34.4-34.7 Flashcards
What is the fundamental goal of ecology in 34.4
Explaining the distribution of organisms.
How can animals be distributed?
Evolve from an ancestor who lived there, or moved somewhere else and survived. Ex latter. antelope in North America, only distantly related to those in Africa
define allele
one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome.
How did these antelopes adapt to their environment’s temepratures
Their hair can both insulate and let heat escape. They can forage in all weather. (abiotic adaptation)
What does a biotic environment consist of?
Predator and prey, plants
define cellulose
an insoluble substance which is the main constituent of plant cell walls and of vegetable fibers such as cotton. It is a polysaccharide consisting of chains of glucose monomers.
How did the antelopes develop to meet the biotic demands of their environment?
Their teeth are specialized for eating the plants that grow there. Their stomachs can digest cellulose in these plants. They used to have fast predators, which was what lead to their speed. They can run up to 60 mph. White rump patch can signify that it is time to run if they are being chased by predators. They travel in herds to see this. More, but these are all examples of natural selection to biotic factors.
What would happen if you moved the pronghorns
They would not survive as well, because their adaptions would not help them. They would have to naturally select again.
define hydrothermal vents
locations where seawater meets magma, perpetually dark caves at bottom of ocean.
what are coral reefs dependent on
sunlight
what is the realm with all open water
the pelagic realm
what is the seafloor/substrate realm known as
benthic realm
What is the depth of light penatration
200m/656 ft, marking the photic zone (above), aphotic zone (below)
what is a continental shelf
a submerged part of a continent. Includes both pelagic and benthic realms.
who provides for the sunlit (photic) realm of an ocean/sea?
Photosynthesis is done by phytoplankton (microscopic algae and cyanobacteria) and multicellular algae. Provide energy and carbon for many creatures.
What creatures inhabit the benthic realm in a photic zone?
sponges, burrowing worms, clams, sea anemones, crabs and echinoderms.
Who inhabits the pelagic part of the photic zone?
zooplankton (small, drifting animals): fish, marine mammals.
define biome
A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. biotic Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome. abiotic
Where are coral reefs found
photic, warm tropical waters, continental shelves
How are coral reefs made
skeletons of cnidarians, multicellular algae encrusted with limestone. Unicellular algae live in corals, providing food.
Who do coral reef support
fish invertebrate
define invertebrate
an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla.
Is there light in the aphotic zone?
Yes, just not enough for photosynthesis. This area is also known as the twilight zone. (200-1000 m)
Who is in the twilight zone? Where do they get their food from?
small fish and crustaceans; food sinking from photic zone. Some animals go to surface at night to eat.
What are some adaptions that fish have in the twilight zone?
enlarged eyes to see in dim environment, luminescent organs that attract mates and prey.
define crustacean
an arthropod of the large, mainly aquatic group Crustacea, such as a crab, lobster, shrimp, or barnacle.
define arthropod
an invertebrate animal of the large phylum Arthropoda, such as an insect, spider, or crustacean.
What happens below 1000 m
Ocean is completely dark
What is an adaption that many fishes have in the darkest zone
Large mouths, to eat any prey possible. Angler fish, for example. Their teeth are angled so prey cannot escape. AF has a light (bioluminescent bacteria) that attracts them.
What are benthic organisms eating at darkest parts of ocean?
dead organic matter (aka detritus) on the substrate
What are the benthic organisms in the dark ocean?
crustaceans, polychaete worms, sea anemones, and echinoderms (sea cucumbers, sea stars, sea urchins) Density of animals is very low b/c of lack of food.Exception hydrothermal vents.
What is an intertidal zone?
a place where the ocean meets land. Experiences high and low tide.
What creatures live in rocky intertidal zones?
Sedentary organisms, algae, barnacles and mussels. They attach to the rocks so they are not washed away (abiotic factor causing adaptation). On the beaches animals who can bury themselves live there.
What is an estuary
where freshwater meets ocean water. Can be as salty or least salty as possible.
Who lives in estuaries and why?
oysters, crabs and many fishes, nesting areas for waterfowl. They live their because the water is nutrient rich from the freshwater river.
What is a wetland
exactly that: aquatic (marine or freshwater)/terrestrial biome. They can be covered with water permanently or periodically. They border estuaries , when they are mudflats and salt marshes.
What do wetlands support the growth of and why?
aquatic plants, doesn’t say.
What are some of the human impacts on the water biospheres?
dumping grounds, pollution, overfishing have lead to declines in fish, dying coral reefs. Wetlands/estuaries are very vulnerable.
Threats to ocean
nutrient pollution, contamination by pathogens or toxic chemicals, alteration of freshwater inflow, and introduction of non-native species.
define pathogen
a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.
what does the diminishing of coral reefs to the world
plays a part in climate change.
What is so interesting about freshwater biomes.
take up less than 1%of earths surface and .01% of water, but contain 6% of all described species.
What do we need freshwater biomes for
drinking water, crop irrigation, sanitation and industry
what are freshwater biomes’s two categories
standing water (lakes and ponds and flowing water (streams and rivers).
What makes running water different than other water biomes
they are embedded within terrestrial landscape, so they interact with both biotic and abiotic parts within them.
who inhabits photic zone of standing water
Phytoplankton, and rooted plants (lakeweed!)
who inhabits benthic zone of standing water
The benthic realm is inhabited by microorganisms that decompose dead organic matter that sinks to the bottom
What makes the benthic zone of lakes uninhabitable sometimes?
Respiration by those microorganisms removes dissolved O2 from the water, so benthic realms uninhabitable in some lakes (with the exception of anaerobic microbes) where there is a lot of food for microorganisms to eat.
How does temperature affect standing water?
Upper layer of standing water is warmed by the sun, so fish stay in the deeper cooler area below that doesn’t mix with the top layer (unless there is too little oxygen as a result of decomposers) In the winter, the upper layer cools and becomes denser
Warmer water rises from the bottom and mixes with the upper layer
The mixing of the water returns nutrients to the top layer
How can standing water receive a lot of phosphorus and nitrogen?
Explosions of algae growth are caused by nitrogen and phosphorus deposits caused by runoff from fertilized land
What does phosphorus and nitrogen determine in standing water
amount of phytoplankton
So, when there is a lot of phosphorus and nitrogen, what happens?
Algae growth reduces light penetration and kills pond plants. Then when the algae dies, the water is left with depleted oxygen levels, killing fish.
What are the two parts of running water.
Cold, fast water, narrow near the source, and hotter, slower, wider water, nearer to the end
Can there be phtoplankton in first part of stream
No, water is too fast.
Who lives in first part of running water?
organisms supported by photosynthesis of algae and are attachted to rocks/natural material. Most benthic organisms are arthropods, crustaceans, insect larvae. They have behavioral, abiotic adaptations that prevent them from slipping away!!!!! Trout live here, because of their sight in clear water.
define algae
a simple, nonflowering, and typically aquatic plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms. Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue. Eukaryotic, photosynthetic
Who lives downstream?
phytoplankton can grow here! along with worms and insects, waterfowl frogs and catfishes. Fishes here use smell to find food, rather than upstream trout who use their sight.
define phytoplankton
microscopic marine algae
What are wetlands?
Wetlands- anywhere from marshes, to bogs, to swamps
where are wetlands found?
Found in shallow basins or along river/lake shores
what do wetlands do?
Filter pollutants out of water and reduce flooding in the surrounding terrestrial biomes
What is the role of the environment in adaptive evolution?
The individual’s whose phenotypes are best suited to the environment (including both biotic and abiotic factors) will pass their alleles to the next generation. But individuals with other phenotypes may ot. For example, if the biotic environment includes wolves, a pronghorn that is not able to run at top speed for as long as the rest of the herd will probably not survive to reproduce.
Oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has polluted estuaries in Louisiana. Why does this pollution affect other animals in addition to those that live permanently in the estuaries.
Many species, including fishes and waterfowl, visit estuaries to reproduce.
Why does sewage cause algae blooms in lakes?
The sewage adds nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphrates, that stimulate the algae.
