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Biology Year 2 > Ecology Unknowns (ft: darkness and mystery) > Flashcards

Ecology Unknowns (ft: darkness and mystery) Flashcards

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1
Q

What is ecology ?

A

The study of the interactions between living organisms and their environment

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2
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

All living things on the planet ie: global ecosystem

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3
Q

What is the modern synthesis theory?

A

Diversity arises from mutation which creates phenotypes of which the environment selects for with the highest fitness

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4
Q

What acts as a tool for natural selection?

A
  • variation in phenotypes is the tool which NS uses or acts upon for evolution
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5
Q

Does NS evolve individuals?

A

NO. Natural selection acts on individual variation but evolves populations over time.

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6
Q

What is the phylogenetic species concept?

A
  • species are defined based on common ancestry and phylogenetic similarity
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7
Q

What is behaviour? What are the degrees of study of behaviour in biology?

A
  • Behaviour is the visible response to internal or external stimuli
  • ethology: field of study related to behaviour
  • sociobiology: the branch of biology that studies behaviour
  • behavioural ecology: studies interactions between organisms and their environment: the interactions between organisms and their environment are mediated by behaviour
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8
Q

What is kin selection?

A
  • an evolutionary strategy that favours the fitness of those related to an organism over their own fitness
  • ensures the survival of genes!
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9
Q

What is group selection?

A
  • where the betterment of the group is favoured over the individuals fitness
  • causes them to sacrifice for their group eg; pika alarm call
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10
Q

How did altruism arise?

A
  • from group selection
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11
Q

How did eusociality arise?

A

Potentially kin selection or ecological restraints
NOTE: kin selection: in leaf cutter ants, workers are more related than their offspring, so they may work better together as a product of evolutionary strategies to ensure the survival of their own genes (the other workers)

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12
Q

Which species has the greatest variety of life histories?

A

fish

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13
Q

What is life history?

A
  • the pattern of survival and reproduction of a species
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14
Q

What is fecundity?

A

the amount of offspring/ability to create viable offspring

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15
Q

What are graminoids?

A
  • grass and grass like plants
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16
Q

What are forbs?

A
  • non-graminoid herbaceous plants, persist for one growing season, little to no woody tissue
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17
Q

What are the two factors that influence plant distribution? What about selective pressures?

A
  • distribution: plant growth and seed dispersal
  • selective pressures: intensity of stress and intensity of disturbance
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18
Q

Define semelparous

A
  • when organisms reproduce only one time in their lives, occurs in stable environments, parent can dedicate all energy to their offspring
  • common in insects but some others like salmon
19
Q

Define iteroporous

A
  • in organisms whose offspring have low survival rate, individuals will have longer, more frequent breeding periods to ensure the survival of at least some offspring
  • common in vertebrates and k selected species
20
Q

What are the 3 main methods of estimation?

A
  • cohort life table: find others born at same time and track from birth
  • static life table: record age at death
  • age distribution: track population between age gaps, differences attributed to death
21
Q

What are life tables for?

A
  • a record of survival and reproduction rates, provides survival curves
22
Q

Why are survival curves important?

A
  • fundamental descriptors of a population
23
Q

How can coexistence occur despite the competitive exclusion principle?

A
  • competitive equivalence
  • environmental heterogeneity impacts competitive strength
  • variation in competitive ability within species
24
Q

When can coexistence occur?

A
  • when k1< K2/impact of 2 on1
    and vice versa
  • K must be similar between species
  • each species must be regulated by its own carrying capacity to exist
25
Q

What were the first studies of variation on?

A

-plants

26
Q

What are the 8 main interactions?
What are the 4 social interactions?

A

9: mutualism, ammenalism, commensalism, competition, predation/herbivory/parasitism, neutralism

4: altruism, spitefulness, selfishness, mutualism

27
Q

What are castes?

A
  • different groups with certain roles based on different morphological characteristics
  • leaf cutter ants have the greatest amount of castes and therefore the greatest amount behaviours
28
Q

describe the relationship between darter size and egg size

A
  • larger darter produce more eggs
  • the more eggs there are the smaller they get
29
Q

What inhibits the kangaroos from living in the north?

A
  • temperature and precipitation, eavronemtnal conditions limit the distribution of roos
30
Q

Which two assumptions does exponential growth make?

A
  • unlimited resources
  • stable environment (ensure birth and death are equal, r growth rate is fully realized)
  • BUT in the real world conditions vary and resources are limited (logistic)
31
Q

What is resource partitioning?

A
  • multiple species can use the same resource in a slightly different way or at different times so they can coexist ; one does not outcompete the other
32
Q

What can be said about the experiment on potentilla glandulosa?

A

Different populations of the same species were taken from different elevations
- if they were genetically identical, they would all grow the same
- genetic variation present, grows differently in the same plot

this demonstrates that populations are locally adapted and genetically distinct (populations have evolved independently, ecotypes)

33
Q

Does Natural selection always favour the fixation of a phenotype?

A

No! Natural selection can favour, disfavour or maintain the genetic makeup of a population

34
Q

Does evolution work on individuals?

A
  • NO, natural selection works on individuals while evolution works on populations
35
Q

Describe the honey bee example

A
  • demonstrates that behaviour can be selected for
  • in honey bees, a single gene determine whether a bee is a forage or a hive worker: determine by environmental conditions
36
Q

What is the difference between group selection and kin selection?

A

kin- sacrifice for relatives
group -sacrifice for social group

37
Q

Describe the lion prides

A
  • females closely related, protect infants and each other = kin selection
  • males not always related: kin selection not an adequate description: group selection when they protect social groups
  • but sometimes they kill younger males (females must protect them) so this is where selfish behaviour is favoured over altruism
38
Q

What is the relationship between relation and male coalition size?

A
  • smaller coalitions often have more relatedness whereas larger coalitions of males are typically unrelated ( must have offspring to increase fitness)
39
Q

What is the difference between disturbance and stress?

A

disturbance: anything that. destroys biomass (storms, avalanches, fires, etc)

Stress : anything that limits the production pf dry biomass (limited nutrients, drought, etc)

40
Q

What are the benefits of community ecology?

A
  • bridge between physiological and community ecology
  • helps us develop recovery plans and regulate invasive species
41
Q

Why might phylogenetic species concepts become more common over the coming decade ?

A
  • more focus on microbial organisms and increased availability of molecular methods
42
Q

How do ruderals respond to stress?

A

Ruderals do better in areas of high disturbance but cannot handle stress

(stress tolerant cannot handle disturbance ie: oak tree falls during storm)

43
Q
A

Biology Year 2 (11 decks)

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