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First Year Second Semester > Biology Chapters 1-5 > Flashcards

Biology Chapters 1-5 Flashcards

1
Q

Biosphere

A

The portions of Earth that support life; also refers to the total global ecosystem

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2
Q

Physiological ecology

A

The scientific study of how physiological limitations and adaptation influence the ability of organisms to cope with biotic and abiotic stress

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3
Q

Behavioural ecology

A

The study of the relationships between organisms and environment that are mediated by behaviour

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4
Q

Autoecology (autecology)

A

The ecological study of an individual roganism or of an individual species, particularly interactions with the environment

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5
Q

Population ecology

A

The scientific study of the structure and dynamics of populations

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6
Q

Abundance

A

The total number of individuals, or biomass, of a species present in a specified area

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7
Q

Community ecology

A

The scientific study of interactions among species within a community

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8
Q

Ecosystem ecology

A

The subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on the flow of energy and nutrients among the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem

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9
Q

Landscape ecology

A

The study of landscape structure and processes

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10
Q

Macroecology

A

A subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on the study of ecological patterns and processes that occur over a large geographic area

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11
Q

Primary productivity

A

A measure of plant growth rate, per unit area, per unit time. This is in contrast to standing biomass

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12
Q

Stable isotope analysis

A

Analysis of the relative concentrations of stable isotopes, such as 13^C and 12^C, in materials; used in ecology to study the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems

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13
Q

Mangrove forest

A

A forest of subtropical and tropical marine shores dominated by salt-tolerant woody plants, such as Rhisophora and Avicenia

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14
Q

Eutrophication

A

Nutrient enrichment of a water body through natural processes or pollution, generally causing rapid algal growth and reduced dissolved oxygen levels

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15
Q

Climate diagram

A

A standardized form of representing average patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation that identifies several ecologically important climatic factors, such as relatively moist periods and periods of drought

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16
Q

Distributions

A

The natural geographic range of an organism or the spatial arrangement of individuals in a local population

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17
Q

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)

A

Single base pair changes in DNA sequences that are used to quantify genetic diversity

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18
Q

Inductive reasoning

A

Reasoning in which premises provide evidence for the truth of a conclusion; the conclusion is deemed probable based on the evidence available

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19
Q

B horizon

A

A subsoil in which materials leached from above, generally from the A horizon, accumulate. May be rich in clay, rganic matter, iron, and other materials

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20
Q

C horizon

A

A soil layer composed of largely unaltered parent material, little affected by biological activity

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21
Q

Permafrost

A

A permanently frozen layer of soil that remains frozen even during summer months

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22
Q

Boreal forest (taiga)

A

Northern forests that occupy the area south of arctic tundra. Though dominated by coniferous trees, they also contain aspen and birch

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23
Q

Soil

A

The upper layer of the earth’s land surface, consisting of organic matter and minerals

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24
Q

O (organic) horizons

A

The most superficial soil layer containing substantial amounts of organic matter, including whole leaves, twigs, other plant parts, and highly fragmented organic matter

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25
Q

Epiphyte

A

A plant, such as an orchid, that grows on the surface of another plant but is not parasitic

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26
Q

Humus

A

Partially decomposed organic matter, generally found in soil

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27
Q

Root exudates

A

Organic compounds, such as amino acids, enzymes, and carbohydrates, that are secreted by plant roots into the surrounding soil

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28
Q

Tundra

A

A northern biome dominated by mosses, lichens, and dwarf willows, receiving low to moderate precipitation and having a very short growing season

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29
Q

Soliflucion

A

The slow movement of tundra soils down slopes as a result of annual freezing and thawing of surface soil and the actions of water and gravity

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30
Q

Temperate forest

A

Deciduous or coniferous forests generally found between 40º and 50º of latitude, where annual precipitation averages anywhere from about 650 mm to over 3,000 mm; this biome receives more winter precipitation than temperate grasslands

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31
Q

Temperate grasslands

A

Grasslands growing in middle latitudes that receive between 300 and 1,000 mm of annual precipitation, with maximum precipitation usually falling during the summer months

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32
Q

Tropical rain forest

A

A broadleaf evergreen forest growing in tropical regions where conditions are warm and wet year-round

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33
Q

Lateritic soils

A

Soils containing high concentrations of iron and aluminum and low concentrations of many essential plant nutrients. These soils are commonly caused by extensive weathering of the parent materials

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34
Q

Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands

A

A biome associated with mild, moist winter conditions and usually with dry summers. Vegetation is characterized by small, tough (sclerophyllous) leaves and adaptations to fire. This biome is found around the Mediterranean Sea and in western North America, Chile, southern Australia, and southern Africa. Also known as chaparral, garrigue, maquis, and fynbos

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35
Q

Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands

A

A biome associated with mild, moist winter conditions and usually with dry summers. Vegetation is characterized by small, tough (sclerophyllous) leaves and adaptations to fire. This biome is found around the Mediterranean Sea and in western North America, Chile, southern Australia, and southern Africa. Also known as chaparral, garrigue, maquis, and fynbos

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36
Q

Hydrologic cycle

A

The sun-driven cycle of water through the biosphere through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff

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37
Q

Littoral zone (intertidal)

A

The shallowest waters along a lake or ocean shore; where rooted aquatic plants may grow in lakes

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38
Q

Neritic zone

A

A coastal zone of the oceans, extending to the margin of a continental shelf, where the ocean is about 200 m deep

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39
Q

Oceanic zone

A

The open ocean beyond the continental shelf with water depths generally greater than 200 m

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40
Q

Downwelling

A

Movement of surface ocean water toward the bottom; occurs most commonly along the east coasts of continents and in the Arctic

41
Q

Mesopelagic zone

A

A middle depth zone of the oceans, extending from about 200 to 1,000 m

42
Q

Barrier reef

A

A long, ridgelike reef that parallels the mainland and is separated from it by a deep lagoon

43
Q

Atoll

A

A circle of low islands and coral reefs that ring a lagoon, generally formed on a submerged mountain called a seamount

44
Q

Hadal zone

A

The deepest parts of the oceans, below about 6,000 m

45
Q

Eutrophic

A

A term that applies to lakes, and sometimes to other ecosystems, with high nutrient content and high biological production

46
Q

Pelagic

A

A term referring to marine life zones or organisms above the bottom; for instance, tuna are pelagic fish that live in the epipelagic zone of the oceans

47
Q

Thermocline

A

A depth zone in a lake or ocean through which temperature changes rapidly with depth, generally about 1ºC per metre of depth

48
Q

Gyres

A

A large-scale, circular oceanic current that moves to the right (clockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left (counter-clockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere

49
Q

Upwelling

A

Movement of deeper ocean water to the surface, occurs most commonly along the west coasts of continents and around Antarctica

50
Q

Ecotypes

A

A genetically identifiable subclass of a species that has evolved in response to local environmental conditions

51
Q

Salinity

A

The salt content of water

52
Q

Photic zone

A

The upper layers of an ocean or lake in which there is enough light to support photosynthesis

53
Q

Phytoplankton

A

Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that drift with the currents in the open sea or in lakes

54
Q

Zooplankton

A

Animals that drift in the surface waters of the oceans or lakes; most zooplankton are microscopic

55
Q

Assortative mating

A

Mating among phenotypically similar (positive) or dissimilar (negative) individuals

56
Q

Fringing reefs

A

A coral reef that forms near the shore of an island or continent

57
Q

Albedo

A

The proportion of incident radiation reflected by a surface

58
Q

Acclimation

A

Physiological adjustment to change in an environmental factor, such as temperature or salinity

59
Q

Rate of primary production

A

The amount of energy fixed by the autotrophs in an ecosystem over some interval of time

60
Q

Riparian zone

A

The transition between the aquatic environment of a river or stream and the upland terrestrial environment, generally subject to periodic flooding and elevated groundwater table

61
Q

Hyporheic zone

A

A zone below the benthic zone of a stream; a zone of transition between surface, stream water flow, and groundwater

62
Q

Phreatic zone

A

The region below the hyporheic zone of a stream; contains groundwater

63
Q

Stream order

A

A numerical classification of streams in terms of where they occur in a stream drainage network. Headwater streams are first-order streams, joining of two first-order streams forms a second-order stream, joining of two second-order streams forms a third-order stream and so forth

64
Q

Flood pulse concept

A

A theory of river ecology identifying periodic flooding as an essential organizer of river ecosystem structure and functioning

65
Q

River continuum concept

A

A model that predicts change in physical structure, dominant organisms, and ecosystem processes along the length of temperate rivers

66
Q

Limnetic zone

A

The open lake beyond the littoral zone

67
Q

Founder effect

A

A decrease in genetic diversity associated with the formation of a new, small population

68
Q

Metalimnion

A

A depth zone between the epilmnion and hypolimnion characterized by rapid decreases in temperature and increases in water density with depth. Often used synonymously with the term thermocline

69
Q

Hypolimnion

A

The deepest layer of a lake below the epilmnion and thermocline

70
Q

Oligotrophic

A

Refers to lakes of low nutrient content, abundant oxygen, and low primary production

71
Q

Hardy-Weinberg principle

A

A principle that in a population mating at random in the absence of evolutionary forces, allele frequencies will remain constant

72
Q

Peat

A

Partially decomposed organic matter that builds pu in certain poorly drained wetland habitats

73
Q

Morphological species concept

A

A classification of organisms belonging to the same species based on conserved morphological (anatomical) features; this concept may be useful when organisms do not reproduce sexually or are extinct and known only through fossils

74
Q

Macroclimate

A

The prevailing climate for a region

75
Q

Salt marshes

A

A marine shore ecosystem dominated by herbaceous vegetation, found mainly along sandy shores from temperate to high latitudes

76
Q

Law of toleration

A

The abundance and distribution of an animal can be determined by the deviation between the local conditions and the optimum set of conditions for a species

77
Q

Metabolic heat

A

Energy released within an organism during the process of cellular respiration

78
Q

Natural selection

A

Differential reproduction and survival of individuals in a population due to environmental influences on the population; proposed by Charles Darwin as the primary mechanism driving evolution

79
Q

Phenotype plasticity

A

The ability to produce different phenotypes form a single genotype as a function of local conditions

80
Q

Stabilizing selection

A

A form of natural selection that acts against extreme phenotypes; can act to impede changes in populations

81
Q

Inbreeding

A

Mating between close relatives. Inbreeding tends to increase levels of homozygosity in populations and often results in offspring with lower survival and reproduction rates

82
Q

Biological species concept

A

Where populations of organisms able to interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring are classified as belonging to the same biological species

83
Q

Isolating mechanisms

A

Some process that prevents the production of a viable offspring between two individuals. Isolating mechanisms are critical to species integrity, and can occur pre- or postzygote formation

84
Q

Parapatric speciation

A

Speciation that occurs when a population expands into a new habitat-type within the pre-existing range of the parent species

85
Q

Sympatric speciation

A

Speciation that occurs when isolation mechanisms evolve among populations with overlapping geographic ranges

86
Q

Parallel evolution

A

The independent evolution of similar traits in geographically separated species

87
Q

Restriction enzymes

A

The enzymes produced by bacteria to cut up foreign DNA; used in DNA studies to cut DNA molecules at particular places called restriction sites

88
Q

Restriction sites

A

The particular locations where a restriction enzyme cuts a DNA molecule

89
Q

Restriction fragments

A

The DNA fragments resulting from the cutting of a DNA molecule by a restriction enzyme

90
Q

Riparian vegetation

A

Vegetation growth along rivers or streams

91
Q

Range of tolerance

A

The entire set of conditions, such as air temperature or soil moisture, under which an organism is potentially able to survive. Levels outside this range will be lethal

92
Q

Photosynthesis

A

Process in which the photosynthetic pigments of plants, algae, or bacteria absorb light and transfer their energy to electrons; the energy carried by these electrons is used to synthesize ATP and NADPH, which in turn serve as donors of electrons and energy for the synthesis of sugars

93
Q

Radiation

A

The transfer of heat through electromagnetic radiation, mainly infrared light

94
Q

Poikilotherms

A

An organism whose body temperature varies directly with environmental temperatures; commonly called cold-blooded

95
Q

Homeotherms

A

An organism that uses metabolic energy to maintain a relatively constant body temperature; such organisms are often called warm-blooded

96
Q

Thermophilic

A

A term applied to organisms that tolerate or require high-temperature environments

97
Q

Thermal neutral zone

A

The range of environmental temperatures over which the metabolic rate of a homeothermic animal does not change

98
Q

Torpor

A

A state of low metabolic rate and lowered body temperature

First Year Second Semester (14 decks)

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