Exam 5 Flashcards
Ecology
the study of the interactions of organisms with their environment
Landscapes
all the visible features of an area of countryside or land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.
organism
individual living thing
populations
all individuals of the same species living together
communities
all the living things (different species) in one spot
ecosystems
all the living and non-living things living together in the environment
biosphere
all the parts of the earth that life exists
Biotic factors
the living components in the environment
Abiotic factors
the nonliving components in the environment (physical and chemical)
habitat
biotic and abiotic factors present in the surroundings
Rachel Carson
wrote a book called Silent Spring which helped environmental awareness
climate determined by two factors
- annual total rainfall of the area
- annual average temperature
why is it hot at the equator and cold at the poles
- at poles it hits the earth at a slant
- at the equator it hits the earth directly
Two things that go into climate change
The earth’s permanent tilt &
variation of solar radiation with latitude
Biomes
major types of ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water influenced by climate
Tropical Forests biome
- are at the equatorial areas
- have variable rainfall
- seasons = wet and dry
- most diverse (species #)
- wettest
Savannas (Tropical Grasslands)
- Warm all year round
- Wet and dry seasons
- have enough for grass and scattered trees but not enough for a lot
- grazing mammals and insects
- can bounce back from fire
Deserts
- driest of all terrestrial biomes
- low precipitation
- can be hot or cold
- temperature varies seasonally or daily
- result of Rain Shadow
Chaparral (Mediterranean Biome)
- shrubland
- coastal areas
- cool, rainy winters
- hot, dry summers
- fire resistance
Temperate Grasslands
- mostly treeless
- has seasonality based on
- temperature and water
- opposite of Mediterranean
- tends to be in the center
- fire resistance
temperate
freezes in the winter
Temperate broadleaf forests
- lots of human urban areas
- freezes in winter
northern coniferous forest (taiga)
- long cold winters
- short wet summers
tundra
- frozen year round
- characterized by permafrost
- continuously frozen subsoil
polar ice caps
- Antarctica southern
- cold
Life Tables
- keep track of those who survive over the life span of individuals in a population
- can be used on any species
- useful for comparing populations of the same species
Survivorship Curves
- plot proportion of individuals alive at each age
- X-axis is the % of lifetime
- Y-Axis % of individuals alive
type 1 survivorship curve
type 2 survivorship curve
type 3 survivorship curve
What does the shape of a type 1 survivorship curve mean?
Most individuals in the population die old
What does the shape of a type 2 survivorship curve mean?
Survival/Mortality is constant
What does the shape of a type 2 survivorship curve mean?
Most Die Young
Why that shape? (type 1)
Extensive Parental Care
Why that shape? (type 2)
parental care varies
Why that shape? (type 3)
Little to no parental care
Exponential Growth Model
- The rate of population increases under ideal conditions
- G = rN
Logistic Growth Model
- Takes limiting factors into account (not ideal conditions)
- S shaped curve
Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of individuals of that particular species that, that particular environment can support
Intertidal Zone
- where the ocean hits the land
- the highest point of where the tide ever gets to the lowest point where the tide ever gets
- exposed to sun and drying winding during low tide
- some are rocks some are sand
Continental shelf
- support a huge diversity of invertebrates and fishes
- shallow (completely under the water at all times)
- important for light penetration
- photosynthetic opportunities
- right next to the land so lots of nutrients
- coral reefs
- Tropical forest of the sea
pelagic zone
- wherever there is open ocean not including the ground
- motile animals
- photosynthesis happens in this area where there is sunlight
- phytoplankton (biggest producers)
- zooplankton
- they drift here
Benthic zone
- bottom of the ocean
- muck on the bottom
Photic zone
- top layer of the ocean
- where sunlight can penetrate
aphotic zone
- under the photic zone
- dark
- there’s no light but there still nutrients
- rely on heat on thermovents
estuaries
(aquatic but not marine or freshwater completely)
- where fresh water rivers drain into salt water
- used as a nursery area
- largest amount of biomass produced
Wetlands
- transitional between aquatic and terrestrial
- either flooded or completely dry
Oligotrophic lakes
- lakes becoming too nutrient poor
- oxygen rich
Eutrophic lakes
- too many nutrients and plants grow out of control
- makes the under water oxygen depleted
Fresh Water Biomes
Lakes and ponds
flowing water biomes (rivers and streams)
- movement of water
- head waters are the beginning of streams
- pretty clean, cold
- downstream is slower water
- kinda silty or muddy, warmer
Population ecology
concerned with changed in population size and factors that regulate populations over time
4 things that change a population (BIDE)
- Birth (+)
- Immigration (+)
- Death (-)
- Emigration (-)
Population density
the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume (numbers in a specific area or space)
Dispersion pattern
how the individuals are spaced out within their area
clumped dispersion pattern
- individuals are grouped in clusters
- where you find one you find many
clumped dispersion pattern
- individuals are grouped in clusters
- where you find one you find many
Reasons for a clumped dispersion pattern
- resources are clumped
- safety in numbers
- cooperative hunting and social structures
uniform dispersion pattern
individuals that are equally spaced out
Reasons for a uniform dispersion pattern
- resource partitioning: “I want this many resources stay away from me”
- ex: territory
random dispersion pattern
- scientists haven’t figured out why its like it
- organisms don’t care if they are next to each other or by themselves
Density Dependent factors
declining births (birds) or increasing death (beetle)
Density Dependent factors caused by
- competition
- sanitation
- diseases, waste material
- change in predators
intraspecific competition
- competition within members of your own species
- density dependent factor
Density Independent factors
causes decrease in population not due to population density (abiotic factors)
Density Independent factors caused by
- natural weather
- fire, floods
- human activity
- pollution, infostructure, oil spills
Demographic Transition
- as a country matures the birth and death rates balance each other out
- usually from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as it matures
birth and death rates in developing nations
- death rates dropped
- birth rates are still high
- population grows rapidly
Age Structure
- proportion of individuals in different age groups
- affects the future growth of the population
pre reproductive
not contributing now but will in the future
reproductive
those contributing to population growth
post reproductive
- not contributing will not be in the future but sill using resources
- species that have extensive parental care
Population Momentum
- continued growth of a population that occurs even though
- there is reduced fertility
- and lower birth rates
Ecological footprint
estimate on how much land you need to support your lifestyle (land provides the raw materials)
Natural ecosystems are valuable because
- they have resources
- outdoor recreation
- natural services
natural services utilities
- buffer against hurricanes
- recycle nutrients
- prevent erosion
- pollinating crops
Community Ecology
things that influence what species are in the community and distribution of community
community stability
can the community bounce back and still be the same community
Interspecific interactions
- when the individuals of other species in the community interact
- there is either a benefit or a cost to the species
Ecological niche
the sum of the organism’s needs (what kind of resources do they use in its environment)
Competition
- -
- Occurs when two different species want the same resources (niche overlaps)
- lowers carrying capacity for each of the species
Mutualism
- +
- Both Populations benefit
- animals and algae
- coral and dinoflagellates
- dinoflagellates hide inside coral and feed sugars to it
- they get protection
- dinoflagellates hide inside coral and feed sugars to it
- coral and dinoflagellates
Predation
- -
- One species (predator) kills and eats another (prey)
prey adaptations
- camouflage
- chemical poisons
- advertise with bright colors
- claws, teeth, speed
Herbivory
- -
- one benefits (animals) one does not (plant)
Parasitism
- -
- host plants or animals are victimized by parasites
- most likely kills it
- parasites are smaller than their host
- host plants or animals are victimized by parasites
- -
Producers
- autotrophs (make own food)
- support all other trophic levels
Primary Consumers
eat producers (herbivores)
- Secondary Consumers
- eat Primary Consumers
- carnivores
- Tertiary Consumers
- eat secondary consumers
Quaternary Consumers
ear tertiary consumers
Detritivores
- eats big dead stuff from all trophic levels
- leaves, roadkill
Decomposers
- break down stuff at molecular level
- leftovers from the detritivores
Species Richness
number of species in a community (usually includes the names (what species))
Relative Abundance (species evenness)
number of individuals within each species
Keystone Species
- a species in a community that its presence or absence determines the composition rest of the community
- holds the rest of its community in place
Disturbance
- Events that damage biological communities
- ex: floods, fire, drought, overgrazing, humans
- the type, frequency, and severity of disturbance vary throughout communities
Primary Succession
begins in a lifeless area with no soil just rock basically
Secondary Succession
- when a community is set back and the soil is still intact
- can regrow
Primary Production (capturing energy)
- amount of solar energy that is turned into chemical energy by a producer
- produces biomass (amount of living organic material in an ecosystem)
Pyramid of production
- shows the flow of energy from producers to primary consumers
- only about 10% of the energy is passed on
Eutrophication
- results in lots of plants growing (too many)
- depletes the lake of oxygen
- phosphate pollution leads to this
anthropogenetic
Eutrophication caused by humans
Invasive species
→exotic species that grow out of control; cause problems; can survive in their new habitat; usually from the same biome but different continent
habitat alteration is caused by
agriculture, urban development, pollution, mining, forestry
habitat alteration/loss
human alteration of habitat to benefit (suitable for) humans
Exotic species
species not native to an area; brought in usually by humans (intentionally or accidentally) most exotic species will die in their new habitat
Overexploitation
harvesting individuals at a rate that exceeds the population’s ability to rebound (killing off faster then they can make more)
Pollution
human activities that put pollutants into the ecosystem that negatively effects it
Ozone layer
layer that the sun has to go through that blocks harmful UV rays
Biological magnification
concentrates synthetic toxins that cannot be degraded by microorganisms (the accumulation of harmful chemicals that are retained in the living tissue of consumers)
Climate Change (Global Warming initially)
→when the globe is warming the greenhouse gasses is usually increased
Phenotypic Plasticity
ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to local environmental conditions
Conservation biology
a science that seeks to understand the loss of biodiversity and why/how to counter this rapid loss
Edges
the boundary between one ecosystem and the next
habitat fragmentation
little chunks of ecosystem
Movement Corridors
connecting isolated habitats may be helpful to fragmented populations
mega fauna
big animals (ex: grizzly bears, timber wolves, elephants)
Biodiversity Hotspots
laces on the earth that have high diversity
endemic species
species who are only found in one spot
Zoned Reserves
undisturbed wildlands surrounded by buffer zones of compatible economic development
Restoration Ecology
the restoration of an area/cleaning up an area
- cleaning up pollutants or invasive species
- replanting native vegetation
- returning waterways to natural course
Sustainable development
fixing it once and it it takes care of itself without additional help; improve human condition while conserving biodiversity
