Biogeography

Question 1

Define biogeography

Answer 1

the study and interpretation of plant and animal distributions in geographic space

Question 2

Define taxonomy

Answer 2

the classification of something, especially organisms

Question 3

Define ecosystems

Answer 3

communities together with the physical environment that sustains them

Question 4

Describe the relationship between plant and animal communities

Answer 4

not separate entities

they share environments and interact in a variety of ways

Question 5

Define a species

Answer 5

a population whose members are able to interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 6

What is species richness?

Answer 6

number of species

Question 7

What is species abundance?

Answer 7

number of individuals

Question 8

How is species diversity calculated?

Answer 8

species richness + species abundance

Question 9

What is a clade?

Answer 9

A group of organisms believed to comprise all the evolutionary descendants of a common ancestor.

Question 10

Describe ecosystems as a system

Answer 10

An open system with inputs and outputs and flows of materials.

Question 11

Define a producer

Answer 11

An autotrophic organism capable of producing complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules through the process of photosynthesis

Question 12

Define a consumer

Answer 12

An organism that generally obtains food by feeding on other organisms or organic matter due to lack of the ability to manufacture own food from inorganic sources; a heterotroph

Question 13

When is a population surplus reached?

Answer 13

Births + immigration > death + exportation

Question 14

When is a population deficit reached?

Answer 14

Births + immigration < death + exportation

Question 15

Name 2 abiotic factors that limits population?

Answer 15

Stenotopic and Eurytopic

Question 16

Define stenotopic species

Answer 16

species adapted to a NARROW range of environmental conditions

Question 17

Define eurytopic species

Answer 17

species are adapted to a WIDE range of environmental conditions

Question 18

Name 4 biotic factors that limits population?

Answer 18

• competition
• predation
• dispersal
• habitat structure

Question 19

Whats the key difference between abiotic and biotic factors?

Answer 19

Biotic factors = dependent variables

Abiotic factors = independent variable

Question 20

What is the principle of competitive exclusion?

Answer 20

‘stable populations of 2 or more species cannot continuously occupy the same niche’

Question 21

Define a niche

Answer 21

The role/function of an organism within an ecosystem

Question 22

Give 3 examples of abiotic factors

Answer 22

Climatic factors e.g. temperature, soil ph, water availability

Question 23

Define an endotherm

Answer 23

creates the heat it needs from internal chemical reactions

Question 24

Define an ectotherm

Answer 24

an organism which derives the heat it requires from the environment

Question 25

What does bergmanns rule state?

Answer 25

that within a broadly distributed taxonomic clade, populations of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions

Question 26

Define a realised niche

Answer 26

the actual space that an organism inhabits and the resources it can access as a result of limiting pressures from other species

Question 27

Why are tropical species more at risk from climate change?

Answer 27

they tend to have smaller ranges and narrower climatic tolerances

Question 28

What is parasitism?

Answer 28

An interaction between species where one species gets nutrients by damaging the other

Question 29

What is mututalism?

Answer 29

A positive interaction where both species benefit each other by their existence

Question 30

Name 4 interactions between different species?

Answer 30

• competition
• predation
• parasitism
• mutualism

Question 31

What is the neutral theory?

Answer 31

the view that species are functionally equivalent and it is chance that drives community structure

Question 32

What are the main mechanisms of species distributions in the neutral theory?

Answer 32

• dispersal and variation as well as the evolution of new species

Question 33

What does a species distribution model show?

Answer 33

• it models the relationship between abiotic variables and the presence of a given species

Question 34

Name some limitations of SDMs

Answer 34

• don’t incorporate information on biotic interactions and dispersal ability
• scale dependency; different factors relevant at different scales
• data quality