Global Ecosystems Change Flashcards
What is a biome?
A location where the Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to it.
What is an ecosystem?
interrelationships between biotic and abiotic components in an environment.
What are habitats?
A natural environment where a species lives.
What is a trophic cascade?
When predators influence direct prey species and the prey of those.
What affects do predators have on prey?
By consuming prey and altering their behaviour and residences.
How do human populations alter species social and habitat order?
By using resources and scaring animals.
What are scales?
Measurement of a species response. alpha diversity = counting species in an area/ beta diversity= comparing the taxa only found in each ecosystem/ Gamma = overall diversity of different ecosystems in a region.
What are species?
a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes
What is genetic variability?
The variation in the DNA sequence in each of our genomes. (Every DNA instruction in a cell)
what are demes?
A spatially isolated interbreeding group of organisms with definable genetic characters which will develop to a subspecies population.
What are metapopulations?
Consists of a group of spatially separated populations of similar species which interact at some level. e.g. butterflies and coral reef fish
What is sympatric speciation?
In sympatric speciation, groups from the same ancestral population evolve into separate species without any geographical separation.
What is allopatric speciation?
In allopatric speciation, groups from an ancestral population evolve into separate species due to a period of geographical separation.
What is seasonality?
Periodic changes of an environment annually.
