chapter 10 - adaptations and diversity

Question 1

abiotic factors

Answer 1

non-living factors
eg temp, wind, water

Question 2

biotic factors

Answer 2

living factors
eg animals, plants, fungi

Question 3

animals: structural adaptions to hot temps

Answer 3

-insulation: more insulated, harder it is to release heat
-sa:v ratio: high releases or absorbs large amount of heat in little time

Question 4

animals: physiological adaptions to hot temps

Answer 4

-metabolic heat: endotherms spend energy producing metabolic heat, ectotherms obtain heat from environment
-surface blood flow: when internal temps rise, blood vessels dilate, cooling animal
-increase water input
-decrease water output
-evaporate cooling

Question 5

animals: behavioural adaptions to hot temps

Answer 5

-evading extreme conditions
-enduring extreme conditions

Question 6

plants: adaptions to hot temps

Answer 6

plants must:
-decrease heat intake: having light-coloured/reflective leaves, producing leaves with small sa:v ratio, having leaves vertical
-maximise water uptake: deep or horizontal root systems
-minimise water loss: reducing water lost via stomata

Question 7

challenges of cold environments

Answer 7

-low temps
-piercing winds
-low availability of nutrients
-precipitation as snow

Question 8

animals: structural adaptions to cold temps

Answer 8

-insulation: thick layer
-sa:v ratio: reducing ratio releases heat slowly

Question 9

animals: physiological adaptions to cold temps

Answer 9

-endotherms vs ectotherms: endotherms are more common in cold and it’s easier to maintain internal body temp
-torpor: hibernation and brumation allow animals to survive on little food or water, avoid harsh weather
-circulation: vasoconstriction (reduced diameter of small blood vessel) and counter current circulation

Question 10

counter current circulation

Answer 10

-uses heat in blood travelling from heart, to heat the cold blood returning from animal’s periphery
-this cools blood heading towards periphery

Question 11

animals: behavioural adaptions to cold temps

Answer 11

-reducing exposed surface area
-huddling
-seeking shelter
-migrating to warmer climate

Question 12

problems plants have with freezing

Answer 12

-enzyme and protein driven reactions progress slowly at lower temps
-formation of ice crystals rupture cell membrane and other cell contents, plant vascular systems are blocked with ice

Question 13

how plants prevent freezing

Answer 13

-when temps drop, plant cells deceive signals to increase concentration of solutes in their cells, increasing a plant’s resistance to freezing
-cold adapted plants can produce antifreeze proteins, disrupts formation of ice crystals

Question 14

deciduous trees

Answer 14

-seasonally drop all leaves to avoid harsh conditions
advantages to evergreen trees:
-avoids freezing leaf tissue during winter
-requires less energy and water to survive during winter
-experiences less branch breaking

Question 15

seed dormancy

Answer 15

-dormant seeds are unable to germinate during a specific time under certain environmental conditions
-trait of many cold adapted plants - seeds dispersed before winter and remain dormant until warmer months

Question 16

ecosystem

Answer 16

multiple communities interacting with one another and their physical environment

Question 17

ecological organisation

Answer 17

-cell: individual cells of a larger organism
-organism: individual living thing
-population: a group of organisms of the same species living in the same geographical region
-community: a group of interacting populations of different species in the same geographic region
-ecosystem: multiple communities interacting with one another and their physical environment

Question 18

population size

Answer 18

total number of members within a given population

Question 19

carrying capacity

Answer 19

a limit to how many individuals an environment can support and sustain

Question 20

population growth model

Answer 20

Ni + 1 = Ni + births - deaths + immigration - emigration
Ni + 1 = future population size
Ni - initial population size

Question 21

factors that can alter population size

Answer 21

-births
-deaths
-immigration
-emigration

Question 22

population distribution

Answer 22

a species’ geographical spread across different areas
-limited by ideal habitat of species and its ability to tolerate different environment
-can be uniform, random, or clumped arrangement
-can change due to environmental factors

Question 23

population density

Answer 23

the number of individuals found in a given area
-some factors can influence populations regardless of population density

Question 24

density independent factors

Answer 24

-properties of the environment that are unaffected as density changes (eg climate)
-this factor will have the same effect on two populations of different density

Question 25

density dependent factors

Answer 25

-properties of the environment that change with the density of a species (eg availability of resources)
-as density increases the effect of this factor becomes stronger

Question 26

interactions between species

Answer 26

-mutualism (+/+)
-commensalism (+/0)
-predation (+/-)
-parasitism (+/-)
-amensalism (0/-)
-competition (-/-)

Question 27

mutualism (+/+)

Answer 27

both species benefit from interacting with each other

Question 28

commensalism (+/0)

Answer 28

one gains some benefit while the others experience no significant benefit or harm

Question 29

predation (+/-)

Answer 29

one organism (predator) hunts and kills another organism (prey) for food

Question 30

parasitism (+/-)

Answer 30

one organism (parasite) obtains nutrients at the expense of the other organism
-ectoparasites - lives externally to host
-endoparasites - lives inside the host

Question 31

amensalism (0/-)

Answer 31

one organism experiences a negative effect whilst the other experiences neither a beneficial nor negative effect

Question 32

competition (-/-)

Answer 32

rivalling for same pool of resources - availability of resources decreases
-interspecific competition - involves different species
-intraspecific competition - involves individuals of same species

Question 33

keystone species

Answer 33

a species that plays a disproportionately large role in maintaining a given ecosystem
-removing a keystone species typically has a larger effect than the removal of other species

Question 34

apex predator

Answer 34

-a predator within an ecosystem that sits on top of the food chain - has no natural predators
-they are responsible for controlling the number of their prey, and subsequently, the number of many other organisms within an ecosystem

Question 35

ecosystem engineers

Answer 35

interact with an significantly alter the physical environment of their ecosystem