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ESS > Chapter 2: Ecosystems and Ecology > Flashcards

Chapter 2: Ecosystems and Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

2.1 Species

A

a group of organisms sharing common characteristics that interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

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2
Q

2.1 Population

A

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, and which are capable of interbreeding.

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3
Q

2.1 Habitat

A

the environment in which a species normally lives.

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4
Q

2.1 Niche

A

how an organism makes a living: the biotic and abiotic conditions and resources to which an organism or population responds.
Two niches:

– Fundamental niche: the conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce.

– Realizes niche: the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions.

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5
Q

2.1 Biotic factors

A

the living parts of an ecosystem - organisms, their interaction (direct or indirect effect on other organisms), or their waste.

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6
Q

2.1 Abiotic factors

A

the non-living parts of an ecosystem - factors that influence the organisms and ecosystem. E.g. sunlight, temperature, wind, water, soil and naturally occurring events such as storms, fires, and volcanic eruptions.

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7
Q

2.1 Limiting factors

A

factors that slow down the growth of a population as it reaches carrying capacity.

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8
Q

2.1 Carrying capacity

A

the maximum number of a species that can be sustainably supported by a given area.

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9
Q

2.1 Population dynamics

A

the study of the factors that cause changes to population size.

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10
Q

2.1 Competition (population interaction)

A

a harmful fight between two species or organisms due to a limited supply of a resource (such as food, water, or territory).

E.g.: Sea anemones competing for territory in a tide pool.

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11
Q

2.1 Intraspecific competition (population interaction)

A

competition for limited resources within the same species.
When the population grows, competition does as well until the carrying capacity of the ecosystem is reached. In this situation, the stronger individuals will claim the larger share of the resources and as such stabilize population numbers [S-curve].

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12
Q

2.1 Interspecific competition (population interaction)

A

competition for limited resources within two individuals of different species.
This can result in a balance where the resource is shared between the two, or competitive exclusion, in which one species dominates.
Competition reduces the carrying capacity for each of the competing species, as both species use the same resource[s].

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13
Q

2.1 Predation (population interaction)

A

the consumption of one organism by another (animals and plants).

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14
Q

2.1 Herbivory (population interaction)

A

the consumption of a plant by an animal (herbivore).

Some plants have defence mechanism against this: nettles, cacti, and poison ivy.

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15
Q

2.1 Parasitism (population interaction)

A

a relationship between two species in which one species lives in or on another, gaining its food from it.
High parasite population can lead to the host’s death.

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16
Q

2.1 Mutualism (population interaction)

A

a relation between two or more species in which all benefit and none suffer.

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17
Q

2.1 S-curve (population change)

A

The response of a population to a particular set of abiotic and/or biotic factors/conditions. Starts with exponential growth with no limiting factors affecting the growth. The growth rate slows down gradually resulting in a population of constant size (carrying capacity).

https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/70059957_534538873774747_6497840122149470208_n.png?_nc_cat=101&_nc_oc=AQkG-iy1QhXlOrFK7jst0PqGq5WMsMbL4Yl4U5CAsg7N3AA14Vd1SfRn7ZJc6ibiGsE&_nc_ht=scontent-arn2-1.xx&oh=1aa90bd012e2c40a0d419efb22af4063&oe=5DF3E220

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18
Q

2.1 J-curves (population change)

A

The response of a population to a particular set of abiotic and/or biotic factors/conditions. Starts with exponential population growth which suddenly collapses (called diebacks). Often, the population exceeds the carrying capacity before the collapse occurs (called overshoots)

https: //scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/69877982_418807602323120_5441919826857558016_n.png?_nc_cat=109&_nc_oc=AQkeIEE2bxU2KmVSZCai0eUd2Ohns9rmuvegE8gDvJNIBOv7vfgaeXoapVjASyojfbw&_nc_ht=scontent-arn2-1.xx&oh=c7fee335ab5ff31f3cfba1d60c887938&oe=5DF6B390
https: //scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/69920938_2457486804529311_7126200756746584064_n.png?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQnRYCshKRvb5BQU74lBOE8jOv8aT2Mz3MpYYwoCijQl9mmtloVfQBRHo_O-pEm-iYI&_nc_ht=scontent-arn2-1.xx&oh=048291b3238cac80b7677048043d8cf4&oe=5E07ACA3

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19
Q

2.2 Community

A

a community is a group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat.

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20
Q

2.2 Ecosystems

A

a community and the physical environment it interacts with.

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21
Q

2.2 Respiration

A

the conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide and water in all living organisms, releasing energy.
Respiration involves breaking down food, often in the form of glucose, to release energy which is used in living processes. These processes are: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition.
Respiration can use oxygen (aerobic) or not (anaerobic).
Aerobic respiration:
glucose + oxygen – energy + water + carbon dioxide.

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22
Q

2.2 Photosynthesis

A

the process by which green plants make their own food from water in the form of glucose and carbon dioxide using energy from sunlight.
Photosynthesis:
carbon dioxide + water –(light energy/chlorophyll)– glucose + oxygen

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23
Q

2.2 Trophic level

A

the position that an organism occupies in a food chain, or a group of organisms in a community that occupy the same position in food chains.

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24
Q

2.2 Food chain

A

the flow of energy from one organism to the next. Food chains show the feeding relationships between species in an ecosystem.

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25
Q

2.2 Producers

A

organisms that obtain their energy by producing their own food:

  • Autotrophs (green plants): make their own food from carbon dioxide and water using energy from sunlight.
  • Chemosynthetic organisms: make their own food from other simple compounds and do not require sunlight and are often bacteria found in deep oceans.
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26
Q

2.2 Consumers (heterotrophs)

A

feed on autotrophs or other heterotrophs to obtain energy (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, detritivores, and decomposers).

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27
Q

2.2 Food webs

A

a complex network of interrelated food chains

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28
Q

Biomass

A

the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume (mass of each individual * number of individuals). It is the quantity of (dry) organic material in an organism, a population, a particular trophic level, or an ecosystem.

29
Q

2.2 Ecological pyramid

A

are pyramids of numbers, biomass, and productivity and are quantitative models and are usually measured for a given area and time.
They give us an idea of energy transfers and losses, on what feeds on what and the different trophic levels.

30
Q

2.2 Pyramid of numbers

A

a pyramid that shows the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain at one time. The units are number per unit area.

31
Q

2.2 Pyramid of biomass

A

a pyramid that contains the biomass at each trophic level. The unit is mass per unit area (often grams per square meter (g m^-2) or kilograms per water volume (e.g. kg km^-3)).

32
Q

2.2 Pyramid of productivity

A

a pyramid that shows the rate of flow of energy or biomass through each trophic level. It shows the energy or biomass being generated and available as food to the next trophic level during a fixed period of time. They are measured in units of energy or mass per unit area per period of time.

33
Q

2.2 Herbivore

A

an animal that eats plant matter.

34
Q

2.2 Carnivore

A

an animal that eats other animals.

35
Q

2.2 Omnivore

A

an animal that eats both meat and vegetation.

36
Q

2.2 Detrivore

A

a type of carnivore that eats small amounts of dead animals killed by something other than themselves.

37
Q

2.2 Decomposer

A

a micro-organism that utilizes enzymes to speed up chemical reactions and break down a dead animal’s carcass and plants as well as excrement.

38
Q

2.2 Trophic efficiency

A

the efficiency of transfer from one trophic level to the next. Only 10% of the energy in one trophic level is transferred to the next.

39
Q

2.2 Bioaccumulation

A

is the build-up of a persistent pollutant within an organism or trophic level because it is not biodegradable.

40
Q

2.2 Biomagnification

A

is the increase in concentration of persistent pollutants along a food chain.

41
Q

2.3 Energy flow diagrams

A

diagrams that show the energy entering and leaving each trophic level, the loss of energy through respiration, and the transfer of material as energy to the decomposer food chain.

42
Q

2.3 Nutrient cycles

A

the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of matter. Energy flow is a unidirectional and noncyclic pathway, whereas the movement of mineral nutrients is cyclic. The major mineral cycles include the carbon cycle, sulfur cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle, phosphorus cycle, and oxygen cycle.

43
Q

2.3 Assimilation

A

how much an animal absorbs a substance - e.g. assimilating grass into its body.

Efficiency of assimilation = gross productivity*100/food eaten.

44
Q

2.3 Productivity

A

the rate of generation of biomass in a certain animal - the conversion of energy into biomass over a given period of time.

Efficiency of biomass productivity = net productivity*100/gross productivity

45
Q

2.3 Energy budget

A

the quantities of energy entering, staying, and leaving the animal or population.

46
Q

2.3 Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

A

the maximum sized crop or cath that can be taken from the stock of a species without depleting the stock.

47
Q

2.3 Energy subsidy

A

additional energy besides the sun put into a system by farmers.

48
Q

2.3 Gross productivity (GP)

A

the total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time. It is the biomass gained by an organism before deductions.

49
Q

2.3 Net productivity (NP)

A

the gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time that remains after deduction due to respiration.

50
Q

2.3 Gross primary productivity (GPP)

A

the total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time by green plants. It is the energy fixed by plants by photosynthesis.

51
Q

2.3 Net primary productivity (NPP)

A

the total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time by green plants after allowing losses to respiration. It is the increase in biomass of the plant (how much it grows) and the biomass available to consumers (animals)

NPP= GPP - Respiratory loss

52
Q

2.3 Gross secondary productivity (GSP)

A

the total energy/biomass assimilated by consumers and is calculated as follows:
GSP = food eaten - fecal loss

53
Q

2.3 Net secondary productivity (NSP)

A

the total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time by consumers after allowing for losses to respiration.
NSP = GSP - Respiratory loss

54
Q

Productivity lingo

A

Gross:
refers to the total amount of something made as a result of an activity, e.g. profit from a business.

Net:
refers to the amount left after deductions are made, e.g. the deduction of tax from a salary.

Primary:
in ecology means to do with plants.

Secondary:
is to do with animals.

Biomass:
is the living mass of an organism[s]

55
Q

Studying ecosystems

A

yo you can use quadrats to measure how many shizles of plants and stuff there’s in one quadrant size ya feel me wicked. You can also use a transect, which be a sample path/line wiv which you can record the occurrence and distribution of plants shiet.

56
Q

Measuring abundance

A

When measuring species abundance we can assess it by measuring the:

  • density: mean number of plants per m^2
  • Frequency: the percentage of the total quadrat number that the species was present in, may also be measured within the quadrat.
  • Precentage cover: how much does the organism cover (usually, it is difficult to measure the amount of individual plants)
57
Q

Lincoln Index (capture, mark, release and recapture)

A

m↓2/n↓2=n↓1/N
or
N=n↓1*n↓2/m↓2
where:
-n↓1 is the number of animals first marked and released
-n↓2 is the number of animals captured in the second sample
-m↓2 is the number of marked animals in the second sample
-N is the Lincoln Index or total population.

58
Q

Simpson Diversity Index

A

Measures diversity. 1 means 1 organism of the species measured and any larger number means more diversity.
D= N(N-1)/Σn(n-1)
where:
-D is the Simpson diversity index
-N is the total number of organism of all species found
-n is the number of individuals of a particular species

59
Q

Biome

A

A collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions:

-Aquatic - freshwater (swamp forests, lakes and ponds, streams and rivers, bogs) and marine (rocky shore, mud flats, coral reef, mangrove swamp, continental shelf, deep ocean).
-Deserts - hot and cold
-Forests - tropical, temperate and boreal (taiga)
-Grassland - tropical or savanna and temperate
Tundra - arctic and alpine.

What affects where biomes are located:
Temperature, insolation and precipitation (all three affect that rate of photosynthesis) are the most important abiotic (physical) factors:
-Temperature: hotter nearer the equator and cooler towards the poles (due to sun rays hitting directly at the equator)
-Latitude and altitude (generally gets colder as increase in either of the two).
-Ocean currents and winds: distribute heat energy with latent heat when water goes from gas to liquid to solid, it gives out heat to its surroundings and the opposite process takes heat.

[see page 113 for differences in these factors in different biomes]

How to identify biome from temperature and precipitation levels:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Climate_influence_on_terrestrial_biome.svg

60
Q

Biosphere

A

the part of the Earth inhabited by organisms. It extends from the upper part of the atmosphere down to the deepest parts of the oceans which support life.

61
Q

Precipitation to evaporation ratio (P/E ratio)

A

e.g.: 75 cm of snow falls/year, 50 cm are lost by evaporation, then P/E ratio is 75/50 or 1.25.

62
Q

Productivity

A

Productivity is greater in low latitudes (nearer the equator) where temperatures are high all through the year, sunlight input is high, and precipitation is high. These conditions are ideal for photosynthesis.

63
Q

Insolation

A

exposure to sun rays

64
Q

2 Biome example (desert and tropical rainforest)

A

check docs/doc Biomes - desert and tropical rainforest

65
Q

Zonation

A

the change in a community along an environmental gradient due to factors such as changes in altitude, latitude, tidal level, or distance from the shore.

For each species, there is an ecological niche. Many abiotic and biotic factors influence these limits:
Temperature (decreases with higher altitude and latitude)
Precipitation (not much higher up - air too dry)
Solar insolation (more intense at higher altitudes)
Soil type (decomposition is faster in warmer zones, higher up it is slow)
Interactions between species (competition)
Human activities (tourism, deforestation, agriculture)

66
Q

Succession

A

the process of change OVER TIME in an ecosystem involving, pioneer, intermediate, and climax communities.
-It may occur on bare ground with the colonization of newly created land by organisms (primary succession) or where soil already formed but the vegetation has been removed (secondary succession) as an already established community has suddenly been destroyed.
-Early in succession, gross primary productivity (GPP) and respiration are low and so net primary productivity (NPP) is high as biomass accumulates.
-In later stages, respiration increases so NPP approaches zero.
-A climax community is reached at the end of succession when species composition stops changing.
-The more complex the ecosystem( higher biodiversity, increasing age), the more stable it tends to be.
-In agricultural systems, humans often deliberately stop succession when NPP is high and crops are harvested: known as arrested and deflected successions (may also be natural factors).
-Humans interrupt succession by deforestation, grazing with animals, or controlled burning.
Sometimes the ecosystem recovers from interruptions and succession continue, but sometimes the interruption is too great and the system is less resilient and so succession is stopped.

During a succession:

  • The size of organisms increases with trees creating a hospitable environment
  • Energy flow becomes more complex as simple food chains become complex
  • Soil depth, humus, water-holding capacity, mineral content, and cycling all increase.
  • Biodiversity increases because more niches appear
  • NPP and GPP rise and then fall, respiration ratio falls.
67
Q

Stages in primary succession

A

-Bare, inorganic surface
-Step 1: colonization
-2: establishment
3: competition
-4:stabilization
-Climax community
(page 117)

68
Q

K- and r-strategists

A

Species can be divided into K- and r-strategists. K and r are variables that refer to carrying capacity and exponentially, respectfully.
K: Long life, slower growth, late maturity, fewer large offspring, high parental care and protection, adapted to a stable environment, later stages of succession, niche specialists, predators, higher trophic level.
E.g. humans.
R-strategists: the opposite.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ev3tyfsXzCI/VpkSRJxgVKI/AAAAAAAAADE/P17Iz9meixY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-01-15%2Bat%2B10.37.09%2BAM.png

ESS (8 decks)

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