Ecosystems and Diversity Chap. 3

Question 1

What is a species

Answer 1

Individuals of the same species are those that can breed with one another to produce fertile offspring

Question 2

What is a population?

Answer 2

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area at a specific time

Question 3

What are population ecologists?

Answer 3

They describe the changes in the size of a population over time and factors that affect a population.

Question 4

What is a community?

Answer 4

Composed of many individuals of many different populations.

Question 5

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 5

Includes both various populations in an area as well as the abiotic factors that surround and affect those populations.

Question 6

Most communites are in a state of change, thus they are said to be:

Answer 6

Dynamic

Question 7

What determines what organisms can live in an environment?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What are some different types of interactions between two species?

Answer 8

1. Competition
2. Predator-Prey

Question 9

When all ecosystems are put together they comprise the:

Answer 9

Biosphpere

Question 10

Is life on Earth evenly distributed?

Answer 10

No - regions near and on the equator has more life

Question 11

How much variation can a species manage?

Answer 11

They can withstand a certain amount of variation but within an optimal range,

Question 12

What is climate?

Answer 12

The average weather conditions (temp and rainfall) of a particular region over a period of time more than 30 years

Question 13

How does the unequal heating of the earth occur?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

What is a biome?

Answer 14

A large geographical area with a characteristic comate and Biota (plant and animal life of a particular region)

Question 15

What determines how terrestrial biomes are plotted?

Answer 15

Mean annual temperature and precipitation

Question 16

What is the range of temprature dtermined by?

Answer 16

Latitude

Question 17

What abiotic factors influence the tyoe and abundance of organsims that can live within a certain biome?

Answer 17

Soil, Topogrpahy, altitiude, latitude, temprature

Question 18

An increase in altitude produces the same effect of what?

Answer 18

Increase in latitude

Question 19

As temprature and average rainfall increases in a biome so does what?

Answer 19

Terrestrial life

Question 20

What is an ecotone?

Answer 20

The gradual transition in plants and animals between biomes

Question 21

Are biomes just on land?

Answer 21

No - aquatic biomes also exist including in lakes, rivers, estuaries, coral reefs, etc

Question 22

What is a habitat?

Answer 22

A place or area within a biome or ecosystem that has a particular set of biotic and abiotic characteristics.

Question 23

What allows certain organisms to live in particular habitats?

Answer 23

Unique adaptations that allow it to cope with local abiotic factors.

Question 24

What are the 5 terrestrial biomes?

Answer 24

Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous forest, Tropical forest, Desert

Question 25

What abiotic factors affect ecosystems?

Answer 25

Soil, Water, Humidity, Temperature, and sunlight

Question 26

What are the five levels of a forest ecosystem?

Answer 26

Above Canopy Canopy Midsotry Understory Ground Cover

Question 27

What are the 5 levels of a soil ecosystem

Answer 27

Organic Matter Topsoil Subsoil Parent Material Bedrock

Question 28

What type of ecosystem is most diverse?

Answer 28

Aquatic ecosystems

Question 29

What abiotic factors affect aquatic ecosystems?

Answer 29

Temperature, Ph, sunlight, Nutrients, Dissolved Gases

Question 30

What are the four levels of an aquatic ecosystem?

Answer 30

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

Question 31

What is an ecological niche?

Answer 31

Is the role that a populations members play in a ecosystem includes what it eats, does, where it lives

Question 32

Can two species occuoy the same niche?

Answer 32

No competition will arise forcing one out

Question 33

What is a species range?

Answer 33

The geographical area where the organism is found

Question 34

What is a species range limited by?

Answer 34

Habitat requirments

Question 35

Does a species live throughout its range?

Answer 35

No, a species lives within a habitat within its range

Question 36

What is a keystone species?

Answer 36

A species that has a disproportionally larger effect on its environment relative to abundance

Question 37

What is biodiversity?

Answer 37

The variety of organisms found within an area

Question 38

What are the biotic limiting factors?

Answer 38

1. Predation 2. Competition 3. Parasites

Question 39

What is competition

Answer 39

Competition for resources. Both intra(between members of the same population - limits growth) and inter (between two species - one will lose and die)

Question 40

What are predatores?

Answer 40

Organisms that hunt and feed upon a second for nourishment.

Question 41

What is a parasite?

Answer 41

An organism that gets its nourishment from a "host". Hurts but does not kill host

Question 42

What is an alien species?

Answer 42

A species living outside its native range which has arrived due to human activity

Question 43

What is an invasive species?

Answer 43

An alien species that has or can do harm (economically, environment or human)

Question 44

What are the two techniques used for smapling?

Answer 44

Transects and quadrents

Question 45

What are transects

Answer 45

Long rectangular areas used to measure **mobile** organisms

Question 46

What are quadrents

Answer 46

Identical-sized areas are used to measure immobile organisms.