Ecosystems and Diversity Chap. 3 Flashcards
What is a species
Individuals of the same species are those that can breed with one another to produce fertile offspring
What is a population?
A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area at a specific time
What are population ecologists?
They describe the changes in the size of a population over time and factors that affect a population.
What is a community?
Composed of many individuals of many different populations.
What is an ecosystem?
Includes both various populations in an area as well as the abiotic factors that surround and affect those populations.
Most communites are in a state of change, thus they are said to be:
Dynamic
What determines what organisms can live in an environment?
Abiotic factors - Changing abiotic conditions can also influence a change in the number of one organisms, which then changes the number of a second and so on
What are some different types of interactions between two species?
- Competition
- Predator-Prey
When all ecosystems are put together they comprise the:
Biosphpere
Is life on Earth evenly distributed?
No - regions near and on the equator has more life
How much variation can a species manage?
They can withstand a certain amount of variation but within an optimal range,
What is climate?
The average weather conditions (temp and rainfall) of a particular region over a period of time more than 30 years
How does the unequal heating of the earth occur?
The sun’s light reaches the equator most directly and intensely, whereas the poles receive more diffuse sunlight. This sets up major climate zones to tropics near the equator, through temperate zones, to old regions at the poles. It also produces global air and water movements together with geography patterns of rainfall.
What is a biome?
A large geographical area with a characteristic comate and Biota (plant and animal life of a particular region)
What determines how terrestrial biomes are plotted?
Mean annual temperature and precipitation
What is the range of temprature dtermined by?
Latitude
What abiotic factors influence the tyoe and abundance of organsims that can live within a certain biome?
Soil, Topogrpahy, altitiude, latitude, temprature
An increase in altitude produces the same effect of what?
Increase in latitude
As temprature and average rainfall increases in a biome so does what?
Terrestrial life
What is an ecotone?
The gradual transition in plants and animals between biomes
Are biomes just on land?
No - aquatic biomes also exist including in lakes, rivers, estuaries, coral reefs, etc
What is a habitat?
A place or area within a biome or ecosystem that has a particular set of biotic and abiotic characteristics.
What allows certain organisms to live in particular habitats?
Unique adaptations that allow it to cope with local abiotic factors.
What are the 5 terrestrial biomes?
Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous forest, Tropical forest, Desert
What abiotic factors affect ecosystems?
Soil, Water, Humidity, Temperature, and sunlight
What are the five levels of a forest ecosystem?
Above Canopy
Canopy
Midsotry
Understory
Ground Cover
What are the 5 levels of a soil ecosystem
Organic Matter
Topsoil
Subsoil
Parent Material
Bedrock
What type of ecosystem is most diverse?
Aquatic ecosystems
What abiotic factors affect aquatic ecosystems?
Temperature, Ph, sunlight, Nutrients, Dissolved Gases
What are the four levels of an aquatic ecosystem?
Littoral Zone - along the edge of the lake (lots of light)
Limnetic zone - From the surface down to where no light can penetrate (floating photosynthetic organisms can live here)
Profondal zone - Exists at bottom of lake (no light)
Bethnic zone - absolute bottom
What is an ecological niche?
Is the role that a populations members play in a ecosystem includes what it eats, does, where it lives
Can two species occuoy the same niche?
No competition will arise forcing one out
What is a species range?
The geographical area where the organism is found
What is a species range limited by?
Habitat requirments
Does a species live throughout its range?
No, a species lives within a habitat within its range
What is a keystone species?
A species that has a disproportionally larger effect on its environment relative to abundance
What is biodiversity?
The variety of organisms found within an area
What are the biotic limiting factors?
- Predation
- Competition
- Parasites
What is competition
Competition for resources. Both intra(between members of the same population - limits growth) and inter (between two species - one will lose and die)
What are predatores?
Organisms that hunt and feed upon a second for nourishment.
What is a parasite?
An organism that gets its nourishment from a “host”. Hurts but does not kill host
What is an alien species?
A species living outside its native range which has arrived due to human activity
What is an invasive species?
An alien species that has or can do harm (economically, environment or human)
What are the two techniques used for smapling?
Transects and quadrents
What are transects
Long rectangular areas used to measure mobile organisms
What are quadrents
Identical-sized areas are used to measure immobile organisms.
