Ecology Flashcards
Levels of ecological organization
Biosphere (largest), ecosystem, community, population, individual (smallest)
Population
ONE SPECIES in ONE AREA
Community
VARIOUS POPULATIONS in ONE AREA
Ecosystems
Community of biotic and abiotic things interacting with each other
Biosphere
EVERYTHING ON EARTH, ALLL THE ECOSYSTEMS
Food chain
Producer (autotroph)–>primary consumer (herbivore)–>2ndary consumer (omnivore/carnivore)–>tertiary consumer (carnivore)–>decomposer
Bio-magnification
Pollutants from the producer will be worse in the next level
Movement of Energy
UP THE PYRAMID Producer—>Decomposer, in the form of organic molecules/chemical energy, energy is lost to heat as it moves up
Scavengers
Feed on bodies of dead organisms
Parasites
Lives and feeds on host organisms
Energy pyramid
Shows the amount of energy available in an ecosystem at each feeding (TROPHIC) level DECREASES AS U GO UP
Biomass pyramid
Shows the relative mass of organisms (BIOMASS) at each feeding level DECREASES AS U GO UP
Pyramid of Numbers
Population size also tends to generally decease as you move up through the trophic levels
3 Levels of Biodiversity
The diversity of ECOSYSTEMS found of earth, species in a COMMUNITY, and diversity within a SPECIES
More diverse=
More stable
Negative human affects on biodiversity
Over harvesting, alien species introduction CANE FROGS, habitat fragmentation, pollution, habitat destruction
Biodiversity benefits for us
The richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries and economic development
Ecosystems help to…
Protect water source Form soil Store/recycle nutrients Break down pollutants Increase climate stability
Biological resources
Food
Medicine
Building materials like wood
Social benefits
Research+education
Recreation+tourism
Niche
Specific role of an organism in its environment, no 2 organisms can occupy the same niche at the same time
Habitat
Where in the community that organism lives
Mutualism
+/+ (lichens, flowers and insects)
Commensalism
+/0 (barnacles on a whale)
Parasitism
+/- (tapeworms, mistletoe, athletes foot)
Competition
Struggle for limited resources among organisms
Limiting factors
Limits pop size (space, light, temp, food, predators)
Carrying capacity
The largest pop of any species that an area can support at one time, determined by limiting factor (population size cycles up and down on carrying capacity line)
Population would go straight up…
If there are unlimited resources/no limiting factors NEVER HAPPENS IRL
Carbon and oxygen move by
Photosynthesis an respiration
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen: important part of ANIMO ACIDS needed to make PROTIENS
Decomposers: bacteria and fungi make nitrogen available to other organisms
Ecological succession
Process when an existing community is replaced by another
Primary succession
1ST group of communities that moves into the previous lifeless habitat (bare rock)
Rock-lichens-mosses-grasses-trees and shrubs-forest
Pioneer organisms
Can live where no other organism can
Ex: lichens
Pond succession
Pond-sedimentation-swamp-forest
Secondary succession
A disturbance can wipe out everything except soil
Climax community
Diverse and stable ecosystem that is the end result of succession
Ex: hard wood Forest
Biome
Land region inhabited by certain types of organisms, especially plants
Ex: desert, grassland, forest
Order of biomes as latitude/altitude increase: tropical forest, deciduous, taiga, tundra, ice/snow
Biomes
Tundra: cold, short growing season, topsoil thaws (lichens, mosses, shrubs)
Taiga: cold winter, longer growing season where ground thaws completely (coniferous trees, pines, firs)
Temperate deciduous forest: seasons, abundant rainfall (maple, hickory, flowers, etc)
Grasslands: can’t support trees, moderate rainfall, temperate-tropical
Desert: hot days, cold nights, little rainfall no grass (cactus, plants adapted to little water)
Tropical rain forest: constant, high temp., a lot of rainfall all the time, humid(large broad leaves trees)
Importance of Marine Biomes
Gives us the most oxygen found in the air
Lots of photosynthesis goin on here
Why is the human population a problem?
Human population is increasing exponentially
We are quickly using the earths finite resources
Population growth is outpacing food in some regions
Nonrenewable resources
Cannot be replaced over time, coal, oil, natural gas, metals
Response to Nonrenewable resources
Reduce, reuse, recycle
The levels of biodiversity =
Stability of the ecosystem
Humans have decreased biodiversity by
Direct harvesting, endangering, polluting, harming and introducing new invasive species( also other bad stuff we do)
Poaching
Illegally catching/killing organisms
Deforestation
Destruction of forests bc of human activity (burning, cutting, farming, building)
Imported species =
INVASIVE
No natural predators
Direct harvesting
The destruction or removal of species from their habitat(lead to endangerment and extinction)
Imported species
AKA invasive, no natural predators and disturb food web
Characteristics of invasive species
Fast growth, rapid repro, high dispersal ability(very adaptive), tolerance of a wide range of environ. conditions, ability to live off of a wide range of food types
Industrialization
The development of an economy in which machines produce many of the products people use
Tech increase human growth by…
Increasing food supply , improvements in health care, improved sanitation practices
Rise of human pop cause increase of demand of
Energy, fossils and nuclear fuels, and water
Negative effects of human growth on water
- increase consumption
- waste from homes and factories are dumped in waterways->pollution
Thermal pollution
- water used in industries and power plants to cool machines, warm water released into river, warm water doesn’t have much O2 ,suffocation in species
Fossil fuel
Formed from remains of organisms that lived millions of years ago
Good ozone
Protects us from Uv Rays in stratosphere
Bad ozone
AKA smog, respiratory irritant in the troposphere
Ozone depletion
Destruction of ozone shield
CFC
Used as coolants in fridges, air conditioner, aerosol cans and plastic products, causes OZONE DEPLETION
Uv radiation leads to
Skin cancer, cataracts , reduction of crop yield, disruption of marine ecosystem
Acid rain
Precipitation that has a low pH due to sulfur and nitrogen compound added by burning fossil fuels
Negative effects of acid rain
Forest decline, leaching of metals form rock and soil , decay of limestone/marble, respiratory damage, acidification and destruction of aquatic ecosystems
Global warming
GREENHOUSE GASES co2–>up temp (not to be confused with ozone depletion)
Problems of fossil fuels
Nonrenewable , polluting , global warming , acid rain
Solution
Use renewal and clean energy, conserve resources (carpool, etc)
Hydroelectric power
Generations energy with water by moving turbines (dams)
Tidal electrical generators
Limited only to places with a great diff btwn high and low tides
Solar energy
U SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW
How can solar energy be converted
Photovoltaic (PV Device) or “solar cells “ change into electricity
Concentrations Solar Power Plants
using the heat from solar thermal collectors to heat a fluid which produces steam to power generator
Wind turbine
Uses blade to collect the winds kinetic energy, blades turn drive shaft to turn and electric generator
Geothermal energy
Heat from earths core , heat are continuously produced inside the Earth by slow decay of radioactive particles
Biomass
Burned to release energy(wood, crops etc), also can become methane gas or transportation fuel like ethanol and biodiesel
Nuclear energy
Produced from splitting of atoms Good by low levels of pollution but Bad bc it is large amounts of hazardous radioactive waste
Soil depletion
Modern farming does not allow for normal recycling of materials (no nutrients left for bacteria to do their job)
DDT
Toxic spray crops-rain brought to crops-move up food chain-fish eating birds produce fragile eggs- easily broken - next generation killed BIOMAGNIFICATION
Biological magnification
Toxic chemical are at higher concentrations at higher concentrations in food chain
Biological control
Using a living organism to control a pest pop, can include viruses, should be a native species(ladybugs are used to control aphid, bad-cane toads)
Predator and prey relationship
PREY>PREDATOR keep in check
