Ecology/BioPark Introduction Flashcards
What four facilities make up the Albuquerque Biological Park?
Zoo
Aquarium
Botanic Gardens
Tingley Beach
What is the mission of the BioPark?
To enrich the quality of life for all through education, recreation, conservation and research, by providing a comprehensive environental park consisting of the Aquarium, Botanic Garden, Zoo and Tingley Beach.
Who owns and operates the BioPark?
City of Albuquerque
What is the goal of BioPark Education?
The goal of BioPark Education is to promote conservation. We strive to teach diversity and interdependence of life and inspire a sense of stewardship for the earth.
On-grounds interpretation, on-site and off-site programming and education volunteers enable us to accomplish our mission as a team.
The director of the BioPark is _____________.
Rick Janser
How can combining all four facilities into the BioPark help us to teach about nature?
share knowledge, ideas and projects that empower people to take conservation action
Exploration, modeling, diversity and connection
Exhibit species from all over the world, life is interconnected and able to show it by exhibiting species from all over
What is ecology?
study of relationships between organisms and their environment
What are habitat requirements?
appropriate food, water, shelter and space
Explain how range and habitat differ.
Range is large geographical area throughout which an organism might be found (shown on a map)
Habitat is its home, where it lives in a complex interrelationship with other organisms around it
Why is habitat important?
an organism’s home, indicator of healthy environment or healthy population, provides a necessary home
Name at least two habitats represented at the BioPark. (Name more if you can)
Dragon Fly Pond Desert Rain Forest Habitat Poison Dart Frogs Rainforest, Aquatic, Savannah, Bosque, Marshland, Wetland, Ocean
What is an ecosystem?
self contained unit
biological environment consisting of community of plant and animals in a given habitat and the non-living components
interact and living
What is a niche?
The specific role performed by a plant or animal in an ecosystem
What it eats and where it lives
example: pollinator and burrower
Define adaptation.
a peculiarity of structure, physiology or behavior that makes an organism better suited to live and reproduce in its environment
something that helps an organism survive and reproduces
Give an example of a behavioral adaptation.
Hagnose snakes - play dead
Peacock - display feathers as a mating call
Mimic Octopus - uses tentacles to look like coral snake
Hag Fish - ties (behavioral) himself in a knot (structural), to excrete more mucus (physiological),
Give an example of a physiological adaptation.
Cactus - open at night
Skunk - spraying potential predators to avoid being eaten, mechanism to spray is physiological, spraying itself is a behavioral adaptation
Give an example of a structural adaptation.
Eels - body shape
Leaf bug - body shape
Define evolution.
CHANGE OVER TIME
the biological process by which living organisms have developed structural, physiological and certain behavioral characteristics
slow, slow process
Discuss the role of adaptation in evolution.
more successful survival mechanism within evolution adaptation is a process b/p/s changes that stay because of successful survival - natural selection scientific change over time without adaptation no evolution
natural selection
Draw a food web. What do the arrows in your drawing represent?
arrow point where the energy is going
How is a food web different from a food chain?
web shows complicated energy flow, species depend on multiple sources for food
more accurate
Chain shows transfer of food energy in a linear fashion
sun - cattail - snail - sunfish - heron
Why is the classification system important?
to categorize and show relationships between species
common language
Give the correct order of these terms, starting with the broadest category:
Class, Kingdom, Order, Genus, Species, Phylum, Family
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
What is biodiversity, and why is it important?
variety of life on all levels
genetic diversity - provides “raw material” for natural selection
important for preservation of useful resources
species diversity
