ecology 1 (climate patterns, biomes, abiotic factors) Flashcards
organismal ecology
how organisms structure, physiology, and behavior meet environmental challanges.
population
group of individuals of the same species living in an area
community
group of populations of different species in an area
ecosystem
organisms and the abiotic/biotic factors they interact with; energy flow and chemical cycling with various biotic and abiotic factors of ecosystem
landscape
a mosaic of connected ecosystems; factors generate patterns of ecosystems in a geographic region
biosphere
global ecosystem; sum of all of the plants ecosystems
ecology
the study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment.
natural history
he observational study of organisms and their environment, focusing on describing and understanding living things in their natural state through direct observation rather than controlled experiments
conservation biology
the study of how to protect the Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystems from the effects of human activity and extinction
environment
the sum of all external factors, including both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components, that influence an organism or a population
dispersal
behavior
habitat selection
biolotc factors
living factors in an enviorment
abiotic factors
non living factors in an environment
climate
the long-term average weather conditions of a particular region
weather
the short-term state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place
biome
large geographical region characterized by distinct climate, vegetation, and animal life
rain shadow
obstacle/ mountain range forces prevailing winds upward -> air cools as it fills low pressure area -> produces rain
result: as air drops to other side of mountain it is warm -> dry environment
windward
side of the mountain facing the prevailing wind
leeward
side of the mountain that is sheltered from the prevailing wind
aspect
the compass direction that a slope of the moutain facest
climograph
a graphic representation of the relation of two climatic elements
wind
air moving from high pressure -> low pressure
hadley cell
a global atmospheric circulation system that moves air in a convection cell pattern; warm air rises and cool air falls
low and high pressure locations on earth
low pressure: equator
high pressure: 30 degrees N and S of equator
*air moves towards the equator (high->low)
Coriolis effect
causes surface winds moving towards the equator to curve
northern hemisphere: curve right
southern hemisphere: curve left
how do equatorial winds travel
east to west
ocean circulation
equatorial winds blow warm surface water away from west coast of continents -> replaces by cold nutrient rich deep sea water
Primary Production
amount of biomass of photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms per unit volume/area
why is it dryer in the west 30 degree band than in the east (north america)
warm air from golf rises -> rain over eastern north america
min and max angle of sunlight in Madison
Min: 24 degrees
Max: 70 degrees
*due to latitude
why is the sunlight more intense on the equator
direct sunlight from sun (90 degree angle)
earths axis as it moves around the sun
the tilt stays unchanged; each hemisphere tilted towards sun for respective summer periods
precipitation and pressure: tropics
low pressure and abundance precipitations in all seasons
precipitation and pressure: between tropics and temperate
temperate
winter wet summer dry
high pressure dry at all seasons (30)
summer wet winter dry
tropics
precipitation and pressure: temperate zone
low pressure and ample precipitation in all seasons (~60 degrees)
precipitation and pressure: polar zone
high pressure and low precipitation in all seasons
Ocean Ecosystem Patterns
high primary production and chlorophyll a near edge of continents
Biomes
major associations of species that occupy geographic regions of land or water
how are biomes defined
by a major species, structure (what’s available in the environment), and annual cycles
abiotic constraints of biomes
temperature, moisture, chemistry, light, seasonality, disturbance regimes
are terrestrial or aquatic biomes more often/easily categorized by dominant species and seasonal conditions
terrestrial!
*aquatic biomes categorized by dominant growth forms (depth, flow, salinity)
what conditions on earth are there no biomes
wet and cold environments
what do abiotic factors impact in biomes
biodiversity and productivity
how does temperature impact biomes
effects rate of biological processes (low temperature slows things down/freeze cell; high temp denatures enzymes)
-range limits for species that can live in specific environment
range limit of species
the range of temperatures (in this case) that a species can withstand that is based on its most critical stage of life
impact of temperature on coral reef biome
reside in warm water; temp effect rate of deposition of carbonate skeletons
*water too hot: expel symbiotic algae -> coral bleaching
what are there places in predictable high temperature areas that do not exhibit high temperature
increased elevation -> low pressure -> low temp in these areas
xex. andes mountain range
evapotranspiration
the combined process of evaporation of water from the catchment surface and transpiration of water through plants, resulting in water loss to the atmosphere.
slope
The steepness of a surface, or the rate of change in elevation between a location and its surroundings. Slope is measured in degrees or as a percentage
aspect
The direction of the steepest slope, measured clockwise in degrees from 0 to 360. 0 is north-facing, 90 is east-facing, 180 is south-facing, and 270 is west-facing; suns energy go to one side of slope -> impact biome
how does moisture impact biomes
- evapotranspiration rate
-vegetation patterns
-slope and aspect
??????
how does wind influence biome
-increases heat loss by evapotranspiration and convection (wind chill)
-flagging
?????
How does water density and movement impact biomes
-water pressure intensifies i deep water
*adaptation: more fluid lipid membrane in deep ocean
-wind intensifies waves
*seaweed with holdfast to withstand currents and species burrowing
how does light intensity impact biomes
-water absorbs light; more photosynthesis at surface
*Red algae have pigments that
absorb blue-green light, so they
can live in deeper water
*Understory forest plants
sometimes have red pigments in
lower leaf surfaces
photic zone
depth that light penetrates
aphotic zone
where light does not penetrate
problems with too much light exposure (desert biomes)
-increase plant and animal stress
-too much UV light can damage DNA and proteins (At high elevation,)
how does rock and soil makeup impact biomes
-mineral composition
-water holding capacity
-nutrient availability
-chemicals present
-physical structure
-fire occurrences???
main abiotic physical factors that impact biomes
temperature, moisture, wind, light, soil structure, fire
*(water density and movement aquatic biomes)
Aspect: What side of a mountain gets most direct sunlight in both hemispheres
northern: south side
southern: north side
which side of a mountain has more evapotrasnpiration
the side with more direct sunlight
northern hem: south side
southern hem: north side
what side of the mountain has more trees/ moisture
side with less direct sunlight
chemical abiotic factors that influence biomes
water availability, oxygen availability, salinity, pH
water availability: biomes
- direct constraint: organisms need different amounts of water which dictates where they can live
-indirect constraint: vegetation needs water to grow which dictates what/how many organisms scan live there (food source)
oxygen availability: biomes
different amount of oxygen needed for different organisms
*adaptations: increase diffusion of oxygen to roots
salinity: animal biomes
- freshwater fish: gain water and constantly eliminate water
-marine fish: gain water and excrete salt (adapted to salty environment)
salinity: plant biomes
evaporation increased can cause increase in salt concentrationh
halophytes
plants with higher salt concentration; have special salt glands that excrete salt
pH: terrestrial biomes
-low soil pH slows decomposition, slows N cycle, leaches Ca2+ from soil
-higher pH -> high species diversity
pH: aquatic biomes
-species diversity lower at lower pH (acidic)
-acidity increases solubility of toxic metals
Acid rain + its consequences
release of protons into rain making pka ~5
-kills leaves and juvenile fish
-depletes soil nutrients
what causes acid rain
burning fossil fuels (SO2 and NO2)
niche
range of conditions necessary for a species to persist and the ecological role/interactions of the species with its environment and other species
is a niche referring to abiotic or biotic factors in the species enviornment
both!
fundamental niche
the full range of environmental conditions where a species could potentially live and thrive in the absence of competition
realized niche
the actual niche a species occupies in a given environment, taking into account interactions with other species, like competition
dispersal
he movement of individual organisms away from their birthplace to a new location where they can establish and reproduce; where species are where they are
the equilibrium theory of island biogeography
relationship/balance between the number of species and the rate of immigration and extinction on islands
how does the rate of arrival of new species relate to the number of species already on the island?
rate of arrival of NEW species goes down because there are already many species
species area relationship
more species on bigger islands
species isolation relationship
fewer species on more isolated islands
species turnover
number of species stays the same but the particular species present are changing; immigration and extinction equilibrium
immigration and extinction rate on larger islands
higher immigration rate and lower extinction rate -> larger number of species
niche behavioral defintion
sum of all niches of individuals in a species; from all life stages, seasons and cohorts
cohorts
set of individuals of roughly the same age
why is the overall migrational patterns of species changing when birds migrate at the same time as they did every year prior
new cohort migrates at a different time due to climate change -> shifts overall average of whole species
aspects of variation in a species
-individual variation
-variation of different life stages
-variation in population
-variation of individuals in cohorts
why is there extreme seasonality in the middle of continents
land heats faster than water and water holds heat longer than land
lake turnover
the seasonal mixing of a lake’s water column, where the warmer, less dense surface water sinks to the bottom, while the cooler, denser bottom water rises to the top
seasonality
difference in conditions between seasons
what part of continents have most extreme seasonalityand why
middle of continents; land heats faster than water and water retains heat faster than land -> coasts more stabilized temperature and middle land more up and down
how do lakes impact seasonality
moderates temperature in the winter and keeps temp more consistent in the summer
continentality
climate in land areas far from oceans with larger temperature ranges and moderate precipitation
