ecology Flashcards
biotic
living
abiotic
non-living
community
a group of multiple different species interacting with one another
ecosystem
a group of species interacting both with each other and their environment
organismal ecology
the study of how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet environmental challenges
-how well is an organism suited to
its environment?
-what traits help it thrive?
population ecology
the study of a population of the same species in the same geographic location; focuses on factors affecting how many individuals of a species live in an area
-how many?
-territory?
-why?
community ecology
examines how interactions among species affect community structure and organization
-roles?
-interrelationships?
-mutualism?
-predator/prey?
ecosystem ecology
emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem
-energy flow
-origin of energy
-transfer of energy
landscape ecology
the study of interconnected ecosystems across a land area; focuses on the factors that generate patterns of ecosystems in a geographical region
-how are ecosystems
similar/different?
-how are they related?
global (macro) ecology
the broadest field of ecology that looks at how ecosystems are connected across long distances
climate
long term prevailing weather conditions in a particular place over many years
-temperature
-precipitation
-sunlight
-wind/gyres
Hadley cell
-an atmospheric cell ranging from from the equator to 30° north or 30° south that drives a specific pattern of climate in that area
-low-lying air is principally moving
towards the equator
-Coriolis deflection to the west
Ferrel cell
-north of the Hadley cell
-low-lying air is principally moving
away from the equator
-Coriolis deflection to the east
Polar cell
-north of the Ferrel cell
-low-lying air is principally moving
towards the equator
-Coriolis deflection to the west
Coriolis effect (deflection)
the phenomenon generated by the rotation of the earth that the speed of rotation differs at different latitudes
seasonality
differential heating caused by the earth’s tilt that is reflected in seasons
gyre (current)
pattern of water movement in large bodies of water
microclimate
local atmospheric zone in which the climate differs from the surrounding area
subnivium
a microclimate located beneath the snow in northern climates
what modulates climate?
1) seasonality
2) mass specific heating
3) topology
4) microclimate
5) climate change
ecology
the study of the interactions between organisms and the environment
how does latitudinal variation in sunlight intensity lead to predictable latitudinal variation in sunlight and temperature?
the curvature of the earth causes the angle of sunlight to vary depending on latitude
how does latitudinal variation in sunlight intensity lead to predictable latitudinal variation in precipitation?
Hadley cells, Ferrel cells, and Polar cells cause increased precipitation at the equator and at 60° north and south and decreased precipitation at 30° and 90° north and south
how does latitudinal variation in sunlight intensity lead to latitudinal variation in wind?
-increased wind speeds closer to the equator due to increased rotation speed
-Coriolis effect (deflection)
-polar easterlies~ polar cells
-westerlies~ ferrel cells
-NE trade winds~ hadley cells