Unit B - Ecosystems and Population Change Flashcards
(31 cards)
The organisms place in an ecosystem. Includes what it eats, its habitat, breeding area and active time of day.
Ecological Niche
Four levels of the terrestrial ecosystem
- canopy
- sub-canopy/understory
- forest floor
- soil
Upper layer of water
enough light for photosynthesis
Photic Zone
Lower layer of water…
no light, energy comes from sinking detritus
Aphotic Zone
Four main layers of a lake…
- littoral - close to shore
- limnetic - light zone in center
- profundal - no light for photosynthesis
- Benthic - bottom - contains detritus
The transition area between ecosystems is called…
Ecotone
Four levels of soil…
- litter - partially decomposed matter
- top-soil - minerals and nutrients (humus)
- subsoil - rock particles
- bedrock - end of soil
When does lake turnover occur?
Spring and Fall
The maximum number of offspring that a species could produce with unlimited resources
Biotic Potential
Five factors that regulate Biotic Potential…
- Birth potential (number of offspring per birth)
- Capacity for survival (how many offspring will
survive) - Breeding frequency (how often they can
reproduce) - Length of reproductive life (how long they can
breed for in their lifetime) - Carrying capacity (the number of individuals of the
same species an ecosystem can support)
3 examples of abiotic-limiting factors…
- light
- temperature
- water
- chemical environment
3 examples of biotic-limiting factors…
- food
- predators
- diseases
- parasites
- competition
Population Density
the number of individuals of the same species in a specific area
Density-independent
limiting factors that are not affected by population density (Ex. flood)
Density-dependant
limiting factors that are affected by population density (Ex. competition, disease, lack of food)
Law of Minimum
growth only occurs at the rate permitted by the most limiting factor
Law of Tolerance
An organism can tolerate a certain range of an abiotic factor (Ex. temperature, pH, precipitation)
Taxonamy
the science of categorizing or classification of organisms
The identification, naming and classification of species
Binomial Nomenclature
How do you write binomial nomenclature?
Genus species
3 Domains…
- Archaeans (occupy extreme environments)
- Bacteria
- Eukaryotes
6 main categories of scientific evidence…
- Fossil
- Biogeographical
- Anatomical
- Biochemical
- Artificial Selection
- Embryological
Aristotle’s Theory
All living things are “fixed” and exist exactly as they did when earth was created.
Darwin’s Theory
Natural Selection
