Chapter 9 - Ecology Flashcards
What is ecology?
Study of the interactions between organisms and their environments
What are physical factors in ecology?
Temperature, water, sunlight, wind, soil
What are biotic factors in ecology?
Predator – prey, parasites, symbionts, competitors
What is the biosphere?
The parts of the Earth inhabited by organisms
What is a biome?
A climatic region example tundra, Savannah
What is an ecosystem?
The functional unit of ecology - the organism and a habitat type that interact to create its structure
What is the community?
A subset of the ecosystem that is found in one location
What are the levels of ecological organisation?
- Biosphere
- Biome
- Ecosystem
- Community
- Population
- Individual
What is the population?
The members of one species that interact together
What is taxonomy?
Taxonomy is the naming and classification of biological groups based on their shared characteristics
What distribution of species is different from normal taxonomic groups?
Those that are threatened or endangered
What is the equation for gross primary production?
Total amount of energy generated by auto troughs in an equal system
What are autotroph’s?
Animals that use up energy
What is the net primary productivity NPP?
It is about half a G p p
What is the equation for net primary productivity NPP?
NPP = GPP - respiration by auto troughs
Where is net primary productivity the greatest?
In regions with high rainfall
What are the three limitations of NPP – net primary productivity?
Energy, water, limiting nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus
What are primary producers?
Plants that are eaten by others
What are primary consumers?
Those who do the eating
What are secondary consumers?
Typically carnivores
What a top carnivores known as on the trophic level food chain?
Tertiary consumers they are eaten by nothing
How much energy is lost to each tropic level?
90% of Jules
What is the definition of a dominant species?
Simply the most common and have the largest biomass
What is the definition of a keystone species?
Not necessarily numerous but have pivotal roles because of their niche
What is bioaccumulation?
Increasing concentrations of pollutants and other non-metabolised molecules up the food chain
Give examples of pollutants found in the food chain
DDT, PCBS, methylmercury
What were the problems of DDT?
They damaged eggshells of birds-
What is intraspecific competition
Competition between members of the same species
What is interspecific competition?
Competition between species
What is competitive exclusion principle?
If two species compete for exactly the same resource one will drive the other to extinction
What is an ecological niche?
The position of a species within the ecosystem
Describe a fundamental niche
Niche potentially occupied by species
Describe realised niche
Niche that actually is occupied by that species
What does Allopatry mean?
When species live separately
Describe type one of the survivorship curve
Type one is found in the mortality to be higher in older age classes, found typically in Long lived species and living in a stable environment
What does interparous mean?
Reproduction spread through a lifetime
Describe type three of the survivorship curve
High mortality rate in juveniles - short lived species. Unpredictable and temporary
What does semelparous mean?
Reproduction in a single breeding event
What is the definition of communities?
An Association of populations occupying the same space
