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Biology 120 > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Ecology

A

Study of interactions between organisms and the environment

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2
Q

Ecology Hierarchy

A

Global, Landscape, ecosystem, community, population, organismal

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3
Q

Organismal Ecology

A

studies structure, physiology and behavior.

Physiological, evolutionary, and environment

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4
Q

Population

A

group of individuals same species living in an area. Pop ecology focuses on factor affecting pop size over time.
-pop density, distribution, age structure and variation

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5
Q

Community

A

group of populations of different species in an area. Com ecology deals with the whole array of interacting species in a community

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6
Q

Ecosystem

A

community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact. Ecosystem ecology emphasizes the energy flow and chemical cycling among various biotic and abiotic components

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7
Q

Landscape

A

landscape or seascape is a mosaic of connected ecosystems. Landscape ecology focuses on the exchange of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems

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8
Q

Global

A

The biosphere is the global ecosystem, the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems. Global ecology examines the influence of energy and materials on organisms across the biosphere.

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9
Q

Climate

A

long-term prevailing weather conditions in an area. 4 abiotic components: temp, precipitation, sunlight, and wind.

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10
Q

Macroclimate

A

patterns on the global, regional and landscape level

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11
Q

Microclimate

A

very fine patterns such as community of organisms under a log.
-abiotic and biotic factors

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12
Q

Global Climate patterns

A
  • determined by solar energy
  • warming effect causes temp variations which drive evaporation and circulation of air and water
  • angle which sun hits the earth affects intensity (greatest in tropics)
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13
Q

Global Air circulation and precipitation patterns

A

major roles in climate patterns.

  • water evaps in tropics and warm wet air flow from tropics to the poles.
  • Rising air release water and cause lots of rain
  • dry descending air masses create arid climates esp near 30 degree north and south
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14
Q

Effects on Climate

A
  • seasonality
  • large bodies of water
  • geographic features like mountain ranges
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15
Q

Seasonality

A
  • seasonal variations of light and temp increase steadily towards poles
  • tilt of earth’s axis of rotation and annual passage around the sun
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16
Q

Bodies of water

A
  • moderating effect
  • day air rises from warm land and draws cool breeze across the water onto land
  • as land cools at night air rises over warmer water and draws cooler air back out over water
  • coastal breezes
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17
Q

Mountains

A
  • rising air releases water on windward side makes rain shadow
  • affect sunlight received.
  • south facing slopes get more sun in northern hemisphere
  • every 1000 m increase in elevation temp drops 6 degrees
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18
Q

Global Climate change

A

changes in earths’ climate profoundly affect the biosphere

  • ocean sediment and glacier core sampling
  • glaciers retreated 16,000 years ago forest distribution has changed
  • climate change means species will go extinct
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19
Q

Biomes

A
  • major life zones characterized by land (terrestrial) or water (aquatic)
  • Latitude in important in determining why terrestial are found where they are.
  • Climate affects the weather patterns of terrestrial biomes
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20
Q

Terrestrial Biomes

A
  • named for major physical or climatic factors and for vegetation
  • area of blending called ecotone may be wide or narrow
  • Vertical Layering in forest biomes
  • patchiness in biomes heterogeneity
  • maintained by disturbance
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21
Q

Convergent Evolution

A

Similar characteristics evolved by unrelated species typically for a similar biome

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22
Q

Tropical Forest

A
  • -equatorial and subequatorial regions
  • -rainfall is constant in tropical rainforests
  • -in tropical dry forests rainfall is seasonal
  • -vertically layered and competition for light is intense
  • -So much biodiverse. 5-30 still undiscovered million insects alone
  • -human development destroys :(
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23
Q

Deserts

A
  • -appear in bands at 30 degrees north and south of equator
  • -Precip is low and highly variable usaully less than 30 cm/yr
  • -hot or cold
  • -desert plants are adapted for heat and desiccation tolerance, water storage and reduced leaf area
  • -urbanization and irrigation have reduced biodiverse in some deserts
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24
Q

Savanna

A
  • -equatorial and subequatorial regions
  • -precip is seasonal
  • -warm year round (24-29) more variable than tropics
  • -Grasses and forms make up most of the ground cover
  • -dominant plants are fire resistant and tolerant of seasonal drought
  • -Insects and large mammals
  • -Fires set by humans to maintain
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25
Q

Chaparral

A
  • -Mid latitude and coastal regions
  • -preip is highly seasonal rainy winters and dry summers like Greece
  • -Summer is hot and rest of seasons are cool
  • -dominated by small plants adapted to fire and drought
  • -small mammals, insects amphibians and reptiles
  • -Humans reduce this biome by agriculture and urbanization
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26
Q

Temperate Grassland

A
  • -found many places
  • -Winter is cool and dry while summer are hot and wet
  • -plants adapted to drought and fire
  • -Native mammals are large grazers like bison and small burrowers
  • -many convert to farmland
  • -SD Great Plains
  • -Tall grass prairie most threatened ecosystem
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27
Q

North Coniferous Forest

A
  • -also called taiga spans n america and eurasia
  • -largest terrestial biome on earth
  • -Precip is varied some have droughts and others near coast are quite wet
  • -winters are long and cols while summer may be hot
  • -conifers dominate
  • -the conical shape of them keeps from snow build up
  • -birds and large mammals
  • -some forests are being logged quickly
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28
Q

Temperate Broadleaf Forest

A
  • -Found at mid latitude in n hemisphere small areas in chile, s africa, australis, and new zealand
  • -precip during all seasons
  • -winters average 0 c and summers are hot and humid
  • -vertical layers dominated by deciduous trees in north and evergreen eucalyptus in Australia
  • -Many mammals hibernate
  • -heavily settled on all continents
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29
Q

Tundra

A
  • -Tundra covers expanses of the arctic
  • -Alpine tundra exists at high altitudes at all latitudes
  • -precip is low in arctic tundra and higher in alpine
  • -winters long and cold summers are cool
  • -Permafrost a perm frozen layer of soil prevents water infiltration
  • -Vegetation is herbaceous
  • -Big mammals
  • -short plants microclimate
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30
Q

Aquatic biomes

A
  • -less latitudinal variation than terrestrial biomes
  • -Marine biomes have salt concentrations of ~3%
  • -Largest marine biome is made of oceans ~75% of earth’s surface
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31
Q

Freshwater biomes

A
  • -have salt >1%

- -closely linked to soils and biotic components of surrounding terrestrial biome

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32
Q

Zonation in Aquatic Biomes

A

–stratified into zones/layers defined by light penetration, temp and depth

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33
Q

Photic Zone

A

–where light reaches: sufficient light for photosynthesis

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34
Q

Aphotic Zone

A

–receives little light

35
Q

Pelagic zone

A
  • -photic and aphotic zones
  • -constantly mixed by the wind driven ocean currents
  • -high oxygen levels
  • -Turnover in temperate oceans renews nutrients in photic zones year round stratification in tropics leads to lower nutrient concentrations
  • -this biome= ~70% of earth
  • -phytoplankton and zooplankton (protists, worms, copepods, krill, jellies and invertebrate jellies) are the dominant organisms
  • -Overfishing has depleted fish stocks and human pollution=bad
36
Q

Abyssal zone

A
  • -deep in aphotic zone

- -depth of 2k to 6k meters

37
Q

Benthic Zone

A
  • -organic and inorganic sediment at the bottom of all aqueous zones
  • -Invertebrates live here
38
Q

Benthos

A

–community of organisms that live in the benthic zone

39
Q

Detritus

A
  • -dead organic matter falls from surface water

- -important source of food

40
Q

Littoral zone

A

–zone where water plants grow

41
Q

Limnetic zone

A

–drop off where plants can’t reach the surface

42
Q

Neritic zone

A
  • -also called the coastal zone

- -OCEAN ZONE before the drop off, on the continental shelf

43
Q

Intertidal zone

A
  • -periodically submerged and exposed by tides
  • -organisms challenged by the change in temp and salinity and by pounding of waves
  • -oxygen and nutrient levels are high
  • -can be rocky or sandy
  • -rocky many animals have structure to hang from rocks
  • -In sandy zones worms clams and crustaceans bury themselves in the sand
  • -Oil pollution messes with these creatures
44
Q

Thermocline

A
  • -temp boundary separates the warm upper layer from the cold lower layer
  • -lakes undergo seasonal mixing called a turn over
  • -mixes oxygen rich water with nutrient rich water
45
Q

Oligotrophic Lake

A
  • -nutrient poor but oxygen rich lakes

- -have more

46
Q

Eutrophic Lake

A
  • -nutrient rich but oxygen poor lake especially if covered in ice during winter
  • -more surface area relative to depth
47
Q

Zoo plankton

A

drifting heterotrophs that graze on phytoplankton

48
Q

Nutrient enrichment in Lakes

A

-from humans can lead to algae blooms, oxygen depletion and fish kills

49
Q

Wetlands

A
  • habitat inundated with water at least some of the time and supports plants adapted to water saturated soil
  • -high organic production and decomposition and low dissolved oxygen
  • -can develop in shallow basins along flooded river basins and on coasts of large lakes and seas
  • -most productive biomes on earth
  • -lots of plants: carnivores!
  • -invertebrates
  • -humans have destroyed ~90% of wetlands
  • -purify water and reduce flooding
50
Q

Streams and Rivers

A
  • -physical characteristic of current
  • -headwaters are generally cold, clear, turbulent, swift, oxygenated, narrow and rocky
  • -downstream rivers are warmer, more turbid, less oxygen, wide meandering and silty bottoms.
  • -young is straight and fast
  • -old are braided and slow
  • -phytoplankton and plants
  • -pollution kills organsims
  • -damming impairs natural functioning of streams and rivers
51
Q

Estuaries

A
  • -Transition area between the river and the sea
  • -Salinity varies with the rise and fall of the tides
  • -Brackish mix of salt and fresh
  • -Salt water grasses and algae are the major producers
  • -oysters, crabs and fish
  • -human interference with upstream disrupts estuaries
52
Q

Coral Reefs

A
  • -Calcium carbonate skeletons of corals (cnidarians)
  • -shallow reef building corals live in the photic zone in clear water deep sea corals live in 200-1500 m.
  • -Corals need high oxygen and solid substrate for attachment
  • -fringing reef–>barrier reef–>atol (circular structure)
53
Q

Marine Benthic Zone

A
  • -water below neritic and the offshore pelagic
  • -organisms in abyssal zone are adapted to high pressure and cold temperatures
  • -soft sediment mostly, some rocky areas
  • -shallow parts contain sea weeds and filamentous algae
  • -deep sea hydrothermal vents of volcanic origin on mid oceanic ridges are surrounded by unique chemoautotrophic prokaryotes
  • -overfishing :(
54
Q

Interspecific competition

A

Competition between species

55
Q

Intraspecific competition

A

competition within species

56
Q

Competition Exclusion Principle

A

2 species competing for the same limiting resources cannot exist in the same place same niche=no way

57
Q

Ecological Niche

A

total of an organism’s use of biotic and abiotic features in its environment

58
Q

Niche partitioning

A

resource partitioning is the differentiation of the niches

59
Q

Predation

A

Interaction where the predator eats the prey

60
Q

Defensive Adaptations

A

like camouflage: difficult to spot coloration
Aposematic warns to stay away
Mimicry: Batesian–mimic another animal that is dangerous
Mullerians–two or more bad animals look similar

61
Q

Herbivory

A

Eating of plants

62
Q

Arms Race

A

Each adapt to survive

63
Q

Symbiosis

A

Two species living in direct and intimate contact with each other
Parasitism–one hurts the other
over 1/3 of organisms
Mutualism–benefits both
Commensalism–one benefits, other not harmed not

64
Q

Disease

A

Similar to parasites

–bacteria, viruses, protists

65
Q

Commensalism

A

one benefits, other not harmed

NOT SYMBIOSIS

66
Q

Facilitation

A

Some foundation species act as facilitates

67
Q

Species Diversity

A
  • variety of different kind of organisms that make up
  • species richness, how many of each
  • rel abundance proportion that each species represents in the community

Can have same richness but different rel abundance and so which is more bio diverse?

68
Q

Trophic Structure

A

Feeding relationship between organisms in a community

69
Q

Food chains

A

Link the levels

70
Q

Food web

A

complex trophic interactions

71
Q

Dominant Species

A

most abundant species or have highest bio mass

exert control over the occurrence and distribution of other species

72
Q

Hypothesis for dominant species

A
  • -best at exploiting limited resources

- -most successful at avoiding predators

73
Q

Keystone Species

A

Not necessarily abundant, but exert strong roles though their niches

  • -physical changes in environment
  • -
74
Q

Disturbance

A

–changes ecosystem
–takes organisms out or in
–alters resource availability
–restructure the community biotic assemblage
FIRE!

75
Q

Primary succession

A

Begins with no life

VOlcanic eruption makes land

76
Q

Secondary succession

A

Begins with life

FIRE

77
Q

Patterns of Dispersion

A
  • -clumped may be influenced by resource availability
  • -uniform maybe because social interactions
  • -random because nothing
78
Q

Survivorship curves

A
  • -Type I human
  • -Type II ground hog
  • -Type III mollusk or amphibians
79
Q

Population growth

A

Exponential logistic growth
–rate at its max is called the intrinsic rate of increase
r=B-M

80
Q

Carrying capacity

A

‘K’
cannot be sustained, where the resources available run out
per capita rate of increase declines as carrying capacity is reached
rmaxN(K-N/K)
1/2 of K is ideal

81
Q

Life History

A
  • when reproduction begins
  • how many offspring, how many at a time and over lifetime
  • how often reproduction occurs
82
Q

ESS

A

Evolutionary Stable Stragedy

83
Q

Semelparity

A

Big Bang reproduction reporduce a single time and die

84
Q

Iteroparity

A

Produce offspring repeatedly overtime

Biology 120 (2 decks)

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