ECOLOGY Flashcards
1
Q
what is the study of interaction between living organisms and the living and nonliving components of their environment
A
ecology
2
Q
what is how things are dependent on each other
A
interdependence
3
Q
what is any single change
A
result
4
Q
can single changes have big effects
A
yes, spread through network of interactions
5
Q
what are the levels of organization
A
molecules cells groups of cells organisms population community ecosystem biosphere
6
Q
what is a molecule
A
group of atoms
7
Q
molecules are the … unit of most … compounds
A
smallest
chemical
8
Q
molecule examples
A
DNA
water
9
Q
what is a cell
A
smallest functional unit of life
10
Q
cell exmaples
A
nerve cells
muscle cells
blood cells
11
Q
what is a group of cells
A
tissues, organs, organ systems
12
Q
group of cell example
A
nervous tissue to brain to nervous system
13
Q
what is an organism
A
individual living thing
14
Q
organism example
A
bison
15
Q
what is a population
A
one type of organisms living in same area
16
Q
population example
A
bison herd
17
Q
what is a cummunity
A
populations that live together in a defined area
18
Q
community example
A
hawk, snake, bison, prairie dog, grass
19
Q
what is an ecosystem
A
community and its nonliving surroundings
20
Q
ecosystem example
A
hawk, snake, bison, prairie dog, grass, stream, rocks, air
21
Q
what is a biosphere
A
part of earth that contains all ecosystems
22
Q
what is the difference between molecules and cells
A
molecules are nonliving
cells are living
molecules are smallest compound
cells are smallest living unit
23
Q
what is the difference between community and ecosystem
A
populations in an area
populations and nonliving
24
Q
what are the two components of an ecosystem
A
biotic factors
abiotic factors
25
what is bioitc
organisms that live or were once alive
26
biotic examples
anything that was once or is alive
27
what is abiotic
things that will never or were alive
28
abiotic examples
```
temperature
air
humidty
ph
etc
```
29
is a dead animal biotic or abiotic and why
biotic, was once alive
30
is oxygen abioitc or biotic and why
abiotic, never will live
31
what is the range of conditions in which an organism can survive
range of tolerance
32
example of species survival vs conditions
humans like 70 degrees. 110 is out of range
33
what is the process by which an organism can adjust their tolernace
acclimation
34
example of acclimation
acclimated to temperature:
| people adjust to 110 and 90 degrees feel cool
35
what are the zones of tolerance on graphs
intolerance
physiological stress
optimum range
36
what is zone of intolerance
organisms are absent
| can't live
37
what is zone of physiological stress
organisms are infrequent
| alive but not doing so well
38
what is zone of optimum range
greatest abundance of organisms
39
what are the two options when conditions change
control or escape
40
what are the two versions of control
conformers
| regulators
41
what do conformers do
change with enviroment
42
examples of conformers
snakes and lizards
| keep dancing to bad music
43
what do regulators do
use their own energy to control internal conditions
44
examples of regulators
humans
| put on different music
45
examples of escape conditions
dormancy
migration
leave the dance
46
what is a role of species within its enviroment
niche
47
what does a niche include
```
range of tolerance
resources
methods to obtain resources
interactions
etc
```
48
what are two strategies of niche
generalist
| specialist
49
example of generalist
```
Virginia opossum:
eats anything
not picky
large range of tolerance
friendly with humans
lot of reproduction
```
50
example of specialist
```
koala:
low metabolism
not active
only eats eucalyptus leaves
very low range of tolerance
```
51
what is tracing food through levels
tracing food through levels
52
how much percent of energy goes through each level
10
53
what are the tropic levels
tertiary
secondary
primary
producers
54
what are tertiary consumers
higher carnivores
| least energy
55
what are secondary consumers
carnivores and detrivores (scavengers
| second most energy
56
what are primary consumers
eat producers
most energy received out of consumers
herbivores
57
what are producers
bring energy into ecosystem through photosynthesis
produce most energy
plants
58
what are bio geo chemical cycles
movement of substances that can pass between the living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
59
what are significant bio geo chemical cycles
water
carbon
nitrogen
phosphorous
60
what is water cycle
needed for chemical reactions
61
what is carbon cycle
backbone of organic molecules
62
what is nitrogen cycle
proteins and nucleic acid
63
what is phosphorous cycle
skeletal structure, DNA, RNA
64
what are characteristics of population
size
density
dispersion
65
what is size
number of indviduals
66
what is density
crowdedness of population
67
what is distribution
spacial distribution
68
populations are ... meaning they change
dynamic
69
what are characteristics of population dynamic
birth rate
death rate
life expectancy
70
what is birth rate equation
birth / time
71
what is death rate equation
death / time
72
what is life expectancy
average life time
73
what is growth rate equation
(births/1000) - (deaths/1000)
crude birth rate - crude death rate
convert to percent
74
when a line goes straight up on a population model what kind is it
exponential
75
why will a population line go straight up
no limiting factors
76
what kind of population model accounts for limiting factors
logistical
77
what is carrying capactiy
number of individuals an environment can support over a period of time
78
in population regulation what is triggered by increasing density
density dependent
79
density dependent examples
food
| nesting site
80
what occurs independent of population dynamics
density independent
81
density independent examples
weather
natural disasters
cancer
82
what are the dangers of small populations
environmental disturbances lead to huge effects on small populations
less survivors when disaster comes
inbreeding
83
what does inbreeding lead to
decreased genetic variation
decreased survivability to diseases since everyone is same
genetic drift increases deleterious genes
84
what are the 5 species interactions
```
mutualism
commensalism
parasitism
predation
competition
```
85
mutualism and examples
both benefit
| coral and bacteria
86
commensalism and examples
one benefits other nothing
| birds and cows
87
parasitism and examples
one species loses, parasite and host
| flea and dog
88
predation and examples
one hunts other
| cats and mice
89
competition and example
both species lose, two species want same resource
| birds and seed
90
what are the three categories of species interaction
natural
common
evolution
91
results of interactions
increase pop
reduced niche size
resource partitioning
competing exclusion
92
what is resource partitioning
i hunt here you hunt there
93
what is competing exclusion
loser is excluded from resources
94
what is richness
number of species in community
95
what is eveness
relative abundance
| how common each species is in the community
96
what is disturbance
event that change communities, alter or destroy organisms, alter resource ability
97
what is stability
tendency of community to maintain relatively constant conditions
98
in succession, ... are common
disturbances
99
what is ecological succession
gradual, sequential regrowth of a common species
100
what is primary succession
growth in an area not supporting life previously
101
example of primary succession
volcano, bare rock
102
what is secondary succession
sequential replacement of species
103
secondary succession example
grassland to forest
104
what is a climax community
stable ending community
105
stable ending communities are not ... these days
accreted
106
in stable ending communities, disturbances are ... yet ...
common
| complex
107
in some stable ending communities, they are maintained by ...
disturbances
108
example of stable ending communities
wild fires burning
109
what are the aquatic ecosystems
oceans
estuaries
rivers/streams
freshwater lakes
110
what are the zones of the ocean shallowest to deepest
neritic
euphotic
bathyal
abyssal
111
is neritic sunlit
yes
112
neritic has ... photosynthesis
active
113
neritic has ... oxygen levels and ... pollution
high
| high
114
where does major commercial fishing take place
neritic
115
where does pollution occur
near shore
116
neritic has continental ...
shelf
117
is euphotc zone sunlit
yes
118
euphotic has ... photosynthesis
active
119
euphotic has ... oxygen but ... nutrient
high
| low
120
euphotic represents ...of ocean surface but produces only ...
90
| 10
121
euphotic has continental ...
slope
122
bathyal is ... (how much light)
semidarkness
123
bathyal has no ... and so no ...
photosynthesis
| producers
124
bathyal has ... of fish
variety
125
abyssal is ... (how much light)
pitch dark
126
abyssal has no ... so no ...
photosynthesis
| producers
127
there is ... oxygen and ... water
little
| very cold
128
what ocean zone contains 98 percent of ocean species
abyssal
129
how do species survive in abyssal
predators
| scavengers
130
many organisms are ... in abyssal
bioluminescent organs
131
decomposers feed on ... on ocean ...
decaying matter
| bottom
132
abyssal has high ... and ...
water pressure
| nutrients on ocean floor
133
what occurs when fresh meets saltwater
estuaries
134
example of estuarie
```
ocean running into river
bays
mudflats
mangrove swamps
salt marshes
```
135
what water body drops down from mountain
rivers/streams
136
what do rivers rely on for oxygenation
agitation
137
where do rivers get nutrients
neighboring terrestrial ecosystem
138
what is eutrophication
overflowing of nutirents
139
example of eutrophication
algae grow on grass beds
blue crabs dies
less commercial fishing
140
what is water body with less than 3.5 salinity
freshwater lake
141
what are the freshwater lake zones
littoral
limnetic
profundal
benthic
142
what is littoral
very close to shore
| still has sunlight
143
what is limnetic
drops off a bit
| still has sunlight
144
what is profundal
very close to bottom
| no sunlight
145
what is benthic
bottom of lake
146
each lake zone has ... conditions and so very ... life forms
different
| different
147
what is seasonal cycling
when seasons stir up everything in lake
