Lecture 22

Question 1

what is the definition of ecology

Answer 1

the study of the interactions of organisms with each other and with their physical environment

Question 2

what are the trophic levels

Answer 2

primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers

Question 3

what is the pyramid for trophic levels

Answer 3

energy, biomass, and numbers

Question 4

what is the definition of energy in the trophic levels

Answer 4

approximately one-tenth of the energy incorporated in one trophic level is incorporated into the next (some lost as HEAT)

Question 5

what is the definition of biomass in the trophic levels

Answer 5

the total organic matter

Question 6

how is the energy flow complicated

Answer 6

many species fall into more than one trophic level; many are specialized and able to utilize only one or a few species as a source of food; others utilize many species, switching among them as they prey vary in abundance

Question 7

what is competition

Answer 7

an interaction in which two or more organisms are utilizing a required resource available in limited supply; drives natural selection

Question 8

how is competition important for growth rate

Answer 8

helps plants compete for light, water, and minerals

Question 9

what is the principle of competitive exclusion

Answer 9

holds that one or the other species must eventually be eliminated when they have similar requirements

Question 10

what does competition favor

Answer 10

specialization

Question 11

what is competition affected by

Answer 11

herbivory and environmental stressors

Question 12

what is the definition of mutualism

Answer 12

a biological interaction in which the growth, survival, and reproduction of both interacting species are enhanced

Question 13

what is coevolution

Answer 13

species mutually evolving to exploit the benefits of cooperation

Question 14

what are the type of plant defenses

Answer 14

against herbivory, against pathogens, incredibly complex

Question 15

what type of plant defenses against herbivory do they have

Answer 15

produce toxic chemicals, spines and thorns, tough leathery leaves

Question 16

what type of plant defenses against pathogens do they have

Answer 16

phytoalexins

Question 17

how are plant defenses incredibly complex

Answer 17

monarchs gain defense, sex attractants in insects

Question 18

what is succession

Answer 18

the change in a community over time, the predictable process of recovery after disturbance of an ecosystem, used in restoration ecology

Question 19

what are biomes

Answer 19

type of vegetation that is reasonably homogeneous over large terrestrial areas

Question 20

what are biomes determined by

Answer 20

climate: temp and precipitation ; importance of elevation and latitude

Question 21

what are characteristics of rainforests

Answer 21

constant temp, consistent rain, nutrients ample, high diversity, no fires but evolved to withstand winds

Question 22

what do plants compete for in rainforests

Answer 22

light

Question 23

what are characteristics of savannas and deciduous tropical forests

Answer 23

seasons that receive less rain, fires common

Question 24

what are characteristics of deserts

Answer 24

high temps, precipitation is low, perennial plants adapt by: storing water, going dormant, or gaining access to deeper water, some plants have annual growth patterns

Question 25

what is a transition zone

Answer 25

not enough rain to form a grassland but more than the desert

Question 26

what are characteristics of grasslands

Answer 26

not enough rainfall to support major tree growth, grasses regrow from basal meristems, fire important, can be overgrazed and covered to deserts

Question 27

what are characteristics of temperate deciduous forests

Answer 27

warm summers, cold winters, 75-250cm annual precipitation

Question 28

what are characteristics of temperate mixed and coniferous forests

Answer 28

colder winters and more reliable snow cover

Question 29

what are characteristics of alpine tundra

Answer 29

cold high elevations

Question 30

what are characteristics of mediterranean scrub

Answer 30

cool wet winters, hot dry summers, fire is a factor

Question 31

what are characteristics of taiga and boreal forest

Answer 31

mostly short and extremely cold days and very short growing season with long days, acidic low nutrient soils, low diversity, low precipitation but surplus of moisture because of low evapotranspiration, permafrost

Question 32

what are characteristics of the arctic tundra

Answer 32

1/5 of land surface, cold damp soils, low productivity, treeless biome, relatively small number of plant and animal species, alpine tundra