Chapter 2 | Biological Interactions Flashcards
A Greek word where ecology is derived from
“oikos”
Deals with the interactions of organisms with each other and with their environment and how these interactions affect its reproduction and survival.
Science of Ecology
It determines the structure of the biosphere
Basic principles of life
3 Basic principles of Life
•cycling of nutrients
•survival and reproduction
•process of evolution
It determines which organisms will live in a particular region
Nature of the physical environment
Living organisms expend _________ to survive and reproduce.
Energy
It consist all external factors
Organism’s environment
These are physical factors such as: temperature, pH, amount of sunlight, ocean currents, wave action, type and size of sediment particles
Abiotic factors
These factors are living organisms and their interaction with each other.
Biotic factors
Specific place in the environment where an organism is found
Habitat
Are primarily characterized by their abiotic features, the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment
Marine habitats
Smaller subdivision of habitat
Microhabitats
the more complex the habitat, the more ____________ ___ _______________.
microhabitats it contains
Example that contain thousand of microhabitats
Coral reefs
It is the internal balancing of factors that occurs in the face of changes in the external environment.
Homeostasis
is vital to life of all organism
Maintaining homeostasis
An organism’s response to environmental change can involve changes in its ___________ and __________.
Physiology and Behavior
What will happen if ever an animals were forced to occupy habitats that have a less than optimal range of environmental factors?
They may fail to reproduce or even die.
In what kind of factors (range) does an organism be able to thrive and reproduce?
If the factors are within/remain on its Optimal range
What will happen when one or more of the environmental factors is outside the optimal range?
An organism’s chances of survival are decreased
Optimal Range
Stress Zone
Zone of Intolerance
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2
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This is the region above or below the optimal range of an environmental variable
Zone of stress
Beyond the stress zone
Zone of Intolerance
environmental variable is so far from the optimal range that the organism cannot survive
Zone of Intolerance
It includes such factors as sunlight, temperature, salinity, pressure, nutrients, and waste.
Marine organism’s Physical environment
Largest group of photosynthetic organisms in Marine environment
Phytoplankton
Primary sources of nutrients and energy for marine animals
Phytoplankton together with seaweeds and plants
Mostly microscopic, plantlike organisms and bacteria that float in ocean currents
Phytoplankton
Why does the phytoplankton can only survive in shallowest areas in cloudy coastal waters and estuaries?
Because sunlight penetrates to a depth of less than 1 meter
it also necessary for vision
Sunlight
Many animals rely on vision for capturing pret, avoiding predators and for communication
Sunlight
Majority of the marine animals are?
Ectotherms
they obtain most of their body heat from their surroundings
Ectotherms
They become sluggish when the temperature drops and more active when temperatures rises.
Ectotherms
Marine mammals and birds are ___________.
Endotherms
Can maintain a constant body temperature because it’s metabolism can generate sufficient heat internally
Endotherms
Measure of the concentration of dissolved inorganic salts in the water
Salinity
Substances that are dissolved in water
Solutes
To keep their cells alive, all organisms must maintain balance of ________ and __________.
water and solutes
A process which is vital to the life of a cell
Osmosis
What will happen if a cell loses too much water?
It will become dehydrated or die
An example of a marine animals that cannot regulate the salt concentration of their body
Spider crab (Macrocheira)
Pressure at sea level
760 mm Hg or 1 atmosphere
It is so much denser than air
Water
What allows some animals to thrive and survive in great depths?
They possessed specialized adaptations
Availability of nutrients strongly influences the distribution of organisms in the marine environment
Metabolic requirements
A particularly important requirement for metabolism
Oxygen
By-product of photosynthesis
Oxygen
It is where the ability of water to dissolve oxygen depends on
Salinity and temperature
A water in the open sea that contains more oxygen
Cooler and less-salty water
This greatly increase the nutrient levels in some coastal waters
Water runoff from land
A process of nutrient enrichment
Eutrophication
It leads to population explosions of certain types of photosynthetic planktons
Eutrophication
An event of population explosions of certain types of photosynthetic planktons
Algal bloom
What process that robs the water of oxygen?
Decomposition
All organisms when they metabolized produces?
Waste products
This are being releases as a product of respiration
Carbon dioxide
If the plant releases oxygen when they photosynthesize, what does the animals excrete as a waste products?
Nitrogen -rich waste products
A group of the same species that occupies a specified area.
Population
They interact with each other and are able to breed with each other
Members of population
They rely on the same sources and are influenced by the same environmental factors
Members of Population
Every population has _________ boundaries.
Geographical
A technique used by biologist to estimate a population’s size
Another method to get an idea of the population size like looking for burrows or the tell-tale trails
Look for evidence of an organism’s presence
A procedure where animals are captured and then tagged or marked before being released again.
mark-recapture-method
One common sampling method
counting the number of individuals in a representative area or plot within the range
it is the number of individuals per unit area or volume
Population density
refers to the pattern of spacing among individuals within the range
Dispersion
How does a population change in size?
Population changes by individuals may add through reproduction and immigration, or individuals may be eliminated through death and emigration
Typically what kind of individuals are more likely to die?
Very young and old individuals
They have youthful strength and the survival skills that come with maturity
Individuals of Intermediate age
Another important factor affecting population growth which is the average time between an individual’s birth and the birth of its offspring
Generation time
3 things that affect the population growth
•Generation time
•Sex ratio
•Survivorship
It refers to how long, on average, an individual of a given age could be expected to live.
Survivorship
Composed of populations of different species that occupy one habitat at the same time
Community
An organism’s environmental roles
Niche
