Final Cards Flashcards
Which element cycle has fewer steps than the others?
The phosphorus cycle
What adjective means “human made”?
anthropogenic
What is the name of the process in which one species increases the probability of a second one becoming established?
Facilitation
What is the incorporation of inorganic elements into the molecules of organisms called?
Assimilation
What kind of succession involves a sequence of damage and regeneration?
Cyclic succession
What is the total energy assimilated by photosynthesis called?
Gross primary production
Precipitation, the 3rd class of carbon cycling, only occurs in _________ systems.
aquatic
What term refers to the average time energy or materials spend in a certain compartment?
Residence time
What are the two processes that allow water to flux between surface waters and the atmosphere?
Evaporation and precipitation
What is the term for a species that is limited to small areas and found nowhere else?
Endemic species
The dying off of large numbers of species due to natural catastrophes.
Mass extinction
Energy from this drives the carbon cycle
The sun
Where most of Earth’s carbon is locked up.
Sedimentary rocks
This point is the level of light intensity above which the rate of photosynthesis no longer responds to increasing light intensity
Saturation point
What is the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate called?
Nitrification
Plants can take up nitrogen in the form of _________ ions.
Ammonium
Who is the inventor of the compartment model for looking at the flow of elements through ecosystems?
Eugene Odum
The smallest population of the species that can sustain itself through environmental variation
Minimum viable population (MVP)
Oxidation is an energy-___________ transformation
energy-releasing
The process in which most nitrogen enters the biological pathways of its cycle.
Fixation
What is the most signification threat humans pose to biodiversity?
Habitat fragmentation and destruction
Where are the areas of highest net productivity in the ocean?
Coral reefs and algae beds
Define population.
A group of many organisms of the same species living together
What do tadpoles do when they are housed with predators.
Reduce activity time, avoided side of aquarium with predators, and demonstrated reduced growth rate
Gause’ experiment with Paramecium and Didinium resulted in:
The predator went extinct after consuming some prey, leaving the remaining prey to flourish
What is a resource?
Any substance or factor consumed by organisms and used for maintenance and growth, and which supports population growth rates as its availability in the environment increases.
What is a -/- type species interaction called?
Competition
What is a +/0 types species interaction called?
Commensalism
What is a -/0 type species interaction called?
Amensalism
What type of species interactions do detritivores have?
Commensals
What is aposematism?
The phenotypic display of warning colors to discourage predation
What is Batesian mimicry?
The mimicry of aposematic colors by a palatable or non-dangerous organism
What is Müllerian mimicry?
When unpalatable organisms come to resemble each other or more unpalatable organisms
What is exploitation?
Indirect competition: one organism out competes the other by better utilizing the resource; also top-down trophic control
What is trophic mutualism?
Two species benefitting from a food relationship
What is defensive mutualism?
One species gains protection from predators, other species gains something else
What is dispersive mutualism?
One species transports pollen, nectar, or seeds of another species in exchange for a reward
What are the three main types of species interactions?
Consumer-resource interactions, competition, and mutualism
What is the balance in a parasite-host interaction?
Balance between the host’s defenses and the parasite’s virulence
