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Ecology Unit 1 Exam > Exam 1 Study Guide > Flashcards

Exam 1 Study Guide Flashcards

1
Q

Individual

A

One single organism of a species.

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2
Q

Population

A

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

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3
Q

Community

A

Association of interacting populations of different but often related, species that live near each other (strong modeling & theoretical background)

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4
Q

Ecosystem

A

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. Scale depends on the target organisms (strong emphasis on biochemistry, physics etc)

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5
Q

Biosphere

A

The regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms.

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6
Q

Theoretical models

A

Hypothesis, mathematical models, and predictions to gain info about a given ecological system

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7
Q

Field/Lab experiments

A

Alter one or more features of the environment and observe effects. Intermediate levels of realism & mechanistic validity

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8
Q

Observational studies

A

Research based on observations of natural ecological systems without experimental manipulation.

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9
Q

Climate

A

Long-term patterns of temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation in an area.

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10
Q

Weather

A

Short-term atmospheric conditions like temperature, humidity, and precipitation.

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11
Q

Biomes

A

Large-scale biological communities characterized by the predominant growth forms of plants, determined by patterns of temperature & precipitation

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12
Q

Ecological Questions: Biosphere

A

1.Increasing remote data coverage is opening new frontiers in biosphere ecology

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13
Q

Ecological Questions: Ecosystem

A
  1. related to nutrient supplies and cycles, production, and energy flow
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14
Q

Ecological Questions: Community

A
  1. Related to species richness and diversity, as well interactions among species and the environment
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15
Q

Ecological Questions: Population

A
  1. Related to species spatial distribution, abundance, and demography (# of individuals, growth/decline) over time
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16
Q

Ecological Questions: Individual

A
  1. How might individual’s behavior affect survival or reproduction?
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17
Q

Important features in Research

A
  1. Replication: each treatment is performed several times
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18
Q

Averages vs Variability

A

Climate variability tends to be more important determinants of species distribution

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19
Q

Ecology

A

The scientific study of interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms, and the factors that influence them

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20
Q

Factors that influence global temperature patterns

A
  1. Solar radiation
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21
Q

Ocean Currents

A

: deep ocean currents transfer energy between tropical and polar regions (mixing effect)

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22
Q

Distribution of land and water

A

: land gains and loses heat faster than water

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23
Q

Elevation

A

higher elevation-> lower air density+ less surface heat= lower temperature

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24
Q

Factors that influence global precipitation patterns

A
  1. location of atmospheric circulation cells
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25
Atmospheric Circulation Cells
Winds and ocean currents transfer energy from the tropics to higher latitudes
26
Proximity to oceans
Little variation in daily & seasonal temperature, higher humidity, higher precipitation due to evaporation from ocean
27
Elevation & Mountains
temperature decreases, precipitation increases, and wind speed increases with elevation
28
Vegetation
influence how the ground surface interacts with solar radiation and how much water it loses to the atmosphere
29
Factors that influence seasonality
1. Tilt of the Earth's axis changes intensity of rays as it orbits the sun
30
cacti and shrubs; succulent stems or leaves
Dry, seasonally hot/cool
31
grasses, sedges
moist, seasonally warm/cool, with fire
32
forbs
seasonally cool/cold
33
evergreen broad-leaved trees
wet, warm year round
34
deciduous trees
moist, seasonally warm/cool or cool/cold on fertile soils or warm seasonally wet/dry
35
needle-leaved evergreen trees
Moist, seasonally warm/cool or cool/cold on infertile soils
36
tropical rainforests
Location: 10 N & S
37
tropical seasonal rainforests and savannas
Location: 23.5 N & S
38
Desert
Location: 30 N & S
39
Temperate Grasslands
Location: 30 -50N & S
40
Temperate Shrublands and Woodlands
Location: 30 -40N & S
41
Temperate deciduous forests
Location: 30-50 N & S
42
Boreal Forests
Location: >50 N
43
Tundra
Location: >65N
44
Latitudinal effect on Biomes' distribution
3.6 F decrease across 870 miles of latitudinal variation
45
Altitudinal effect on Biomes' distribution
3.6 F decrease across 1000 ft (0.2 miles) of altitudinal variation
46
Climate Envelope
the range of climate conditions under which a species can succeed
47
Potential vs Actual Distribution
Potential is different than actual distribution due to dispersal ability(geographic boundaries) , interactions (competition & predation), and disturbance
48
Acclimatation
short-term solution to adjust to lessen the effect of stressing conditions. reversible when stress is absent, organismal level
49
Adaptation
long term genetic response of a population to a persistent stressing condition, reversible in evolutionary time, population level
50
Important life history traits
1. survival/mortality rates at different ages
51
Life History Strategy Example
Sequoia vs dandelion
52
Trade-offs: Reproduction vs Survival of Parents
The higher the survival rate of the parents the lower the amount of offspring, because more effort is put into survival and living longer than reproducing
53
Growth of Parents
The bigger/stronger the parents the less offspring, because more energy in put into growing than reproducing
54
Trade-offs: Number vs Size of Offspring
higher number of offspring they produce or higher quality of the offspring (usually associated to species without parental care)
55
Trade-offs: Optimal Clutch size
higher number of offspring they produce or higher survival of offspring (usually associated to species with parental care)
56
R-Selection
high population growth rate, small body size, short life span, rapid development & early maturation, low parental investment, high reproduction rate, variable habitats (mice)
57
K-selection
slow population growth rate, bigger size, longer life, slower development, delay maturation, high investment in offspring, low reproduction rates, stable habitat (polar bears)
58
Distribution
The geographic area where individuals of a species are present.
59
Abundance
Number of individuals of a species or population
60
Issues with working with species abundance
Very hard to count or estimate number of individuals per area
61
Absolute population size
Total number of individuals (population census)
62
Relative population size
measure of how common or rare a species is in one area relative to other areas (easier and cheaper)
63
Area-based counts method
organisms are counted in a series of plots or quadrats, counts from several quadrats are summed or averaged to estimate abundance (often used for more static species)
64
Distance method
observer measures the distance of individuals from a line or point, a detection function is used to convert these distances in estimates of abundance
65
mark-recapture method
relies on releasing marked individuals and recapturing later. The fraction of marked individuals in the populations in the second survey is used to estimate abundance (also used to obtain data on survival)
66
Spatial variability on species distribution and abundances
There is considerable variation in the sizes of different species in a geographic range, species are not spread evenly across geographic range, most of range is not ideal habitat, patchy distribution
67
Metapopulations
A group of geographically isolated populations of the same species linked together by dispersal
68
Factors of Metapopulation dynamics (extinction vs colonization)
1. Patch size
69
Source population
emigration > immigration where a population has a net export of individuals
70
Sink populations
emigration < immigration where a population has a net import of individuals
71
Rescue Effect
Immigration supplement negative growth population preventing extinction
72
Metapopulation dynamics
balance between extinctions and colonization. extinction < colonization= metapopulation persists
73
Exponential Growth Curve
j-shaped curve showing the rapid increase in an exponentially growing population, cant continue indefinitely, occurs when conditions are favorable
74
Logistic Growth
Occurs when population approaches an equilibrium, relatively stable pop size and changes little over time, fluctuates around the carry capacity
75
Population fluctuations
can be small or erratic increases or decreases caused by increased abundance of prey or predator or changes in a wide range of environmental factors
76
Regular population cycles
a special type of fluctuation, in which alternating periods of high and low abundance occur after nearly constant intervals of time
77
Delay density dependence
caused by a built-in-delay in the effect of food supply on birth rates, number of births is determined by conditions that were present several time periods ago, mismatch between prey and predator abundance
78
Intense fluctuations vs mild fluctuations
population fluctuations increase risk of extinction. if variation in population growth rate is high, extinction risk will rise
79
Large vs small populations
Small populations have higher extinction risks
80
Effective population size
number of individuals that can contribute offspring to the next generation
81
Factors that place small populations at risk for extinction
1. Genetic factors. 2. demographic factors.
82
Genetic Factors
Genetic drift: the change in frequency of an existing gene variant in the pop due to random chance, may cause gene variants to disappear
83
Demographic stochasticity
the random variation in the dynamics of small populations due to the probabilistic nature of individual processes such as birth, death, and pathogen transmission
84
Environmental Stochasticity
erratic or unpredictable changes in the environment, ie fire, flood, disease outbreaks, invasive predators
85
Extinction vortex
A downward population spiral in which human or natural events lessen the population, which leads to inbreeding and genetic drift combine to cause a loss of genetic diversity, lower reproduction and eventually a small population to shrink and, unless the spiral is reversed, become extinct.

Ecology Unit 1 Exam (1 decks)

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