Final (all Quizzes) Flashcards
Neritic zone
Shallow Marine waters extending down to 200 m. Where the continental shelf ends.
Intertidal zone
The region between Lowtide marks and high tide marks on a sea shore.
Continental shelf
The portion of a geologic plate that extends from a continent to undersea water.
Above ground biomass
The total biomass for all the organisms aboveground, excluding the roots.
Epiphytes
Plants that grow entirely on other plants such as lichen and Moss.
Kin selection
A form of natural selection that favors traits to increase survival or reproduction of an individual’s kin at the expense of the individual.
Innate behavior
A type of behavior that is inherited and does not need to be learned, it is typical of a species.
Proximate causation
Explains how things happen in a neurological, muscular, and skeletal sense. For example how do birds fly?
Ultimate causation
Explains why things happen from an evolutionary history. For example why you hummingbirds prefer the color red?
Optimal foraging
When an organism gets as much energy from food as possible, taking into consideration the energy used find and go to the food and other threats.
Turnover
The complete mixing of the upper and lower layers of water that occurs in both the spring and fall
Permafrost
An area of permanently frozen soil found mainly in the tundra
Detritus
Dead or decaying matter eaten by animals.
Estuaries
Where the river meets the ocean and freshwater mixes with salt water.
Invasive species
And exotic species that takes over an area and flourishes while harming other native species, like the zebra muscle.
Mono phyletic group
And evolutionary unit that includes all it’s ancestral population and all descendants of no other group.
Convergent evolution
The independent evolution of analogous traits in the distantly related organisms due to adaptation in similar environments and a similar way of life.
Homology
Where organisms of different species share common characteristics such as proteins, DNA, and body parts.. This suggests a shared/common ancestry.
Hox gene
A master homeotic gene that controls structure sequence.
Ecological niche
The role that a species plays in its environment and the rang of resources it uses.
Extinction
When a species completely dies off due to natural causes or man intervention.
Sympatric speciation
The divergence of populations living within the same geographic region into different species
Post zygotic isolation
Reproductive isolation that results from mechanisms that operate after mating has occurred such as sterility or weakness
Prezygotic isolation
The reproductive barrier that prevents organisms from mating.
