APES Unit 3: Animals Flashcards
Density Independent (DI)
affects a population regardless of it’s density
density independent factors
human activity, natural disasters, temperature, sunlight, physical charcatersitics
Density Dependent (DD)
only affects a population once it reaches a certain size
density Dependent factors
stress, behavior, predation, parasitism, competition
primary productivity
rate that solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time
NPP Equation
NPP=GPP-RL
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration
Respiration Loss (RL)
plants use some of the energy they generate via photosynthesis by doing cell respiration
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
the total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis
Ecological Efficiency
the portion of incoming solar energy that is captured by plants and converted into biomass (NPP or food available for consumers)
First Law of Thermodynamics
Energy can’t be created or destroyed, it just changes form
Second law of Thermodynamics
Energy transfers from useful to less useful forms. It cannot be recycled or reused. As energy transfers, heat is lost. Energy is becoming less useful over time.
producers
plants produce - convert sun’s light energy into chemical energy (glucose)
primary consumers
animals that eat plants (herbivores)
secondary consumers
animals that eat primary consumers or herbivores (aka - carnivores and omnivores)
tertiary consumers
animals that eat secondary consumers or carnivores and omnivores (aka - top/apex predators)
Trophic Cascade
removal or addition of a top predator has a ripple effect down through lower trophic levels
Genetic Drift
change allele frequency in a population that are random unlike natural selection, and won by chance
Bottleneck Effect
natural disaster results in some surviving organisms - not better adapted - now they don’t represent the original population
founder effect
organisms that arrive to start a new population on an island - don’t necessarily represent the original population
Bottleneck Event
an environmental disturbance that drastically reduces population size and kills organisms regardless of their genome
Natural selection
driving force of evolutionary adaptations (mechanism)
Adaptations
physical or behavioral traits that make an organism better suited to its environment (characteristic)
specialist
species with a narrow ecological niche - can only survive in a specific environment
generalist
species with a broad ecological niche - able to live and eat in multiple environments
Ecological range of tolerance
range of conditions such as temperature, salinity, pH, or sunlight that an organism can endure before injury or death results
example of range of tolerance
salmon have a basic range of tolerance for temperature from 6 to 22 degrees, some individual salmon have adaptations that give them a range of tolerance that is outside the basic range for the species
optimal range
range where organisms survive, grow, and reproduce
zone of physiological stress
range where organisms survive, but experience some stress such as infertility, lack of growth, decreased activity
Zone of intolerance
range where the organism will die
example of zone of intolerance
thermal shock, suffocation, lack of food/water/oxygen
Counteracting behaviors
bats use echolocation/listen for returning signal
Defensive coloration
warning coloration - stinging insects
Chemical defenses/offenses
plants and animals manufacture a startling array of substances for use in defense
example of of chemical defense
venom of rattlesnakes
Mimicry
close resemblance of an animal or plant
Morphological
external or internal structures, features, or characteristics of the animals
Behavioral
responses of the animals to stimuli in their surrounding
Physiological
biochemical and often internal, may lead to change in the structure, function and appearance of animals
R-strategist (J curve)
a survival strategy of producing large numbers of offspring, a short life expectancy, and typically smaller body sizes
K-strategist (S curve)
occupy more stable environments, they are larger in size and have longer life expectancies, they are stronger or are better protected and generally are more energy efficient, they produce, during their life spans, fewer progeny, but place a greater investment in each
example of r-strategist
bacteria, diatoms, insects
example of k-strategist
humans, apes, elephants, whales
symbiosis
close and long-term interaction between two species in an ecosystem
Resource Partitioning
different species using the same resource in different ways to reduce competition
Interference
organisms interact directly by fighting for resources
Exploitative
organisms consume scarce resources
intraspecific
between individuals of the same species (can regulate population dynamics)
interspecific
between different species (can alter the size of many species populations at the same time)
predation
one species feeds on another – enhances fitness of predator but reduces fitness of prey
parasitism
one species feeds on another – enhances fitness of parasite but reduces fitness of host - unlike carnivore usually does not result in the death of the host
mutualism
two species provide resources or services to each other – enhances fitness of both species
commensalism
one species receives a benefit from another species – enhances fitness of one species; no effect of fitness of the other species
edge effect
changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two or more habitats
habitat fragmentation
when parts of a habitat are destroyed, leaving behind smaller unconnected areas (Deforestation, wetland draining)
herbivore
animal that only eats plants
carnivore
animal that eats meat
omnivore
animal that eats plants and meat
decomposer
an organism (as a bacterium or a fungus) that feeds on and breaks
detrivore
animals which feed on dead remains of plants and animals
limiting factor
anything that constrains a population’s size and slows or stops it from growing
bioremediation
the use of microbes to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater
mutation
a change in the DNA sequence of a cell that can alter the organism
bioaccumulation
increase in the concentration of a chemical in a biological organism over time
niche
the role an organism plays in a community
indicator
animals that reflect the structure, composition, or functioning of an ecological system
keystone species
an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem and without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether
evolution
the change in characteristics of populations of organisms over time
biosphere
the region on, above, and below the Earth’s surface where life exists
population
a collecting of individuals from the same species
community
the organisms that interact with one another in a similar location
autotroph
an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals
biomagnification
the increasing concentration of toxic substances as they move up through different trophic levels in a food chain
heterotroph
an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients
competitive exclusion principle
two species cannot coexist in the same ecological niche for very long without one becoming extinct or being driven out because of competition for limited resources
primary succession
the type of succession that occurs on bare rock or newly formed land where no soil exists
secondary succession
the process of ecological succession that occurs in an area that has been previously disturbed or disrupted, but still retains its soil
island biogeography
study of ecological relationships and community structure on islands
carrying capacity
the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available
biotic potential
The maximum reproductive rate of an organism, given unlimited resources and ideal environmental conditions
POP
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world
Green world hypothesis
proposes that predators are the primary regulators of ecosystems
climax community
a stable and mature ecological community that has reached a final stage of ecological succession, where the species composition remains relatively unchanged over time
