FINAL EXAM

Question 1

BIOTIC

Answer 1

Describes a living component of an ecosystem; for exampel organism such as plants or animals.

A biotic factor is a living organism that affects another organism in the ecosystem.

Question 2

ECOLOGICAL NISCH

Answer 2

An ecological nisch describe the role an organism plays in it’s environment.

• The species habitat
• The organisms activity, the periods of times its active
• The resources it obtains from the environment

Question 3

Example, black bears nisch

Answer 3

Black bears lives in the forests, its feeds on berries, insects and nuts.

They eat tics and other parasite insects, and they can carry seeds for long distances in their digestive systems, and later allowing the seeds to grow.

Question 4

HABITAT

Answer 4

Type of environment (physical and biological) in which the organism lives.

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

Group of individuals of the same
species living in a given territory,
associated by social or reproductive
links

Question 6

Biotope

Answer 6

is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals.

Question 7

Community

Answer 7

a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community,

Question 8

Biodiversity hotspots of the World are defined as:

Answer 8

regions “where exceptional concentrations of endemic species
are undergoing an exceptional loss of habitat”

Question 9

Define biodiversity

Answer 9

The biodiversity is defined as ‘the variety of life
on Earth at all its levels, from genes to
ecosystems, and the ecological and
evolutionary processes that sustain it

Question 10

What is an endemic species?

Answer 10

An endemic species is one that is unique to a defined geographic location or habitat, such as an island, nation, other defined zone.

For example: Lemurs only exist in Madagascar.

Question 11

Intra specific interaction/competition
Inter specific interaction/competition

Answer 11

Intra specific = Interactions/competition between species that are the same species.
self determination, territoriality, etc.

Inter specific = Interaction between two ore more different species.
– against other species, by resources

Question 12

Example of inter specific competition

Answer 12

Sharks, dolphins and sea birds compete for the same type of fish in the same ecosystem.

2 Different species with the same ecological requirements can not be present in the same place for a long period of time. One will normally suppress the other.

Question 13

Bioindicator

Answer 13

Species or organism particularly sensible to changes in the environment
can be used as bio-indicator to study or assess the ecological performance,
functioning or quality.
Species bioindicators can be used to monitoring the ecosystem health or
changes in the environment.

Question 14

Example of bioindicator

Answer 14

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) are insects with larvae common in all types of water. The species is very sensitive to water pollution and then very useful as bioindicator of water quality

The timing of the arrival of the cuckoos and the vigour of its calls were also used as an indicator of the weather and the intensity of the seasons

Question 15

What is species? Species concepts

Answer 15

• Compromise between practical use and versatility
• Practical value: species conservation, species diversity estimate

Question 16

How different mammals have adapted to different climate?

Answer 16

The organism, through the process of natural selection, can result adapted to function better in the face of environmental challenges.

Adaptation is a process where the population becomes better suited for the environment.

It can mean physical or behavioral changes, to make to individual more fitted to the environment.

Question 17

Ethology

Answer 17

The science of animal behavior

Question 18

Evolution by natural selection

Answer 18

is a process by which organisms change (evolve) over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits.

Such modifications allow the organism to be better adapted to its environment, improving the probabilities of offspring to survive..

Question 19

Which tools we have to mitigate the decline of the biodiversity and to increase the conservation of nature

Answer 19

One of the most commonly applied approaches by conservationists is to identify areas with a high number of endemic species and habitat loss. These areas, identified as biodiversity hotspots.

Natura 2000
Birds directive
Habitat directive
Red-list

Question 20

Bird directive

Answer 20

. The Birds Directive aims to protect all of the 500 wild bird species naturally occurring in the European Union.

Question 21

Habitat directive

Answer 21

The Habitats Directive ensures the conservation of a wide range of rare, threatened or endemic animal and plant species.

Question 22

RED-List

Answer 22

• Established in 1964
• By the International union for conservation of nature
• The worlds most comprehensive information source on the global extinctions risk status of animals, fungi’s and plant species.

Question 23

Natura 2000

Answer 23

Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively.

Question 24

ECOLOGY

Answer 24

“Ecology is the study of interactions among living things and their environment. It provides new understanding of these vital systems as they are now, and how they may change in the future”.

Question 25

ecosystems

Answer 25

ecological communities related to the physical chemical environment

Question 26

Biom

Answer 26

A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome

Question 27

Trophic chains

Answer 27

• Quanterny consumers
• Top consumer → Lions, wolfs & hawks
• Teriary consumers
• They are preditory carnivores consumers of both herbivores and other carnivores → Fox, bats and black bears
• Secondary consumers
• They are carnivores who predator’s on herbivores →snakes, owls
• Primary consumer
• They are herbivores that feeds on plant material
• Decomposers
• Decomposers feeds/decomposes the remains of dead plants and animal. They put organic matter back in to the soil. → bacteria or fungi.