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Ecology > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Decomposition is

A

the chemical breakdown of chemical bonds formed during the construction of plant and animal tissue

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2
Q

Decomposition involves

A

respiration

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3
Q

Respiration

A

the release of energy originally fixed by photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, and water and ultimately the conversion of organic compounds into inorganic nutrients

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4
Q

when does decomposition happen quickly

A

warm wet places

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5
Q

How are heterotrophs decomposers

A

as they digest food, heterotrophs break down organic matter, alter it structurally and chemically, and release it partially in the form of waste products

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6
Q

microflora

A

most organisms that decompose material are bacterial and fungi

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7
Q

what are the dominant decomposers of dead animal matter

A

bacteria

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8
Q

what are the dominant decomposers of plants material

A

fungi

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9
Q

microbivores

A

feeding on bacteria and fungi
act as regulators of decomposition

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10
Q

what make up microbivores

A

protozoans, springtails, nematodes, larval forms of beetles

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11
Q

nutrient immobilization

A

the incorporation of mineral nutrients into microbial biomass

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12
Q

stages of decomposition

A
  1. early stages involve leaching and fragmentation
  2. detritivores oxidate organic compounds, releasing energy through respiration
  3. they degrade them into smaller and simpler products
  4. the release of organically bound nutrients into a inorganic form available to plants is mineralization
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13
Q

Mineralization

A

the release of organically bound nutrients into an inorganic form available to plants

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14
Q

Aphodius

A

dung beetle genus that develops eggs, larvae, and pupae within dung

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15
Q

process of decomposition on leaves

A

A. microbial decomposition of plant leaves can begin while the green leaves are still on the plants
B. living plant leaves produce exudates that support an abundance of surface microflora
C. when the leaves become senescent, the tissues are invaded by both bacteria and fungi, and decomposition accelerates
D. the action of litter feeders as millipedes and earthworms can increase exposed lead area 15 fold
E. fecal material from the detritivores is colonized by other microbes

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16
Q

rhizosphere

A

the soil region immediately surrounding the roots of living plants

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17
Q

rhizoplane

A

root surface itself

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18
Q

what conditions reduce or inhibit microbial activity

A

Dry and cold conditions

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19
Q

what are the most complex compounds found in nature

A

Lignin

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20
Q

what is lignin

A

fold into complex 3D shapes and slowest tissue to decompose

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21
Q

what is not required in the breakdown of animal flesh

A

specialized enzymes needed to digest cellulose

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22
Q

biogeochemical cycles

A

The cycles that nutrients move through in an ecosystem

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23
Q

sources of a gaseous cycle

A

atmosphere, ocean

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24
Q

sedimentary cycles

A

main reservoirs of nutrients are the soil and rocks of earth’s crust

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25
Q

describe nitrification

A

biological process which ammonia is oxidized to nitrate and nitrite

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26
Q

legumes

A

the most conspicuous of the nitrogen-fixing plants
mutualistic relationship with rhizobium

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27
Q

denitrification

A

nitrates are reduced to gaseous nitrogen by certain organisms to obtain oxygen

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28
Q

denitrifiers

A

fungi and bacteria Pseudomonas are facultative anaerobes

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29
Q

anaerobes

A

can use NO3 instead of O2 as hydrogen acceptor

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30
Q

anaerobes release

A

N2

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31
Q

proteins are broken down into ____ by bacteria and fungi

A

amino acids

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32
Q

amino acids are oxidized to

A

carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia, with a yield of energy

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33
Q

___ is absorbed directly by plant roots

A

ammonia

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34
Q

Ro=

A

Net reproductive rate (sum of lxmx)

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35
Q

mx

A

is the number of females born in each age cohort

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36
Q

dx

A

lx^1-1x^2
the number of dead

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37
Q

lx

A

the number of living

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38
Q

qx

A

dx/lx(1000) and is age specific mortality

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39
Q

Lx

A

(lx^1+lx^2+1)/2 average years lived by all individuals in each age category or cohort

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40
Q

Tx

A

sum of Lx the number of time units for all individuals to live from age x onward

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41
Q

ex

A

Tx/lx gives the number of time units that an individual can expect to live on having reached a cohort

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42
Q

Survivorship type 1

A

organisms that tend to live long lives (low death rate and high survivorship rate)
i.e. humans

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43
Q

Survivorship type 2

A

equal death in all stages of life i.e. rodents and birds

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44
Q

Survivorship type 3

A

high birth death rate but once reach maturity they live a long time with few predators i.e. fishes and seeds

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45
Q

density

A

the size of a population in relation to definite unit of space

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46
Q

crude density

A

the measure of the number of individuals per unit area

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47
Q

population

A

a group of organisms of the same species occupying a particular space at the same time

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48
Q

metapopulations

A

such separated populations interconnected by immigration

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49
Q

functional response

A

as prey density increases, each predator may take more prey or take them sooner

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50
Q

numerical response

A

predators may become more numerous though increased reproduction or immigration

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51
Q

type 1 functional response

A

predators of a given abundance capture food at a rate proportional to their encounter with prey items up to the point of satiation

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52
Q

type 2 functional response

A

predator efficiency rises to a point at which the predators response is slowed by handling time

53
Q

type 3 functional response

A

the predator can switch to a more productive prey when the prey becomes more numerous

54
Q

search image

A

a perceptual change in the ability of a predator to detect a familiar cryptic prey “it is easier to see patterns”

55
Q

optimal diet

A

-a consumer should prefer the most profitable
-feed more selectively when profitable prey or food items are abundant
-include less profitable items in the diet when the most profitable foods are scarce
-ignore unprofitable items

56
Q

Foraging efficiency

A
  1. concentrate foraging activity in the most productive patches
  2. stay with those patches until their profitability falls to a level equal to the average for the foraging area as a whole
  3. leave the patch once it has been reduced to a level of average productivity
  4. ignore patches of low productivity
57
Q

marginal value theorem

A

this model predicts that foragers should remain in a rich food patch longer than in a poor one
leave all patches when they have been reduced to the same marginal value as the environment as a whole

58
Q

expected energy budget rule

A

be risk-prone if the daily energy budget is negative; be risk-averse if it is positive

59
Q

Keystone in tide pools

A

first sea stars and mussels are in the environment and then sea stars are removed and it is determined that without sea stars keeping the population in check, the mussel population will overflow

60
Q

Aldo leopold

A

introduced conversation ecology
wrote “A sand county almanac” on land ethics

61
Q

Gause’s principle

A

states that two species with identical ecological requirements cannot occupy the same environment

62
Q

Joesph Grinnell’s principle

A

Two species of approximately the same food habits are not likely to remain long evenly balanced in numbers in the same region. One will crowd out the other.

63
Q

Niche

A

the place occupied in its ecosystem, where it eats, what it eats, its foraging route, the season of its activity, and so on. A potential place where an species may have evolved

64
Q

Gause competition experiments

A

used two species of Paramecium
P. aurelia and P. caudatum
Paramecium aurelia has a higher rate of increase than P. caudatum. When both were introduced into one tube containing a fixed amount of bacterial food, P. caudatum died out.
In another experiment, P. caudatum and P. bursaria and they both reached stability. PB was confined to feeding on the bottom of the tube and PC fed on bacteria suspended in solution.

65
Q

desert temporary pools, dayton

A

found that tadpoles in areas with no predators had delayed metamorphosis (massive mortality)
pools with predation, density was reduced and metamorphosis occurred

66
Q

Thomas park experiment

A

two species of beetles, Tribolium castaneum and T. confusum
he found that the outcome of competition between the two depended on temperature, humidity, and fluctuations in the total number of eggs, larva, and adults

67
Q

Jim Brown

A

studied long term ecology of competition between Ants, and desert rodents for the grass seed resource

68
Q

allelopathy

A

the chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances
phytotoxins kill the germinating seeds of many pants and reduce growth of seedlings

69
Q

resource gradients theoretical #1

A

species A lives in an environment with a large gradient
B invades
A and B narrow their gradients and partially compete
C invades the space that is not being utilized at an optimal level (in between A and B)

70
Q

resource gradient theoretical #2

A

C competes with both A and B on parts of the resource gradient
ABC narrow their range of reproduce use to optimum

71
Q

Niche partitioning

A

each fed in a different part of the canopy and each was specialized behaviorally to forge in a somewhat different manner

72
Q

G.E. Hutchinson

A

an organism’s niche consists of many physical and environmental variables, each of which can be considered a point in a multidimensional space (HYPERVOLUME)

73
Q

niche compression

A

competition that results in the contraction of habitat rather than a change in the type of food or resources utilized

74
Q

ecological release

A

niche expansion in response to reduced interspecific competition

75
Q

niche shift

A

the adoption of changed behavioral and feeding patterns by two or more competing populations to reduce interspecific competition

76
Q

fundamental niche

A

without competition

77
Q

realized niche

A

with competition

78
Q

niche width

A

narrow or broader
the wider the niche, the more generalized the species is
the narrower the niche, the more specific the species is

79
Q

intraspecific competition

A

occurs when two or more individuals of the same species simultaneously demand use of a limited resource

80
Q

scramble

A

competition for resources in short supply, all individuals have equal access to the resource and each attempts to get a part of it

81
Q

contest

A

successful individuals usurp the resources and the unsuccessful are denied access to it

82
Q

mechanisms of population regulation

A

dispersal
run
seek vacant habitat

83
Q

which organisms disperse?

A

organisms in good condition with a high chance of survival

84
Q

territoriality

A

a situation in which an individual animal or social group defends an exclusive area
not shared with rivals

85
Q

philopatry

A

the tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area

86
Q

general purpose territory (type 1)

A

feeding, mating, rearing of the young take place

87
Q

mating territories (type 3)

A

pairing and mating

88
Q

type 2

A

mating and nesting, feeding done elsewhere

89
Q

why defend a territory

A

acquisition and protection of a resource ( food, reduction in predation)
attraction of mates
increased survival and best fit for that area

90
Q

home range

A

an area over which an animal lives seasonally or throughout the year, defended, home ranges may overlap, not a fixed boundary

91
Q

key factors

A

a biological or environmental condition associated with mortality that causes a major fluctuation in population size

92
Q

life history

A

how individuals meet the costs and allocate them to reproduction

93
Q

Dioecious

A

individual male/female plants

94
Q

monoecious

A

bisexual

95
Q

parthenogenesis

A

no reduction of gametes, asexual reproduction, in a single sex, production of a zygote from an unfertilized egg

96
Q

lek behavior

A

is an aggregation of male animals gathered to engage in competitive displays and courtship rituals, to entice visiting females which are surveying prospective partners with which to mate.

97
Q

polyandry

A

the female mates with several different males and the male takes care of the offspring, females have to attract the mate

98
Q

Niko Tinbergan

A

developed field of animal behavior
sticklebacks

99
Q

Korand Lorenz

A

developed field of animal behavior
king Solomons rings

100
Q

reproductive effort

A

the nature and amount of resource allocation to reproduction over a period of time, parental care is a big part

101
Q

precocial

A

hatched or born in an advanced state and able to feed itself almost immediately.

102
Q

altricial

A

the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth.

103
Q

semelparous

A

species invest all their energy in growth, development, and energy storage, and then expend all energy into one massive suicidal reproductive effort

104
Q

iteroparous

A

species produce fewer young at one time and repeat reproduction throughout their lifetime

105
Q

altruistic

A

a relative taking care of offspring because it is helping to raise a copy of yourself = increasing reproductive success

106
Q

as investment increases

A

offspring survival increases, and parental survival decreases

107
Q

r- strategist

A

high reproductive rate
small body size
large number of offspring and little parental care
rapid development
short life span

108
Q

k-strategist

A

delayed and repeated reproduction
larger body size and slower development
produce few young or seeds
parents care for young
at or near carrying capacity

109
Q

plant defenses against herbivores

A

chemical- alkaloids
mimicry
structural defenses (thorns)

110
Q

herbivore countermeasures

A

MFO (mixed function system) converts these chemicals into water-soluble molecules that can be eliminated by the excretory system

111
Q

predator satiation

A

timing- max number of offspring are produced within a short time (not all can be eaten)

112
Q

defenses of animal prey

A

speed
mimicry (two types)
chemical
armor and weapons
size
Heards

113
Q

batesian

A

one species is toxic to eat and the look-a-likes are good to eat

114
Q

mullerian

A

one unpalatable or toxic species mimics another (both dangerous)

115
Q

attack-abatement effect

A

a predator is less likely to find prey where individuals are grouped than if an individual were distributed as solitary prey, group reduces chances of being taken

116
Q

cannibalism

A

there are crowded conditions
stress (social ranking)
presence of vulnerable individuals (eggs, babies)

117
Q

intraguild predation

A

eating a predator and a prey
lizards feed on web spiders and the insects that the spiders feed on
both predators and competitors

118
Q

William Beebe

A

went half a mile down in the ocean

119
Q

Jane Goodall

A

Ape lady
study behavior in apes

120
Q

limited geographic distribution

A

Mammals with limited geographic
distribution risk becoming extinct
whenever their habitat is altered
or destroyed.

121
Q

Low Reproductive Output

A

there is a balance between the probability of dying and the number of young a female must produce to help insure the survival of the species.

122
Q

Edward O Wilson

A

Wrote the diversity of life
About loss of biodiversity around the world

123
Q

mass extinction

A

An extinction event is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms

124
Q

stochastic extinction

A

Small localized populations of a species are
more often subject to stochastic extinction
thin out population
extinction come about from normal
random changes within the population or
environment.

125
Q

extinction

A

When deaths exceed births
and emigration exceeds
immigration, populations
decline.

126
Q

reasons for nonconformity

A
  1. age structures are not stable
  2. birth rates and death rates are varied
  3. immigration and emigration are common to populations
127
Q

carrying capacity

A

The number of
individual organisms the
resources of a given
area can support usually
through the most
unfavorable period of
the year.

128
Q

exponential growth and crash

A

Exponential growth is not
biologically realistic: no
population can grow
indefinitely.
The environment is not
constant, and resources
such as food and space are
usually limited.

129
Q

population growth

A

Populations change
constantly due to
interactions with the
environment.

Ecology (12 decks)

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