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Ecology > Exam One: Learning Objectives > Flashcards

Exam One: Learning Objectives Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two experimental approaches in ecology?

A

comparative and manipulative

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2
Q

Describe an example of a comparative approach.

A

Surveying on algae abundance among lakes that differ in phosphorus concentrations

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3
Q

Describe the comparative approach

A

nothing in manipulated, only natural and societal process manipulate
purported cause and hypothesized effect varies

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4
Q

Describe an experimental approach

A

a hypothesized casual factor is manipulated to see if the expected effect occurs

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5
Q

Give an example of an experimental approach

A

C and N were added to the water on one side and C, N, and P were added to the other side, then was observed

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6
Q

What are the two key features of any good test?

A

large contrast in hypothesized casual factor
other factors standardized or controlled for

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7
Q

How does phosphorus related to algal bloom?

A

lakes with higher P concentration tend to have higher algae biomass

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8
Q

How do C and N have impact on algae?

A

no impact, only changes with phosphorus

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9
Q

The presences of zooplanktivorous fish __ __ algae abundance

A

strongly boosts

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10
Q

If you remove zooplankton and fish, algae is still __, suggesting algae does not need __ recycled by fish

A

high; nutrients

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11
Q

T/F: adding nutrients (fish pee) give the algae a __ __ but not much

A

a little boost

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12
Q

Why are models useful?

A

ecological properties are influenced by many factors, models decomplexify

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13
Q

Define an ecosystem

A

an area that includes all the organisms, plus all components of the abiotic environment within its boundaries

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14
Q

Level of organization determines the type of __ an ecologist __

A

question; asks

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15
Q

What are the levels of organization from lowest to bottom

A

organisms
populations
communities
ecosystems
biomes
biosphere
Old People Creep Everyone By Being Bald

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16
Q

Define climate

A

average weather conditions over time for a given place

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17
Q

What are four reasons climate varies across the Earth?

A
  1. spherical shape
  2. earth’s rotation
  3. distribution of continents and oceans
  4. topography
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18
Q

How does spherical shape vary climate across the earth

A

uneven solar heating of Earth’s surface, more solar radiation per unit area in the tropics than at the poles

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19
Q

How does earth’s rotation impact climate across earth?

A

rotation causes Coriolis effect, which redirects winds

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20
Q

How does the distribution of continents and oceans affect climate across the Earth?

A

creates high and low atmospheric pressure centers
influences direction of air and water currents that redistribute heat and water around planet

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21
Q

How does topography affect Earth’s climate?

A

influenced by elevation and aspect (direction)

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22
Q

heating of Earth surface and __ drives atmospheric __ and __

A

atmosphere
circulation; precipitation
DESCRIBE FIGURE 02.08

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23
Q

As Earth spins around its axis, points __ the equator travel __ than do points further north or south

A

nearer; faster

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24
Q

The difference in velocity causes a __ in air currents ( __ __ )

A

deflection; Coriolis effect

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25
Q

Describe how regional geography influences climate and thus biome

A

moist, warm air rises, cooling air loses moisture as rain on windward side
Dry, cool air descends and pulls water from the soils on leeward side

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26
Q

Why is there deserts around 30° N and S and rain at equator/ tropical rainforests?

A

sun heats at equator and causes moisture in the air, forming clouds causing rain
warm air rises and ascending air flows N/S and cools, as it cools it falls and sucks moisture around 30°

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27
Q

What are the six soil forming factors?

A

climate
organisms
parent material
topography
people
time

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28
Q

Soils have ___ and ___

A

composition; structure

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29
Q

What are the four (sometimes five) vertical layers of horizons?

A

Organic
Eluviated
A
B
C

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30
Q

Describe the organic layer of soil

A

almost purely organic matter; decomposing remains of once-living biomass

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31
Q

Describe the A layer of soil

A

mixture of well-decomposed organic matter and mineral sediments (sand, silt, clay)

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32
Q

Describe the B layer of soil

A

mineral material tends to be lost of clay; any organic matter is old and extremely decomposed

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33
Q

Describe the C layer of soil

A

almost entirely mineral material that is mostly broken-up bedrock

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34
Q

Where would you find E horizons?

A

acidic soils

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35
Q

Describe the E horizon of soil.

A

light colored zone of leaching

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36
Q

Composition and structure of soil affect how soil __

A

functions

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37
Q

Describe the climate of tropical rainforests

A

warm and wet year-round
little month-to-moth variation in rain and temperature

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38
Q

Describe the soils in a tropical rainforest

A

nutrient-poor, acidic, thin, and low in organic matter

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39
Q

Where do tropical dry forests exist?

A

10 - 25 °

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40
Q

Describe the climate of tropical dry forest

A

invariant temperature and highly variable rainfall

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41
Q

Describe the soils of tropical dry forest

A

old, more nutrient-rich than in tropical rain forest

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42
Q

Where do tropical savannas usually occur?

A

10 - 20° of equator

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43
Q

Describe the climate of a savanna

A

distinct wet and dry seasons with impermeable soils

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44
Q

Describe the climate of the mediterranean woodland and shrubland

A

seasonal - drought in summer, rain in winter

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45
Q

Discuss the climate in deserts

A

varies among deserts; high temperature and little rain fall

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46
Q

How are deserts characterized?

A

water loss from evaporation + transpiration exceeding precipitation for most of the year

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47
Q

Describe the soils in temperate grasslands

A

deep, fertile and rich in organic material

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48
Q

Discuss the climate of temperate grasslands

A

peaks in rain coincide with height of growing season; rain and temperature increase over summer

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49
Q

Temperate grasslands share similar latitudes as?

A

temperate forests

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50
Q

Discuss the climate of temperate forests

A

mild winters, moist growing seasons at least four months - deciduous trees dominate
drier summers and colder winters - favor coniferous forests

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51
Q

Where are temperate forests found?

A

30 - 55°

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52
Q

Where is a boreal forest located?

A

50-60°

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53
Q

Discuss the boreal forest climate

A

long and harsh winters
extreme variable, wide temperature swings

54
Q

Describe where the tundra is found

A

encircles the globe north of boreal forests

55
Q

What is the photic zone

A

mixed layer where light reaches the bottom

56
Q

What are the layers of stratification in the photic zone?

A

thermal - water is less dense and floats on top of colder water

57
Q

Describe the thermocline

A

separation of well-lit, warm, and lower density waters that separate the dark, cold, higher-density waters which is a region of rapid temperature change

58
Q

Describe kelp forests

A

macroalgae
can gro 30-50 m
complex habitat, home to many species
high bio diversity
established on firm substrates

59
Q

Describe coral reefs

A

clonal animals that can reproduce sexually and asexually
live symbiotically with algae

60
Q

What is the result of coral bleaching?

A

loss of zooxanthellae

61
Q

Intertidal zones and organisms are affected by extreme variation in (5)

A

light
temperature
wave energy
salinity
exposure to air

62
Q

Intertidal zonation results in __ zonation

A

biological

63
Q

What are the two types of intertidal zones

A

rocky wave exposed N. Amer W coast
soft-substrate, wave-protected E and Gulf coasts

64
Q

Describe salt marshes

A

shoreline habitats with herbaceous vegetation

65
Q

Where are salt marshes found?

A

temperate to high-latitude areas

66
Q

Describe the biology of salt marshes

A

exhibit zonation of species owing to gradients in tidal inundation time and salinity

67
Q

Describe the climate of mangrove forests

A

shoreline habitat with woody, salt-tolerant plants; intolerant to frost

68
Q

Where are mangrove forests found?

A

tropics and sub tropics

69
Q

What is an estuary?

A

where river meets the sea

70
Q

What is a stratification of an estuary?

A

salinity gradient that often results in stratification as low density, low salinity water flows above high-salinity water

71
Q

Define a river drainage network

A

branching system of streams and rivers that converge and deliver water downhill

72
Q

What is the river continuum concept?

A

the source and fate of organic matter changes from high to low in the drainage network

73
Q

Describe the river continuum concept in terms of organic matter, energy, and drainage networks

A

(1) energy from land sources, leaves, shredders and collectors
(2,3) some internal energy; periphyton and vascular plants; fine organic matter from upstream, grazers and collectors
(4,5) energy mostly from upstream; fine organic matter; collectors and some phytoplankton

74
Q

Define the hyporheic zone

A

water flowing down stream through the sediments beneath the surface channel

75
Q

Water can move _ or _ between surface water and hyporehic zone as it flows __

A

up; down
downstream

76
Q

Stream/ river ecosystems extend laterally onto __ to include the __ zone

A

land; riparian

77
Q

Define the riparian zone

A

transitional habitat between uplands and river or stream

78
Q

Water movement through the __ zone soils helps filter it before it reaches the __ channel

A

riparian; surface

79
Q

Define lakes

A

landscapes that collect water

80
Q

What creates basins?

A

plate tectonics, volcanism, glacial activity, sinkholes

81
Q

What lakes are saline?

A

lakes with no outflow

82
Q

What is the shallow margin of lakes called?

A

littoral zones

83
Q

What plants are found lakes

A

macrophytes

84
Q

The open deep water of a lake is the __ zone and this zone is __ stratified

A

pelagic; thermally

85
Q

benthic habitat =

A

bottom sediments

86
Q

Define lake turnover

A

when the whole water column mixes

87
Q

Define evolution

A

change in frequency of heritable traits; descent and modification from an ancestral form

88
Q

Define phenotypic variation

A

variation in traits among individuals in a population

89
Q

what do phenotypic variation arise from

A

individuals differ genetically
individuals experience different environments

90
Q

What is an example of phenotypic variation?

A

swallowtail butterflies

91
Q

Define phenotypic plasticity

A

capacity of a genotype to express more than one phenotype, in response to the environment

92
Q

What does a reciprocal transplant experiment test for?

A

whether phenotypic differences between populations result

93
Q

What are the three tests for reciprocal transplant experiment

A

i. from genetic differences between populations
ii. from environmental differences between the locations where the populations live
iii. from a combination of genetic and environmental influences

94
Q

What are the necessary conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

A

random mating
no mutations
large population size
no immigration
equal fitness between all genotypes

95
Q

What are mechanisms that change trait and allele frequencies in a population?

A

mutation
selection
gene flow
genetic drift

96
Q

What are two forms of genetic drift?

A

population bottlenecks
founder effects

97
Q

What can mutations result from?

A

DNA copying errors
transposable elements
mutagens

98
Q

What is a mutagen?

A

environmental agents that cause mutation

99
Q

__ is the only mechanism for change in allele frequency that results in adaptive evolution

A

mutation

100
Q

__ is the only mechanism that adapts populations to their environment

A

selection

101
Q

Directional selection favors an __ value of a trait

A

extreme; beak size

102
Q

Disruptive selection favors __ extremes of a trait

A

both; plumage

103
Q

Stabilizing selection favors __ values of a trait

A

intermediate; egg size

104
Q

What is artificial selection?

A

variation among individuals in ancestral populations; desirable traits are more prevalent in subsequent generations

105
Q

Interbreeding can increase the frequency of?

A

deleterious alleles

106
Q

In small populations, many alleles can become __ which means

A

fixed
be the only allele left for a given gene, so the gene can no longer evolve

107
Q

Define the microclimate

A

local temperature, wind and moisture conditions that an organism actually experiences

108
Q

Temperature __ differs among habitats

A

variation

109
Q

Aspect affects __

A

microclimate

110
Q

Peak performance occurs over a narrow __ range

A

temperature

111
Q

Enzymes function best over a narrow __ range

A

temperature

112
Q

Outside __ temperature range, an organism would have to invest __ energy to accomplish any biological task, which leaves __ energy for other tasks (reproduction)

A

optimal; more
less

113
Q

Energy used for __ function is…

A

one; not available for others

114
Q

What is the principle of allocation

A

given limited energy, if an organism allocates energy to one function, it reduces the amount of energy available to other functions

115
Q

Discuss the concept of an evolutionary tradeoff

A

suggests being adapted to one set of conditions makes an organism poorly suited to other conditions

116
Q

What is an example of an evolutionary trade off?

A

ancestral populations at one temperature reduces fitness at other temperatures

117
Q

Acclimatization is generally __

A

reversible

118
Q

What is acclimatization?

A

individual organisms during their own lifetime can make physiological (not genetic) adjustments to changes in their environment

119
Q

Poikilotherms and body temperature

A

cannot regulate body temperature

120
Q

Describe body temperature regulation of ectotherms

A

can regulate body temperature; cant use metabolic energy

121
Q

Describe body temperature regulation of endotherms?

A

regulate body temperature and use metabolic energy

122
Q

Describe the body temperature regulation of homeotherms

A

organisms that maintain fairly constant temperatures, using metabolic energy while regulating body temperature

123
Q

What are the six H terms in heat budgets?

A

S - system
M - gain by metabolism
T - loss by radiation
E - loss by evaporation
Cd - loss or gain by conduction
Ev - loss or gain by convection

124
Q

Adaptations that affect H help an organism?

A

maintain a regulated body temperature, despite variation in environmental temperature

125
Q

What do ectotherms use to regulate body temperature?

A

behavior

126
Q

Describe the inverse relationship of an endothermic plant between metabolic rate and environmental temperature

A

increased metabolic rate is required to maintain constant body temperature as surrounding air temperature drops

127
Q

What is a method of heat conservation?

A

countercurrent exchange

128
Q

How does breathing and countercurrent exchange help aquatic birds and mammals maintain constant body temps?

A

as air breathes, blood flows from warm to cold, redirects to keep appendages warm
cool blood returns and warm is sent out

129
Q

By taking air into internal lungs, marine mammals avoid exposure of large __ rich surface area to __ water, thereby preventing __ loss

A

blood; cold
heat

130
Q

What is torpor?

A

a state of low body temperature and low metabolic rate

131
Q

Torpor is __ term

A

short

Ecology (5 decks)

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