Unit 2

Question 1

species diversity

Answer 1

the number of different species in an ecosystem and the balance or evenness of the population sizes of all species in the ecosystem

Question 2

genetic diversity

Answer 2

how different the genes are of individuals within a population (group of the same species)

Question 3

species richness

Answer 3

the total number of different species found in an ecosystem

Question 4

species evenness

Answer 4

a measure of how all of the individual organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between the different species

Question 4

genetic diversity

Answer 4

measure of how different the genomes (set of genes) are of the individuals within a population of a given species

Question 5

ecosystem relience

Answer 5

the ability of an ecosystem to return to its original conditions after a major disturbance (wind storm, fire, flood, clear-cutting, etc.)

Question 5

bottleneck event

Answer 5

an environmental disturbance (natural disaster/ habitat destruction) that drastically reduces populations of organisms regardless of their genome

Question 6

ecosystem services

Answer 6

goods that come from natural resources or services/functions that ecosystems carry out that have measurable economic/financial value to humans

Question 7

provisioning

Answer 7

goods taken directly from ecosystems or made from nat. resources (wood, paper, food)

Question 8

regulating

Answer 8

natural ecosystems regulate climate/air quality, reducing storm damage & healthcare costs

Question 9

supporting

Answer 9

natural ecosystems support processes we do ourselves, making them cheaper & easier(bees pollinate crops)

Question 10

cultural

Answer 10

money generated by recreation (parks, camping, tours) or scientific knowledge

Question 11

ecological range of tolerance

Answer 11

range of conditions such as temperature, salinity, pH, that an organism can endure before injury or death

Question 12

optimal range

Answer 12

range where organisms survive, grow and reproduce

Question 13

zone of physiological stress

Answer 13

range where organisms survive, but experience some stress such as infertility, lack of growth, decreased activity, etc.

Question 14

zone of intolerance

Answer 14

range where the organism will die (thermal shock, suffocation, lack of food/water/oxygen)

Question 15

natural disturbances

Answer 15

a natural even that disrupts the structure/function of an ecosystem (ex: tornadoes, hurricanes, asteroids, forest fires, drought)

Question 16

periodic disturbance

Answer 16

occurs with regular frequency (ex: dry-wet seasons)

Question 17

random disturbances

Answer 17

no regular frequency (ex: volcanoes, earthquakes, and asteroids)

Question 18

episodic disturbances

Answer 18

occasional events with irregular frequency (ex: hurricanes, droughts, fires)

Question 19

migration

Answer 19

wildlife may migrate to a new habitat as the result of natural disruptions

Question 20

fitness

Answer 20

an organisms’ ability to reproduce in its given environment

Question 21

adaptation

Answer 21

the evolutionary process where organisms develop heritable traits that enhance their survival and reproduction in a specific environment

Question 22

natural selection

Answer 22

organisms are better adapted to their environment and they survive and reproduce more offspring

Question 23

selective pressure/force

Answer 23

the environmental condition that kills individuals without the adaptation

Question 24

pace of evolution

Answer 24

the more rapidly an environment changes, the less likely the a species in the environment will be able to adapt to those changes

Question 25

primary succession

Answer 25

starts from bare rock in an area with no previous soil formation

Question 26

secondary succession

Answer 26

starts from an already established soil in an area where a disturbance cleared out the majority of plant life

Question 27

pioneer or early succession species

Answer 27

appear first, when the ground is simply bare rock, or bare soil after a disturbance

Question 28

mid-successional species

Answer 28

appear after pioneer species have helped develop deeper soil with more nutrients than pioneers

Question 29

late successional or climax community species

Answer 29

appear last, after soil is deepened and enriched with nutrients by cycles of growth and death by early and mid successional stages