Bio test review questions Flashcards
Ecology
study of interactions b/w living things & their surroundings
Organism
One single living thing
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Community
different species that live together in an area
Ecosystem
- living and nonliving things in a given area
Biome
- regional or global community of organisms characterized by climate and plants
Levels of organization
- Organism
- Population
- community
- Ecosystem
- Biome
What are the general methods used to study ecosystems?
- Observation
- Experimentation
- Modeling
Observation
Which is better long term or short term?
- Act of careful watching over time (long or short)
- Long-term, more insightful
Direct survey
- watch animals directly with the naked eye
Indirect Survey
- look for signs of animal like tracks, feces, or recent kill
Radio telemetry Survey
attaching radio collars to animals
Lincon-Peterson Index
N=M*S/R
N - Population Size Estimate
M - animals marked and released
S - Size of the sample on the second day
R - Animals recaptured on the second day
Quadrant Sampling
- Randomly select plot
- Count organisms in that plot, enter numbers into formulas
Density & Formula
number of species in a unit area
Total No. of individuals of a species in all quadrants/ / No. or quadrates * quadrates area
Frequency & Formula
percentage of sample plots in which a species
appears
No. of quadrates containing the species/
/No. of quadrates
T = Total population estimate Formula
T = NA
N = Total number of individuals counted /
/ number of quadrats
A = Total Area /
/ Area of quadrat
Pros and Cons of a Field Experiment
Pros: more accurate
Cons: difficult to determine cause and effect due to
variables
Pros and Cons of Lab Experiment
Pros: very controlled, can focus on specific parts of
organism
Cons: lacks the complexity of interactions
Modeling
Mathematical models to model and describe nature