Fundamentals Flashcards
What are the three types of survivorship curve lines?
type 1 = high survivorship of young, survival decreases with age
type 2 = linear decline in survivalship with age
type 3 = low survivorship of young, long survival of mature individuals
What are some characteristics of opportunistic species that live in unpredictable/harsh environments?
- small bodies
- early maturity
- large clutch sizes
- no parental care
- high mortality
- large population fluctuations
What are some characteristics of equilibrium species that live in stable/predictable environments?
- large body
- later maturity
- small clutch sizes
- invovled parental care
- low mortality
- small population fluctuations
What did the Phoenecians harvest from the ocean and what was it used for?
depleted murex snail populations to make tyrian purple dye
How did Aristotle contribute to ecological understanding?
- created an early classification system
- studied fish
- was one of the first to describe hermaphroditic species
- first to describe use of fish gills for respiration
How did Pliny the Elder contribute to ecological understanding?
- observed killer whales hunting whales and their calves
- studied terrestrial species and bivalves, fish
How did James Cook contribute to ecological understanding?
- mapped much of the Pacific ocean
- brought scientists on board to collect specimens
- expanded knowledge of uncharted areas
What theory did Edward Forbes develop?
azoic theory: no life exists on the seabed below 550m (disproven by Michael Sars)
How did Robert Fitzroy contribute to ecological understanding?
- captained HMS Beagle
- coined the term forecast
- involved meteorologist and predicted weather patterns
- developed weather tracking systems for sailors
What theory involving the tropical oceanic regions did Darwin develop?
theory of atoll formation (The Structure and Distribution of Coral
Reefs - 1842
How are atolls formed?
1) reefs form fringing rings around volcanic islands
2) volcanic islands start to sink from tectonic activity, reefs remain and form lagoons
3) volcanic islands completely disappear, leaving an atoll behind
Describe the journey and findings of HMS Challenger
- involved Charles Wyville Thomson and John Murray
- measured the bottom depth at several locations
- measured temperature at varying depths
- discovered the Mariana Trench
- collected samples and documented weather
- ID’d 4000 species
What depths were recorded for the Mariana Trench?
1875 (Challenger expedition) = 8184 m/4475 fathoms
1951 (Challenger II) = 10984 m/5960 fathoms
Briefly describe SONAR
- created in 1910
- maps the seabed and underwater structures using rebounding sonar waves
- can locate fish distributions and populations
- measures the depth to the seabed
Briefly describe SCUBA
- 1943: Jacques Cousteau + Emilie Gagnan create the Aqua-lung
Define HOV, ROV and AUVs
HOV = human occupied vehicle, manned vehicles that can withstand extreme temperatures, used to collect samples
ROV = remotely operated vehicle, can be controlled from above surface
AUV = autonomous underwater vehicle, can run independently and travel to dangerous areas, used to map terrain or survey
