Behavior and Ecology Flashcards
Behavior
How organisms cope with their environments
Instinct
An inborn, unlearned behavior
Fixed Action Pattern (FAP)
Not simple reflexes and are not conscious decisions but must be completed in response to a certain stimulus
Learning
A change in behavior brought by an experience
Imprinting
Learning of social behavior through senses
Critical Period
A window of time when the animal is sensitive to certain aspects of the environment
Classical Conditioning
Association of a positive/negative result with a neutral stimulus
Associative Learning
Using a neutral stimulus to get a result from an organism
Operant Conditioning
Trial and error learning
Habitutation
Learning to not respond to a certain stimulus
Insight
The ability to figure out a behavior that generates a desired outcome
Circadian Rhythm
The internal sleep cycle of an organism
Pheromones
Chemical signals between members of the same species that stimulate olfactory receptors and ultimately affect behavior
Agnostic Behavior
Aggressive behavior that occurs as a result of competition for foods or resources
Dominance Hierarchies
Occur when members in a group have established which members are the most dominant
Territoriality
A common behavior when food and nesting sites are short in supply
Altruistic Behavior
Unselfish behavior that benefits another organism in the group at the individual’s expense because it advances the genes of the group
Photoperiodism
Plants bloom in response to changes in the amount of daylight and darkness
Tropism
A turning in response to a stimulus
Phototropism
How plants respond to sunlight
Gravitropism
How plants respond to gravity
Thigmotropism
How plants respond to touch
Ecology
The study of the interactions between living things and their environments
Biosphere
The entire part of the Earth where living things exist
Ecosystem
The interaction of living and nonliving things
Community
A group of populations interacting in the same area
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species that are interbreeding
Biomes
Large regions within the Biosphere
Major Biomes
- Tundra
- Taiga
- Temperate Deciduous Forest
- Grasslands
- Deserts
- Tropical Rain Forests
Tundra Characteristics
- Regions: Northernmost Regions
- Plant Life: Few Trees, Grasses, Wildflowers
- Characteristics: Permafrost and Short Growing Season
- Animal Life: Lemmings, Arctic Foxes, Snowy Owls, Caribou, Reindeer
Taiga Characteristics
- Regions: Northern Forests
- Plant Life: Evergreens
- Characteristics: Very Cold, Long Winters
- Animal Life: Caribou, Wolves, Moose, Bear, Rabbits, Lynx
Temperate Deciduous Forest Characteristics
- Regions: Northeast/Middle Eastern U.S, West Europe
- Plant Life: Deciduous Trees
- Characteristics: Moderate Precipitation, Warm Summers, Cold Winters
- Animal Life: Deer, Wolves, Bears, Small Mammals, Birds
Grasslands Characteristics
- Regions: American Midwest, Eurasia, Africa, South America
- Plant Life: Grasses
- Characteristics: Hot Summers, Cold Winters, Unpredictable Rainfall
- Animal Life: Prairie Dogs, Bison, Foxes, Ferrets, Grouse, Snakes, Lizards
Desert Characterstics
- Regions: Western U.S.
- Plant Life: Cacti, Other Drought Resistant Flora
- Characteristics: Arid, Low Rainfall, Extreme Temperature Shifts
- Animal Life: Jackrabbits, owls, kangaroo rats, lizards, snakes, tortoises
Tropical Rain Forest Characteristics
- Regions: South America
- Plant Life: High biomass, very diverse
- Characteristics: High Rainfall and Temperature, Impoverished Soil
- Animal Life: Sloths, snakes, monkeys, birds, leopards, insects
Producers
Have all of the raw building blocks to make their own food
Consumers
Forced to find their energy sources in the outside world
Decomposers
The organisms that break down organic matter into simpler products
Niche
An organism’s position or function in a community
Food Chain
Describes the way different organisms depend on one another for food
Primary Consumer/Herbivores
Organisms that feed directly feed on producers
Secondary Consumers/Carnivores/Omnivores
Feed on primary consumers and plant life
Tertiary Consumers
Feed on secondary consumers, primary consumers, and plants
10% Rule
In a food chain only 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level
Mutualism
Both organisms benefit from a relationship
Commensalism
One organism lives off another with no harm done to the other organism
Parasitism
One organism harms its host
Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of individuals of a species that a habitat can support
Population Density
The size of a population
Density-Independent Factors
Factors that affect the population regardless of size
Density-Dependent Factors
Factors that affect population based on size
Exponential Growth
Occurs when a population is in an ideal environment with unlimited resources
Logistic Growth
Occurs when a population becomes restricted in size because of limited resources
R-Strategists
Produce lots of offspring to ensure survival, very little care to offspring, short life-span, small
K-Strategists
Produce few offspring, take care of offspring, long-life span, large, little competition
Ecological Succession
Refers to the predictable procession of plant communities over a short period of time
Primary Succession
Occurs on bare rock
Pioneer Organisms
First organisms to appear in an ecosystem (make soil)
Sere
Replacement of organisms over time as they are no longer needed in the ecosystem
Climax Community
The final community as a result of succession
Secondary Succession
Occurs on soil that is already in place
Greenhouse Effect
The increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 through the burning of fossil fuels and forests resulting in the warming of the Earth
Ozone Depletion
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) deplete the ozone layer and make organisms more respondent to UV Rays
Acid Rain
Sulfur and Nitrogen Dioxide mix with water and precipitate, destroying forests and metals
Desertification
Overgrazing by animals turns grasslands into deserts
Deforestation
Clearing forests results in heavy erosion, flooding, and changing weather patterns
Pollution
Toxins and chemicals released into the environment harm organisms and destroy ecosystems
Biomagnification
The increasing effect of pollutants as they move up the food chain
Reduction In Biodiversity
More flora and fauna become extinct as habitats are destroyed
