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Ecology > Lecture 10: Physiology > Flashcards

Lecture 10: Physiology Flashcards

1
Q

Human influences around the globe

A

Habitat loss
Habitat fragmentation
Species exploitation
Movement of species
Changing nutrient cycles
Global climate change

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2
Q

AAAS Initiative on Climate Change

A
  1. Human caused climate change is happening
  2. We face risks of abrupt, unpredictable and irreversible changes
  3. Responding now will lower risk and cost of taking action
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3
Q

Effects of climate change for humans

A

Heat waves: dangerous for vulnerable populations
Drought: widespread crop failure and disrupt food system
Loss of low lying communities including island countries
Greater frequencies of extreme events and new kind of events (destructive as emergency resources being depleted)

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4
Q

How are we seeing shift in species and community properties from anthropogenic (human caused) pressures on Earth?

A

Plant species richness has decreased
Changes in diversity over time

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5
Q

Small, but consistent changes in _____ can cause major disruptions to ecosystem structure

A

temperature

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6
Q

How are humans changing the world and how does
that influence how we study ecology?

A

Mechanistic understanding of ecosystems will allow us to:
manage ecosystems
predict changes before they occur

Fragmentation, invasive species, global perturbations can be “natural experiments” to aid in our understanding

Combining “natural” with controlled experiments ca make progress in understanding, prediction, and management

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7
Q

Biology is ____ and ____

A

powerful and sensitive

exponential growth and ability to adapt makes biology powerful

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8
Q

Why are we having trouble dealing with climate change despite our knowledge?

A

Caused by collective actions of many individuals

Benefits of changing behavior will not come directly to individuals who change behavior

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9
Q

Solutions toward climate change

A

Developing social norms, form committees, governmental structures at higher levels to help

Using technology, cooperation, and understanding natural systems

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10
Q

Factors to influence Individual’s Physiology

A

Temperature
Water
Obtaining energy

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11
Q

Physiology

A

individual dependence on and species’ adaptations to the environment

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12
Q

Optimum

A

value of environmental variable at which an
important physiological process is maximized (growth, reproduction, survival)

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13
Q

Stress

A

condition in which an environmental change results in a decrease in the rate of an important physiological
process

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14
Q

Ameliorating (improve stress) through:

A

tolerance and avoidance

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15
Q

Tolerance

A

find a way to deal with/live through the challenge

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16
Q

Ex of drought tolerance and avoidance in Plants

A

Drought tolerators: work well at repairing xylem that are
damaged during drought
Drought avoiders: shut down stomata and go into quiescence in drought

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17
Q

Avoidance

A

find a way to get away from the challenge

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18
Q

Acclimation

A

Adjustment in an individual organism to lessen effect of a stressor
Short term, reversible process

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19
Q

Ex of cold tolerance and avoidance for bears

A

Tolerance: thick fur, fat, dark skin
Avoidance: hibernate to avoid cold

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20
Q

Adaptation

A

Traits with a genetic bases in an population that lessen the effect of a stressor
Long-term processes irreversible for an individual
Through specialized for environment, genetic, evolution

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21
Q

Example of adaptations from humans to environment

A

People in andes have higher red blood cell count for greater lung capacity
People in Tibet have higher breathing rate
Adaptations to high altitude and low oxygen

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22
Q

Adaptations often involves _____ influencing ____

A

tradeoffs
growth, survival, or reproduction

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23
Q

Example of tradeoff from adaptations

A

Increasing high red blood cell count may increase survival but comes cost to growth
Adaptive red blood cell count is intermediate value to balance trade off

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24
Q

Climate envelope

A

range of climate conditions under which a species occurs
influences fundamental and realized niche

25
Fundamental niche
all of the (abiotic) environments in which a species could live
26
How does challenges of hot temperature within physical limits effect organisms?
rapid water loss proteins denature
27
Realized niche
the actual distribution of the species Differs from fundamental niche because of disturbance, dispersal ability, interactions with other organisms (competition and facilitation)
28
How does challenges of cold temperature within physical limits effect organisms?
Organism have physical limit so too cold causes cells to freeze and burst, chemical reactions slow, enzymatic activity ineffective, and lipid membrane of organelles can solidify
29
Temperature is a stress since
Enzymes function most effectively at intermediate temperature Membranes functioning within cells Influences water loss rate
30
Changes in an organism's temperature are influenced by
energy balance (inflow outflow of energy)
31
Energy can flow in/out via
conduction convection latent heat transfer solar and infrared radiation
32
Conduction
direct transfer of energy from warmer, more rapidly moving molecules to cooler, more slowly moving molecules
33
Convection
movement of energy through moving air or water
34
Plant energy balance with energy input and outputs
Energy inputs: Sunlight and infrared radiation Conduction and convection from ground, air if warmer Energy outputs/losses Emission of infrared radiation Conduction and convection from ground, air if cooler Transpiration
35
Latent heat transfer
phase transitions in water
36
Solar and infrared radiation
Transfer of electromagnetic energy
37
Plants exist in environments outside their _____
optima
38
Leaves are sensitive to
temperature/heat cause adaptations to cool plants
39
Cooling adaptation for leaves
Pubescence (reflect more solar radiation to alter temp, lower SR and IR) Ex. desert shrub harrier in summer Decreases boundary layer for greater convective cooler (lower H conv) Ex. many thin small leaves Evaporation (increase H ET) High latent heat of vaporization; water absorbs large amount of energy before evaporating to leave organism to be much cooler Transpiration controlled by plants: stomates closed and open
40
Example of how Snow Lotus adapt to extreme cold
Wooly plant of Himalayas Pubescence: increase boundary layer, decrease convective cooling, trap solar radiation) Grow close to ground: away from wind, decrease convective cooling
41
Ectotherm
Regulate heat through energy exchange with environment Most animals
42
Endotherm
Regulate heat through internal heat generation Represent H met Birds and mammals, some fishes and insects
43
For thinking about adaptations or acclimations need to know
Organism's stress (getting hotter or colder than optimum) Adaptation free flow of energy
44
If organism losing heat to environment across surface area...
Layer of air around organism will heat up Air will slow down this transfer (boundary layer)
45
How can organisms manipulate boundary layer to conserve heat?
Protect boundary layer Have fur, stand out of wind
46
How can organisms manipulate boundary layer to get rid of heat?
Disrupt boundary layer Stand in wind, move around, shed fur
47
All else being equal, are these boundary layer adaptations more effective in small or large organisms?
Small organisms
48
Small organisms have _____ for
higher surface area to volume ratio greater ability to move heat across surface area
49
When surface area/ volume approximately a sphere: 3/r
r increases, SA/V decreases
50
Ectotherms have greater
Greater tolerance in body temperature variation often same temperature as surrounding active modulation possible
51
Active modulation in ectotherms
Surface area: volume critical SA:V decreases as animals get bigger Low SA:V more difficult to modulate heat through environmental modulation Large ectotherms unlikely; little ability to exchange heat with environment
52
Characteristic of ectotherms
Bask in the sun Susceptible to predators: Good camouflage Fine tune with distance to ground
53
How do ectotherms adapt to cold temperatures?
Avoidance strategy: migration, burrow in the soil Tolerance: maintain high concentrations of antifreeze proteins in cells (Generally invertebrates; vertebrates can't tolerate freezing as well)
54
Endotherms greatly expanded geographic ranges and seasonal activity, but cost is
high demand for food supply to support metabolic heat production
55
Metabolic rate in Endotherms
function of external temperature, rate of heat loss
56
Small endotherms have ______ per unit biomass compared with bigger endotherms
higher basal metabolic rates
57
Thermoneutral zone
Seen in endotherms Range of environmental temperatures well suited to basal metabolic rate Only minor behavioral and morphological adjustments made to adjust temperature within zone
58
Differences in thermoneutral zone: effect of fur, feathers, fat
increases boundary layer reduce convection reducce conduction (air, water is good insulator)
59
Topor/ hibernation
Endotherm adaptation where alter lower critical temperature during cold periods by entering dormancy Slows down other functions and just use metabolic rate to keep temperature from killing them Need to be able to get enough reserves during warm temperature periods to pay for this: difficult in polar regions

Ecology (25 decks)

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