Exam 2 Study Guide Flashcards
Commensalism
One organism benefits and the other neither benefits or harmed
Mutualism
Both organisms have a benefit
Exploitation
Organisms indirectly compete with other organisms for resources by exploiting resources to limit the resources availability to other organisms
Competition
When two organisms are limited to one resource and interact for it
Batesian mimicry
A harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a predator of them both
Mullerian mimicry
Two or more noxious animals develop similar appearances as a shared protective device
Succession
Process of change in the species of a community over time
Primary succession
The series of community changes which occur on an entirely new habitat which has never been colonized before
Secondary succession
Series of community changes which take place on a previously colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat
Community
Group of populations occupying the same geographical area
Ecosystem
A group of communities that habitat a geographical area
Species richness
The number of different species represented in an ecological community
Species evenness
The abundance of each species
Disturbance
Temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem
Alpha diversity
Species diversity in a small area of homogenous habitat
Beta diversity
Difference in species diversity from one habitat to another
Gamma diversity
Species diversity observed across all habitats within a geographic area
Biogeography
Study of patterns of species diversity and distributions at global, regional, and local scales
Autotroph
Organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances
Heterotrophs
Unable to synthesize their own food and rely on other organisms for nutrition
GPP
Gross primary production: total amount of carbon fixed in the process of photosynthesis
NPP
NPP = GPP - Ra
Ra - rate of energy loss to metabolism and maintenance
NEP
NEP = GPP - Rh
Rh - total ecosystem respiration
Phenology
Study of cyclic and seasonal phenomena, in relation to climate, plant, and animal life
Endemic species
Species that are found in just one region or area of the world and no where else
Metapopulation
Group of populations that are separated by space but consist of the same species
Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
Moderate levels of disturbance can create conditions that have greater species diversity than high or low levels of disturbance
Disturbance
Fire, floods, storms
What does disturbance do?
Disrupts communities, changes resources, and can affect abiotic and biotic components of the environment
Components of disturbance
Occurrence, timing, frequency, duration, extent, and intensity
Three hypothesis theories of why diversity is high in the tropics
Stability/productivity hypothesis, area hypothesis, museum hypothesis
Island biogeography theory
Species richness increases with area and decreases with isolation
In IBT, how does extinction rate change with island size?
Increases with the number of species present; more intense competition and niche overlap
In IBT, how does immigration rate change due to distance from the mainland?
Farther islands will have slower immigration rates
What is a trophic cascade?
Powerful indirect actions that control entire ecosystems
What is a top-down cascade?
Top consumers/predator controls the primary consumer production. Primary producers thrive
What is bottom-up cascade?
The population of primary producers will always control the increase/decrease of the energy in higher tropic levels
Keystone predators importance
Predators that feed on species that take up a lot of resources
Approximate energy transfer rate between tropic levels?
10%
How is NPP distributed around the planet?
Terrestrial and marine
What factors control energy transfer between tropic levels?
Keystone predators and trophic levels
How has humans impacted the water cycle?
Reduced percolation and depletion of water
How has humans impacted the nitrogen cycle?
Burning fossil fuels, industrial fixation of N2 into fertilizer, depletion of oxygen (eutrophication) in aquatic ecosystems
How has humans impacted the carbon cycle?
Fossil fuel emissions
Top 3 pools of water cycle
Glaciers, groundwater, and large lakes or reservoirs
Top 3 pools of nitrogen?
Atmosphere, aquatic reservoirs, terrestrial reservoirs
Top 3 pools of carbon?
Deep ocean, fossil, soil
How is climate change projected to influence fires?
Increase in temperatures, evaporation, drought
How is climate change projected to influence hurricanes?
Increase in warming ocean temperatures and water into atmosphere
Invasive species
Species from elsewhere that survive, reproduce, and cause harm
Non-native species
Species that have been introduced from somewhere else
Elements to a high quality preserve design
Big patches, patches near each other, buffer zones, connected, compact shape
Transfer efficiency
How much energy is being transferred from one tropic level to the next
What is driving current extinction rates?
Loss of habitats
What processes affect local community assembly?
Abiotic stresses, species interaction, disturbances, regional species and dispersal
