Chapter 49 (exam 4) Flashcards
ecology
study of organisms interact with each other and their environment
what are the three parts of the definition of ecology
- study of distribution and abundance of organisms (biotic)
- factors that affect the distribution and abundance
- interactions between organisms and the transformation and flux of energy and matter
what are the 5 main levels ecologists work at
- organisms
- populations
- communities
- ecosystems
- biosphere
organismal ecology
how do individuals interact with each other and their physical environment
- morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptions that increase fitness
population ecology
- how and why does population size change over space and time
- focus on number and distribution in a pop. change over time
population
group of indv. of the same species that lives in the same area at same time
community ecology
- how do species interact and what are the consequences
- nature of interactions between species and the consequences of the interactions
biological community consists of what
populations of different species that interact with each other in a particular area
ecosystem ecology
- how does energy flow
- how does nutrients cycle thru the local environment
ecosystem
consist of all the organisms in a particular region along with nonliving components
abiotic
not living components
- physical and chemical
global ecology
- how is biosphere affected by global changes in nutrient cycling and climate
- look at human impacts on biosphere
biosphere
thin zine surrounding Earth where all life exists
what does conservation biology encompass
- all five levels of ecological study
- effort to sturdy, preserve, and restore genetic diversity
what is a niche a product of
abiotic and biotic factors
what is a particularly important factor in determining where organisms can live
temperature bc has a big impact on physiology
why are niche models used
useful for quantifying and simplifying complex ecological relationships
what are the different types of biotic and abiotic factors
present and past
what is a non native species called
exotic species
what is an invasive species
exotic species that, when introduced to a new area, spreads rapidly and competes with the native species
what is the difference between weather and climate
weather is short term atmospheric conditions while climate is long term weather conditions
what is the relationship between sunlight and energy when it comes to the earth
the more sunlight that hits an area of Earth, the more energy it will have
what is pattern of temperature and latitude
decreasing average temperature with increasing latitude
what are Hadley cells
major cycle in global air circulation
what happens when air heated by sunlight along equator expands
pressure is lowered and causes air to rise
why does warm air hold so much moisture
warm water molecules tend to stay in vapor form
as air rises above the equator, what happens to its temperature
it cools (produces rain)
what happens to the air as it is heated along the equator
- cooler air is pushed poleward
- air mass has cooled, density increases and begins to sink
when air sinks, what does it absorb
more and more solar radiation and begins to warm
how many cells of moving air are encircling the globe
six
Coriolis effect
tendency for moving air or water to be deflected from a straight path
what is the Coriolis pattern in the northern and southern hemisphere
Northern: clockwise
Southern: counterclockwise
why do seasons occur
bc Earth is tilted on its north to south axis by 23.5 degrees (incline)
why is elevation important
bc temperature decreases as a function of altitude and impacts precipitation patterns
what is an important factor of water that has an influence on temperature
has a high specific heat (large capacity for storing heat energy)
where are warm and cold water delivered to
- warm water to colder latitudes
- cold water to warmer latitudes
what are some biotic factors from organisms that affect climate
- transpiration and evaporation
- producing and absorbing greenhouse gases
- burning of fossil fuels
what are the distinctive abiotic conditions of terrestrial biomes
- temperature
- moisture
- sunlight
- wind
temperature as factor of terrestrial biomes
critical bc enzymes make life possible and can only work at narrow range of temperatures
moisture as factor of terrestrial biomes
required for life and organisms lose water to environment so need to replace it
sunlight as factor of terrestrial biomes
required for photosynthesis
wind as factor of terrestrial biomes
exacerbates the effects of temp and moisture and pushes around organisms
the type of terrestrial biome that develops in a particular region is governed by…
- average annual temp and precipitation
- annual variation in temp and precipitation
net primary productivity (NPP)
total amount of biomass generated by fixation of carbon per year minus amount that is oxidized during cellular respiration
biomass
total mass of organisms
what are the strategies that scientists use to study effect of climate change on biomes
- simulation studies
- observational studies
- historical studies
- experiments
salinity
- determined by proportion of solutes dissolved in water
- major determinant of distribution of organisms in aquatic biomes
how does water have an impact on light availability
- water absorbs and scatters light so has an affect on wavelengths available to organisms
littoral zone (lakes)
waters along the shore that are shallow enough for plants to root
limnetic zone
offshore and has enough light to support photosynthesis but plants can’t take root
turbidity
cloudiness of water
why is water flow important
influences availability of oxygen, light, and nutrients
coastal runoff
- estuaries
- water flows downhill and streams grow wider slower
- nutrients sink to bottom
ocean upwelling
- nutrients brought up to surface by currents
- nutrients recycled
lake turnover
complete mixing up upper and lower layers of water at different temperatures
