Chapter 52: Ecology Intro Flashcards
Chapter 52
What is ecology?
- interactions between organisms and living/nonliving things of environment
- interactions determine distribution & abundance of organisms
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Describe organismal ecology
- studies an organism’s stucture, physiology & behavior
- sees if it meet environmental challenges
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Describe population ecology
- focuses on factors affecting populaiton size over time
population: group of individuals of same species in an area
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Describe community ecology
- effect of interspecfic interactions on community structure and organization
community: group of poulations of different species in an area
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Describe ecosystem ecology
- energy flow & chemical cysling between organisms and environment
ecosystem: community of organisms in an area & physical factors they interact with
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Describe landscape ecology
- exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
landscape/seascape: a mosaic of connected ecosystems
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Describe global economy
- influence of energy and materials on organisms across biosphere
biosphere: sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes
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What is climate? What is its 4 major physical components?
- Climate: long term weather conditions in an area
- 4 components: temp, precipitation, sunlight, wind
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Whas causes latitudinal variations in climate?
- warming effect of sun
- can cause temp variations, circulation of air & water, and water evaporation
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Tropics
- located in between poles and equator
- tropic of cancer & tropic of capricorn
- intensity of sunlight is strongest here
- sunlight most directly strikes Earth
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What is the difference between descending and ascending air masses in climate?
- ascending air masses release water and cause tropical climates
- descending air masses create dry & arid climates
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What is seasonality caused by?
- the tilt of earth’s axis oc rotation
- its annual passage arounf the sun
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How do ocean currents affect climate?
- currents flowing toward equator carry cold water from poles
- currents flowing away from equator carry warm water to poles
- air is also cooled/warmed with these current movements
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What is the relationship between air and mountains
- warm air cools as it rises up the mountain
- releases moisture on the windward side
- rainshadow effect: reduction of moisture on the opp side of mountain away from prevaling winds
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What is microclimate?
very fine, localized patterins in climate
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What is the difference between abiotic & biotic factors?
- abiotic: nonliving attributes (temp, light, water, nutrients)
- biotic: organisms that are part of an individual’s environment (trees, soil, pathogens, food resources, predation)
both influence species and distribution
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What is climate change?
- directional change to global climate
- lasting three decades or more
- wind & participation patterns are shifting
- global temp rising
- frequency of extreme wather events increasing
studying how species responded to changes in past will help predict effects of future global climate change
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What is a biome?
life zones characterized by vegetaion type or physical enviornment
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What is a climograph?
plots annual average temp and percipitation in a region
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What is disturbance?
an event (storm, fire, human activity) that changes community
ex: hurricanes allow openings in forests for new species to grow
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Terrestial biomes
- climate is a factor that determines these biome’s locations
- these biomes usually grade into each other
- no sharp/clear boundaries
- vertical layering: provide diverse habitats for animals
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Describe Tropical Forest
- tropical rain forests: rainfall is constant
- tropical dry forests: percpitaion is seasonal
- annual temp: 25-29 C
- little seasonal variation
- vertical layering is existent
- animal diversity is highest
- human impact/disturbance: deforestation
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Describe deserts
- rain is low & high variable
- temp is variable seasonally and daily
- can be hot or cold
- animals are noctural and have adaptations for water conservation
- human impact: reduced biodiversity via urbanization/irrigational agriculture
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Describe savanna
- precipation is season
- dry season last 8-9 months
- annual temp: 24-29 c
- more seasonally variable than tropics
- plants have adaptations that are fire resistant and drought tolerant
- human impact: cattle ranching & overhunting
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Describe chaparral
- rainy winters & dry summers
- percpiation is seasonal
- summer are hot; spring, fall, winter are cool
- shrubs, small trees, herbs; adapted to fire & drought
- animals: birds, insects, browing mammals, etc..
- human impact: reduction in these areas b/c of agriculture & urbanization
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Describe temperate grasslands
- preciptation: highly seasonal
- winter: cold & dry; summer: hot & wet
- plants, etc.. adapted to droughts & fire
- native mammals: bison, wild horses, etc..
- human impact: grassland into farmland
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Describe taiga (northern conferoud forest)
- preciptation varies based on location
- winters: cold; summers: hot
- pines, fir, hemlock, etc. dominate
- animals: moose, brown bears, resident birds
- human impact: logging old-growth stands
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Describe temperate broadlead forest
- preciptation: significan amounts: fall during all seasons as rain or snow
- a mature forest has vertical layering
- dominant plants: deciduos trees & evergreen eucalpytus
- human impact: human populations settle in these areas
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Describe tundra
- covers expanisve areas in Artic
- annual percipitation is low
- winters are cold, summers are cool
- permaforest: restricts growth of plants roots
- mammals: musk oxen, reindeer, bears, wolves, foxes, etc…
- human impact: oil & mineral extraction
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Aquatic Biomes
- characterized by physical & chemical environment
- surrounding terrestrial biome, pattern/speed of water flow, climate influence this biome
- photic zone: sufficient light for photosynthesis
- aphotic zone: receives little light
- benthic zone: sediment at bottom of aquatic zones
- abyssal zone: in aphotic zone
- thermocline: seprates warm upper layer from cool deeper water
- tunrover: mixes oxygenated water w/ nutrient rich water
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Describe lakes
- oligotrophc lakes: nutrient poor, oxygen rich. less surface area
- eutrophic lakes: nutrient rich, oxygen poor
- littoral zone: close to shore
- limnetic zone: deep water
- fishes: live in zones with oxygen
- human impact: human nduced nutrients
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Describe wetlands
- develop in shallow basins, along flooded river baks, or on the coasts of lakes
- among most productive biomes
- plants: lilies, cattails, etc..
- human impact: up 90% of wetlands have been destroyed
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Describe streams/rivers
- headwater: narrow, rocky, cold, clear, oxygen rich
- downstream: wide, warmer, well oxugenated
- diveristy of fishes and invertrebates
- human impact: damming, flood control & pollution
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Describe estuaries
- transition area between river & sea
- nutrient rich and highly productive
- has a complex network of tidal channels, islands, leeves, and mudflates
- saltmarch grasses & algae: major producers
- human imapct: filling, dredging, and pollution
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Describe oceanic pelagic zone
- seasonal turnover: renews nutrients in the photic zones
- constantly mixed by wind driven oceanic currents
- phytoplankton & zooplankton are dominant organisms
- human impact: overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification, global warming
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Describe coral reef
- formed from calcium carbonate skeletons of corals
- shallow reef-building corals live in the photic zone
- deep-sea corals live in the depth of sea
- fringing reef to barrier reef to coral atoll
- require high o2 concentrations & solid substrate for attachment
- have mutalistic relationship w/ unicellular algae
- human impact: overfishing, collection of coral skeletons, pollution, etc…
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Describe marine benthic zone
- consists of sea floor below surface waters of the coastal & offshore pelagic zone
- substrate is mainly soft sediments
- contains seaweed and algae
- hydrothermal vents: on mid oceanic ridges surrounded by unique chemoautotrophic prokaryotes
- human impact: overfishing & waste dumping
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What are some biotic factors that limit a species’ distribution?
predation, parasitism, competition, disease
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What are some abiotic factors that limit its distribution?
- chemical factors: water, o2, salinity, pH, soil nutrients
- physical factors: temp, light, soil, structure, fire, etc…
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What is dispersal?
- movement of individuals away from centers of high population density (or area of origin)
- contributes to global distribution
- natural range expansions show influence of this on distribution
- rare case: can lead to adaptive radiation
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What are species transplants?
- organisms that are relocated from their original distribution
- can be intentional or accidental
- cam disrupt communities/ecosystems
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What are important factors in the distribution of organisms?
- environmental temperature
- range shifts in response to clomate change
- water (salinity) & oxygen availability
- sunlight availability
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What are characteristics of soil that limit distribution of plants?
- physical structure
- pH
- mineral composition
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What is the relationship between ecological interactions & evolutionary change?
- ecological change — alters selective pressures in population = evolutionary change
- evolutionary change — alters outcome of ecological interactions = ecological change
