34.1-34.3

Question 1

what is ecology

Answer 1

scientific study of the interactions of organisms with their environment

Question 2

organisms are affected by what

Answer 2

abiotic and biotic factors

Question 3

What is a biotic factor?

Answer 3

living component of the environment

Question 4

What is an abiotic factor

Answer 4

the physical and chemical factors such as temperature, forms of energy available, water and nutrients.

Question 5

What is a habitat composed of?

Answer 5

Biotic and abiotic factors

Question 6

What is the smallest level ecology is studied on?

Answer 6

organisms: ecologists study one type of organism and how it adapts to its environment through physiology or behavior
Ex: elk

Question 7

What is the fifth level of studying in ecology, greater than ecosystems?

Answer 7

an array of ecosystems that can be defined in an aerial view, for example the divide between the ocean and beach and their different ecosystems
Ex: the borders between the coniferous forests and temperate broadleaf forests of Wyoming

Question 8

Finally, what is any level of ecology incorporate

Answer 8

A biosphere

Question 9

2nd Level of ecology?

Answer 9

Population: a group of one species living in one area, ecologists study what factors affect the population as a whole
Ex: all of the elk living in Wyoming

Question 10

3rd level of ecology?

Answer 10

Community: all of the interacting organisms in a population, ecologists study how different species affect each other within an ecosystem
Ex: all plants, animals, and microorganisms living in Wyoming

Question 11

4th level of ecosystem

Answer 11

Ecosystem: all of the biotic and abiotic factors of an environment, ecologists study the availability of chemical nutrients, the flow of energy within an ecosystem
Ex: all of the organisms in Wyoming, as well as the climate, inorganic soil nutrients, and physical features

Question 12

Thoughts on ecology in the 1950s

Answer 12

No thoughts! Embracing pesticides, nature should be tamed, etc.

Question 13

Why was DDT so harmful, and who did it kill.

Answer 13

It remained in soil a long time after it was sprayed; birds of prey

Question 14

How can ecology help humans understand how they affect their ecosystems?

Answer 14

analyzing environmental issues and planning for better practices using data from ecology

Question 15

Is ecology the only thing that should be considered when making decisions about the environment.

Answer 15

No, of course not. Morals, ethics, economics (supply and demand) need to be considered. Human change is inevitable, we should just try to get the best result with the least harm to the ecosystem (see lumber–> deforestation example)

Question 16

Common abiotic factors

Answer 16

energy sources, temperature, water, inorganic nutrients, other aquatic and terrestrial factors

Question 17

Explain the abiotic factor energy source

Answer 17

Organisms need energy to live. In terrestrial ecosystems, plants use light to photosynthesize (this light can be in very limited supply in some cases). In aquatic environments, photosynthesis usually only happens near the surface of the water, so it cannot go deep.

Question 18

How to organisms get this energy source in dark environments?

Answer 18

“extracting energy from inorganic chemicals to power their ecosystem”. Ex. Sulfur bacteria get these inorganic chemicals, and other organisms feed off them.

Question 19

Explain the abiotic factor temperature

Answer 19

Temperature is important for the metabolism of organisms. Most are stuck between 0F and 45F, not being able to regulate temperature outside of that. Archaea can in hot, snowy owl in cold. Reptiles and amphibians are stuck in that range.

Question 20

Explain the abiotic factor water

Answer 20

“Like energy, water is essential to life.” Plants and aquatic creatures adapted to be able to preserve the most amount of water.

Question 21

What abiotic factors are important in aquatic ecosystems but not terrestrial?

Answer 21

Terrestrial ecosystems have plenty oxygen, aquatic needs the oxygen dissolved in water. Trouts are more attracted to the high level dissolved oxygen water/cold fast moving water, because they need more oxygen to survive. (warm, stagnant water has a low oxygen content).

Question 22

Explain the abiotic factor inorganic nutrients

Answer 22

are literally nitrogen and phosphorus, they come from the soil in ecosystems. They determine the “distribution and abundance of photosynthetic organisms, such as plants, algae, and certain bacteria” Low levels of these limit growth of algae and bacteria, especially. N and Ph are the building blocks of amino acids and nucleotides, making them fundamental to growth

Question 23

What abiotic factors are important in terrestrial ecosystems but not aquatic?

Answer 23

Wind: increases organisms rate of water loss by evaporation. This Evaporative cooling can be good in hot weather, very bad in cold.

Question 24

What is a watertight covering in plants?

Answer 24

The waxy layer of the leaf: keeps the water from escaping. An adaptation so they can have the abiotic factor water.

Question 25

hypotonic definition

Answer 25

A hypotonic solution has a lower concentration of solute than another solution, meaning water will flow out of it.

Question 26

hypertonic definition

Answer 26

A hypertonic solution has a higher concentration of solute than another solution, meaning water will flow into it.

Question 27

Osmosis definition

Answer 27

the process in which a solution goes through a membrane to make it more concentrated

Question 28

Tonicity definition

Answer 28

the capability of a solution to modify the volume of cells by altering their water content.

Question 29

solute definition

Answer 29

something that can be dissolved into a solvent

Question 30

solute concentration definition

Answer 30

the amount of solutes and particles that are dissolved in a solution. Solubility is the ability of a solute to be dissolved in a solvent

Question 31

Is freshwater hypotonic or hypertonic

Answer 31

hypotonic

Question 32

Is marine water hypertonic or hypotonic

Answer 32

hypertonic

Question 33

With these different solute concentrations of water, how do organisms respond?

Answer 33

They adapt so they can get the water they need to survive. For example, excess water, electrolytes and waste are transported to the kidney to be let out.

Question 34

what does pH measure

Answer 34

literally: the potential for hydrogen. Sees how acidic/basic liquids are. Is a big abiotic factor as an inorganic nutrients.

Question 35

define salinity

Answer 35

dissolved salt content

Question 36

define “Evaporative cooling”

Answer 36

reduction in temperature resulting from the evaporation of a liquid, which removes latent heat from the surface from which evaporation takes place. This process is employed in industrial and domestic cooling systems, and is also the physical basis of sweating.

Question 37

what are ectotherms

Answer 37

cold-blooded animals; those who rely on external heat to maintain internal temperature.

Question 38

Why are bird, but not amphibians and reptiles, able to be found in Himalayan alpine meadows?

Answer 38

Because mammals and birds have adaptations to survive the cold, while the others, ectotherms, do not.