Ecology Flashcards
Define Ecology
the relationship between organisms and their environments
Difference b/w Abiotic and Biotic
Abiotic= non living ( weather, temperature, food) Biotic= living ( Predation, natural selection)
Relationship b/w natural selection and ecology
- individuals vary in traits that effect survival and reproduction ( Fitness)
- Variation is heritable
- Fitness correlates with the heritable trait
Adaptions result from ecological interaction
Yaad rakhna
at what angle is the earth tilted
23.5 degrees
How’s sunlight hitting the earth at 30 to 60 degree
low angle of incoming sunlight
what ecosystem is found at the equator?
a) tropics
b) Deserts
tropics
Why are tropics found at the equator?
large amount of sunlight is received at the equator which creates warmer air and more rainfall ( from equator to 30 N and S)
What kind of air is found in the desert areas. explain the phenomenon?
Cool, Dry air
Hot air rises at the equator and cools down which result in the rainfall. The dry air then moves toward the 60 degree N/S, results in less air.
Where does Hadley Cell occur?
From the equator to 30 degrees
Where does Ferrel Cell occur?
Between 30 and 60.
Where does Polar cell occur?
60 and above ( polar regions)
At what rate does the earth rotate?
15 degrees/hr
Coriolis Effect?
Causes the deflection of wind
In what direction does north pole and south pole rotates?
North pole rotates anti-clockwise
South pole rotates clockwise.
How does the sun affect ocean currents?
- Heats the atmosphere, create winds and moving the sea surface through friction
- alters the density of the ocean surface water directly by changing its temperature or salinity
What is Biome?
Broad scale patterns of distribution of plants and amimals
or in other words Terrestrial Ecosystems
What are the 2 major abiotic factors responsible for vegetations in different environments?
Temperature and Precepitation ( Rain fall, snow fall)
Which of these terms defines how the organism allocates resources to growth, reproduction, and activities or structures related to survival?
- survivorship
- demography
- energy budget
- life history
Life History
What’s a Cohort?
A group of Individuals from the same group, from birth until they are all dead.
the proportion of offspring produced that survive, on average, to a particular age?
survivorship
Geographic Range?
the area where a species can be found during its lifetime. Includes areas where individuals or communities may migrate or hibernate.
what is Dispersal?
The movement of organisms away from their birthplace.
Often confined to a particular life stage
What are the Three Modes of dispersion?
- Diffusion
- Jump Dispersal
- Secular Dispersal/ Migration
Define Diffusion?
Diffusion is the gradual spread of population across a Hospitable habitat.
NO ADAPTAION REQUIRED!!
What is Jump Dispersal?
movement across large distances/barriers to dispersal followed by successful establishment
-Examples: island colonizations.
Human introduction: jump followed by dispersion
( read the important long distance dispersal insights from the slides)
Secular Dispersion
diffusion over long period of time: genetic divergence of peripheral populations from the ancestral population
May lead to speciation!
