Interactions within Ecosystems Flashcards

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1
Q

Species

A

Organisms that are able to breed with each other to produce fertile offspring

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2
Q

Climate

A
  • Average weather conditions in a region over a period of time
  • Determined by temperature and rainfall
  • Result of unequal heating, snow n water, bodies of water
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3
Q

Precipitation

A
  • Influences the type of soil that forms in different regions
  • Determine type of plants and other photosynthetic organisms that can survive
  • Those organisms determine the variety and population sizes of animals that inhabit the area
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4
Q

Habitat

A
  • Place or area with a certain set of characteristics (biotic and abiotic)
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5
Q

Range

A
  • Geographical area where the population or species is found
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6
Q

Niche

A
  • The role that the members of the species play in a community
  • Species can share same range bcs they have different roles
  • Reduces competition for territory and resources
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7
Q

Biodiversity

A

The variety of habitats and niches or variety of species can vary in different areas depending on biotic and abiotic components

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8
Q

Biomes

A
  • Large ecosystems or groups of ecosystems
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9
Q

List Terrestrial Biomes (land)

A
  • Desert
  • Tundra
  • Grasslands
  • Taiga
  • Tropical rainforest
  • Temperate deciduous forest
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10
Q

List Aquatic Biomes

A
  • Lakes
  • Rivers
  • Estuaries (river flows into ocean)
  • Coral Reefs
  • Intertidial zones (ocean meets land)
  • Ocean
  • Deep sea
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11
Q

Biotic Potential

A
  • Maximum number of offspring that a species could produce if resources were unlimited
  • 4 factors: Birth potential, Capacity for survival, Breeding Frequency, and Length of Reproductive life
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12
Q

Birth Potential

A

Maximum number of offspring per birth

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13
Q

Capacity for survival

A

Number of offspring that live to their reproductive age

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14
Q

Breeding Frequency

A

Number of times that a species reproduces a year

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15
Q

Length of Reproductive Life

A

Age of sexual maturity and the number of years that individual can reproduce (when they stop reproducing)

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16
Q

Limiting Factors

A

Abiotic and biotic conditions that limit the number of individuals in a population

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17
Q

Carrying capacity

A

Maximum number of individual species that can be supported by an ecosystem

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18
Q

Abiotic limiting factors

A

They limit the distribution and size of the population that live there
Ex. soil, temp, moisture

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19
Q

Biotic Limiting Factors

A
  • Competition
  • Predators
  • Parasites
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20
Q

How does competition limit populations?

A
  • when there is a limited supply of resources, members must compete with each other
  • births decrease or deaths increase, slowing population growth
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21
Q

Intraspecific competition

A

Members of the same population compete with each other for limited resources

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22
Q

Interspecific competition

A

Competition between 2 or more populations

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23
Q

How do predators limit populations?

A
  • Involves the consumption of one organism by the other
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24
Q

How do parasites limit populations?

A
  • Parasites gets nourished by another organism (the host)
  • one organism benefits form the interaction, other does not
  • Increased number or parasites decreases the host’s ability to survive and reproduce
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25
Q

Density-dependent factors

A

Biotic and limit the growth of a population with increased density of the population
Ex. Food shortage, disease, competition

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26
Q

Density-independent factors

A

Abiotic and limit the growth of a population regardless of its size or density
Ex. Flood, Fire, Climate change

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27
Q

Law of tolerance

A

States that an organism can survive within a certain range of an abiotic fact, above or below the range, it cant survive
- Greater range of tolerance, greater ability to survive

28
Q

Law of the minimum

A

If any factors is present in low amounts, growth is reduced, regardless of quantity of other substances present

29
Q

Taxonomy

A

The science of classification according to the presumed relationships among organisms

30
Q

Binomial Nomenclature

A
  • Classification system created by Carl Linneaus
  • Based on an organisms physical and structural features
  • More common features = closer relationship
  • Two part scientific name, first word is the genus, the second is the species
  • Indicates similarities in anatomy, embryology (how they develop) and evolutionary ancestry
31
Q

Genus

A
  • Includes several species

- First letter of the genus is capitalized

32
Q

Species (in bionomial nomenclature)

A
  • group of organisms that look alike and can interbreed

- never capitalized

33
Q

What are the lvls of classifications

A
  1. Domain
  2. Kingdom
  3. Phylum
  4. Class
  5. Order
  6. Family
  7. Genus
  8. Species
34
Q

What are the domains

A
  • Archaebacteria
  • Eubacteria
  • Eukaryota
35
Q

What are the six kingdoms of life

A
  • Protista
  • Fungi
  • Plantae
  • Animalia
  • Archaebacteria
  • Eubacteria
36
Q

Dichotomous Key

A

List of questions that help someone determine the identity of an organism

37
Q

Adaptation

A

A structure, behavior, or physiological process that helps an organism survive and reproduce in a certain environment
- Are a result from gradual change

38
Q

Variation

A

Visible or invisible difference that helps an individual in population survive and is likely to be passed on from survivor to survivor

  • Variation can become more common that it leads to being a trait or characteristic of the population
  • Genetic Variation is due to the variety of genetic information in all individuals of the population
39
Q

Biological Species

A

A group of productively compatible populations

40
Q

Mutations

A

Changes in the genetic material of an organism

- If mutations occur in body cells, it will disappear when the organism dies

41
Q

Mutagens

A

Agents that cause mutations

42
Q

Selective Advantage

A
  • Mutations can enable an organism to survive in its environment better, making it more likely to survive and reproduce
  • Mutations that were of no advantage or disadvantage can be favorable in a new environment
43
Q

Natural Selection

A

Process that results when the characteristics of a population change bcs individuals with certain inherited traits survive specific local environmental conditions, then pass on their traits to their offspring

  • Must have variety or diversity within a species
  • individuals do not change, the population changes
44
Q

Selective Pressure

A

Abiotic environmental condition can be said to select for certain characteristics in some individuals and select against different characteristics in other individuals

45
Q

Ancient Theory

A

All species of organisms has been created independently of one another and remains unchanged
- Scientists who challenged this idea: Buffon, Cuviers, Lyvell, Lamarck, and Darwin

46
Q

Lamarck: Acquired characteristics

A
  • Thought that species increased in complexity over time, until reaching a lvl of perfection
  • Characteristics were acquired during an organisms lifetime and could be passed on to its offspring
47
Q

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

A

5 lines of evidence that helped prove that species change over time

  • Fossil Record
  • Biogeography
  • Anatomy
  • Embryology
  • Molecular Biology (biochemistry)
48
Q

Fossil Record

A
  • Fossils provided history of life by showing species that were alive in the past
49
Q

Biogeography

A
  • Study of the past and present geographical distribution of organisms
50
Q

Anatomy

A
  • Homologous structure
  • Analogous Structure
  • Vestigial Structure
51
Q

Homologous Structure

A

Similar structural elements and origin but have different functions

52
Q

Analogous Structure

A

Body parts that have similar functions but do not have common evolutionary origin

53
Q

Vestigial Structure

A

Basic structures that serve no useful function

54
Q

Embryology

A
  • Embryos of different organisms have similar stages of development
  • These similarities point to a common ancestral origin
55
Q

Molecular Biology

A
  • Evolutionary relationships among species are reflected in their DNA and proteins
56
Q

Artificial Selection

A

Process of humans selecting and breeding individuals with desired traits
- used to alter appearance, behaviour, and chemical makeup of plants and animals

57
Q

What does it mean to be reproductively isolated?

A

Species that are geographically isolated cannot interbreed
Ex. Elephants n frogs cannot mate
Ex. Populations that breed at different periods (spring or fall)

58
Q

Speciation

A

Formation of new species

- Two pathways: Transformation and Divergence

59
Q

Transformation (speciation)

A

New species gradually develop as a result of mutation and adaptation to changing environmental conditions

60
Q

Divergence (speciation)

A

One or more species arise from a parent species that continues to exist (increasing diversity bcs increasing number of species)

61
Q

Geographical Barriers

A
  • Prevent interbreeding and result in speciation bcs they keep populations physically separated
62
Q

Biological Barriers

A

Behaviour: courtship and pheromones (chemical signals) to attract mates, habitats, etc

63
Q

Adaptive Radiation

A

Diversification of a common ancestral species into a variety of species (new form of this ancestral species are made), off of which are differently adapted

64
Q

Gradualism

A
  • Gradual change occurs steadily in linear fashion (slow)

- Big changes occur as a result of many small changes

65
Q

Punctuated Equilibrium

A
  • This model proposes that evolutionary history consists of long periods of equilibrium where there is little change and interrupted periods of speciation