Exam 1 Flashcards
How old is the Earth?
4.6 billion years
First life on Earth?
3.7 BYA
First Multi-celled organisms?
1.5 BYA
Explosion of plants and animals
600 MYA
First Homo Sapiens?
200,000 years ago
Heterotrophs
Eat premade organic things
Autotrophs
Make own organic compounds
Taxonomy
Classifying Organisms
Categories of Taxonomy
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Domains
Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya
6 Kingdom System
Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Protista, Eubacteria, Archaebacteria
Live in extreme environments, look like bacteria, biochemical differences between the two
Archebacteria
Domain of Animals
Eukarya
Historic morphological criteria for dividing into phyla
symmetry, gut type, segmentation, embryonic development
Common phyla
sponges, cniderians, echinoderms, chordates, flatworms, molluscs, annelids (segmented worms), arthropods, nematodes (round worms)
phylum sponges characteristic
no symmetry
phylum cnidaria characteristics
true tissues, radial symmetry, incomplete digestive tract, stinging cells (anemone, jellyfish)
phylum flatworms
not segmented, simple digestive and nervous system (tapeworms)
phylum roundworms
complete digestive system, shed skin (human pinworm)
phylum segmented worms
complex circulatory system (earthworms)
Phylum mollusks
unsegmented soft body, external or internal shell, has a mantle (fold in soft body that secretes shell) (snails, octopus)
phylum arthropoda
jointed appendages, chiton exoskeleton which they shed (insects, crustaceans)
Phylum echinoderms
“Spiny skin,” Pentaradial symmetry (starfish)
phylum chordata
Most, but not all, are vertebrates
Class: cartilage fish
vertebrates: sharks, rays
Class: bony fish
vertebrates: tuna, goldfish, swordfish, etc.
Class: amphibians
vertebrates: Toads, true frogs, salamanders
class: reptiles
vertebrates: turtles, lizards, snakes
class: birds
vertebrates, cardinal, heron, bluejay
class: mammals
vertebrates, dog, cat, whale
class: insects
ants, grasshoppers, butterflies
class: crustaceans
crab, rolly polly, shrimp
class: arachnids
spiders, ticks
dichotomous key
used for identification, compiled of two-choice questions
white pine ID
needles come in packs of 5, each 3-5 in long
white pine ecological fact
16 species of songbirds eat the seeds
yellow pine ID
needles come in packs of 2 or 3
yellow pine ecological fact
one of the biggest sources of softwood in the US
spruce ID
sharp and square, can be rolled between fingers
spruce ecological fact
commonly used for making furniture
eastern hemlock ID
needles short, flat, attached to branch by tiny petiole, grown in a flat plane (not all directions around the branch)
Eastern hemlock ecological fact
thrives in north facing locations
Fir ID
flat needles, attached without tiny petiole
Fir uses
used for doors and windows
rhododendron ID
Leaves are thick and evergreen, flowers range in color
rhododendron uses
used for making bowls and spoons
Order: Caudata
Caudal=tail, salamanders
Order: Anura
True Frogs, Tree Frogs, Toads
Life Cycle of Amphibeans
egg, tadpole, tadpole with 2 legs, tadpole with 4 legs, adult (salamanders keep tale)
Frogs and toads are vocal
for breeding
Frogs vs toads
adult frogs swim well, toads do not
tree frog vs true frogs
true frogs live in or near water, tree frogs do not have webbed feet and their feet are sticky so they can climb
Salamanders characteristics
moist porous skin, no claws
WNC is the
salamander capital of the world
requirements for lungless salamanders
must be very tiny and in well oxygenated water
ephemeral ponds
ponds that are only there in spring
bird characteristics
wings, feathers, warm-blooded
sexual dimorphism
male and females looking vastly different (mallard ducks, cardinals)
why do birds sing
attract mates and defend territory
ecology definitions
1 study of interactions between organisms and their environments
2 study of the factors that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms
abiotic factors that affect distribution and abundance
water, temperature, terrain, soil texture
limiting factor concept
the one thing inhibiting something from living or thriving somewhere (trout unable to lay eggs in the Swannanoa river because of the sediment)
Niche concept
competing species have different patterns of resource use
