Ecology Flashcards
1
Q
Ecology
A
The study of how organism interact with each other
2
Q
Abiotic
A
Non-living parts of the environment
Still has an impact
(Ex. Soil, water, temperature, sunlight)
3
Q
Biotic
A
Living (or once living) parts of the environment.
Ex. Plants, fungi, insects, bacteria
4
Q
Species
A
Organisms that are able to breed with one another to create the same fertile organism.
5
Q
Population
A
A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area at the same time.
6
Q
Community
A
- Populations of different species interact with one another as part of a community
- Consists of all of the individuals in all of the interacting populations in a given area
7
Q
Ecosystem
A
A community of populations, together with the abiotic factors that surround & affect, it is called an ECOSYSTEM
8
Q
Ecotones
A
- cosystems rarely have sharp boundaries & organisms can move back and forth between ecosystems (Ex, Frogs)
- The transition zones are called ecotones
- Ecotones have greater biodiversity & tend to be less fragile
9
Q
Ecological Niche
A
- Role in the ecosystem
- The organism’s place in the food web, its habitat, breeding area, and the time of day that it is most active constitute its ecological niche
- The ecological niche includes everything it does to survive and reproduce.
10
Q
Competition for Niches
A
When a new species enters an ecosystem, it causes a disturbance because there is competition between one or more species already in the ecosystem
11
Q
Invasive Species
A
Also known as “Introduced Species”
- The introduction of a new species to an ecosystem by humans is one of the main causes of species depletion or extinction, second to habitat loss, which is the number one reason
- WHY?
- Often, there are NO predators, so that the invasive species populations can increase rapidly
- Native species might NOT be able to compete successfully for space, food, and reproductive sites
- Prey species might NOT have defences against the new species
12
Q
Limiting Factors
A
Can be both abiotic & biotic factors that limit the number of individuals in a poupulation.
13
Q
Abiotic Limiting Factors
A
- Examples in Plants:
- Soil Type, Temperature Range, Fertilizer Use, Moisture and Humidity Levels
- Examples in Animals:
* Temperature, water avability, oxygen levels, natural disaasters.
14
Q
Biotic Limiting Factors
A
- Examples
- Predators, Parasites, Competition for resources
15
Q
Types of Competiton:
A
Interspecific Competiton & Intraspecific Competition
16
Q
Interspecific Competition
A
- Members of different species populations compete with each other for limited resources
- (Ex, Lion vs. Hyena)
- May result in one “outcompeting” the other & not being able to survive in that habitat, or them being able to coexist in the habitat, but the population being lowered due to the presence of the other species
17
Q
Intraspecific Competition
A
- Members of the same type of population (species) compete with each other for limited resources
- Ex. Lion vs. Lion
18
Q
Predators
A
A biotic interaction that involves the consumption of one organims by another.
19
Q
Parasite
A
- An interaction in which one organism (the parasite) derives its nourishment from another organism (the host), which is harmed in some way
- An increase in the density of the host population makes it possible for the parasite to increase in number
- Ex. Tapeworms, fleas, ticks
20
Q
Density-Dependent Factors
A
- A factor in an ecosystem that affects members of a population due to the population density.
- Affects a population because of the actual density of the population
- Influences higher-density areas more
- Ex. Disease transmission, Predators, Food Supply, Territory, Sunlight, Water Quality,
21
Q
Density-Independent Factors
A
- A factor in an ecosystem that affects members of a population regardless of population density
- Density does NOT influence
- Tend to be abiotic
- Ex. Fire, Flood, Drought, Habitat Loss, Spraying with pesticides, Change in climate or temperature
22
Q
Factors that cause a population INCREASE
A
-
ABIOTIC:
- Favourable light, favourable temperature, and favourable chemical environment
-
BIOTIC:
- Sufficient food, Low number of food or low effectiveness of predators, few or weak diseases or parasites, Ability to compete for resources
23
Q
Factors that cause a population DECREASE
A
-
ABIOTIC
- Too much or too little light, too cold or too warm, unfavourable chemical environment
-
BIOTIC
- Insufficient food, a high number of highly effective predators, many or strong diseases or parasites, inability to compete successfully for resources
24
Q
Biomes
A
Specific areas with distinct environmental conditions, climate and vegetation, and the species that live there.
25
Taiga
- Most of Canada’s forests (Coniferous trees)
- Warm, moist summers/ dry, cold winters
- The weather changes quickly
- Soil contains some water and is acidic
- Precipitation is 50-250 cm/year
26
Muskeg
- Cold, permafrost layer beneath the soil
- Forms muskeg (water soaks decomposing plants and peat moss)
- Short growing season
- Low precipitation (50-150cm/ year)
27
Grassland
- Increased temperature & sunlight than the taiga and muskeg
- Rich soil
- Precipitation (25-100 cm/year)
28
Deciduous Forest
- Mostly trees
- Rich soil
- Increased sunlight & temperature than the taiga and muskeg
- Precipitation (75-250 cm/year)
29
Abiotic Factors that affect Terrestrial Ecosystems
Soil Conditions (pH, soil type), temperature, sunlight, available water
30
Layers of the Soil
Litter Layer, Topsoil, Subsoil, Bedrock, Groundwater
31
Litter Layer
Also known as the Upper Layer
- Mostly partially decomposed leaves or grasses
- Acts as a blanket limiting temperature variations in the soils and reducing water loss from evaporation
32
Topsoil
- Small particles of rock mixed with decaying matter (humus), often dark soil, a rich supply of nutrients, air and water spaces
- Beneath the litter layer and there is air present for dead material to decompose, as oxygen is needed
33
Subsoil
- It contains more rock particles mixed with small amounts of organic matter.
- Usually lighter in colour due to the lack of humus
- Contains a large amount of minerals such as iron, aluminum and phosphorus
- Beneath the topsoil.
34
Bedrock
The layer of rock that marks the end of the soil
35
Groundwater
Water found in the soil
36
Abiotic Factors Affecting Aquatic Ecosystems
- Chemical Environment
- Fresh or saltwater, amount of dissolved oxygen
- Other dissolved substances (Ex. nutrients such as phosphorus/ nitrogen)
- Temperature, sunlight, water pressure (Deeper underwater you go more pressure)
37
Dissolved Oxygen
* Refers to the amount of oxygen gas that is mixed into and held in water.
* Moves through the process of diffusion.
It's important because aquatic organism need dissolved oxygen to survive.
- As temperature **increases** (Gets hotter), dissolved oxygen **decreases**.
* When water temperature **DECREASES**, dissolved oxygen **INCREASES**.
- As dissolved oxygen begins to drop, fewer organism can be supported
38
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
- BOD is a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by decomposers to break down the organic matter in a sample of water over a five day period at 20 °C
- BOD indicates the amount of available organic matter in a water sample
- As the number of organisms in an ecosystem **INCREASES**, so does the BOD
- (# of organisms **INCREASE** = Biological Oxygen Demand **INCREASE**)
- As the number of organisms **INCREASES** and the BOD **INCREASES**, more organisms use the oxygen from the water, causing the level of dissolved oxygen to **DECREASES**
- (**INCREASES** # of organisms = **INCREASES** BOD = **DECREASES** dissolved $O_2$ )
39
What are the Lake Zones?
Littoral Zone, Limnetic Zone, and Profundal Zone
40
Littoral Zone
- The area extending out from the lakeshore to the point where no more plants can grow in the lake bottom.
- The most productive part of a lake, it is the area where plants take advantage of the sunlight to carry out photosynthesis.
- The size is the determined by the depth of a lake and the slope of its lakebed, both are individual to each lake.
41
Limnetic Zone
- The area of a lake or pond in which there is open water and sufficient light for photosynthesis to occur.
- The most common form of organism within the limnetic zone is called plankton.
- Plants can also be found here but they do not need to be anchored.
41
Density
A measure of how compact the mass in a substance or object is.
Mass spread out of a volume.
41
Profundal Zone
- The region beneath the limnetic zone in which there is not sufficient light for photosynthesis to occur.
- Not usually found in ponds.
- The only source of nutrients in this zone is the rain of dead plants and animals
42
Winter For Lakes
- Lake is covered by ice and snow, which prevents oxygen from dissolving in the water.
- Layers of the lake are related to the density of water- the least dense sections are above 0°C, and the most dense section is at the bottom at 4 °C.
- Levels of sunlight entering the lake are dependent on ice thickness.
- Which has an impact on dissolved oxygen levels.
42
Spring For Lakes
- Ice starts to melt
- Oxygen from the air can enter the water
- Wind stirs the water, creating waves that increase the surface area and, in turn, ***INCREASING*** the rate of oxygen dissolving
- As the temperature at the surface starts to increase (Warmer) the water will drop due to its higher density.
- This will cause water to mix & bring dissolved oxygen to lower areas of the lake.
- **Spring Turnover** occurs
42
Relationship Between Water Density & Temperature
* Temperautre INCREASE = Density DECREASE
* Temperature DECREASE = Density INCREASE
* When a substance is heated, its particles move faster and spread farther apart.
* This causes the same amount of substance to take up more space, reducing its density.
* When a substance is cooled, the particles slow down and come closer together, making it more dense.
* It's MAXIMUM density is 4 degrees celcius and it becomes less dense as it freezes
43
Epilimnion
* Upper layer of the lake
- Warms up
- Hottest layer and the least dense at 0°C
- Has issues of oxygen solubility
- Higher temperature = LESS dissolved oxygen
43
Fall For Lakes
- Temperature drops (Colder), bringing water to 4°C, = water sinks = oxygen level below are renewed.
- Fall turnover occurs and breaks up the summer thermal layer
43
Layers of the Lake
- It is related to the density of water:
- The least dense (heavy) is at the top at 0°C
- The densest (heaviest) is at the bottom at 4°C
44
Summer For Lakes
- As the temperature warms above 4°C, it no longer sinks because it is less dense
- Just as in winter, the layers are set u,p and the densest layer is at the bottom.
- The layers of the lake do **NOT** mix, so organisms at the bottom rely on oxygen being brought down during spring turnover.
45
Thermocline
Middle layer of the lake
Temperature drops rapidly from WARM to COLD
46
Hypolimnion
Lowest Layer
Remains at a LOW temperature
47
Slash & Burn
One of the Forestry Practices
Commonly used in tropical areas to clear forests for agriculture, bulldozers remove all existing vegetation, and debris is piled and burned to provide soil nutrients for future crops
48
Clear Cutting
Removal of all trees in an area, followed by replanting the dominant (desired) species
49
Selective Cutting
Only certain trees are harvested from an area, leaving others to regenerate
50
Prescribed Burns
- fires set intentionally in defined areas of the parks & controlled.
50
Effects of Fire
- Create and maintain different vegetation types
- Maintains food supply for animals that benefit from low vegetation
51
Water Pollution
- Any physical or chemical change in surface water or groundwater
- Biological, chemical & physical forms of water pollution can be grouped into five categories:
- Organic Solid Waste, Disease-Causing Organism, Inorganic Solids, Thermal Energy, Organic Compounds
52
Indicators of Water Quality
- When studying water pollution & water quality, scientists look at:
- Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
53
Bacteria
- Detection of disease-causing bacteria:
- Detecting the presence of coliform bacteria tells you animal waste is polluting the water and indicates that other dangerous bacteria may be present
54
Habitat
Where it live, its home
55
Range
The area it is found in the world
56
Niche
What it does and how it survies
Its Job.
57
Biodiversity
The number of species in an ecosystem
