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APES > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

(71 cards)

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1
Q

What’s the definition of population?

A

All members of one species in a certain place

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2
Q

What’s a community?

A

Different species that interact in a certain place

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3
Q

What’s an ecosystem?

A

Everything in a certain place that interacts with each other

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4
Q

What’s the definition of a limiting factor?

A

Resources necessary for survival or reproduction

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5
Q

What are 3 examples of limiting factors?

A

Food, habitat, light

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6
Q

What determines population size?

A

The most limiting factor

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7
Q

What are tolerance limits?

A

The min and max limits beyond which a species can’t survive

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8
Q

What are 3 examples of tolerance limits?

A

Temp, moisture level, space

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9
Q

What’s a species with high tolerance?

A

Squirrels

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10
Q

What’s a species with low tolerance?

A

Pandas

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11
Q

What’s an environmental indicator?

A

A species that indicates something about the ecosystem as a whole

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12
Q

What are 2 examples of environmental indicators?

A

Trout and mayfly nymph

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13
Q

What is divergent evolution and what are 2 other names for it?

A

Members of the same species evolve in different ways

Allopatric, adaptive radiation

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14
Q

What’s is convergent evolution?

A

Different species look the same to survive in the environment

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15
Q

What happened to European pepper moths?

A

Darker moths camouflaged better on the soot-covered trees, the first time humans forced natural selection

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16
Q

What are the 5 layers of the rainforest?

A

1) ground
2) shrub
3) under-canopy
4) canopy
5) emergent layer

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17
Q

What is a niche generalist? What are 2 examples?

A

A species with a broad niche, dogs and raccoons

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18
Q

What is a niche specialist? What is one example?

A

A species with a narrow niche, pandas

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19
Q

What is the law of competitive exclusion?

A

2 species won’t occupy same niche for long, eventually one dominates the niche

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20
Q

What are producers?

A

Autotrophs, they produce their own food

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21
Q

What’s a photoautotroph?

A

A species that gets food from light

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22
Q

What’s a chemoautotroph?

A

Species that get food from inorganic materials

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23
Q

What are consumers?

A

Heterotrophs, they eat something

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24
Q

What do scavengers eat?

A

Dead things they find

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25
What do decomposes/ saprophytes eat?
Dead organics
26
What do predators eat?
Living things
27
What is primary productivity?
The number of producers creating biomass in an ecosystem
28
What 3 ecosystems are the most productive?
Estuartes, swamps, marshes
29
Which ecosystem is the 2nd most productive?
Rainforests
30
Which ecosystem is the least productive?
Deserts
31
What is coevolution?
2 or more species exert pressure on each other to evolve
32
What is a keystone species?
A species that influences the ecosystem
33
What 3 types of species are usually keystone species?
Top predators, eco engineers, micro organisms
34
What are 4 examples of keystone species?
Wolves, beavers, mangrove trees, sea otters
35
What is symbiosis?
2 or more species interact
36
What is commensalism? What's an example?
One species is helped, there's no effect on the other species Cattle and cattle egrets
37
What is mutualism? What's an example?
Both species are helped Fungus + algae = lichen
38
What is parasitism? What are 2 examples?
One species is helped, the other is hurt Lice, brown-headed cowbirds
39
What is Batesian mimicry? What's an example?
Harmless species resembles harmful species Monarchs and viceroy
40
What is mullerian mimicry? What's an example?
2 or more harmful species resemble each other Bees, wasps, hornets
41
What's the definition of abundance of species?
Population of 1 species, increases poleward
42
What's the definition of diversity?
Variety of different species, increases around equator
43
What 3 things do trophic levels measure?
Number of organisms, biomass, energy
44
What are the 6 levels of the trophic pyramid?
1) primary producers 2) herbivorous consumers 3) 1st level carnivores 4) 2nd level carnivores 5) 3rd level carnivores 6) top carnivores
45
What's an example of a primary producer?
Phytoplankton
46
What's an example of an herbivorous consumer?
Zooplankton
47
What's an example of a 1st level carnivore?
Jellyfish
48
What's an example of a 2nd level carnivore?
Larger fish
49
What's an example of a 3rd level carnivore?
Squid
50
What's an example of a top carnivore?
Sharks
51
What does the law of 10% say?
10% of the energy eaten will be stored in the organism A hawk eats 500kg of energy but stores only 50 kg
52
What's the difference between a food web and a chain? What's an example?
A chain is one pathway through a food web Grass>mouse>snake>owl>eagle
53
What's is the #1 law of thermodynamics?
Energy isn't created or destroyed
54
What's an ecotone?
An area where 2 ecosystems meet
55
What's the edge effect impact?
Species end up with no suitable habitat bc of fractured area
56
What's succession?
Changes in plant or animal communities over time
57
What is primary succession? What are 2 examples where it happens?
Growth where no ecosystem existed before Sand bed, volcanic flow
58
What is a pioneer species? What's an example?
The first organisms to grow, lichen/ moss
59
What's secondary succession? What are 3 examples where it happens?
Growth that follows a disturbance Fire, farming, drought
60
What's the order of primary succession?
``` Rock Lichen/ moss Grass Shrubs Full sun trees ```
61
What's the order of secondary succession?
``` Annuals Perennials Shrubs Full sun trees Shade trees ```
62
What's a climax community?
A stable community that resists further change
63
What are 4 characteristics of an invasive species?
Fast reproduction, no predators, niche generalists, tolerance for poor habitat
64
What are 3 characteristics of an extinction prone species?
High trophic levels, migratory, narrow habitat/ food requirements
65
What's biological control? What's an example?
Use of a species to control pests Ladybugs and aphids
66
What are 2 concerns of biological control?
Overgrowth and infection
67
What happens in photosynthesis?
Light + H2O + CO2 = sugar
68
What happens in respiration?
Sugar + oxygen = CO2
69
What are 3 ways humans influence the carbon cycle?
Fossil fuels, fires, deforestation
70
What are 2 ways humans influence the phosphorous cycle?
Mining, eutrophication
71
What are 5 ways humans influence the nitrogen cycle?
Fertilizers, acidification, greenhouse gases, weeds, groundwater contamination

APES (13 decks)

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