5: Ecology Flashcards
1
Q
what species shows difference in fundamental and realised niche
A
barnacles
2
Q
what two things are present in corals symbiotic relationship
A
coral polyp, offering shelter, and zooxanthellae algae for photosynthesis
3
Q
coral is a what relationship
A
symbiotic
4
Q
what is a biome
A
a large community of plants and animals that occured as a result of environmental factors
5
Q
what two factors determine the development of a biome
A
temperature and rainfall
6
Q
distribution is
A
where a species is found in an ecosystem
7
Q
what is a niche
A
role of a species within a habitat
8
Q
coral has limited distribution because it has a low
A
range of tolerance
9
Q
2 adaptations of orchid mantis
A
female looks similar to orchid
male mantis plain and camo’s into branches
10
Q
roles in a niche include
A
what it eats, time of day its active, where it lives and feeds
11
Q
marram grass: why is thick waxy cuticle good
A
reduces evaporation
12
Q
in marram grass water is lost easily from transpiration because of dry air, soil water availability is low meaning
A
this water isnt easy to replace
13
Q
what is a realised niche
A
the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists
14
Q
marram grass disadvantage: dry airs means that water evaporates quickly from the leaf because of a
A
steep concentration gradient
15
Q
what are 2 hot desert adaptations species examples
A
saguaro cactus and kangaroo rats
16
Q
A
17
Q
coral and temperature
A
rising global temps= polyps expel algae, bleached
18
Q
what is the name of algae on coral
A
zooxanthellae
19
Q
3 adaptations of marram grass:
A
leaves rolled in
sunken stomata pits
thick waxy cuticles
20
Q
coral and pH
A
outer calcium carbonate layer dissolves if pH is too low
and needs calcium ions to make outer layer
if there is H present, calcium ion availability reduces because they bond
H is present in lower pH
now more common, co2 dissolved lowers sea ph
21
Q
mangrove disadvantage: roots submerged in sea water meaning
A
cells cant take in oxygen for respiration underwater
22
Q
what is a habitat
A
a place where an organism lives
23
Q
where do you find marram grass
A
sand dunes
24
Q
a habitat can contain many species from a
A
community
25
what abiotic factors do mangrove trees face
high salinity, low fresh water sources, low oxy available
26
fundamental niche of a species is
the full range of conditions and resources with no limiting factors or predetation in which a species could survive and reproduce based on adaptations and tolerance
27
examples of abiotic factors
light intensity, temp, humidity, soil pH
28
what abiotic factors does marram grass face
low water, high salinity, low nutrient levels
29
two tropical rainforest adaptation species examples
kapok tree
orchid mantis
30
you can investigate limiting abiotic factors on distribution by using
transect sampling
31
what does range of tolerance mean
certain conditions are ideal, but some variation can be tolerated
32
what interactions means realised niche is smaller than fundamental
biotic
33
2 adaptations of kangaroo rats
live underground to avoid hot daytime
extract water from diet to produce concentrated urine
34
marram grass: why are sunken stomata pits good
traps water vapour
35
no two species can occupy the same niche, what principle is that
gauses competetive exclusion principle
36
what factors affect coral distribution
water depth, salinity, temperatre, pH
37
marram grass: why is leaves rolled good
traps water vapour, lowers concentration gradient
38
mangrove disadvantage: salty water meaning
surrounding sea water has a higher solute concentration, risk of root cell loosing water by osmosis
39
adaptations are what
traits that increase survival chance in a specific environment
40
coral and water depth
needs to be in a shallow area so it has light for photosynthesis
41
2 adaptations of kapok tree
rapid growth to outcompete species
wide buttress roots to support growth
42
two good plant species to show adaptations to environment
mangroves, marram grass
43
adaptations of black mangrove
pneumatophores grow vertically
and excrete salt through salt glands
44
what words describes marram grass, as it is adapted for dry conditions
xerophyle
45
4 adaptations of saguaro cactuses
thick waxy cuticle
spines instead of leaves to reduce water loss
cells in stem expand to take more water
deep tap root + shallow root for rainfall
46
adaptations of red mangrove:
prop roots: ariel root system for oxygen and grants stability
47
why is a realised niche much smaller
due to biotic interactions: other species and competition, they are restricted areas where other species are scare
48
what are obligate anaerobes
only carry out anaerobic respiration
cannot tolerate oxygen
49
what is the word equation for anaerobic respiration
Glucose → lactic acid (+ energy).
50
The word equation for aerobic respiration is:
glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy released
51
word equation for anaerobic respiration in yeast
glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide + energy released
52
what are facultative anaerobes
mainly respire aerobically, but can switch fully to anaerobic in the absence of oxygen
no negative effects of switching (brewers yeast)
53
what are obligate aerobes
cannot survive in absence of oxygen, rely on aerobic to release energy from food
can carry out anaerobic for a short time
54
what are two types of nutrition
autotroph, heterotroph
55
what is autotrophy
produces own organic molecules from environments, simple inorganic substances
56
what are two types of autotroph
photoautotrophs, chemoautotrophs
57
what are photoautotrophs examples
seaweed, cyanobacteria
58
where do chemoautotrophs get their energy from?
energy from oxidation of chemicals
59
where do heterotrophs gain energy from?
gains organic molecules from tissues of other organisms
60
what nutrition do heterotrophs that gain organic molecules by ingesting, digesting, eating, absorbing and assimilating use?
holozoic nutrition
61
are mixotrophs single or multicellular
single
62
what are mixotrophs one life
can use more than one method of digestion
63
obligate mixotrophs must have what
constantly access to both forms of nutrition
64
facultative mixotrophs can
survuve using one method of nutrition, supplemented by others
65
examples of mixotrophs
euglena cells
carnivorous plants
coral
66
what are saprotrophs?
heterotrophs that ingest tissues of dead organisms by secreting enzymes externally
67
example of saprotroph
fungi bacteria decomposers
68
importance of saprotrophs
they decompose dead organic material and break it down into humus, minerals and nutrient resources that can be utilised by plants
69
what four things do stable ecosystems have?
1 efficient nutrient cycles
2 high biodiversity
3 stability
4 high levels of photosynthesis
70
example of a stable ecosystem
amazon rainforest
71
what is a mesocosym
erperimental container where natural ecosystems are simulated
72
purpose of a mesocosym
can study resposne of ecoststem to certain factors because it is possible to control
73
what do you need alongside an experimental mesocosym when investigating something
a control mesocosym
74
what are 4 requirements of an ecosystem
supply of energy
recycling of nutrient
genetic diversity
climate variables in tolerance
75
talk me through supply of energy ecosystem requirement
eg. sunlight
light energy converted to chemical energy via photosythenesis
so must have photosynthetic organisms
76
talk through recycling of nutrient in requirements of an ecosystem
1) -decomposers break down the carbon compounds
-carbon is released as carbon dioxide
-nitrates are released into the soil and renters the food chain
2) needs the correct conditions for decomposers, like oxygen water and heat
77
talk me through genetic diversity in ecosystem requirements
-"number of different alleles present in a population"
- natural selection favours favourable alleles
- allows population to resist effects of change in environment
78
talk me through climate variables in tolerance in ecosystem requirements
-genetic variation can only help so much, in cases like extreme weather eg
- might be outside tolerance levels
- migration or extinction
- climate change heightens this
79
talk about the effect of deforestation of amazon on ecosystem stability
deforestation--> effects temp and rainfall
less trees for transpiration means less water vapour released. Water vapour has a cooling effect, so less vapour influences local temp and rainfall
80
tipping point?
amazon and other ecosystems could reach a tupping beyond which it is no longer stable- tree removed so much that temp and rainfall patterns change a lot, meaning climate factors may change beyond tolerance levels for species
81
what is a keystone species
species that has a disproportionate effect on structure/function of the ecosystem
82
potential of removing a keystone species
removal can include lot of species or ecosystem to collapse
83
examples of keystone species
sea otter- control sea urchin population
beavers- create wetland habitat
elephant- maintains grasslands
84
what is a sustainability harvested resource
can be replaced as quickly as it is harvested- is regulated and monitored
85
two examples of sustainability harvested resources
black cherry tree
alaska pollock
86
black cherry tree sustainable harvesting
hardwood- so it grows slowly
sustainable: selective felling, leaving enough to flower and produce seeds, monitoring
87
alaska pollock sustainable farming
alaska pollock fishery is the largest sustainable fishery
- can reproduce from 3-4 years
- nets have minimal contact with sea bed
- bycatch is less that 1%
- monitoring
88
4 factors affecting sustainability in agriculture
soil erosion
leaching
pollution
carbon footprint
89
soil erosion
- land cleared for grazing, roots holding soil are lost, top soil is washed/blown away, farmers plant cover crops to hold soil together in-between growing seasons
90
leaching
synthetic fertilizers leader to nutrient runoff due to leaching and go into bodies of water
91
how can leaching be stopped
applying in small volumes, when there is no rain, and using organic fertilizers
92
pollution in agriculture
result of agrochemical which increase yield (fertilizers and pesticide)
93
how to prevent pollution in agriculture
biological pest control orevents pesticide use
in future- genetic modification
94
carbon footprint in agriculture
transportation, machinery, needs renewable resources
95
how to prevent carbon footprint in agriculture
renewable energy resources
energy efficient practices
96
two examples of water pollution
eutrophication
biomagnification
97
what is biomagnification
increase in concetration of non biodegradable pollutants ascnding in trophic levels through a food chain
98
difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification
Bioaccumulation is the build up of absorbed chemicals in an organism over time. Biomagnification is the increase in concentration of these chemicals in each organism up the food chain
99
does biomagnification concentration higher or lower in lower trophic levels
lower, more concentrated as you go up, top food chain organisms eat lots of small organisms
100
two examples of biomagnification
DDT
mercury
101
explain DDT
biomagnification: insecticide-> leaches into waterways. enters via planktons and accumulates in fish. birds eat lots of fish, birds most affected
102
effect of DDT
for birds- thin eggshells, which crack during incubation in nest
103
explain mercury
biomagnification, released in gold mining/ cola power plants
metyl mercury builds up in fish
104
what are the effects of plastic pollution
microplastics from broken macroplastics (break from wave action or UV)
animals try to eat, eg, turtles, plastic bags and jellyfish
105
what is rewilding
restoring natural ecosystem processes
106
rewilding restoration strategies:
species reintroduction: apex predator or keystone species
improving habitat connectivity: establishing wildlife corridors
limiting human influence- preventing harvesting of resources
107
example of a rewilding project
hinwai reserve, New Zealand, once farmland, now privately owned, restoring the ecosystem. there is limited human influence, apart from they removed a non native species
108
anthropogenic
caused by humans
109
go through the positive feedback cycle to do with less ice
Less ice → lower albedo (less sunlight reflected) → more heat absorbed → more ice melts → cycle continues, amplifying warming
110
go through the positive feedback cycle to do with increased heat causing permafrost to melt
More heat → permafrost melts → more organic decay → more methane released → stronger greenhouse effect → more warming → cycle continues.
111
go through the positive feedback cycle to do with warmer oceans
Warmer oceans → less CO₂ dissolves → more CO₂ in atmosphere → stronger greenhouse effect → more warming → cycle continues.
112
go through the positive feedback cycle to do with fires
Warmer temps → more droughts → more wildfires → more CO₂ released → stronger greenhouse effect → more warming → cycle continues.
113
_____ _____ are examples of carbon sinks
boreal forests
114
boreal forests store_____ in their _______
carbon
biomass
115
examples of carbon sources and how
droughts and fires, burning trees releases CO2
116
two animals impacted by climate change
emperor penguins and walruses
117
emperor penguins:
use fast ice as a breeding ground
early ice break can kill chicks
118
walruses
Less sea ice → fewer resting places → more energy spent swimming → harder to find food → increased exhaustion & risks
119
what is nutrient upwelling
cool water full of nutrients push up against land masses, which get nutrients to different points
120
an ecosystem is:
group of organisms interacting with each other and the non living parts of the environment
121
ecosystems are open/ closed systems?
open, energy and matter can enter and exit
122
while an ecosystem is an ____ system, they are usually self contained, ________ and _______ are ________ within an ecosystem
open
energy
matter
recycled
123
_____ is the initial source of energy for most food chains, except...
sunlight
deep water caves---
open caves- dead things
closed caves- chemosynthetic bacteria
124
in a food chain- the arrows represent a transfer of
energy in the form of stored chemical energy in carbon compounds from one trophic level to the next, by feeding
125
food webs show
how several food chains in an ecosystem are connected
126
4 ways energy is lost up a food chain
respiration
not eaten
whole organism isn't eaten
not all the food is digested
127
two types of decomposers recycling nutrients
saprotrophs and detritivores
digest externally vs internally
128
autotrophs:
can synthesize carbon compounds itself using inorganic substances
129
a _________ reaction inside autotrophic cells convert simple ____________ ________ into _____ _________, in the process of _____ ________
reduction
inorganic carbon
carbon compounds
carbon fixation
130
photoautotroph
use sunlight to make carbon compounds by photosynthesis
131
chemoautotrophs
use exothermic inorganic chemical reactions
a substrate is oxidized which releases energy- chemoautotrophs use this energy to synthesize carbon compounds`
132
heterotrophs
receives carbon compounds (and energy) by feeding on other organisms
133
process of absorbing carbon compounds is
assimilation
134
assimilation is
the process of absorbing carbon compounds is
135
what receives carbon compounds (and energy) by feeding on other organisms
heterotrophs
136
what can synthesize carbon compounds itself using inorganic substances
autotrophs:
137
what uses sunlight to make carbon compounds by photosynthesis
photoautotrophs
138
what are 4 things organisms need ATP for
1- anabolic reactions to synthesize molecules
2- active transport
3- movement inside and out
4- maintaining body temperature
139
ATP is produced by cell respiration in _______ and _______
autotrophsand heterotrophs
140
what do energy pyramids show
amount of energy gained per year by each tropic level in an ecosystem
141
energy pyramids shows the _____
__ ________ _____ per year by each ____ _____ in an _______
amount of energy gained
trophic level
ecosystem
142
true or false- producers are always the bottom and biggest in energy pyramids
true
143
roughly how much energy is lost up a food chain
90%
144
why are food chains limited in length
not enough energy
145
what is the max ish length of a food chain
4-5
146
primary production is
the accumulation of carbon compounds in the biomass of autotrophs
147
the accumulation of carbon compounds in the biomass of autotrophs is?
primary production
148
rate of primary production can happen more or less quickly in different biomes due to more sunlight, optimum temps etc for photosynthesis
fun fact
149
what is gross primary production
total biomass of carbon compounds made by autotrophs
150
what is net primary production
GPP minus the biomass lost due to respiration
amount of biomass available to consumers
151
what is secondary production
the process by which biomass is stored in the tissues of heterotrophs
152
the process by which biomass is stored in the tissues of heterotrophs
secondary production
153
secondary production is always _____ than primary production because...
less
not all energy stored in carbon compounds is transferred to the new biomass- energy is lost
154
how is the rate of secondary production calculated
subtracting respiratory losses from the stored energy ingested by the heterotrophs
155
annual trend in the keeling curve
due to photosynthesis rates
every year there are dips, less co2, bc more photosynthesis in summer
156
overall trend in the keeling curve
steadily increasing due to human activity
157
where is organic caron found
in the biomass of living organisms
158
where is inorganic carbon found
atmosphere as CO2 or oceans eg
159
carbon cycle diagram shows carbon ____and carbon ____
sinks
pools
160
examples of carbon sinks/pools
ocean, fossil fuels, organisms
161
carbon cycle also shows process of carbon transfer/fluxes e.g
dissolving, combustion, photosynthesis, respiration, feeding
162
carbon sinks:
take up and store carbon
163
carbon source releases carbon e.g.
burning plant matter, decay
164
why is burning fossil fuels and peat worse than burning plant matter
carbon in plants has been removed from atmosphere recently in its lifetime, but those forms of carbon have been stored for millions of years
165
at the moment more carbon is being released than being uptaken
fun fact
166
draw the carbon cycle
check ya notes
167
order of greenhouse effect climate change global warming
Greenhouse Effect (property of atmosphere where heat is trapped due to certain gases)--> Global Warming (rapid increase in global temperature)--> Climate Change (consequence of the earth heating up)
168
impact of climate change- upslope rangeshift example animal
satinbird
169
talk through upslope range shift
species on mountains
exploit niches at top of mountain
warmer temps= downslope species move up to find optimum temps
they compete for niches with organisms already there and might be able to outcompete them
170
talk through poleward range shift
organisms can progress to poles
ordinarily north america tree species weren't able to inhabit closer to the pole places
with warming temps: shifts the ranges
171
talk through impact of climate change on coral reefs
CO2 absorption makes water acidic
more CO2 in atmosphere= more in ocean
calcium carbonate coral shells weaken and dissolve
coral has a mutualistic relationship with algae
high temps and low pH--> coral bleaching, coral will expel algae and ecosystems will collapse
172
what is carbon sequestration
capturing and storing carbon in carbon sinks
173
some examples of natural sequestration
plants, building shells, fossilization, peat
174
what is afforestation
planting trees in areas with no trees
175
reforestation/ forest regeneration
type of afforestation, planting trees that have been cut down
176
problem with afforestation
trees used are fast growing species
aren't native
no diversity- monoculture
so positively impacts sequestration but negative on ecosystem stability with biodiversity
177
what is peat
partially decomposed organic matter trapped under acidic waterlogged soil- creating an anoxic environment so no decomposition happens
178
what is a population
a group of interbreeding organisms of the same species in the same area
179
what does sampling investigate
the abundance and distribution of species
180
what is something good about random sampling
avoids bias
181
what type of area is good for random sampling
if its uniform
182
what sort of sampling is transect sampling
systematic
183
quadrats are used to study the _______ of ______ organisms
distribution
sensile
184
4 types of data that can be discovered with a quadrat
Prescence or absence of species
species freq
species abundance
percentage cover
185
what does a small standard deviation mean
there is little spread around the mean
186
what does it mean if there is more spread around the mean
large standard deviation
187
order of capture _____ ______ ______
capture mark release recapture
188
what do we use to calculate if we are doing a marking investigation
lincoln index
189
what is the lincoln index
pop size= M x N/R
190
what does M stand for in lincoln index
marked organisms in first sample
191
what does N stand for in lincoln index
total organisms in second sample
192
what does R stand for in the lincoln index
number of marked individuals in the second sample
193
what are 4 assumptions made by the lincoln index
1) individuals marked disperse and mix fully with the main population again
2) marking doesn't affect survival
3) marking stays visible
4) population size stays the same
194
a population estimate using sampling is based of the assumption that
individuals are evenly distributed across a site
195
what is sampling error
difference between the estimated population and the true population size
196
3 ways to minimise sampling error
good investigation design
right type of sampling
large sample size
197
what letter means carrying capacity
k
198
what does k stand for
carrying capacity
199
what is carrying capacity
the maximum number of individuals of a species that an ecosystem can support
200
three abiotic factors affecting carrying capacity
light
temp
soil minerals
201
three biotic factors affecting carrying capacity
competition of resources
predation
disease
202
what is population density
number of individuals present per unit area of a habitat
203
two factors that affect population size
density dependent and density independent
204
density dependent one line
these factors have different effects at different population densities
205
three density dependent factors
pathogens and disease
predation
competition
206
density independent factors
have the same effect at any population size
207
example of density independent factor
natural disaster
208
a population controlled by positive feedback will continue to increase in a population until....
a density dependent factor starts to limit it- negative feedback
209
predator prey cycle
more predators= less prey= less predators= more prey= more predators
210
what is top down population control
population is limited by predators
211
what is bottom up population control
limitted by availability of resources
212
both top down and bottom up population exist at the same time usually- true or false
false, one is likely to be more dominant
213
an example of allelopathy
antibiotic secretion
214
what is allelopathy
secretes secondary metabolites that harm other organisms
215
example of allelopathy
garlic mustard releases sinigrin which reduces seed germination and root growth in other plants
216
example of antibiotic secretion
penicillium fungus, secretes penicillin
217
what are the three phases of a sigmoid growth curve
exponential, transition and plateau
218
another word for the exponential phase of the sigmoid growth curve
logarithmic
219
exponential phase sigmoid:
no factors limiting population growth
220
transition phase sigmoid curve
limiting factors begin to act on a population but rate of growth slows
221
when does the plateau phase occur sigmoid
at the carrying capacity
222
when is population growth exponential?
when the speed of growth is proportional to the number of individuals
223
to asses if exponential growth is happen, plot _______ ______ on the __ axis on a __________ scale and the _____ on a ____________ scale
to asses if exponential growth is happen, plot population size on the y axis on a logarithmic scale and the time on a non logarithmic scale
224
what do logarithmic scales allow on a graph
wide range of values to be displayed on the graph
225
two organisms that can be used to model the sigmoid growth curve
yeast and duckweed
226
difference between community and ecosystem
community is biotic
ecosystem is abiotic and biotic
227
3 examples of intraspecific cooperation
orcas hunting
meerkats divided roles
ants working together to build nests
228
2 examples of intraspecific competition
male red deer for mates
robins for territory
229
three things plants might intraspecifically compete for
light mineral and water
230
three things animals might interspecifically compete for
territory, food, mates
231
what is a community
multiple populations of different species living and interacting in the same area
232
living communities interact with what to form ecosystems
abiotic environment
233
6 interspecific relationships
herbivory
predation
pathogenicity
mutualism
parasitism
interspecific competition
234
example of parasitism
ticks on a deer
235
example of pathogenicity
HIV in humans
236
example of mutualism
algae and coral
237
example of interspecific competition
cheetah and lion competing for the same prey
238
3 examples of mutualism
coral and algae
root nodules on pea plants
fungi in orchids
239
what is the algae called in coral algae mutualistic relationship
zooxanthellae
240
what does coral provide for the algae mutualistic relationship
coral gives shelter- protected environment near the surface so algae and photosynthesize
also provides carbon dioxide from its respiration
241
what does algae provide for the coral mutualistic relationship
carbs and oxygen from its photosynthesis
242
what does peas provide mutualistic relationship
nodules that protect the bacteria and carbohydrates
243
what does bacteria provide peas mutualistic relationship
absorbs/ fixes nitrogen for the plant so it has an advantage
244
what does myocorrhizae provide for orchid mutualistic relationship
absorbs and supplies nutrients from the soil like phosphorus and nitrogen
245
what do orchid provide the myocorrhizae
carbs from photosynthesis
246
what is an endemic species
occurs naturally in an area, only that area
247
what is an alien species
introduced outside their range by human activity
248
three bad things that occur to the native species if an invasive species is introduced
competition can occur if they occupy the same niche- native might get displaced
invasive might introduce pathogen that native have no immunity to
invasive might be successful predators- decline in prey
249
what is the null for chi squared test of independence
two species are distributed independently
250
what is the alternate hypothesis for chi squared independence test
the two species are associated
doesn't necessarily mean interspecific competition
251
how to calculate expected frequency
row total x column total/grand total
252
what is the typical degree of freedom for chi squared test in bio
1
253
is chi squared in bigger than the critical value?
reject the null
