Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Ecology > Final Exam > Flashcards

Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

Community

A

association of interacting species inhabiting some defined area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

community ecology

A

study of collective properties in the structure of multispecies biological assemblages

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Issues of community definition

A

Co-occurrence: Minimum property of community; species co occur

Recurrence: same group of organisms will occur with the same species

Communities tend toward dynamic stability: stable around given point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

one view of a community: Individualistic school

A

only co-occurrence needed

collection of populations with similar environmental requirements

abstraction of continuously varying vegetation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Superorganism school

A

tightly coevolved in evolutionary time

important in ecological time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Hypotheses for higher species richness in tropics

A
  1. Time theory hypothesis: rate of evolution higher
  2. Competition Hypothesis: time for evolution to have occurred undisturbed is higher
  3. Colonization hypothesis: rate of colonization after glaciation limiting in temperate zone
  4. Climate stability hypothesis: Tropics less seasonal, more constant food resources, niches, specialization
  5. Spatial heterogeneity: high richness with more habitats
  6. Predation hypothesis: greater species specific predation
  7. Productivity hypothesis: productivity increases more levels in web
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

species richness

A

number of species in a defined area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Species diversity

A

the number of different species present in an ecosystem and relative abundance of each of those species.

species richness and equitability

more evenly distributed= more diversity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Community structures

A

absolute and relative abundance of species in a community

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

3 major structuring forces of communities

A

interspecific competition , predation, disturbance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

keystone species

A

species whose activities control structure of food web

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

keystone predator

A

eats competitively dominant prey and controls community structure

psistar starfish

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Disturbance

A

Any relatively discrete event in time that disrupts ecosystem, community or population structure and changes resources, substrate availability, or the physical environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH)

A

Highest species richness when disturbance is in the middle; not too much or too little disturbance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

succession

A

non seasonal, directional, and continuous pattern of colonization and extinction on a site by a population of species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

climax community

A

vegetation formation resulting after many years of development
endpoint of succession

Predictable , local extinction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

3 successional processes

A

Facilitation, Tolerance, inhibition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Facilitation successional process

A

organisms make environment for other organisms to come in and makes it less favorable for itself

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Facilitation -glacier bay Alaska

A

when glaciers move, it leaves behind rock, moss breaks down rock converting it to soil
- moss outcompeted by fireweed, willows, alder trees bringing in nitrogen for plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

facilitation in Poorly drained soils

A

Invasion of sphagnum moss in areas of poorly drained soils in early stages of forest
- acidifies water so trees die
- creates bogs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Tolerance

A

Later species outcompete earlier ones but early species don’t make environment more favorable for later species

species sequence is from colonization ability, growth, competitive ability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

primary v secondary succession

A

primary: occurs on bare sediments
- glacier retreat, lava flow

secondary: existing vegetation disturbed and replaced
- fire

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

tolerance- sand dunes

A

grasses established after blowout
grasses outcompeted by willows, pines, oak forests

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Inhibition

A

Each species inhibits colonization by subsequent species
- species at site first will hold it until external force disrupts it

External force disrupting system is required for succession to proceed
- Autogenic: within system
- Allogenic: outside system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Tolerance- rocky intertidal

A

Algal density highest for boulders of intermediate size which require intermediate force to be overturned

Stable environment will be unchanging
Unstable environment evoke successional change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Factors that determine biome

A

Annual precipitation
temperature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Temperate deciduous forest

A

Cold winters, local variations, abundant understory
more species rich than coniferous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Coniferous

A

short humid summers, long cold winters, large temp variation
many predators
- lynx, bobcat, wolverine
prey
- hare

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Temperate Rainforest

A

lot of rainfall, seasonal variation
mixture of conifers and deciduous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Tundra

A

many lakes, bogs
low precipitation
low biological diversity
simple vegetation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

primary consumers

A

plants who do photosynthesis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

secondary consumers

A

herbivores who eat primary consumers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Grasslands

A

Enough precipitation to support grasses not trees
tall grass in humid wet environments and short grasss praries
fires
mice, grasshoppers, buffalo

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Savanna

A

Grasslands with scattered trees
less rainfall
dry summer wet winter
fire
high biodiversity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

shrubland

A

Short densely branching shrubs
long dry hot summers
mild rainy winter
fire

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Deserts

A

Drought year round– less than 10 in rain/year
Hot deserts in tropic of cancer and capricorns
cold deserts
burrowing animals, not many plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

rain shadow effect

A

as weather from the ocean travels towards a mountain, it rains and cool air descends creating a desert in the region of a rain shadow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

Types of deserts

A

rain shadow effect
cold ocean desert
Landlocked desert

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Tropical rainforest

A

a lot of precipitation
high species richness
tall straight trees
medicines
many insects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

aquatic v marine

A

aquatic: freshwater
marine: saltwater

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

Lentic v lotic

A

lentic: bodies of water without current
lotic: bodies of running water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

limnology

A

inland bodies of water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

temporary ponds

A

only around in spring
water retained for short period of time when snow melts

44
Q

springs

A

spring fed pond: springs come up to surface
geothermal pools: very hot with bacteria living

45
Q

volcanic lake

A

calderas: empty volcanoes fill with water

46
Q

Tectonic lakes

A

formed by tectonic plate shifts

47
Q

Glacial lakes

A

formed by receding glaciers
kettle lakes

48
Q

Seasonality of lakes

A

Spring: isothermal (same temp 4C throughout) and lake turnover- mixes

Summer: Wind and sun warms surface water and there is a stratified lake zones
- Warmer on surface, cooler as you get deeper (4C)

Fall: lake turnover with wind, cooler temps mixes epilimnion and hypolimnion isothermal

Winter: with colder temps, surface water freezes, and warmer deeper

49
Q

Lake zones in Summer

A

Epilimnion- warmer surface, oxygen rich
Metalimnion - thermocline
Hypolimnion- cooler, oxygen poor
– decomposition dominates

50
Q

dimictic lakes

A

mix twice a year- spring and fall
otherwise ice would form on bottom

51
Q

limnetic zone and organisms

A

open area of water that light can penetrate down

primary producers:
planktonic: drift in current
- phytoplankton
nektonic: can swim against current

primary consumers: zooplankton
epilimnion: biological material source
hypolimnion: sink for material

52
Q

profundal zone

A

deep part of lake with little light

53
Q

benthic zone

A

bottom of lake with bottom dwelling organisms

54
Q

littoral zone

A

shallower area where light can penetrate to bottom of lake

55
Q

oligotrophic v eutrophic

A

Oligotrophic: nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorous) poor
Eutrophic: nutrient rich
- hypereutrophic- too much nutrients
dystrophic: bogs

56
Q

Human eutrophication

A

Human activity increasing rate of eutrophication

57
Q

dystrophic

A

describes bogs and fens

58
Q

compensation depth

A

Where photosynthesis= respiration

59
Q

bogs
- where they’re formed

A

wetlands where organic matter accumulation exceeds rate of decomposition
low nutrients

formed where precipitation exceeds evaporation , poor drainage, cool temps

60
Q

trophic cascade hypothesis

A

manipulating one level of food web affects other aspects of food web

61
Q

Algal blooms

A

oxygen depletion in ponds causes fish to die off

62
Q

approaches to algal blooms

A

adding herbicides- kill algae temporarily but lead to cycle

adding zooplankton not cost effective

biomanipulation: controlling lakes by adding to top of food web- fish decrease algae population

63
Q

Trophic cascade experiment

A

eradicate invasive rainbow smelt fish population by adding GELIs to keep lake mixed so the fish can’t survive because they only reproduce in cold temps

64
Q

fens

A

primarily grasses instead of sphanum moss
not acidic

65
Q

Succession of lakes

A

Eventually fill in from bottom by vegetation, plants growing on bottom

Goes from aquatic to terrestrial process

Non seasonal, directional

66
Q

4 dimensions lotic systems

A

longitudinal
lateral
vertical
time

67
Q

longitudinal dimension

A

upstream to downstream changes expected to see in rivers
pools: deep, slow moving
runs/glides: smooth, fast moving
riffles: shallow, turbulent, fast moving
rapids: steep, coarse substrates, fast moving

68
Q

lateral dimension

A

exchange of material from river to terrestrial environment as you go across the stream

wetted channel: portion containing water even during low flow periods
active channel: actively filled with water by average stream flows
riparian zone: outside channel; transition between aquatic environment and upland terrestrial environment denoted by vegetation tolerant to water
floodplain: fluvial surface created by infrequent floods

69
Q

Vertical dimension

A

water can move from surface down to sediments of river

water column: water surface to benthic zone
benthic zone: bottom of river
hyporheic zone: below current, transition between surface water flow and groundwater
phreatic zone: below hyporheic zone containing groundwater

70
Q

time dimension

A

rivers vary across time and space resulting in constantly changing river shape, size, content
from flooding, erosion, changes to environment

71
Q

what determined stream types

A

precipitation and evaporation

72
Q

stream types

A

perennial: where precipitation exceeds evaporation; flow year round
intermittent: flow most of the year , dry parts of the year
ephemeral: only flow after rainfall event

73
Q

watershed

A

any area of land that intercepts and drains rain through river system

74
Q

stream order

A

method of classifying ordering hierarchy natural channels

1st order: smallest headwater stream
2nd order: 2 1st orders together

low order: 1-3 order
mid order: 4-6 order
high order: 7-12 order

75
Q

Sources of organic matter

A

autochthonous: originates within stream
allochthonous: originates outside stream
CPOM: coarse particulate organic matter
FPOM: fine particulate organic matter
DOM: dissolved organic matter

76
Q

Upper reaches (small rivers) abiotic factors

A

riparian vegetation
1-3 order
P/R <1
CPOM

77
Q

upper reaches biotic factors

A

peanut butter cracker hypothesis: organisms eat leaves to get to biofilms
shredders and collectors
dominants fish require high oxygen

78
Q

middle reaches abiotic

A

4-6 order
CPOM breaks down into FPOM
P/R >1
autochthonous dominated

79
Q

middle reaches biotic

A

collectors and grazers
fish tolerate high temp low oxygen

80
Q

lower reaches (large rivers)abiotic

A

large rivers
fpom dominate
p/r<1 causing turbity

81
Q

lower reaches biotic

A

more planktonic orgnanisms
collectors
fish tolerant of high temp low oxygen

82
Q

river continuum concept

A

predicts characteristic changes from upstream to downstream

83
Q

human influence on flood

A

channelization: gets water in and out of area quickly
runoff into channelized streams increases flood frequency

dams:modifies flow regime
electricity, flood control

84
Q

overland flow

A

surface runoff; water running over land into stream
when solid are saturated and low permeability
precipitation exceeds soil infiltration rate
impervious surfaces

85
Q

hydrograph

A

time it takes to rise from baseflow to maximum discharge to baseflow conditions

storm hydrograph: lag time after peak of storm shorter in urbana areas

86
Q

effects of urbanization on storm hydrograph

A

after urbanization
peak higher, shorter lag time

87
Q

general hydrograph patterns

A

high in early spring
low in summer
high in fall

rainfall patterns spiky graph
snowmelt patterns smooth graph

88
Q

Invasive species definition

A

non native to ecosystem under consideration and
whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or enviornmental harm or harm to human health

89
Q

causes of accidental introduction of invasive species

A

accidental releases
- aquaculture
- aquarium trade

transportation
- navigation channels
- ballast dumping

range expansion as temps warm

90
Q

Goby

A

eat zebra mussels and invertebrates
prefer benthic rocky habitat
spawn many times a year
come in through ballast water

91
Q

Ballast water management

A

NOBOB– empty ballast before entering us
this impacts native species and movement of toxic materials from sediments

92
Q

scenarios of gobys and algae

A

gobys reduce benthic invetebrates increasing algae
gobys reduce mussels and reduce algae

93
Q

bioaccumulate v biomagnicifcation

A

bioaccumulation: materials accumulate in organisms as a result of feeding

biomagnification: materials that are concentrated at higher levels as you go up food web

94
Q

PCBs

A

organic contaminants
contaminant of fish
human health problems when consumed in fish

95
Q

Gobies and PCBs

A

biomagnification of PCBs evident at highest level of food chain

96
Q

chironomids– midges

A

low oxygen water
energentically important-relied on by many birds as food source
eggs must go through dry period
invasive nuisance

97
Q

2 approaches on how to reduce nuisance midges

A

Bti - lethal when ingested by insect
STRIKE pellets- flood with juvenile hormone prevents insect from molting to adult

98
Q

Bti and strike effects

A

Bti no affect
STRIKE at reduced emergence

99
Q

Marine derived nutrients (MDN) with salmon

A

nutrients from marine environment cycled in fresh water system

Salmon egg, sperm, carcass provide nutrients to algae, insect feed on algae, young salmon feed on insects

100
Q

Eltonian pyramids

A

Pyramid of numbers– not good way to process
pyramid of biomass– not good to process
pyramid of enegy– cannot be inverted

101
Q

how salmon affects midges

A

midges that live on rocks are affected because salmon bring a lot of MDN into freshwater when they spawn

102
Q

climate change effects

A

increased sea level, water temps
pH change

103
Q

climate change effect on migratory birds

A

disconnect between bird migration (triggered by photoperiod) and insect availability (controlled by temp)

104
Q

What did bluegill study show

A

there are habitat linked morphological and behavioral adaptations that make them better at avoiding predators

a limnetic fish in a littoral environment will be subject to more predation because they aren’t as well adapted

105
Q

Crayfish and worm symbiosis study

A

Commenslism relationship because crayfish benefit by having worms removing large PM from their gills allowing for better survival
Worms don’t benefit

106
Q

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome study

A

Higher density of infected rodents provides a higher baseline for future infection that can trigger outbreak when next surge in rodent population occurs

107
Q

kettle lakes

A

formed by glaciers

Ecology (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions