eco module 3 Flashcards
what is ecology
ecology is the study how organisms interact with each other and their environment
what is the goal of ecology
understand distribution and abundance of organisms
what is ethology
the study of character
what did Niko Tinbergen study
geese and egg retrieval behaviours and wasps have visual cues rather than spatial awareness
what did Konrad Lorenz study
geese imprinting (the first organism or big object they see, they follow)
what did Karl von Frisch study
language of bees (waggle dance)
improvement in one trait or behavior comes at the expense of another
fitness trade off
movements in a specific direction in response to a stimulus
taxis
random, undirected movements toward favorable conditions
kinesis
what are the two types of orientation
kinesis and taxis
movement toward a magnetic field
magnetotaxis
produced by a set of molecular mechanisms that cycles on its own and keeps a regular rhythm (can be daily, monthly, or yearly)
biological clocks
daily (diurnal) cycles that are primarily governed by changes in light-dark cycles
circadian clocks
what facilitates habitat selection
movement and migration
long-distance movement of a population associated with change of seasons
migration
what are the three proximate causes of navigation
piloting/map sense, compass orientation, true navigation
what is map sense based on
landmarks
animals have a sense of specific location on earth where they need to go
true navigation
what is the ultimate cause of migration
food availability
what period are birds exposed to songs
sensitive period
what are the two types of inclusive fitness?
direct and indirect
fitness derived from an individual’s own offspring
direct fitness
fitness derived from helping relatives produce more offspring
indirect fitness
all individuals of a given species that live and reproduce in a particular place and time
population
what are the three defining features of a population
size, range, density
a process by which non-signaling behavior patterns evolve to become communicative signals
ritualization
when did atmospheric levels of CO2 start to increase
during the industrial revolution
name of curve that records changing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over time
Keeling curve
when does CO2 concentration reach its annul high point
in the spring
when does CO2 concentration reach its annual low
in the fall
how is carbon dioxide added to the environment (3)
geological inputs (volcanoes and mid ocean ridges), biological inputs (respiration), human activities
how is carbon dioxide removed from the environment (2)
geological removal (chemical weathering, CO2 reacts with rocks) and biological removal (photosynthesis)
does respiration remain constant throughout the year
yes
what are the two CO2 sources
fossil fuels and industry and land use change
exploitation of preexisting sensory bias
sensory drive
signals are elaborated versions of ordinary behaviors.
Sender precursor
honest signals means signals that are_____
reliable
serves to warn or repel predators (ex. yellow and black snakes are poisonous)
aposematism
self-sacrificing
altruism
highest level of organization in sociality
eusociality
all individuals of all ages of a species that are alive at a particular time in a particular place
size
how wide a population is spread and is determines by climates and other species
range
what are the three distribution patterns
random, uniform, clumped
what is the equation for density
size/range
the study of factors that determine the size and structure of populations through time
demography
the ability to produce an abundance of offspring
fecundity
for net reproductive rates when is the population stable
when the sum = 1
for net reproductive rates when is the population increasing
when the sum is >1
for net reproductive rates when is the population decreasing
when the sum is <1
produce large number of offspring
r-strategists
produce relatively few young and provide care (us)
K-strategists
what is the edge effect
there is more survival in the middle of the habitat, the edge of the habitat has higher exposure to things like wind, etc.
all populations of different species that interact in a certain area
biological communities
physical habitat (where is occurs) and ecological role (what it does) of a species
niche
what are sessile/sedentary organisms
organisms that don’t move
how can we count mobile organisms
mark and recapture
what is the equation for calculating population size (N) in mark and recapture
N (population size) = C (total captured on second day)/ R (recaptures). x M (marked individuals caught on the first day)
what makes the population increase
immigration and birth
what makes the population decrease
emigration and death
what is the formula for population growth
delta N = N2 - N1 = (B - D) + (I - E)
what is the per capita growth rate formula
r = (delta N t)/ N1
what kind of growth does constant per capita growth rate lead to
exponential growth
the per capita growth rate, r is also called
the intrinsic rate of increase, the maximum rate of growth when no environmental factors limit population increase
competition between members of the same species
intraspecific competition
competition between members of two different species
interspecific competition
The maximum number of individuals any habitat can support
carry capacity (K)
what is a social species
species that live together in groups and interact!
describes processes affecting population that are influences by the number of individual organisms. Such as the use of resources or susceptibility to predation or parasitism
density dependent factors
describes factors such as severe drought that influence population size without regard for the density of the population
density independent factors
summarizes probability that an individual will survive and reproduce in any given time interval over the course of its life
life table
the proportion of offspring produced that survive, on average, to a particular age
survivorship
what are the three types of survivorship curves
type 1: late life mortality (like us humans)
type 2: steady survivorship, mortality is constant throughout life
type 3: early life mortality
Why can’t all populations have high fecundity and high survival?
fitness trade offs
how an individual allocates resources to growth, reproduction and behaviors or morphology related to survival
life history
changes in populations through time and space
population dynamics
large populations made up of small populations that are linked by movements between them
metapopulations
are small or large populations of species more likely to go locally extinct?
small are more vulnerable to extinction
the full range of climate conditions and food resources in which individuals may live
fundamental niche
the actual resources and habitats used by a species
realized niche
interactions in which animals have different goals, cost on one organism, benefit on one organism
antagonisitc
what are the antagonistic species interactions
competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism
interaction in which both species benefit
mutualism
interaction in which one benefits and the other is unaffected
commensalism
prevents two species from occupying the same niche at the same time
competitive exclusion
animals compete until they have different niches
niche differentiation/resource partionioning
Ongoing struggling between competing sets of co-evolving genes, phenotypic and behavioural traits that develop escalating adaptation and counter-adaptations against each other
evolutionary arms race
when one of both sides of a mutualism cannot survive or reproduce without the other (like aphids and bacteria
obligate mutualism
when one or both sides of a mutualism can survive without the other (like midges and cacao)
facultative mutualism
ecosystem engineers are a type of what species
keystone species
what are the three factors of disturbance?
type of disturbance, frequency, and severity
soil building that occurs after a disturbance has removed soil and organisms
primary succession
more rapid rebuilding of community because soil is still present
secondary succession
mature ecosystems, result of succession
climax community
species able to survive in barren spaces/environments
Pioneer species
A type of indirect interaction where one species creates a suitable habitat for another
facilitation
sequence of ecological interactions that occur when a species benefits a second specious that in turn has a positive effect on a third species and so on
facilitation cascade
count of how many species are present in a given community
species richness
calculated by adding all energy, food, materials, and services and estimating how much land needed to provide these resources
ecological footprint
what geological age are we in currently
Holocene
what are the important greenhouse gases?
CO2, water vapour, methane
species found in one place and nowhere else
Endemic species
