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ENVS 101 > Exam #2 > Flashcards

Exam #2 Flashcards

1
Q

Herbivory

A

Feed on plants

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2
Q

Predation

A

Killing and consuming other organisms

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3
Q

Parasitism

A

Live in or on other organisms, depend on them for nourishment

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4
Q

Mutualism

A

A symbiotic relationship between two species in which both benefit (ex: plants and bees)

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5
Q

Commensalism

A

A symbiotic relationship between two species where only one species receive benefits, and other species remain unaffected (ex: hermit crabs and snail shells)

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6
Q

Intraspecific competition

A

Members of same species pursue limited resources (ex: one dung beetle species, if numbers increase, then competition increases)

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7
Q

Interspecific competition

A

Different species compete for shared resources (ex: zebras and wildebeest competing for grass, limits numbers of zebra and wildebeest)

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8
Q

Niche differentiation

A

Two species are potential competitors, but can coexist because they divide up fundamental nice

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9
Q

Fundamental niche

A

Each species has one, includes complete range of environmental conditions needed to support the species (ex: barnacles can ideally live in both deep and shallow intertidal zones)

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10
Q

Realized niche

A

Range of conditions where a species actually occurs given the constraints of competition (ex: coexistence of coyotes and wolves in North America –> coyotes could occupy more land + resources, but their reality is much smaller due to aggressive wolves)

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11
Q

Primary producers

A

Transform energy from sunlight into carbs (plants, algae)

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12
Q

Primary consumers

A

Eat the plants, feed on the primary producers (squirrels, insects)

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13
Q

Secondary consumers

A

Eat the herbivores and insects (birds eating insects, snakes)

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14
Q

Tertiary consumers

A

Eat the secondary consumers (fox)

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15
Q

Decomposers

A

An organism that decomposes organic material (bacteria)

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16
Q

Biomass pyramids

A

Visual depiction of total living organisms present at different trophic levels in an ecosystem

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17
Q

Keystone species

A

A species that other species in an ecosystem largely depend on. If it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically

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18
Q

Trophic cascade

A

An phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain, which often results in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling

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19
Q

Ex of trophic cascade

A

No carnivores, too many herbivores, herbivores eat all the shrubs

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20
Q

Biomes

A

Major assemblages of similar organisms found in particular environments

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21
Q

Climatograph

A

Graphical snapshot of seasonal changes for a location

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22
Q

Three climate zones for terrestrial biomes

A

Tropical, temperate, polar

23
Q

What separates one tropical biomes from another tropical biome?

A

Amount of precipitation during dry season

24
Q

Tropical rainforest

A
  • More plant and animal species than any other biome
  • Different layers (forest floor, canopy, etc.)
  • High biodiversity as a result of evolution that produced specialized ecological niche
  • Ex: The Amazon
25
Q

Tropical zone

A

Tropical rainforest, tropical seasonal forest, tropical savanna, tropical deserts

26
Q

Temperate zone

A

Temperate deciduous forest, temperate evergreen forest, chaparral, grassland

27
Q

Polar zone

A

Boreal forest, tundra

28
Q

Tropical seasonal forest

A
  • Seasonal drought (dry season)
    –> Determines the distribution of these forests (50/50, each about 6 months a year)
  • During dry season, trees lose leaves to reduce need for water and survive drought (deciduous)
    Ex: Caracas, Venezuela
29
Q

Tropical savanna

A
  • Highly seasonal rainfall (drought for more than half of year)
  • Open grasslands = few trees, which are deciduous
  • Ex: The Serengeti
30
Q

What separates one temperate biome from another one?

A

Seasonal changes in temperature and rainfall

31
Q

Temperate deciduous forest

A
  • Moderate summers + cold winters
  • Broad-leafed trees that lose their leaves in autumn, grow new leaves in spring
  • Even precipitation throughout the year
  • Growing season: hard frost end in spring through hard frost start in autumn
  • Ex: Eastern U.S.
32
Q

Temperate evergreen forest

A
  • Trees keep their leaves throughout the year
  • Less precipitation and warmer temperatures than temperate deciduous
  • Summer months drier than winter months
  • Trees can live for thousands of years
  • Ex: Pacific Northwest
33
Q

Chapparal

A
  • Defined by summer drought
  • Composed of evergreen shrublands and low woodlands
  • Winters: mild temperature, high precipitation
  • Summers: high temperature, no precipitation
  • Diverse vegetation, many sclerophyllous plants (“stony leaves”) resistant to water loss, ex: rosemary, thyme
  • Ex: Santa Barbara
34
Q

Temperate grassland

A
  • Too little precipitation to support forest, woodland, or shrubland, but enough precipitation to not be a desert
  • Low precipitation throughout the year
  • Long/cold winters + hot summers
  • Tall grasses
    Ex: Prairie in Easter Kansas
35
Q

Polar biomes

A
  • Very cold annual temperatures, less than 5C (41F)
  • Short growing season
  • Limited abundance/diversity of organisms
    Ex: Areas near both the North and South pole
36
Q

Boreal forest

A
  • Growing season less than four months
  • Winter are long/dry/cold
  • Open coniferous forests
  • Cold temperature slows evaporation
  • Wet/boggy soils during growing season
    Ex: Alaska
37
Q

Tundra

A
  • Northernmost polar regions
  • Winters longer than in boreal forests
  • Growing season shorter than boreal forests
  • Dominated by grasses, herbs, low shrubs
  • Receives less precipitation than many deserts
  • Permafrost: permanently frozen layer in soil
    Ex: Greenland
38
Q

Deserts

A
  • Occur in all three climatic zones
  • Most common in transition between tropic and temperate zones
  • Defined by low precipitation (annual rainfall below 10 in)
  • Temperatures fluctuate daily and seasonally
  • Expand when precipitation is low
  • Expand when grasslands are overgrazed
39
Q

Streams

A

All natural bodies of flowing water

40
Q

Primary production in streams

A

Detritus and algae

41
Q

Detritus

A

Organic matter (leaves, soil) washing in from terrestrial ecosystems, part of primary production in streams

42
Q

Algae

A

Attached to rocks and provides primary production for stream food chains

43
Q

Primary consumers in streams

A

Scrapers, shredders, and filter-feeders

44
Q

Scrapers

A

Eat algae attached to rocks, use rasping mouth or tongue to scrape algae (ex: snails, some fish)

45
Q

Shredders

A

Eat leaves, twigs, and detritus (ex: insect larvae)

46
Q

Filter-feeders

A

Use gills or net-like structures to collect detritus (ex: freshwater mussels, worms)

47
Q

Riparian zone

A

Region where stream meets terrestrial ecosystem

48
Q

Characteristics of riparian zone

A
  • Plants are tolerant to flooding, saturated soils, low oxygen
  • Small but high biodiversity
  • Soils filter groundwater heading to stream
  • Plants slow flooding
49
Q

Characteristics of lakes and ponds

A
  • Habitat varies according to depth of water
  • Short life span (less than 1 million years)
  • Inland bodies of water (streams) that feed basins
  • Little to no current or flow
  • Become wetlands when they are old and filled with sediments
50
Q

Closed basin lakes

A

Lakes with no outlet stream. They lose water through evaporation, which leaves behind minerals (ex: salt, Great Salt Lake)

51
Q

Wetlands

A

Ecosystems where soil is saturated all year or most of the year. They soak up water during floods and soil is low in oxygen (ex: Amazon River Basin).

52
Q

Estuaries

A

Partially enclosed basins of water where fresh and salt water mix. Serves as a transition from freshwater to salt water, where rivers feed into seas (ex: the Bay!).

53
Q

Intertidal zone

A

Area along coast, beaches, rocky outcrops, tidepools

54
Q

Benthic zone in ocean

A

The ocean bottom (coral reefs, kelp forests, thermal reefs)

ENVS 101 (3 decks)

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