Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

2115 > BIOL2410 - ecology final exam > Flashcards

BIOL2410 - ecology final exam Flashcards

1
Q

what is the ecological importance of disturbance?

A

> resets the clock
mixes age
composition and structure at spatial timescales
diversity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is an example of a press disturbance?

A

urbanisation and ecological response that span a long time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is an example of a pulse disturbance?

A

wildfire, causes short term fluctuation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is an example of ramp disturbance?

A

a drought, where it progressively gets worse to a lower new mean

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

the intermediate disturbance hypothesis describes:

A

an intermediate disturbance will show the greatest diversity as too little means no external competition and too much causes little to no species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

describe primary sucession

A

from a disturbance that causes a ‘reset’ such as volcanic eruption, grasses and shrubs colonise which pave the way for larger trees (better competitors) to grow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

describe secondary succession

A

occurs on soil exposed by disturbance but does not result back to the beginning (bare rock). caused by a wildfire.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

difference between allogenic and autogenic succession

A

autogenic is driven by factors that are internal such as mortality, lifespan and biological processes

allogenic is drive by external factors such as disturbance regimes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

a large disturbance will be recolonised most likely by

A

widely distributed propagules

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what does biogeography explain briefly

A

reflects patterns of evolution, past dispersal and extinction.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

where would you find greatest species richness

A

closest and largest to the mainland region (where immigrants come from)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

the habitat diversity hypothesis describes:

A

species that are restricted to certain habitats may only exist on large islands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what does the equilibrium theory of island biogeography explain:

A

the balance between immigration and extinction controls species richness, larger islands hold greater amount of species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what are the 3 mechanisms to succession?

A

facilitation - early successional species facilitate colonisation and growth of later species

tolerance - species neither help or hinder colonisation

inhabitation - species taking up space for other colonisers, original colonisers are dominant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

where does energy go within food webs?

A

not all is consumed by primary consumers so some gets left for decomposers

biomass eat by herbivores is not all assimilated

energy is lost as respiratory heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

explanation for why habitats with similar areas might have more or less species richness even if species relationship curve is true

A

habitat diversity is greater in one area compared to other

isolation and dispersal differences - isolated islands have less species

species better suited in larger communties

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is a joule and calorie

A

joule is the amount of energy exerted when a force of 1 newton is applied over a displacement of 1 metre

calorie is the amount of heat to raise 1g water by 1˚C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

chemoautotrophs are:

A

organisms that use inorganic molecules and carbon dioxide to produce energy (deep sea bacteria)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

photoheterotrophs are:

A

organisms that use sunlight and organic compounds for energy (ocean bacteria)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

chemoheterotrophs are:

A

organisms that use organic compounds to make energy (animals and humans)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

photoautotrophs are:

A

organisms that use sunlight and carbon dioxide to make energy and oxygen such as plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

the first law of thermodynamics states that

A

energy cannot be created or destroyed - only transformed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what is the second law of thermodynamics

A

that energy conversions are not 100%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

exploitation efficiency can be calculated by:

A

the amount ingested / the net production of previous organism

(Ln/Pn-1) x 100

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
assimilation efficiency can be calculated by:
amount assimilated (absorbed) / exploitation (ingested) (An/Ln) x 100
26
how to calculate production efficiency
the production of biomass / assimilation (absorbed) (Pn/An) x 100
27
what is exploitation efficiency influenced by:
appetite, palatability, quality and satiation invertebrates have lower exploitation due to only eating grasses and such zooplankton have high due to abundance of phytoplankton
28
what is assimilation efficiency influenced by:
food quality
29
production efficiency is influenced by
metabolic activity such as thermo regulation for endotherms who produce own body heat, the production is lower compared to ectotherms (snakes)
30
to calculate how much a tertiary species needs primary producers is by:
ecological efficiency / the catch the amount needed to produce / EE of next level the amount needed to produce / EE of next level
31
primary producers biomass compared to consumers in oceans is lower because:
primary producers grow and reproduce at rapid rate, consumers are able to increase biomass greatly
32
the flow of energy in open oceans looks like:
tertiary - lowest amount of energy primary consumers - intermediate primary producers - lots
33
who has the most biomass in the open ocean
primary consumers or herbivores
34
who has the least biomass in open ocean
tertiary consumers
35
who has the most biomass in a forest and why
the trees due to it being unable to be eaten by herbivores easily
36
does biomass of primary consumers in a grassland have more compared to forest
yes, grassland primary consumers have more due to the availability of herbivores to plants
37
what are consequences of the food web structure
bioaccumulation of contaminants at higher trophic levels and this is magnified (biomagnification) due to the flow of contaminants from lower to higher
38
what is the nitrogen cycle
the flow of nitrogen between the atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere
39
how is ammonium converted to nitrogen for the atmosphere
through nitrifying bacteria that convert it to nitrites then nitrates and release nitrogen back into the atmosphere
40
what can affect nitrogen cycle?
human mediated changes such as the use of fertilisers and release of carbon dioxide
41
what can happen if there is more nitrogen in the atmosphere
acid rain, smog and eutrophication
42
is phosphorous found as a gas molecule? and where is phosphorous most found
no, it is found mostly in aquatic sediment
43
how is phosphate cycled through the biosphere
digestion of plants by animals how have phosphorous from sediments
44
where is carbon mostly found
in the deep ocean
45
what is the most critical environmental impact for agriculture in australia
dryland salinity
46
what did the hubbard brook experiment hypothesise and find?
hypothesis that deforestation would affect the abiotic nature of the land results: large changes to inorganic molecules due to changed budgets and cycles causing increases in calcium, nitrogen and potassium.
47
what is a spatial subsidy? and an example?
the providing of resources to another habitat that is depleted of the certain resource. an example would be a bird providing nutrients to a nearby isolated island that does not receive any
48
how is salmon spawning an example of spatial subsidy?
a decomposing salmon provides nutrients to riparian vegetation
49
how are nutrient fluxes occured from land to aquatic ecosystems
loss of foliage, tree fall and soil erosion
50
what are human impacts on spatial subsidies
altering habitat areas and configurations, fragmenting habitats, modifying transport processes and resource accumulation
51
what are solutions for human impacts on spatial subsidies
restoring and protecting donor habitats, maintaining connectivity, natural circulation patterns and resource accumulations
52
what is an invasive species
a non indigenous species that spreads from the point of introduction and becomes abundant
53
a pest species is any species that
interferes with human activities, properties or health
54
what is an example of a pest species
a young wheat crop being damaged by a plague of locust
55
what are characteristics of non native species
R selected, high dispersal, generalist, broad diet and high genetic variability
56
why are species introduced
sport, aqua and agriculature, pets, biological control, cultural and religious regions
57
accidental introductions come from:
travel, trade, parasites, dispersal activites, removal of natural barriers, escapes of domestics
58
what is one health
a cross sectoral approach to optimise the health of humans, animals and the ecosystem by interlinking the fields
59
how are species responding to climate change?
distribution shifts, adaptations through genetic changes, extinctions
60
what is bergmanns rule
larger individuals are found in cooler areas compared to hotter regions
61
an impact assessment is began because
an event has caused a change in the environment.
62
a control location is needed for an impact assessment as it needs to be
as similar as possible to the impacted site
63
what are the 8 steps to ecological restoration
1. engage stakeholders 2. draws on different knowledge 3. informed by native reference ecosystem 4. supports ecosystem recovery processes 5. assessed against clear goals and objectives using measurable indicators 6. seeks highest level of recovery 7. gains cumulative value 8. part of a continuum of restorative activities
64
what is reclamation?
involves stabilisation of land surfaces, pollution control, visual improvement and usually for highly degraded but localised sties
65
what is rehabilitation?
restores some species but focuses on ecosystem, usually to improve productive capacity in degraded production lands such as agriculture
66
what is restoration?
restoring an entire ecological community by re introducing original species
67
what are the 7 steps of framework in ecological restoration
1. identifying processes leading to degradation via site assessment 2. develop methods to reverse or ameliorate the degradation 3. determine realistic goals 4. develop easily observalbe measure of success 5. develop practical techniques for implementing restoration goals 6. document and communicate progress 7. monitor and assess progress
68
what is natural capital
a natural resource with value to humans
69
what is natural income
the growth of capital
70
what is a fishery?
targeted fish population, the aquatic habitat and associated species and people with the capture and other use of the species.
71
fisheries are managed because impacts such as :
the undesirable effects of uncontrolled fishing leads to extinctions, loss of income, habitat loss
72
what is the traditional way fisheries were managed?
the maintenance of maximum biological yield
73
what is the maximum sustainable yield set at?
half the maximum fishing mortality or K/2
74
if MSY is set too high or low what happens
if set too high it would lead to extinction and if too low it would crash or reach higher population sizes or yield lower
75
what does MSY no consider?
that fish eat other fish and compete for space and that one species cannot be managed alone
76
what is ecosystem base managment?
ecosystems affect fisheries and vice versa through habitat alteration and by catch
77
what are some alternative logging strategies?
1. small patch clear felling (clearing small patches of forests) 2. shelter wood logging (leaving old trees) 3. seed tree retention (removal of all trees except seed bearing) 4. selective cutting (mature only)
78
what are ways of management in forests
weeding, brashing, pesticide, fire control, reserved forests, multipurpose native forest and plantations
79
what are 2 causes dryland salinity
removal of large vegetation for agriculture which rises the groundwater table soil erosion exposing more subsoil
80
why mutualistic species can be referred to as reciprocal parasitism
because both species are exploiting resources from each other
81
how might a mutual relationship turn parasitic
changes to abiotic factors that cause the resources to deplete or changes in behaviour.
82
what is sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity
sensitivity is how much the impact can affect an individual exposure is how exposed an individual is to the impact adaptive capacity reflects how well an individual can react to the impact
83
what is a characteristic of invasive species that make them have lower vulnerability
high adaptive capacity due to greater dispersal and migration a broad range of habitat R selected
84
what is an introduced species
an introduced species is any species that is not from its original habitatw
85
what is an invasive speices
any species that is introduced and becomes abundant, this could be due to sport, religious or controlling reasons
86
what is a pest species
a pest species is one that interferes with human activities such as agriculture
87
what are 3 ways that make energy transferral inefficient in a trophic cascade
respiratory heat, wastes and not all fully assimilated/digested
88
what are 3 key sites for restoration ecology
control, impacted and reference site
89
what is a control site in RE
they are sites which are unmanaged to see the differences in restoration
90
what is an impacted site in RE
a site that is of concern for restoration
91
what is a reference site in RE
a site that is used to compared to control for benefits of restoration
92
why is ecosystem based management better than maximum sustainable yields
an EBM recognises the dynamic nature of marine ecosystems and aims to improve ecosystems as well as sustain maximum efficient yield of fish
93
what are two ways vegetation cover affects water quality
controlling of nutrient cycling preventing excess soil erosion causing sedimentation in water ways
94
what type of response is an oil spill
pulse response
95
what type of response is prolonged seafood harvesting
press response
96
what type of response is a desalination plant releasing toxic water
press response
97
what is an example of facilitation
alder (shrubs) species fixates nitrogen in the soil so other trees can grow
98

2115 (10 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions