Ecology and Natural Selection (Unit 7+8) Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a closed system?

A

Only energy can cross boundry

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1
Q

What is an open system?

A

Open to exchange of matter and energy across system borders

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2
Q

What is biota?

A

All living organisms in a particular enviroment

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3
Q

What does anthropogenic mean?

A

Human caused disruption to balance

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4
Q

What level is the first place abiotic factors are considered?

A

Ecosystems

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5
Q

What are detrivitors?

A

Decomposers (get energy from detris (non living matters))

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6
Q

What pyramid can be inverted?

A

Pyramid of numbers

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7
Q

What pyramid is always upright?

A

Pyramid of energy

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8
Q

How does size influence the metabolic rate?

A

As size decreases, metabolic rate increases (inverse relationship)

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9
Q

What are exotherms?

A

Organisms that use external/behavioral mechanisms to regulate their body temp

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10
Q

What are endotherms?

A

Organisms that use energy generated by metabolism to maintain body temp

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11
Q
A
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12
Q

What is evolution?

A

The change in genetic makeup of a population over time

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13
Q

What is natural selection?

A

The process by which organisms having adaptations suited for a particular environment have a greater chance of survival and reproduction, passing the adaptation into the next generation

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14
Q

What is productivity?

A

The rate at which an ecosystem can trap energy and turn it into biomass

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15
Q

What is the result of eurotrophication?

A

Overabundance of resources = overgrowth = dead zones

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16
Q

What is a niche?

A

An organisms role in their environment

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17
Q

What are limiting factors?

A

Ex nutrients

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18
Q

What is fitness?

A

The ability of an organism to survive and produce fertile offspring

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19
Q

What is range?

A

The geographical area where an organism is found

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20
Q

What is a habitat?

A

The abiotic and biotic features in a place within an ecosystem/biome

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21
Q

What is ecosystem stability?

A

It determines the rate and direction of evolution
(populations are less likely to evolve in environments that remain stable for long periods of time)

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22
Q

What is asexual reproduction?

A

Budding, cloning, etc
Plants (when in a successful environment)

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23
Q

What are structural adaptations?

A

Changes in structure to make the organism better suited to its environment
Ex. Camouflage, colouration, morphological features (ex changes in skeleton)

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24
Q

What are behavioural adaptations?

A

Things an organism does to survive, usually in response to external stimuli
Ex. Nesting, hibernation, migration, mating dances

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25
Q

What are physiological adaptations?

A

Changes in metabolism to maintain homeostasis
Ex. Breathing rate, skunks door production, digestive enzymes

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26
Q

What is genetic variation?

A

DNA variations among individuals of the same population
Sources: mutation, genetic recombination, genetic drift

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27
Q

How does phenotypic variation occur?

A

When variation of the bases (genetic variation), causes amino acid change

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28
Q

What is phenotypic variation?

A

Variability of phenotypes within a population (differences in observable appearance)

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29
Q

What is natural selection?

A

The process by which a population of organisms changes because individuals with certain traits can survive the local environment conditions and pass these traits onto offspring

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30
Q

What do selective pressures do?

A

Organisms with particular characteristics are either favoured or eliminated
Cause individuals with certain phenotypes to behave a better chance of survival and reproduction

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31
Q

What is fitness?

A

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce

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32
Q

What is evolutionary fitness?

A

A measure of the average contribution to the gene pool of the next generation of an organism with a particular genotype/phenotype

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33
Q

What is descent with modification?

A

Species change over time, giving rise to new species that share a common ancestor
This explains organisms adaptations

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34
Q

Define evolution and what it needs to happen

A

Evolution causes populations to be better adapted to their environments over time
Depends on the environment and requires existing heritable groups

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35
Q

What is artificial selection?

A

Species modified by humans (selective breeding)

36
Q

What is direct observation (evidence of evolution)?

A

Insect population s becoming rapidly resistant to pesticides (ex DDT)
Antibiotic resistant bacteria

37
Q

What is the fossil record (evidence of evolution)?

A

Radioactive dating + law of superposition
Transitional fossils

38
Q

What are homologous structures?

A

Similar structures, different functions
Indicates a common evolutionary ancestor

39
Q

What are analogous structures?

A

Similar function, different structure
Does not indicate a common evolutionary ancestor

40
Q

What is molecular homology?

A

Shared characteristics on a molecular level (DNA/RNA sequences)

41
Q

What are vestigial organs (evidence of evolution)?

A

Ex tiny pelvis and leg bones in some snakes

42
Q

What is convergent evolution?

A

The process by which distantly related organisms independently evolve similar traits
Analogous structures

43
Q

What does biogeography mean?

A

How and why animals live where they do (geographic species distribution)
Ex South American desert animals are more closely related to other animals they live near than Asian desert animals

44
Q

What are endemic species?

A

Species native to a particular region and only found in that region.

45
Q

What a re introduced species?

A

Non native species

46
Q

What are invasive species?

A

Introduced species that spread widely and cause harm

47
Q

Why do species go extinct?

A

Climate change is faster than evolutionary processes
Low variability

48
Q

What is a species?

A

A group of living organisms that can exchange genes/interbreed and provide viable and fertile young

49
Q

What does evolution act on?

A

Populations

50
Q

What is micro evolution?

A

Adaptations that are confined to a single gene pool (population of a species)

51
Q

What is macro evolution.

A

Major evolutionary change within a whole taxonomic group (above species level)

52
Q

What is speciation?

A

The evolution of a new species over time
If they can still interbreed, they are still the same species

53
Q

What is gradualism?

A

New species slowly change over time from a common ancestor
(Think transformation)

54
Q

What is punctuated evolution?

A

Period of stasis followed by rapid evolutionary change
Can be seen in sudden changes observed in the fossil record (divergence)

55
Q

What causes speciation.

A

Reproductive isolation

56
Q

What is reproductive isolation?

A

The existence of biological barriers that impede production of viable fertile young

57
Q

What is post zygotic reproductive barriers?

A

A offspring is prevented from developing into a fertile adult

58
Q

What is prezygotic reproductive barriers?

A

Happens before the egg and sperm meet?

59
Q

What is genetic drift?

A

Random change in allele frequency in a population

60
Q

What is allopathic speciation?

A

New species occurring because they are geographically isolation from the parent population
- interrupts gene flow causing reproductive isolation

61
Q

Does their have to be geographic isolation for speciation to occur?

A

No

62
Q

What is simpatic speciation?

A

A small part of the population forming a new species without being geographically isolated from the parent population.

63
Q

How does simpatico speciation occur?

A

Part of the population may have switched to a new habitat or food source or there could be a mistake in cell division causing polyploidy (common in plants)

64
Q

What is adaptive radiation?

A

Single common ancestor, highly branched into different species
These new species fill different ecological niches in their communities that often open up after catastrophic events/mass excitations

65
Q

What is cladogenesis?

A

Evolutionary splitting of a parent species into two distinct species forming a class group of organisms from a common ancestor

66
Q

What does cladogenesis result in?

A

Diversity. (Many species produced by few)

67
Q

What is agenesis?

A

Gradual changes (transformation)
The lineage in a phylogenetic tree does not split

68
Q

Dear King Philip came over for good soup

A

Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genius, species

69
Q

Explain Batesian Mimicry?

A

A lizard lacking a chemical defence mechanism that is coloured in the same ways as a lizard that has a defense mechanism.

70
Q

What is aposometric colouration?

A

Colouring that indicates an animal is poisonous

71
Q

What is cryptic colouration?

A

Colouring that acts as camouflage/disguse

72
Q

What is Müllerian mimicry?

A

Two toxic organisms (both have defense mechanisms), look similar (so predatory avoid both

73
Q

What is a gene pool?

A

The combination of all the genes (including alleles) present in a reproducing population or species

74
Q

What is phenotypic frequencey?

A

The rate of occurrence of a particular phenotype in a population/gene pool

75
Q

What is genotypic frequency?

A

The frequency of occurrence of a particular genotype

76
Q

How are allele frequencies expressed?

A

As a decimal

77
Q

What is Hardy Weinberg/Genetic Equilibrium?

A

A theoretical condition in which a populations genotype and allele frequency remains unchanged over successive generations (evolution is not occurring).

78
Q

What are the requirements for Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium?

A
  1. Large population
  2. Random Mating
  3. No net mutations
  4. No migrations
  5. No natural selection
79
Q

p + q = 1

A
80
Q

What are the 3 types of species distribution?

A
  1. Clumped
  2. Uniform
  3. Random
81
Q

What are life history stratagies?

A

The pattern of survival and reproduction events typical for a population (a species life cycle)

82
Q

What are k selected species?

A

S curve, stable environment
ex Humans and elephants

83
Q

What are r selected species?

A

J curve, fluctuation environment
ex. bacteria, flies

84
Q

What is environmental resistance?

A

Prevents a population from growing at its biotic potential and determines the carrying capacity of the habitat.

85
Q

What is carrying capacity?

A

The maximum # of individuals that an ecosystem can continually supply resources to/support

86
Q

What is biotic potential?

A

The maximum growth rate of a population given unlimited resources, space, and lack or competition or predators.

87
Q

What are density dependant limiting factors?

A

Limiting factors that is closely tied to population size
ex. Disease, food supplies

88
Q

What are density independent limiting factors?

A

Not related to population size
ex. Natural disasters, weather conditions