ESS - Unit 2 - Ecosystems and Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Habitat

A

Habitat is the environment in which a species
normally lives.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Population

A

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time and which are capable of interbreeding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Biotic Factors

A

the living components of an ecosystem, organisms, their interactions or their waste that directly or indirectly effect another organism.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Fundamental Niche

A

the full range of conditions and resources in which a species can survive and reproduce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Realised Niche

A

Realized niche describes
the actual conditions
and resources in which
a species exists due to
biotic interactions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Carrying Capacity

A

Carrying capacity is the
maximum number of a
species or ‘load’ that can be
sustainably supported by a
given area.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Limiting Factors

A

factors which slow down growth of a population as it reaches carrying capacity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Competition

A

All the organisms in any ecosystem have some effect on every other
organism in that ecosystem. Also any resource in any ecosystem exists
only in a limited supply. When these two conditions apply jointly,
competition takes place.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Population Dynamics

A

the study of the factors that causes changes to population dynamics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Intraspecific Competition

A

is between members of the same species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Interspecific competition

A

Individuals of different species could be
competing for the same resource. Interspecifc competition may result
in a balance, in which both species share the resource.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Predation

A

When one animal, the predator eats another, the prey

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Parasitism

A

relationship between two species in which one species (the parasite) lives on another (the host) gaining its food from it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Herbivory

A

Herbivory is defined as an animal (herbivore) eating a green plant.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Mutualism

A

Mutualism is a relation between two or more species in which all benefit
and none suffer. It is a form of symbiosis (living together) .

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

S - Curve

A

Starts with exponential growth, after a certain size due to limiting factors it falls. Population stabilises at the carrying capacity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

J-Curve

A
  • the population grows exponentially at frst and then, suddenly, collapses.
  • the population exceeds the
    carrying capacity on a long-term or continuing basis before the collapse
    occurs (overshoot).
  • does not show the gradual slowdown of population growth with increasing population size.
  • it is typical of microbes, invertebrates,
    fish and small mammals.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is respiration?

A

Respiration is the conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide and water in all living organisms, releasing energy.

19
Q

What is a community?

A

A community is a group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat (the same place).

20
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

An ecosystem is a community and the physical environment it interacts with.

21
Q

Chemosynthetic organisms

A

they make their own food from
other simple compounds eg ammonia, hydrogen sulphide or
methane, do not require sunlight and are often bacteria found in
deep oceans.

22
Q

Ecological Pyramid

A

include
pyramids of numbers,
biomass and productivity
and are quantitative models
and are usually measured
or a given area and time.

23
Q

Pyramid of Biomass

A

biomass contains the biomass (mass of each individual number of individuals) at each trophic level. Biomass is the quantity of
(dry) organic material in an organism, a population, a particular trophic
level or an ecosystem.

24
Q

Pyramid of numbers

A

shows the number of organisms at each
trophic level in a food chain at one time

25
second law of thermodynamics
States that energy is degraded to lower quality and finally to heat. The 90% loss of energy in going from one trophic level to the next means there is very little energy available for the next levels.
26
Productivity
is the conversion of energy into biomass over a given period of time. It is the rate of growth or biomass increase in plants and animals. It is measured per unit area per unit time.
27
Gross Productivity
is the total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time. It is the biomass that could be gained by an organism beore any deductions.
28
Net Productivity
net productivity (NP) is the gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time that remains after deductions due to respiration.
29
Gross secondary productivity
(GSp) is the total energy / biomass assimilated by consumers and is calculated by subtracting the mass of fecal loss from the mass of food eaten. GSp = food eaten - fecal loss
30
Net Primary Productivity
is the total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time by green plants after allowing for losses to respiration. This is the increase in biomass of the plant how much it grows and is the biomass that is potentially available to consumers (animals) that eat the plant. NPP = GPP R where R = respiratory loss
31
Maximum Sustainable Yield
is the largest crop or catch that can be taken from the stock of a species (eg a forest, a shoal of fish) without depleting the stock. Taken away is the increase in production of the stock while leaving the stock to reproduce again. It is often used in managing fisheries. The MSY is equivalent to the net primary or net secondary productivity of a system.
32
Net Secondary Productivity
calculated by subtracting respiratory losses (R) from GSP. nSp = GSp - R
33
Transfers and transformations
Matter flows through ecosystems linking them together. This flow of matter involves transfers and transformatios.
34
Biome
is a collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions.
35
Tricellular model of atmospheric circulation
explains the distribution of precipitation an temperature influencing structure and relative productivity of different terrestrial biomes.
36
Biosphere
is that part of the Earth inhabited by organisms. It extends from the upper part of the atmosphere down to the deepest parts of the oceans which support life.
37
Biome Examples
Tropical Rainforest, Deserts, Temperate Grassland, Artic Tundra, Deep ocean
38
Zonation
Changes in community along an environmental gradient due to factors such as changes in altitude, latitude, tidal level, etc.
39
Succession
How an ecosystem changes over time
40
Primary succession
succession occurs on a bare inorganic surface. It involves the colonization of newly created land by organisms. It occurs as new land is either created or uncovered such as river deltas, after volcanic eruptions, on sand dunes.
41
Secondary succession
Where an already established community is suddenly destroyed, such as following fire or food or even human activity (plowing) an abridged version of succession occurs.
42
K Strategists
K-strategists, eg humans and other large mammals:  Have small numbers of offspring.  Invest large amounts of time and energy in parental care.  Most offspring survive.  They are good competitors.  Population sizes are usually close to the carrying capacity, hence their name.  In stable, climax ecosystems, K-strategists out compete r-strategists.
43
R- Strategists
Use lots of energy in the production of vast numbers of eggs.  No energy is used in raising them after hatching.  They lay their eggs and leave them  forever.  They reproduce quickly.  Are able to colonize new habitats rapidly.  Make opportunistic use o short-lived resources.  Because of their last reproductive and growth rates, they may exceed the carrying capacity, with a population crash as a result. They predominate in unstable ecosystems.
44