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Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is ecology?

A

The study of interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms

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2
Q

Fundamental ecological questions

A
  • Where do we find organisms (why are they there and how many?)
  • What are they doing there? (Their role and what keeps them there)
  • How is that they are a success in that environment (why they have fitness)
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3
Q

Patterns of distribution (3)

A

Random
Regular
Clumped

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4
Q

Random distribution

A

Randomised, neutral interaction between individuals and between individuals and local environment

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5
Q

Regular distribution

A

Very organised, evenly spaced, less common

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6
Q

Clumped

A

grouped, usually occurs when resources are concentrated in smaller areas

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7
Q

What is biogeography?

A

the study of the patterns of geographic distribution of organisms and the factors that determine those patterns

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8
Q

Main resources that are used

A

Light and temperature light

Water (H2O)
Air (Co2 and O2)
K, Na, S, Mg all of these electrolytes and protiens

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9
Q

Macroclimate

A

Patterns on the global ecosystem and landscape levels

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10
Q

Microclimate

A

Finer scale patterns such as a community of organisms on a tree trunk

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11
Q

Major components of climate

A

Temperature
Sunlight
Wind
Precipitation

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12
Q

Physical Principles

A
  1. Hot air carries more water than cold air
  2. Hot air moves up and cold air moves down
  3. Hopkins’ bioclimatic law: air cools as it rises
  4. Coriolis effect: longitudinal movement on a rotating object results in apparent latitudinal drift
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13
Q

What is Hopkins’ Bioclimatic Law

A

Air cools as it rises

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14
Q

What is the Coriolis effect?

A

Longitudinal movement on a rotating object results in apparent latitudinal drift
- It is warmer closer to the equator (due to sunshine acting directly)

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15
Q

Rain shadows (what causes it)

A

Region that has little rainfall because it is sheltered by hills/mountains

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16
Q

What is Primary Production

A

The conversion of energy (usually light) into chemical energy that is stored in organic compounds in biota (living organisms)

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17
Q

What does photosynthesis mainly produce

A

Sugars

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18
Q

What does the availability of biochemical energy (ATP) depend on?

A

Air, water and sunlight

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19
Q

What are limits to primary production

A

On land, water, sunlight and temperatures are the main limits to production

In deep aquatic environments, water is everywhere, but light is rarely found together with nutrients

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20
Q

Primary production equation

A

Net production = Gross production - Respiration

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21
Q

What is gross production

A

Everything that a plant has put into their growth- cellular respiration (all in terms of energy)

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22
Q

What is another word for food chain

A

Trophic level

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23
Q

What is production efficiency? (as well as other factors in ecological efficiency)

A

A percentage of energy from a food source that is used for growth and reproduction

Waste- unassimilated energy

Growth- energy assimilated as biomass/reproduction

Cellular respiration- energy used to maintain life

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24
Q

What does ecological efficiency determine?

A

Abundance

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25
Q

What is a primary consumer?

A

A herbivore

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26
Q

What is Biomass?

A

Renewable organic material that comes from plans and animals

27
Q

What is bioaccumulation?

A

A buildup of an absorbed chemical in an organism overtime

28
Q

What is biomagnification?

A

Increase in the concentration of the chemicals in each organism up the food chain

29
Q

What is the Island Equilibrium Theory

A

Species diversity on islands will represent a dynamic balance between the probability of successful colonisation by new immigrant species, and extinction of existing resident species

30
Q

What is Wallace’s line?

A

An imaginary line that goes in between Australia and Bali that shows the difference in animal species and is termed island biogeography

  • There is a part where extinction number is = with immigration numbers
31
Q

What do interactions drive

A

Diversity

32
Q

What is biodiversity defined as?

A

the number of species present

33
Q

Evolutionary consequences of competitive interactions

A

only one species becomes extinct

division of niche takes place (or resource partitioning)

34
Q

Source population

A

Population that is well established and produces lots of individuals who might immigrate to another place but is still strong

35
Q

Sink Population

A

Population that may not have as stable characteristics, most likely to be found on an island with competitive problems and they go extinct on the island, but the source is still producing them

36
Q

Niche (what and the two types)

A

Niche: the role an organism plays in its environment

Fundamental niche and Realised niche are the two

37
Q

Fundamental Niche

A

The possible distribution of the organism as determined by its evolutionary history
- e.g. all humans can theoretically live in Antartica but we all don’t

38
Q

Realised Niche

A

The actual distribution of the organism
- i.e. there are actually not many people who live in Antartica, the realised niche is that we live in Australia

39
Q

Specialist

A

Specialists are ecologically more efficient than generalists at the cost of having a more restricted fundamental niche

Specialists will out compete generalists

May be efficient in the environment that they are in but if it is disrupted then they may struggle

Less resilient to change

40
Q

Generalist

A

More general adaptation and therefore can thrive in more environments

41
Q

Competitive exclusion

A

two species competing for the same resources cannot stably coexist if other ecological factors are constant.

42
Q

Disturbances examples

A
  • Deforestation
  • Agricultural development
  • pollution
  • Climate Change
  • Invasive species introduced
  • Natural Disasters
43
Q

Different type of disturbances

A

None, Maximal, Intermediate

44
Q

What does no disturbance mean

A

No disturbance: species well adapted, can take over area

45
Q

What does maximal disturbance mean

A

Maximal disturbance: Species dies, vulnerable to being obliterated if disturbance is big enough. An extreme

46
Q

What is intermediate disturbance

A

Intermediate disturbance: somewhere in the middle, don’t want disturbance to be too extreme

47
Q

What is the intermediate disturbance hypothesis

A

Diversity will be the highest when disturbance prevents competitive exclusion, but is of low enough intensity to allow many species to prosper

48
Q

Keystone species

A

Have the largest number of interactions within an ecosystem

NOT always at the top of the food chain

ALL ABOUT INTERACTIONS

49
Q

Red queen hypothesis

A

” It takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place”

Never stops, one thing will keep pushing the next (e.g. fast cheetah will push a more nimble deer and so on)

50
Q

Symbiosis (Types)

A

Parasitism (e.g. tick) +/-

Mutualism +/+ ( e.g. clownfish and anemones)

Commensalism +/0 (e.g. bird on a bison)

51
Q

What are the parameters that the size of a population is dependant on?

A

Sources of increase:
- Birth
- Immigration (in)

Sources of decrease
- Death
- Emigration (out)

52
Q

Growth Rate (r) (formula and what r means)

A

Determined by birth rates (b) and mortality rates (m)

= B - m = r

if r = 0 : no growth in the population

if r> 0: population increase

if r<0: population decreases

53
Q

Population growth

A

Intrinsic rate of growth (rmax) is the rate of growth with no limiting factors

  • R max is characteristic of the species
54
Q

Change in population (formula)

A

Number of births (b) - Number of deaths (d)

n = population size
t = time
delta = change in/over

delta n / delta t = b-d

55
Q

Exponential Growth formula

A

dN/dt = rmaxN

rmax = intrinsic rate of growth

56
Q

What factors prevent exponential growth

A

Availability of resources
- food
- nesting
- water

57
Q

What does ‘K’ mean

A

Carrying Capacity of the environment

58
Q

Logistic growth

A

dN/dt=rmaxN*(KN/K

When N is smaller in value to K per capita growth approaches 1 (high rate)

When N is large and resources are limiting, r max approaches - (low rate)

59
Q

Density independent

A

When abundance is low e.g. rapid reproduction

60
Q

Density dependant

A

When abundance is approaching the carrying capacity (K)

61
Q

Life history traits reflect evolutionary adaptations of:

A
  • Reproduction strategies
  • Number of offspring
  • Level of investment
  • Age of sexual maturity
  • Age specific distribution of reproduction and mortality
62
Q

What are the three types of survivorship

A

Type 3 survival: mortality decelerates over typical life span

Type 2: mostly constant mortality rate

Type 1: mortality accelerates with age

63
Q

True or false: you can put all of your resources into both reproduction and growth at the same time as it will benefit productivity and fitness

A

FALSE you cannot do this as reproduction has consequences and costs

Biology (3 decks)

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