exam 4 Flashcards
what is ecology
the study of how organisms relate to one another and to their environments
what is environmentalism
advocating the protection of nature
what is ecology
the study of interactions, recognition of interactions is imperative. provides knowledge to educate people, so informed decisions are made
what is organismal ecology
study adaptations that enable individuals to live in specific habitats . these adaptations can be morphological, physiological , and behavioral
what is population ecology
focus on the number of individuals in an area and how and why population sizes change
what is community ecology
study the processes driving interactions between species as well as their consequences
what is ecosystem ecology
study the storage and movement of nutrients and energy among organisms and the surrounding atmosphere, soil, and water
karner blue butterfly
rare , found in open places with little tress or shrubs ; such as pine barrens and oak savanna’s
endemic
only found in a unique location
biogeography
the study of the geographic distribution of living things and the abiotic factors that affect their distribution
abiotic factors
such as temperature and rainfall vary based mainly on latitude and elevation
endemic species
one which is naturally found only on a specific geographic area that is usually restricted in size
generalists
species which live in a wide variety of geographic areas
brackish
mixture of salt water and fresh water
ocean upwelling
process that recycled nutrients and energy in the ocean
tropical forest
lots of water , lots of vegetation, very warm
savanna
dominated by grasses
chaparral
scrub forest
temperate forest
lots of large trees, small plants
boreal forest - taiga
low lying plants and conifer trees; home to birds, wolves, bears, etc
tundra
landscape dominated by low growing plants like shrub willow
are coral reefs living
yes
where is the most diverse aquatic habitat
coral reefs
global climate change
altered global weather patterns, including a worldwide increase in temperature, due largely to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide
climate
refers to the long term predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area
weather
refers to the conditions of the atmosphere during a short period of time
population
all species living within a specific area (groups of the same species)
how can populations change overtime
seasonal and yearling changes like migration, natural disasters, and competition for resources between and within species
demography
used a series of mathematical tools to investigate how populations respond to changes in their biotic and abiotic environments
population size (n)
the total number of individuals
population density
the number of individuals within a specific area or volume
quadrat
to measure population size and density
mark and recapture
used to measure the population size of mobile animals such as bighorn sheep, and salmon
species dispersion patterns
show the spatial relationship between members of a population within a habitat at a particular point in time
species distribution
geographically area where an organism is found
uniform
evenly spaced: example is penguins
random
randomly spaced: example is dandelions
clumped
together in one spot: example is elephants
demography
the statistical study of population changes over time : birth rates, death rates, and life expectancies
life tables
divide the population into age groups and often sexes and show how long a member of that group is likely to live
cohort
group of the same organism
type one survivorship curve
humans and most mammals
type 2 survivorship curve
birds
type 3 survivorship curve
trees
fecundity
potential reproductive capacity of an individual within a population
low fecundity
produce few offspring
high fecundity
many offspring
semelparity
occurs when a species reproduces only once during its lifetime then dies. example: salmon
iteroparity
describes species that reproduce repeatedly during their lives
carrying capacity
maximum capacity a place can hold
what is yeasts limiting factor
sugar
density dependent factors
predation, inter and intraspecifc competition, accumulation of waste and diseases
density independent factors
weather, natural disasters, pollution, chemical/physical changes
K selected species
are species selected by stable , predictable environments. example: elephants , oak trees
R selected species
have a large number of small offspring, usually in unpredictable or changing environments. example: dandelions and jellyfish
are humans k or r selected species
k selected
ecological footprint
the amount of land required to support an individual at the standard of living of a particular population through the individuals life
trade off
balance of factors, not attainable simultaneously
life history
complete life cycle of an organism
reproductive potential
number of offspring you can produce
what factors could affect reproductive potential each year
age at first reproduction, adult mortality rate per year, available resources, an environmental factors
ecosystem
community of living organisms and their interactions with their abiotic (nonliving) enviorment
equilibrium
steady state of an ecosystem where all organisms are in balance with their environment and with each other
resistance
ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances
resilience
the speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed
species diversity
the variety of different kinds of organisms in the community
trophic structure
feeding relationships between organisms
species richness
the total number of different species in the community
relative abundance
the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community
food chains
describes a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass
apex consumer
which is the highest level consumer in the ecosystem
secondary consumer
are usually carnivores that eat primary consumers
primary consumers
consumes the primary producer
primary producer
the bottom of the food chain, usually photosynthetic organisms
food web
a graphic representation of a holistic, nonlinear web of primary producers, primary consumers, and higher level consumers used to describe ecosystem structure and dynamics
biomagnification
increasing concentration of persistent toxic substances in organisms at each trophic level from the primary producers to the apex consumers
biogeochemical cycles
chemicals move through ecosystems
abiotic and biotic processes
one ecosystem might import or export chemicals to another
carbon fixation
metabolic reactions that make nongaseous cmpds from gaseous ones
aerobic cellular respiration
releases co2
methanogens
produce methane by anaerobic cellular respiration
aerobic
requires oxygen
anaerobic
doesnt require oxygen
basic water cycle
liquid evaporates into the atmosphere, water in the atmosphere is a gas, cools and falls to the surface as precipitation
global ecology
the study of the interactions of Earth’s ecosystems with the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
geographic distribution
the natural arrangement and apportionment of the various forms of animals and plants in the different regions and localities of the earth
examples of abiotic factors
sunlight, fresh water, frozen water, oxygen, fire, wind
how does ocean upwelling occur
wind pushes offshore and causes water from the ocean bottom to move to the surface, bringing up nutrients from the ocean depths
What is turnover in freshwater lakes during spring and fall? How does it occur?
it is an important process that moves nutrients and oxygen from the bottom of the deep lakes to the top. it occurs because water has a maximum density of 4 degrees Celsius. as the temp of the surface water changes, denser water sinks
What important abiotic factors determine the characteristics of terrestrial biomes?
temperature and rainfall
intertidal zone
sea urchins, mussel shells, and starfish
coral reefs
most diverse aquatic habitat, related to jellyfish, formed by calcium carbonate skeletons of coral organisms
wetlands
sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, and estuarine mangrove forests
What are examples of evidence that shows climate change?
Ice cores, temperature, atmospheric CO2, Glacial retreat
Define population size (N) and population density. How are these two measures used to describe and understand populations?
if you have 25 people in a small area, and 25 people in a larger area, then the smaller area is more dense
mortality rate
the percentage of surviving individuals dying at a particular age interval and their life expectancy at each interval
type one survivorship definition
death primarily occurs in older years
type two survivorship definition
death at any age is equally probable
type three survivorship definition
very few survive young years but after a certain age, individuals are much more likely to survive
How is fecundity and parental care related to each other? Describe variation in living organisms
fecundity is inversely related to the amount of parental care given to an individual offspring
animals that have many offspring provide no or very little parental care
animals that have few offspring provide extensive parental care
exponential growth
resources are unlimited
logistic growth
resources are limited
What patterns of population growth have been observed in human populations? What factors have contributed to a decline in world population growth?
- exponential population growth
- increased family planning efforts, increased economic power, and social status of women
Describe the patterns of consumption for humans.
- wealthiest 20 percent of the population of the world accounts for 86 percent consumption of resources and produces 53 percent of CO2 emissions
- poorest countries are 20 percent responsible for 1.3 percent consumption and 3 percent CO2 emissions
life history
complete life cycle of an organism
natural selection
favors traits that maximize the number of surviving offspring left in the next generation by an individual organism
reproductive potential
number of offspring you can produce
How did researchers show a life history trade-off in Collared Flycatchers?
- the experiment demonstrates the trade-off between current reproductive effort and future reproductive success
- clutch size the following year was dependent on the clutch size from the previous year
- negatively related
What does cost of reproduction mean?
the expense involved with identically reproducing an asset or property with the same materials and specifications as an insured property based on current prices
What is the life history relationship between age at first reproduction and life span?
age at first reproduction correlates with life span
- long-lived species delay reproduction , short-lived species reproduce early
What is the life history relationship between offspring size and number of offspring produced?
- larger offspring have a greater chance of survival
- producing many small offspring may result in very low survival rates
What factors determine community structure in an ecosystem?
species diversity and trophic structure
species diversity
the variety of different kinds of organisms in the community
trophic structure
feeding relationships between organisms (food webs, food chains)
species richness
the total number of different species in the community
relative abundance
the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community
How do scientists determine which community is most diverse?
based on the relative abundance within a community and variety of species
trophic level
level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web
. What are the main processes that occur in the carbon cycle?
carbon fixation, aerobic cellular respiration and methanogens
What activities/processes can increase the amount of atmospheric carbon more quickly?
burning fossil fuels, burning : large imbalances in the carbon cycle
groundwater
found in the underground aquifer
aquifers
permeable underground layers of rock, sand, and gravel saturated with water
water table
how close the water is compared to the soil level
What is the Ogallala aquifer?
- an important water source for the great plains region
- intensive agriculture and industrial practices threaten quantity and quality of water source
What processes are important in the Nitrogen cycle?
nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification
nitrogen fixation
synthesis of nitrogen-containing compounds from N2
nitrification
gas to compound
denitrification
compound to a gas
Why is the Nitrogen cycle considered the most limiting cycle?
plants are unable to incorporate nitrogen gas so it has to be converted into NH3 or nitrate
How have humans influenced the nitrogen cycle?
we have doubled the rate of transfer of N2 in an unusable form into soil and water
Why is the phosphorus cycle important?
because it is required by all organisms
- occurs in nucleic acids, membranes and ATP
How is phosphorus used by living organisms?
plants and algae use free inorganic phosphorus, animals eat plants to obtain their phosphorus and humans get their phosphorus from plants
conservation biology
seeks to preserve life
restoration ecology
applies ecological principles to return degraded ecosystems to conditions as similar as possible to their natural state
what are the three levels of biodiversity
genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity
ecosystem diversity
the variety of ecosystems in the biosphere
ecosystem services
encompass all the processes through which natural ecosystems and their species help sustain human life
what are some examples of ecosystem services
- purification of air and water
- detoxification and decomposition of wastes
- cycling nutrients
- moderation of weather extremes
What are the three major threats to biodiversity that have been caused by human activities?
habitat loss, introduced species and overexploitation
introduced species
those that humans move from native locations to new geographic regions
overexploitation
human harvesting of wild plants or animals at rates exceeding the ability of populations of those species to rebound
ex: bluefin tuna and fur seals
habitat fragmentation
boundaries or edges between ecosystems are defining features of landscapes
movement corridor
a narrow strip of quality habitat connecting otherwise isolated patches
invasive species
an introduced species that becomes out of control
Why are protected areas established for organisms?
it slows the loss of biodiversity
biodiversity hotspot
a relatively small area with a great concentration of endemic species, many endangered species and threatened species
endangered species
almost extinct
threatened species
population size has decreased and is almost extinct
endemic species
one that occurs in a particular area (native)
What are examples of biodiversity hotspots on earth?
coral reefs, Madagascar, Indonesia
What are the pros of preserving biodiversity hotspots?
save more species within an area, money can save multiple species instead of a few
What are the cons of preserving biodiversity hotspots?
biased towards vertebrates and plants, organisms have limited overall distribution (tropical areas may not guarantee the environment due to global warming)
