Biology midterm 1-8 Flashcards
Species tolerance
There is ranges of tolerance along environmental gradients. Looks like a bell graph. There main parts, a species can be surviving, growing and reproducing. Reproduction is the smallest and the hardest
Model organism
These are the species that scientist use to model all other organism off of when doing experiments. Mice for vertebrates , Flies for bugs, Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale cress) for plants
Population
Community
Ecosystem
- A group of a single species in one area
2.A group of species all living in one area - A group of all the species AND nonliving things in one area (water,dirt)
What limits species ranges
Dispersal
Climatic ( or other inexhaustible conditions,
e.g., temperature, salinity)
Food or other exhaustible resources, e.g.,
nutrients, space, etc.
Species interactions, (e.g., competition,
predation, or mutualism)
The sixth extinction
Human may be facing a 6th extinction due to climate change. extinction beforehand were based on natural things (asteroids, volcanoes)
Hutchinsonian niche
The niche is “an n-dimensional
hypervolume” in which each
axis is an “ecological factor”
important to the species being
considered
Temperatures and Latitude connection
Higher latitudes are colder; seasonality is a function of temperature (summer-winter)
Lower latitudes are warmer; seasonality is a function of rainfall; ( wet season-dry season)
What does rain depend mostly on
atmospheric circulation, offshore ocean currents, rain shadows
Rain shadow
a patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather.
What factors determine biome?
Seasonality(winter-summer or dry season-wet sesaon), rain, latuatuide and atmospheric circulation
Atmospheric movement, simple definition
the movement of air around the planet. It explains how thermal energy and storm systems move over the Earth’s surface.
Hadley cells
Warm moist Air is rising at the equator and then moving up before dry cool air is sinking at about 30 degrees latitude(negative or postive)
Ferrell cell
The middle part of poral and Hadley Cells, like the gear and will flow the warmer equator air from the Hadley and the cold polar air from the polar cells. It’s not based on temperatures leading to semi-perimeter places with high and low pressure. Where air is raising, it’s low pressure, where the air is descending, it’s high pressure and lead to our desserts. Between 60 and 70 degrees (north or south)
Polar Cells
Th smallest cell, the cold dense air circulates at low levels and then begins to warm as it leave. Located at 60-70 latuatide.
Intertropical Convergence Zone
This is when the positions of the direct sunlight which hit the equator causes the low pressure and rain and then the area around it gets high pressure which causes no rainfall. This is what causes wet and dry seasons. It shifts from the different tropics as the earth rotates around the sun which is why not place is always in the wet seasons or dry season.
Coriolis effect
the Earth’s rotation deflects winds
Objects (including hurricanes) appear to be deflected eastwards as they move away from the equator and deflected westwards as they move towards the equator
Horse latitudes
A part of the subtropics known for little wind and perception (30 N and S) Here the air descends back to Earth’s surface at about 30 degrees’ latitude north and south of the equator. This is known as the high-pressure subtropical ridge.
Doldrums
A belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters
Northeast and southeast
These are the strongest winds that are also known as the “trading winds”
What is special about the latitude 40?
It is called the roaring 40’s as it’s known for being extremely rough and dangerous for ships. It’s like this because as the temperature gradient decreases, air is deflected toward the poles by the Earth’s rotation, causing strong westerly and prevailing winds at approximately 40 degrees. Stronger in the south than in the north due to the north having more ocean.
What are the common biome trends
That latitude determines most biomes. Rain and temperatures as play a major factor, rain more so. The higher the production of rain, the warmer the biome, the more vegetation produced. (ex: almost all deserts are at latitude 30S/N)
Orographic precipitation
air forced up mountainsides
undergoes cooling, precipitates on upper windward slopes
How doe oceans affect rain?
The driest deserts occur inland of cold-water, upwellings: cold water = dry air
What is Range of tolerance
environmental condition which limit where a species can live
What can looking at an organism physiology features tell you about it?
They reflect the climate and other conditions that the organism has adapted to. It can also tell you where is lives when comparing to other organism in the area. Different environments lead to different solution and Similar environments often lead to similar adaptations(convergent evolution)
Where is temperature variation the lowest?
Near the equator. This explains why animals have a wider array of adaptations in higher latitudes.
Poikilotherms
“cold blooded animals” they can’t deviate from the external elements. lack physiological means to deviate from environmental temperature (although they use behavioral means like movement or going into water): their temperatures fluctuate. Mostly reptiles, fish and invertebrates
Homeotherms
“Warm blooded animals” When an animal heat themselves through internal means (they are still affect by external elements but they are less effected) must regulate heat balance to keep internal temperature within a very narrow range.
Which has a lower energry requirement, Homeotherms or Poikilotherms. Why?
Poikilotherms. Because they use less engery maintaining their interal body temp.
5 modes of heat gain/ loss
○ Radiation-Heat transfer by electromagnetic radiation
○ Conduction-hear transfer by direct contact (like touching a dog to warm up or putting your feet on the floor)
○ Convection heat transfer mediated by moving fluid (normally air or water) (warming up in a hot bath or cooling down in a cool river)
○ Evaporation-cooling from wet surfaces (this is why we sweat it’s to take advantage of this process)
○ Redistribution-circulatory systems redistribute heat among body parts
Why does size matter(heat)
Heat balance is based on surface. The smaller the animal, the faster the animal can lose heat.
What is Bergmann’s rule
Organisms at higher latitudes should be larger and thicker than those closer to the equator to better conserve heat
Why does size matter(SA)
Sometimes SA(surface area) needed for functions
Sometimes shape is needed for function
The size may be a trade off
How can animals keep warm in cold places?
Fur, blubber, feathers.
