exam 4 Flashcards
(151 cards)
1
Q
what is ecology
A
the study of how organisms relate to one another and to their environments
2
Q
what is environmentalism
A
advocating the protection of nature
3
Q
what is ecology
A
the study of interactions, recognition of interactions is imperative. provides knowledge to educate people, so informed decisions are made
4
Q
what is organismal ecology
A
study adaptations that enable individuals to live in specific habitats . these adaptations can be morphological, physiological , and behavioral
5
Q
what is population ecology
A
focus on the number of individuals in an area and how and why population sizes change
6
Q
what is community ecology
A
study the processes driving interactions between species as well as their consequences
7
Q
what is ecosystem ecology
A
study the storage and movement of nutrients and energy among organisms and the surrounding atmosphere, soil, and water
8
Q
karner blue butterfly
A
rare , found in open places with little tress or shrubs ; such as pine barrens and oak savanna’s
9
Q
endemic
A
only found in a unique location
10
Q
biogeography
A
the study of the geographic distribution of living things and the abiotic factors that affect their distribution
11
Q
abiotic factors
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such as temperature and rainfall vary based mainly on latitude and elevation
12
Q
endemic species
A
one which is naturally found only on a specific geographic area that is usually restricted in size
13
Q
generalists
A
species which live in a wide variety of geographic areas
14
Q
brackish
A
mixture of salt water and fresh water
15
Q
ocean upwelling
A
process that recycled nutrients and energy in the ocean
16
Q
tropical forest
A
lots of water , lots of vegetation, very warm
17
Q
savanna
A
dominated by grasses
18
Q
chaparral
A
scrub forest
19
Q
temperate forest
A
lots of large trees, small plants
20
Q
boreal forest - taiga
A
low lying plants and conifer trees; home to birds, wolves, bears, etc
21
Q
tundra
A
landscape dominated by low growing plants like shrub willow
22
Q
are coral reefs living
A
yes
23
Q
where is the most diverse aquatic habitat
A
coral reefs
24
Q
global climate change
A
altered global weather patterns, including a worldwide increase in temperature, due largely to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide
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climate
refers to the long term predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area
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weather
refers to the conditions of the atmosphere during a short period of time
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population
all species living within a specific area (groups of the same species)
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how can populations change overtime
seasonal and yearling changes like migration, natural disasters, and competition for resources between and within species
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demography
used a series of mathematical tools to investigate how populations respond to changes in their biotic and abiotic environments
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population size (n)
the total number of individuals
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population density
the number of individuals within a specific area or volume
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quadrat
to measure population size and density
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mark and recapture
used to measure the population size of mobile animals such as bighorn sheep, and salmon
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species dispersion patterns
show the spatial relationship between members of a population within a habitat at a particular point in time
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species distribution
geographically area where an organism is found
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uniform
evenly spaced: example is penguins
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random
randomly spaced: example is dandelions
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clumped
together in one spot: example is elephants
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demography
the statistical study of population changes over time : birth rates, death rates, and life expectancies
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life tables
divide the population into age groups and often sexes and show how long a member of that group is likely to live
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cohort
group of the same organism
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type one survivorship curve
humans and most mammals
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type 2 survivorship curve
birds
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type 3 survivorship curve
trees
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fecundity
potential reproductive capacity of an individual within a population
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low fecundity
produce few offspring
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high fecundity
many offspring
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semelparity
occurs when a species reproduces only once during its lifetime then dies. example: salmon
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iteroparity
describes species that reproduce repeatedly during their lives
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carrying capacity
maximum capacity a place can hold
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what is yeasts limiting factor
sugar
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density dependent factors
predation, inter and intraspecifc competition, accumulation of waste and diseases
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density independent factors
weather, natural disasters, pollution, chemical/physical changes
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K selected species
are species selected by stable , predictable environments. example: elephants , oak trees
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R selected species
have a large number of small offspring, usually in unpredictable or changing environments. example: dandelions and jellyfish
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are humans k or r selected species
k selected
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ecological footprint
the amount of land required to support an individual at the standard of living of a particular population through the individuals life
58
trade off
balance of factors, not attainable simultaneously
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life history
complete life cycle of an organism
60
reproductive potential
number of offspring you can produce
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what factors could affect reproductive potential each year
age at first reproduction, adult mortality rate per year, available resources, an environmental factors
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ecosystem
community of living organisms and their interactions with their abiotic (nonliving) enviorment
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equilibrium
steady state of an ecosystem where all organisms are in balance with their environment and with each other
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resistance
ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances
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resilience
the speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed
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species diversity
the variety of different kinds of organisms in the community
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trophic structure
feeding relationships between organisms
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species richness
the total number of different species in the community
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relative abundance
the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community
70
food chains
describes a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass
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apex consumer
which is the highest level consumer in the ecosystem
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secondary consumer
are usually carnivores that eat primary consumers
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primary consumers
consumes the primary producer
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primary producer
the bottom of the food chain, usually photosynthetic organisms
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food web
a graphic representation of a holistic, nonlinear web of primary producers, primary consumers, and higher level consumers used to describe ecosystem structure and dynamics
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biomagnification
increasing concentration of persistent toxic substances in organisms at each trophic level from the primary producers to the apex consumers
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biogeochemical cycles
chemicals move through ecosystems
abiotic and biotic processes
one ecosystem might import or export chemicals to another
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carbon fixation
metabolic reactions that make nongaseous cmpds from gaseous ones
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aerobic cellular respiration
releases co2
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methanogens
produce methane by anaerobic cellular respiration
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aerobic
requires oxygen
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anaerobic
doesnt require oxygen
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basic water cycle
liquid evaporates into the atmosphere, water in the atmosphere is a gas, cools and falls to the surface as precipitation
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global ecology
the study of the interactions of Earth's ecosystems with the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
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geographic distribution
the natural arrangement and apportionment of the various forms of animals and plants in the different regions and localities of the earth
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examples of abiotic factors
sunlight, fresh water, frozen water, oxygen, fire, wind
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how does ocean upwelling occur
wind pushes offshore and causes water from the ocean bottom to move to the surface, bringing up nutrients from the ocean depths
88
What is turnover in freshwater lakes during spring and fall? How does it occur?
it is an important process that moves nutrients and oxygen from the bottom of the deep lakes to the top. it occurs because water has a maximum density of 4 degrees Celsius. as the temp of the surface water changes, denser water sinks
89
What important abiotic factors determine the characteristics of terrestrial biomes?
temperature and rainfall
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intertidal zone
sea urchins, mussel shells, and starfish
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coral reefs
most diverse aquatic habitat, related to jellyfish, formed by calcium carbonate skeletons of coral organisms
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wetlands
sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, and estuarine mangrove forests
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What are examples of evidence that shows climate change?
Ice cores, temperature, atmospheric CO2, Glacial retreat
94
Define population size (N) and population density. How are these two measures used to describe and understand populations?
if you have 25 people in a small area, and 25 people in a larger area, then the smaller area is more dense
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mortality rate
the percentage of surviving individuals dying at a particular age interval and their life expectancy at each interval
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type one survivorship definition
death primarily occurs in older years
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type two survivorship definition
death at any age is equally probable
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type three survivorship definition
very few survive young years but after a certain age, individuals are much more likely to survive
99
How is fecundity and parental care related to each other? Describe variation in living organisms
fecundity is inversely related to the amount of parental care given to an individual offspring
animals that have many offspring provide no or very little parental care
animals that have few offspring provide extensive parental care
100
exponential growth
resources are unlimited
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logistic growth
resources are limited
102
What patterns of population growth have been observed in human populations? What factors have contributed to a decline in world population growth?
- exponential population growth
- increased family planning efforts, increased economic power, and social status of women
103
Describe the patterns of consumption for humans.
- wealthiest 20 percent of the population of the world accounts for 86 percent consumption of resources and produces 53 percent of CO2 emissions
- poorest countries are 20 percent responsible for 1.3 percent consumption and 3 percent CO2 emissions
104
life history
complete life cycle of an organism
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natural selection
favors traits that maximize the number of surviving offspring left in the next generation by an individual organism
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reproductive potential
number of offspring you can produce
107
How did researchers show a life history trade-off in Collared Flycatchers?
- the experiment demonstrates the trade-off between current reproductive effort and future reproductive success
- clutch size the following year was dependent on the clutch size from the previous year
- negatively related
108
What does cost of reproduction mean?
the expense involved with identically reproducing an asset or property with the same materials and specifications as an insured property based on current prices
109
What is the life history relationship between age at first reproduction and life span?
age at first reproduction correlates with life span
- long-lived species delay reproduction , short-lived species reproduce early
110
What is the life history relationship between offspring size and number of offspring produced?
- larger offspring have a greater chance of survival
- producing many small offspring may result in very low survival rates
111
What factors determine community structure in an ecosystem?
species diversity and trophic structure
112
species diversity
the variety of different kinds of organisms in the community
113
trophic structure
feeding relationships between organisms (food webs, food chains)
114
species richness
the total number of different species in the community
115
relative abundance
the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community
116
How do scientists determine which community is most diverse?
based on the relative abundance within a community and variety of species
117
trophic level
level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web
118
. What are the main processes that occur in the carbon cycle?
carbon fixation, aerobic cellular respiration and methanogens
119
What activities/processes can increase the amount of atmospheric carbon more quickly?
burning fossil fuels, burning : large imbalances in the carbon cycle
120
groundwater
found in the underground aquifer
121
aquifers
permeable underground layers of rock, sand, and gravel saturated with water
122
water table
how close the water is compared to the soil level
123
What is the Ogallala aquifer?
- an important water source for the great plains region
- intensive agriculture and industrial practices threaten quantity and quality of water source
124
What processes are important in the Nitrogen cycle?
nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification
125
nitrogen fixation
synthesis of nitrogen-containing compounds from N2
126
nitrification
gas to compound
127
denitrification
compound to a gas
128
Why is the Nitrogen cycle considered the most limiting cycle?
plants are unable to incorporate nitrogen gas so it has to be converted into NH3 or nitrate
129
How have humans influenced the nitrogen cycle?
we have doubled the rate of transfer of N2 in an unusable form into soil and water
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Why is the phosphorus cycle important?
because it is required by all organisms
- occurs in nucleic acids, membranes and ATP
131
How is phosphorus used by living organisms?
plants and algae use free inorganic phosphorus, animals eat plants to obtain their phosphorus and humans get their phosphorus from plants
132
conservation biology
seeks to preserve life
133
restoration ecology
applies ecological principles to return degraded ecosystems to conditions as similar as possible to their natural state
134
what are the three levels of biodiversity
genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity
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ecosystem diversity
the variety of ecosystems in the biosphere
136
ecosystem services
encompass all the processes through which natural ecosystems and their species help sustain human life
137
what are some examples of ecosystem services
- purification of air and water
- detoxification and decomposition of wastes
- cycling nutrients
- moderation of weather extremes
138
What are the three major threats to biodiversity that have been caused by human activities?
habitat loss, introduced species and overexploitation
139
introduced species
those that humans move from native locations to new geographic regions
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overexploitation
human harvesting of wild plants or animals at rates exceeding the ability of populations of those species to rebound
ex: bluefin tuna and fur seals
141
habitat fragmentation
boundaries or edges between ecosystems are defining features of landscapes
142
movement corridor
a narrow strip of quality habitat connecting otherwise isolated patches
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invasive species
an introduced species that becomes out of control
144
Why are protected areas established for organisms?
it slows the loss of biodiversity
145
biodiversity hotspot
a relatively small area with a great concentration of endemic species, many endangered species and threatened species
146
endangered species
almost extinct
147
threatened species
population size has decreased and is almost extinct
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endemic species
one that occurs in a particular area (native)
149
What are examples of biodiversity hotspots on earth?
coral reefs, Madagascar, Indonesia
150
What are the pros of preserving biodiversity hotspots?
save more species within an area, money can save multiple species instead of a few
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What are the cons of preserving biodiversity hotspots?
biased towards vertebrates and plants, organisms have limited overall distribution (tropical areas may not guarantee the environment due to global warming)
