answer 29

predation, parasitism, competition

Question 30

density independent variables

Answer 30

hurricanes, tsunamis, cold, etc

Question 31

factors affecting population growth

Answer 31

limiting factors | carrying capacity

Question 32

limiting factors

Answer 32

any resource that is in short supply (food, minerals, light, living space, etc)

Question 33

carrying capacity

Answer 33

number of individuals that a given environment can sustain

Question 34

patterns of population growth

Answer 34

exponential | logistic

Question 35

exponential growth

Answer 35

population increases by a fixed % per year few or no limiting factors j shaped curve

Question 36

logistic growth

Answer 36

a growth that is initially exponential which levels off bc of limiting factors s shaped curve density dependent

Question 37

conservation biology

Answer 37

is defined by some as a “crisis discipline”, whose goal is to provide tools for preserving biodiversity

Question 38

Human development, resource extraction, and population pressures

Answer 38

are speeding the rate at which natural communities are changing and declining

Question 39

invasive plant species in PA

Answer 39

Japanese knot weed

Question 40

community

Answer 40

group of populations of different organisms that live in the same place at the same time

Question 41

predation

Answer 41

process by which one species feeds off another

Question 42

competition

Answer 42

2 species compete for same limited resources

Question 43

parasitism

Answer 43

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

Question 44

mutualism

Answer 44

A relationship in which two or more different species benefit from interaction with one another

Question 45

food chains consist of

Answer 45

trophic levels

Question 46

plants are at what trophic level

Answer 46

producers

Question 47

animals that eat herbivores are

Answer 47

secondary consumers

Question 48

detritivores and decomposers

Answer 48

eat nonliving organic matter | recycle nutrients and create soil

Question 49

food chain

Answer 49

simplified linear diagram of who eats whom

Question 50

food web

Answer 50

complex network of who eats whom

Question 51

keystone species

Answer 51

species that has far reaching impacts to the rest of the ecosystem often a secondary or tertiary trophic level

Question 52

elimination of keystone species can

Answer 52

adversely affect a food chain causing a trophic cascade

Question 53

primary succession

Answer 53

Follows a disturbance so severe that no vegetation or soil life remains in the community that occupied that site

Question 54

pioneer species

Answer 54

emerge to begin the process of recolonization after primary succession

Question 55

process of succession end with

Answer 55

the formation of a climax community

Question 56

secondary succession

Answer 56

occurs when a specific event alters a community occurs after natural or man made disturbances soil is intact

Question 57

transitions between stages of succession eventually lead to

Answer 57

climax community | it remains in place with little modification until some disturbance restarts succession

Question 58

biome

Answer 58

major regional complex of similar communities of vegetation

Question 59

what are the main factors in determining what vegetation will be like

Answer 59

temp and precipitation | also determine what animals will inhabit the biome

Question 60

temperate deciduous forest

Answer 60

Deciduous trees lose their leaves each fall and remain dormant during winter

Question 61

3 types of biodiveristy

Answer 61

ecosystem diversity species diversity genetic diversity

Question 62

species diveristy

Answer 62

the number or variety of species in the world or in a particular region

Question 63

species richness

Answer 63

``` # of species good gauge for biodiversity ```

Question 64

speciation

Answer 64

generates new species and adds to species richness

Question 65

extinction

Answer 65

reduces species richness | occurs when the last member of a species dies and the species ceases to exist

Question 66

subspecies

Answer 66

populations of species that occur in different areas slightly from each other

Question 67

ecosystem diversiy

Answer 67

and diversity of ecosystems

Question 68

latitudinal gradient

Answer 68

species richness increases toward the equator

Question 69

extirpation

Answer 69

disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally can lead to extinction

Question 70

the current mass extinction is caused by

Answer 70

humans | may lose more than half of all species by 2050

Question 71

6 primary causes of biodiversity decline

Answer 71

``` habitat alteration invasive species pollution overpopulation over harvesting climate change ```

Question 72

greatest cause of biodiversity lose

Answer 72

habitat alteration

Question 73

habitat alteration

Answer 73

``` farming grazing deforestation hydroelectric dams urbanization and suburban sprawl ```

Question 74

farming

Answer 74

simplifies communities

Question 75

grazing

Answer 75

modifies grassland structure and species composition

Question 76

deforestation

Answer 76

removes resources that organisms need

Question 77

hydroelectric dams

Answer 77

turns rivers into upstream reservoirs and affect floodplains downstream

Question 78

urbanization and suburban sprawl

Answer 78

reduce natural communities.

Question 79

pollution

Answer 79

causes biodiversity loss | harms organisms in many ways

Question 80

although pollution is a substantial threat

Answer 80

it tends to cause less damage that habitat alteration or invasive species

Question 81

global warming has been greatest where?

Answer 81

in the arctic

Question 82

biodiversity benefits

Answer 82

maintain ecosystem function

Question 83

New potential food crops are waiting to be used

Answer 83

We get 90% of our food from just 15 plant species; at least 700 species available

Question 84

biodiversity also has

Answer 84

economic benefits (like ecotourism)

Question 85

ecotourism

Answer 85

people visit natural areas, creating economic opportunity for residents living near those areas

Question 86

biodiversity hotspots

Answer 86

hotspots: an area that supports a high number of species

Question 87

biophilia

Answer 87

connections that humans subconsciously seek with other forms of life

Question 88

nature deficit disorder

Answer 88

alienation from the natural enviorment

Question 89

flagship species

Answer 89

large and charismatic species used as spearheads for biodiversity conservation (i.e., a poster child)