Exam 1 Lectures 1-2 Flashcards
What is Ecology?
The study of energy flow and interactions among a group of organisms and their environment
What is an Ecosystem?
A living community and all the factors in its non-living environment (can be natural or managed)
What is Agronomy?
Principles and practices of crop production and field management.
What is a Forb?
It is any herbaceous plant that is not a grass and its not grasslike
What is Herbage?
It is above-ground biomass of herbaceous plants inclduing grasses, grasslike plants, and forbs.
What does the term browse mean?
It is leaf and twig growth of shrubs, woody vines, trees, and other non-herbaceous vegetation
What is Forage?
It is edible parts of plants other than seperated grain, that can provide feed for animals
What is a Range?
It is when a native vegetation predominates, low in productivity, not suited for growing crops, sometimes grazed by undomesticated animals as well as livestock.
What is a Pasture?
It is an area devoted to grazing of forage, typically of planted grasses and legumes
What is Hay?
It is Forage topgrowth that is cut and preserved by drying to <20% moisture.
What is Silage?
Forage that is chopped fresh, stored in the basence of air, and preserved by fermentation, approx. 70% moisture.
What is Greenchop?
Mechanically harvested forage fed to animals while fresh (zero grazing; cut and carry)
What is Haylage?
It is Forage with about 45% mositure that is chopped, stored in the absence of air and preserved by fermentation.
What are Ecosystem services?
A broad array of benefits that people obtain from ecosystems
What are the 2 essences of an ecosystem?
- The capturing of solar energy by plants; transfer of that energy as good to suceeding levels of a food chain
- Each transfer uses about 80~90% of energy meaning it is lost as heat
What are the components of grassland-livestock ecosystems?
- Non-living (abiotic) components
- Plants that capture solar energy
- Herbivore consumers (grass eaters)
- Carnivore consumers (feeds on animals living in grasslands)
- Decomposers that consume organic matter
What are the components of non-living (abiotic) things?
- Water
- Soil
- Air
- Sunlight
What do herbivore consumers (grass eaters) consist of?
- Livestock
- Wildlife
- Insects
What make up the decomposers that consume organic matter?
- Fungi
- Bacteria
- Earthworms
- Dung Beetles
In the relationship between plant-environment interactions what occurs?
- Environment determines plants present in grassland
- Environment determines plant growth & nutrient status
What occurs in plant-plant interactions?
- Plants compete with eachother for resources
- These include light, water, & nutrients
What occurs in plant-herbivore interactions?
- Animals effect on plants
a. Defoliation
b. Selection
c. Treading
d. Nutrient distribution in animal wastes - Plant effects on animals
a. Quantity of forage
b. Quality of forage
What occurs in a plant-herbivore-decomposer interaction?
- Extent of defoliation determines whether most nutrients cycle as adead plant material or as animal wastes
- Decomposers often change the forms of nutrients from less available to more available for plants
- Decomposer often incorporate soil-surface nutrients (e.g., decaying plant matter and animal wastes) into the soil reducing losses to the environment
What is the role of managment in the rest of the interactions?
A. managment practices can altar the environment so that specific plants may be grown
B. Management practices can make a type of plants more competitive with other plants
C. Management practices can affect how animals consume plants and whether the plants and animals will thrive
D. Management practices can determine the forms of organic matter decomposing in the pasture and populations of different types of decomposers
What is a general definition of ecosystem services described?
The broad array of benefits that people obtain from ecosystems
What are examples of provisioning?
- Food
- Water
- Timber
- Fiber
- Animal Products
What are some examples of regulating?
- Affect climate
- Water quality
- Erosion
- Floods
- Diseases
What are examples of supporting ecosystem services?
- Soil formation
- Nutrient cycling
- Photosynthesis (plant growth)
What are examples of cultural aspects of ecosystem services?
- Recreational
- Spiritual & aesthetic benefits
What are the roles of grassland-livestock ecosystems in florida?
A. In an increasingly urban state, grasslands have roles that go well beyond their traditional function of providing food for grazing animals
B. Well-managed grasslands store carbon in the soil for a very long time, keeping it out of the atmosphere where it would contribute to climate change
C. Well-managed grasslands mean better water
D. Well-managed grasslands provide habitat for much of our wildlife
E. Well managed grasslands provide opportunities for hunting, fishing, birdwatching, horseback riding, photography
What does it mean when well-managed grasslands mean better water?
- Reduce soil erosion increasing quality of surface water
- Purify water as it makes through the soil profile and into ground water
