Biology 20 - Chapter 3 : Ecosystems and their Diversity Flashcards
Taxonomy
The new practice of classifying living things. New species are constantly being discovered, and previously classified species are always being studied further with new methods, so taxonomy is dynamic and ever-changing.
Ecology
The study of relationships between living things (organisms) and their nonliving surroundings (environment.)
Environment
The place where organisms live or occupy. The environment includes all the elements surrounding the organism.
Population
Groups of the same species living in a specific area at the same time. They interact with each other.
Community
Consists of all of the populations and individuals in an area interacting with one another.
Biosphere
Includes all parts of the earth that are inhabitable by some form of life and extends several km into the atmosphere and several meters into the soil, as well as km deep into the ocean.
Ecosystem
A community of populations, together with the abiotic factors that influence it. They can be very small or large.
Species
Individuals who can breed with one another and produce fertile offspring.
Domain
The highest taxonomic rank in the hierarchical biology classification system. Archaea, the bacteria, and the Eukarya.
Kingdom
The second highest taxonomic rate and is divided into five kingdoms, animal, plant, fungi, protista, and monera.
Phylum
Third taxonomic rate, the major ranking of organisms defined according to the most basic body parts shared by that group.
Class
The fourth taxonomic rate, it is a major group of organisms that contains a large number of different sub-lineages but have shared characteristics in common. Ex warm-blooded, fur, etc..
Order
Fifth taxonomic rate. a group of organisms that have many differences but have a large degree of characteristics in common, ex. butterflies and moths have minute scales on their wings.
Family
Sixth taxonomic rate, group of organisms where their differences are quite minor ex. man and ape-men. Some families contain thousands of species, others might only have a single species.
Genus
Seventh taxonomic rate, very closely related species are grouped together in a single genus. Kind of like a surname, where species is the first name.
Climate
The average weather conditions in an area over a period of time (usually 30 years).
Biomes
Types of large ecosystems or groups of ecosystems that live in specific regions on earth. Each biome has a particular mix of plants, animals, and other organisms that are adapted to living under that biome’s environmental conditions.
Habitat
A place or area within a biome or ecosystem that has a particular set of biotic and abiotic characteristics. An organism’s address.
Range
The geological area where the organism is found.
Niche
The role that its members play in an ecosystem. An organism’s occupation.
Adaptation
The evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better able to live in its habitat or habitats. The degree to which an organism is able to live and reproduce in a set of given habitats.
Variation
Any difference between the individuals in a species or groups of organisms of any species.
Biodiversity
The diversity, or variety of plants and animals and other living things in a particular area or region.
Competition
A relationship between organisms that strive for the same resources in the same place. It might be food, water or space.
Predators
Any organism consumes another. This can also be herbivores.
Parasites
Limit populations because parasite interactions arise when populations are dense.
Random sampling
Type of probability sampling used to select a sample that is unbiased.
Transect
Sampling, specifically in a long straight line, then extrapolating.
Quadrat
A series of squares of a set size placed in a habitat of interest, the species within those quadrats identified and recorded.
Binomial Nomenclature
Proposed by Linnaeus, a system of naming living things.
- The first name is always an organism’s genus and is always capitalized.
- The second word in a name always refers to the species, never capitalized.
- Both names are typed: in italics or handwritten: underlined.
- Ex; Homo sapien
Dichotomous keys
Commonly used by biologists, which use observable characteristics of organisms to identify them. Scientists work through the keys step by step until arriving at the identity of the organism they are observing. Always provides two distinct options at each step.
The relationship between climate and biomes
Life on Earth is not evenly distributed. All organisms live within a range of tolerances they can survive within certain ranges of; temperature, pH, salinity, humidity, etc.. Each organism has ideal conditions under which it thrives.
CLIMATE is the average weather conditions in an area over a period of time (usually 30+ years) It is determined by temperature and rainfall, which are determined by geography, longitude, snow and ice cover, and bodies of water nearby. Uneven heating in the earth’s atmosphere results in winds and ocean currents which influence physical features, rainfall, therefore climate.
Limiting factors
Populations of organisms can grow in an unlimited way. Biotic and abiotic factors that limit the growth of a population are called limiting factors.
Biotic limiting factors
Competition for a resource (food, space, sunlight, water, soil nutrients, shelter, mates, and breeding sites) It can be INTRAspecific (between members of the same population) or between members of different populations who occupy similar niches. Invasive species and introduced species are a problem when they outcompete the native species of an area. Also, predators, when an organism consumes another organism. Parasites limit populations because parasite’s interaction rises when populations are dense, parasites numbers rise, populations fall.
Abiotic limiting factors
Includes soil type, temperature, moisture and humidity levels and nutrient levels for plants, and temperature and availability of moisture and food for animals. Ex. phosphorus limiting factor for plant growth.
Human impacts limiting factors
Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation/ degradation.
Other things to study:
- Relationship between individual organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes and the biosphere
- Taxonomy and the order of classification
- How living things are classified
- Biological species definition
- The three domains of life, and what is contained within each.
- How variation helps species survive and change
- Population sampling techniques
- Types of kingdoms, domains
