E8 Flashcards
What is ecology?
Study of relationships between living organisms and their environments to understand how the relationships shape species.
What is a major goal of ecological studies?
Explain how interactions influence geographical distribution and abundance of animal populations.
List the four levels within the hierarchy of ecology from LEAST inclusive to MOST inclusive
OPCE
Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem
Animal’s environment vs habitat
Environment = all living/non living factors surrounding animal
Habitat = HOME (where it lives and has resources)
Expendable vs nonexpendable resource
Expendable = consumed and utilized by an organism (food)
Nonexpendable = not consumed and can be available for others (space)
What is a niche?
organism’s role and position in environment
fundamental niche vs realized niche
Fundamental = potential resources that a species could use to survive without competition/predators
Realized = actual range of resources that a species uses and takes into account possible competition/predators
demography vs demes
demography = study of populations taking into account size/structure/changes throughout lifetime
demes = group of individuals in species that breed and share gene pool
What are the three principal types of survivorship?
TYPE 1: mass dying at older age
TYPE 2: constant dying throughout lifespan
TYPE 3: mass dying in early life
How does the age structure profile of a growing population differ from that of a stable population?
Growing population = larger young population
Stable population = ages more evenly distributed
Why does the growth of a population not typically align with its intrinsic rate of increase?
Resource scarcity, predators, and disease can lead to impact on population size
Why does abiotic limiting factors = density-independent and biotic limiting factors = density-dependent?
abiotic factors = impact on population is same regardless of its size
biotic factors = affect increases as population increases
How do ecologists characterize interspecific interactions within communities?
based on if interactions are neutral, benefit, or harm the species, which are categorized into competition, predation, and symbiosis
What is competitive exclusion and how do species overcome this?
two species competing for same limited resources can’t exist forever in the same habitat
overcome this by living in different areas or feeding at different times
What are two mechanisms of resource partitioning?
Ecological character displacement = divergence in traits related to resource usage
Microhabitat selection = using different parts of habitat or resources at diff times
What is the meaning of productivity and how is it categorized?
Productivity = energy/materials needed to maintain life and how they’re incorporated into biological systems
Categorized into trophic levels based on how animals obtain energy
Producers vs consumers
Producer = organism that begins productivity with getting carbon and nitrogen.
Consumers = organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms
Food chain vs food web
Food chain = simple transfer of energy from 1 organism to another
Food web = complex network of interconnected feeding relationships
Why is the pyramid of energy an example of the second law of thermodynamics?
it shows energy loss during each transfer + usable energy decreases as it moves up food chain
Geographic range and extinction VS habitat fragmentation and extinction
Large geo range = inc speciation and gene flow = low risk extinction
Habitat fragment = reduced biodiversity = inc risk extinction
