Midterm 2

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

the variability among living organisms from all sources including, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. It is also the variety of species and ecosystems on Earth and the ecological processes of which they are a part; three levels (genetic, species, ecosystem)

Question 2

Species richness

Answer 2

number of species present in an ecosystem or sample

Question 3

Abundance

Answer 3

percent cover, biomass or frequency of individuals per species

Question 4

Abiotic

Answer 4

non-living physical and chemical factors that affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce

Question 5

Biotic

Answer 5

living factors; all the living things that live within and shape an ecosystem

Question 6

Population

Answer 6

the number of individuals of a species within some area at some point in time

Question 7

Ecosystem

Answer 7

dynamic interrelated collections of living and non-living components organized in self-regulating units

Question 8

Hypothesis

Answer 8

testable statement about the natural world that can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations

Question 9

Evenness

Answer 9

relative abundance of species in an area. (Often given as “Shannon’s index”)

Question 10

Woodlot

Answer 10

forest in a city (urban forest); remnant forest in a farmer’s field

Question 11

Community

Answer 11

group of species living in an ecosystem at some point in time

Question 12

Population growth

Answer 12

Pt2 = Pt1 + (B) - (D) + (I) - (E), change in the number of individuals during some period of time

Question 13

Carrying Capacity

Answer 13

number of individuals who can be supported in a given area within natural resource limits, and without degrading the environment

Question 14

Obligate

Answer 14

must live with it’s partner species

Question 15

Facultative

Answer 15

can live without its partner species

Question 16

Mutualism

Answer 16

both species derive a mutual benefit, for example an increased carrying capacity

Question 17

Neutralism

Answer 17

the relationship between two species which interact but do not affect each other

Question 18

Predation or parasitism

Answer 18

interaction between organisms or species, in which one organism or species benefits at the expense of another (antagonism

Question 19

Competition

Answer 19

the fitness of both species is lowered by the presence of the other

Question 20

Commensalism

Answer 20

benefits one organism and the other organism is neither benefited nor harmed

Question 21

Amensalism

Answer 21

a product of one organism (i.e. chemical compound) has a negative effect on another organism

Question 22

Ecosystem processes

Answer 22

energy flows and the cycling of materials

Question 23

dendrochronology

Answer 23

tree age based on the number of rings

Question 24

Point diversity

Answer 24

spatial scale decreased to microhabitats

Question 25

Gamma diversity

Answer 25

spatial scale increased to include multiple woodlots in a township at a broader landscape scale

Question 26

Physiognomy

Answer 26

the most dominant vegetation in a forest

Question 27

Alpha diversity

Answer 27

is the number of species in a local forest stand (inventory diversity)

Question 28

Low Beta diversity

Answer 28

two ecosystems share the similar species and respective abundance

Question 29

Niche

Answer 29

a set of biotic and abiotic conditions in which a species is able to persist and maintain stable population sizes

Question 30

Habitat

Answer 30

a region in environmental space that is composed of multiple dimensions, each representing a biotic or abiotic environmental variable

Question 31

Functional trait

Answer 31

an attribute of a species that defines them in terms of their ecological roles, such as how they interact with the environment and with other species

Question 32

Functional diversity

Answer 32

a biodiversity measure based on functional traits of the species present in a community

Question 33

Ecosystem engineers

Answer 33

organisms that directly or indirectly modulate the availability of resources to other species, by causing physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials

Question 34

IDH

Answer 34

maximum species richness in many systems occurs at an intermediate level (of intensity or frequency, or both) of natural disturbance

Question 35

Ecosystem function

Answer 35

characteristic exchanges within an ecosystem such as energy and nutrient exchanges, decomposition and production of biomass

Question 36

Adaptive management

Answer 36

uses management intervention as a tool to strategically alter the functioning of an ecosystem

Question 37

Comanagement

Answer 37

the sharing of authority, responsibility, and benefits between government and local communities in the management of natural resources

Question 38

Scientific method

Answer 38

Observation & Assumptions - Hypotheses - Predictions - Experiment - Monitoring - Evaluation

Question 39

Fundamental niche

Answer 39

all the possible dimensions in which a species can survive in principle

Question 40

Realized niche

Answer 40

the dimensions in which a species actually survives after the effects of biotic interactions

Question 41

Community assemblages

Answer 41

development of an ecological niche in a forest along a gradient of time

Question 42

Density dependent

Answer 42

regulation of a population by changes in per capita birth or death rates in response to density

Question 43

Density independent

Answer 43

regulation of a population by changing only the population size (not the factors affecting carrying capacity)

Question 44

Ecological biogeography

Answer 44

the account of the present day distribution of species in terms of abiotic and biotic factors

Question 45

Historical biogeography

Answer 45

the reconstruction of speciation, dispersal, establishment, distribution and extinction of species

Question 46

Range

Answer 46

The area or location inhibited by species for a defined amount of time

Question 47

Endemic

Answer 47

evolved there and only found there

Question 48

Vicariance

Answer 48

the physical splitting of a population into smaller, isolated populations by a geographic barrier

Question 49

Nutrients

Answer 49

elements whose supply tends to limit biological activity

Question 50

Recruitment

Answer 50

number of new individuals reaching breeding age, including immigration