Unit 8: Ecology flashcards

Question 1

R-selection

Answer 1

Parenting where lots of babies are produced with the parents not putting a lot of effort into each one.

Question 2

K-Selection

Answer 2

Parenting where few babies are produced but parents put a lot of effort into making sure they survive.

Question 3

Altruistic Behaviors

Answer 3

Behaviors that reduce an individual’s fitness but increases fitness of others in population

Question 4

Inclusive Fitness

Answer 4

Including reproductive success of relatives as well as your own reproductive success.

Question 5

Kin Selection

Answer 5

Name for selection that prefers altruistic behaviors and increases inclusive fitness

Question 6

Reciprocal Altruism

Answer 6

Individuals act altruistically with expectation that others will reciprocate at some point.

Differs from inclusive fitness theory.

Question 7

dN/dt

Answer 7

Population growth

Question 8

dN/dt =

Answer 8

B - D
(Births minus Deaths)

Question 9

r

Answer 9

Per capita growth rate

Question 10

r =

Answer 10

(B-D)/N

Question 11

Initial growth in exponential growth

Answer 11

lag phase

Question 12

Density Independent

Answer 12

Factors that limit populations regardless of population density.

Question 13

Density Dependent

Answer 13

Factors affect population growth differently depending on population density

Question 14

Positive Density Dependent

Answer 14

Population density can increase the growth rate of a population

Question 15

Negative Density Dependent

Answer 15

Population density can decrease the growth rate of a population

Question 16

Logistic Growth

Answer 16

As population approaches carrying capacity, growth rate slows.

Question 17

Any time a population is over K, their population will…

Answer 17

decrease.

Question 18

Is k constant?

Answer 18

no! can change bc of permanent changes in food availability or increase/decrease in habitat size

Question 19

Survivorship Curve

Answer 19

Used to visualize how the # of individuals in a population drops over time.

Question 20

Type 1

Answer 20

Organisms that have a high survival rate when they are young, but as they grow older they die off
Ex: Humans

Question 21

Type 2

Answer 21

Organisms that die at around the same rate no matter what age they are
Ex: Birds

Question 22

Type 3

Answer 22

Organisms where the majority die at a young age, and the death rate then slows as they grow older
Ex: Trees

Question 23

Niche

Answer 23

Set of conditions in which an organism can survive and reproduce due to its inherited adaptations

Includes habitat, resources, etc.

Question 24

Fundamental niche

Answer 24

Entire range of abiotic conditions where a species can technically survive and reproduce

Question 25

Realized Niche

Answer 25

Subset of fundamental niche where the species actually lives when accounting for biotic factors.

Question 26

Competition

Answer 26

(-/-) Two species try to use the same limited resource. Reduces population of both species Results in niche portioning or elimination of one species from ecosystem

Question 27

Predation/Herbivory

Answer 27

(+/-) When one organism eats another.

Question 28

Coevolution

Answer 28

2 or more species change in response to selective pressure from each other. Evolutionary "arms race" between prey and predators

Question 29

Symbiotic relationships

Answer 29

Close, prolonged association between organisms of different species

Question 30

Parasitism

Answer 30

(+/-) When one organism benefits off of the harm of another organism.

Question 31

Commensalism

Answer 31

(+/o) One species benefits, while the other is neither benefited nor harmed

Question 32

Mutualism

Answer 32

(+/+) When both species benefit from the interaction

Question 33

Obligate Mutualism

Answer 33

The species are entirely dependent on each other

Question 34

Facultative mutualism

Answer 34

The species benefit from their relationship, but could survive without each other.

Question 35

Amensalism

Answer 35

(o/-) Where one species is harmed, while the other is unaffected.

Question 36

Autotrophs

Answer 36

Producers who make their own food with energy and inorganic molecules

Question 37

Heterotrophs

Answer 37

Consumers who eat other organisms

Question 38

Detritivores

Answer 38

Animals who feed on nonliving organic matter and break it into smaller pieces

Question 39

Decomposers

Answer 39

Bacteria and fungi that chemically break down detritus and return inorganic molecules to environment

Question 40

In food webs, arrows go from

Answer 40

prey to predator OR plant to herbivore

Question 41

10% rule

Answer 41

only 10% of the energy taken in at 1 trophic level is available to the next level. Rest is lost as heat.

Question 42

Productivity

Answer 42

The rate at which plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds. Changes depending on climates/atmosphere

Question 43

Four parts of carbon cycle:

Answer 43

1) Photosynthesis: Plants absorb CO2 and convert it to glucose 2) Respiration: Organisms release CO2 into atmosphere 3) Decomposition: Dead organisms break down and release carbon 4) Combustion: Burning fossil fuels

Question 44

Nitrogen is needed for:

Answer 44

Nucleic acids and Proteins

Question 45

Three main parts of Nitrogen cycle

Answer 45

1) Nitrogen in the air is absorbed into the ground, which is made usable to organisms through bacteria 2) Plants take in the usable nitrogen in the soil 3) Consumers eat the plants, and get their nitrogen from there

Question 46

Phosphorus is needed for:

Answer 46

Lipids (phospholipids) and nucleic acids.

Question 47

4 main parts of Phosphorus cycle:

Answer 47

1) Rocks release phosphorus into ground 2) P is made available in the soil through decomposers breaking down organic matter 3) Plants take up phosphorus through soil 4) Consumers get it through eating plants and each other

Question 48

TACT (water)

Answer 48

1) Transpiration: Water evaporates from leaves creating negative pressure 2) Adhesion: Water sticks to walls of vessels 3) Cohesion: Water molecules stick to each other 4) Tension: Pull from transpiration draws water upwards

Question 49

How do plants control transpiration?

Answer 49

Opening and closing their stomata

Question 50

Keystone species

Answer 50

Species that their ecosystem rely heavily on. Effects of KS are disproportionate to their abundance

Question 51

Invasive species

Answer 51

Nonnative species that overgrow and cause destruction to ecosystems.

Question 52

Trophic Cascade

Answer 52

Triggered by the addition or removal of a species into/out of an environment. Causes drastic changes to other organisms.

Question 53

+/- on solid line

Answer 53

organisms have direct impact on each other

Question 54

+/- on dotted line

Answer 54

organisms have indirect impact on each other.

Question 55

Bottom Up Control

Answer 55

A lower trophic level in the food web affects the higher trophic levels via resource restriction

Question 56

Top Down control

Answer 56

A higher trophic level in the food level affects lower trophic levels through predation

Question 57

Biodiversity is measured by:

Answer 57

Species richness (# of species in particular location) Species diversity (How evenly distributed organisms of different species are)

Question 58

Higher value of Simpsons Diversity Index =

Answer 58

More biodiverse and healthier ecosystem

Question 59

Extinction vortex

Answer 59

Environmental changes -> smaller pop. smaller pop. -> inbreeding + genetic drift (bottleneck and founder effect) genetic drift -> less bio/genetic diversity less diversity -> lower overall fitness, lower rates of evolution Many individuals die -> lowering birth rates and raising death rates This makes the population smaller again, continuing the cycle until extinction.

Question 60

r- selection happens in ____ environments, while k-selection happens in ____ environments

Answer 60

unstable, stable