Exam 1 Flashcards
Organismal Level of Study
individual interactions with their environment
Population level of study
a group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area
Community level of study
interactions among different species in a specific area
Ecosystem level of study
interactions between communities and their environments
Landscape level of study
mosaic of connected ecosystem
Global level of study
biosphere
Weather
short, brief
Climate
long, over time
Adiabatic Cooling
warm, moist air in tropics rises, expands and cools, then drops rain
what creates Hadley cells
adiabatic cooling
Coriolis Effect
wind turns because of the direction of the earth
Rain shadow effect
air rises over mountains and cools –> rain falls
dry air creates desert conditions (rain shadow)
Guild
a group of organisms that occupy similar ecological roles in a community
Niche
an n dimension description of resources, habitat and lifestyle of a species
how organisms use biotic and abiotic resources
Richness
the number of species comprising a community
Evenness
the relative abundance of each species in a community
Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis
high disturbance favors r-selected species and has weak competition
low disturbances favors K-selected and has strong competition
Primary Succession
occurs when a disturbance removes the soil and its organisms plus the organisms that live above the surface
Secondary Succession
occur when disturbance removes some or all of the organisms in an area but leaves the soil intact
High Productivity Hypothesis
high productivity –> quick speciation, decreasing extinction –> intense competition –> increased niche differentiation
Energy Hypothesis
Areas with more energy will support more species because energy is divided among different species, so there are more. Equator gets direct sunlight
Area and Age Hypothesis
tropical regions weren’t covered/scoured by glaciers during ice ages so have had more time for speciation
Allee Effect
a phenomenon by which some species will refuse to mate when density is too low. This contrasts most species where population growth is higher when density is low.
Maximum sustainable yield
maximum sustainable yield is theoretically, the largest yield that can be taken from a species’ stock over an indefinite period
density independent
r-selected species
density dependent
K-selected species
Fundamental Niche
ideal conditions niche
Realized Niche
actual niche
Energy flow
passes one way through ecosystems
Nutrient cycling
cycle of chemical elements through the ecosystem
can be recycled
Primary Production
amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by photoautotrophs or chemoautotrophs
Secondary Production
food webs
CHIPPO
Climate Change
Habitat Destruction
Invasive Species
Pollution
Population Growth
Overharvesting
Pools/sinks
reservoirs where materials are stored up
fluxes
flow of materials between pools
Organic and Inorganic
Top Down Control
a predator at the top is overpopulated and eats all of the prey controlling population
Bottom Up Control
at the bottom there are less organisms, so the predators don’t have enough prey and are regulated
Hadley Cell
Generated through the convection of air as a result of uneven warming by the sun
