Exam 3 Lecture Material Flashcards
ecology
interactions of organisms with each other and with their environment: biotic or abiotic
why is ecology important?
context for evolution
management of resources
evaluation of human impacts
organismal study
individual interactions with their environment
population study
a group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area
community study
interactions among different species in a specific area
ecosystem
interactions between communities and their environments
landscape
mosaic of connected ecosystems
global
biosphere
-examines the influence of energy and materials on organisms across the biosphere
What is the difference between weather and climate?
the time scale
climate
constituted by the long-term prevailing weather conditions in an area
4 major abiotic components of climate
- temperature
- precipitation
- sunlight
- wind
Predictable attributes of communities based on large scale ____ factors.
ABIOTIC
examples:
-sunlight
-latitude
Why are the tropics WET?
ADIABATIC COOLING
warm moist are rises, expands, and cools, dropping rain.
Cooled air is pushed poleward
dense dry air descends, warms and absorbs moisture
Global circulation
ABIOTIC
How many Hadley cells in the northern hemisphere?
3
How many Hadley cells in the southern hemisphere?
3
Coriolis effect
explains patterns of prevailing surface winds
Seasonality
fall & spring: equator faces sun directly
“U.S. winter”- southern hemisphere faces sun most directly
“U.S. Summer” norther hemisphere faces sun most directly
ABIOTIC
What causes seasons?
the tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation
Local geography
abiotic factor
“rain shadows”
Mountains & Oceans cause _____ effects on climate
regional
The point of abiotic factors
can strongly influence the nature of ecosystems
e.g. biomes
abiotic factors
a nonliving condition or thing, as climate or habitat, that influences or affects an ecosystem and the organisms in it
biotic factors
any living component that affects the population of another organism, or the environment.
Factors limiting the distribution of organisms
dispersal
behavior
biotic (other species)
abiotic factors:
physical factors- temp., light, soil structure, fire, moisture
chemical factors- water, Oxygen, Salinity, pH, soil nutrients, ect.
biomes
major groupings of plant/animal communities within geographic regions defined by dominant vegetation type
True of False: winter and summer seasons occur because Earth is farther from the sun in winter and closer to it in summer
false
True or False: The direction of prevailing winds at Earth’s Surface is determined solely by hadley cell circulation in the atmosphere that results from latitudinal gradients in solar energy input
true?
Why are tropical latitudes and mountaintops wet?
a. air cools as it rises
b. liquid water evaporates as it is warmed and water vapor condenses as it is cooled
c. both a and b are correct
c.?
IGEs
Indirect genetic effects- ubiquitous in all ecosystems
Animals that feed or live on other species are all under the influence of that species’ genes
Population characteristic: Number (N)
important for assessing potential for increase in absolute numbers
particular importance in conservation
Density (N/ area or volume)
many ecological factors influenced by density of a population, not the absolute number (example- competitive interactions)
Patterns of Dispersion
patchy aggregates (around water) uniform (birds who protect eggs with rocks) random- unpredictable
Change in N over time
population dynamics based on births and deaths
BD model
-per capita= per individual
use a sample of individuals/time to estimate # offspring that average individual produces or average individual’s chance of dying
