Interactions within Ecosystems Flashcards
Species
Organisms that are able to breed with each other to produce fertile offspring
Climate
- 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
Precipitation
- 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
Habitat
- Place or area with a certain set of characteristics (biotic and abiotic)
Range
- Geographical area where the population or species is found
Niche
- 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
Biodiversity
The variety of habitats and niches or variety of species can vary in different areas depending on biotic and abiotic components
Biomes
- Large ecosystems or groups of ecosystems
List Terrestrial Biomes (land)
- Desert
- Tundra
- Grasslands
- Taiga
- Tropical rainforest
- Temperate deciduous forest
List Aquatic Biomes
- Lakes
- Rivers
- Estuaries (river flows into ocean)
- Coral Reefs
- Intertidial zones (ocean meets land)
- Ocean
- Deep sea
Biotic Potential
- 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
Birth Potential
Maximum number of offspring per birth
Capacity for survival
Number of offspring that live to their reproductive age
Breeding Frequency
Number of times that a species reproduces a year
Length of Reproductive Life
Age of sexual maturity and the number of years that individual can reproduce (when they stop reproducing)
Limiting Factors
Abiotic and biotic conditions that limit the number of individuals in a population
Carrying capacity
Maximum number of individual species that can be supported by an ecosystem
Abiotic limiting factors
They limit the distribution and size of the population that live there
Ex. soil, temp, moisture
Biotic Limiting Factors
- Competition
- Predators
- Parasites
How does competition limit populations?
- when there is a limited supply of resources, members must compete with each other
- births decrease or deaths increase, slowing population growth
Intraspecific competition
Members of the same population compete with each other for limited resources
Interspecific competition
Competition between 2 or more populations
How do predators limit populations?
- Involves the consumption of one organism by the other
How do parasites limit populations?
- 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
Density-dependent factors
Biotic and limit the growth of a population with increased density of the population
Ex. Food shortage, disease, competition
Density-independent factors
Abiotic and limit the growth of a population regardless of its size or density
Ex. Flood, Fire, Climate change
Law of tolerance
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
Law of the minimum
If any factors is present in low amounts, growth is reduced, regardless of quantity of other substances present
Taxonomy
The science of classification according to the presumed relationships among organisms
Binomial Nomenclature
- 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
Genus
- Includes several species
- First letter of the genus is capitalized
Species (in bionomial nomenclature)
- group of organisms that look alike and can interbreed
- never capitalized
What are the lvls of classifications
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
What are the domains
- Archaebacteria
- Eubacteria
- Eukaryota
What are the six kingdoms of life
- Protista
- Fungi
- Plantae
- Animalia
- Archaebacteria
- Eubacteria
Dichotomous Key
List of questions that help someone determine the identity of an organism
Adaptation
A structure, behavior, or physiological process that helps an organism survive and reproduce in a certain environment
- Are a result from gradual change
Variation
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
Biological Species
A group of productively compatible populations
Mutations
Changes in the genetic material of an organism
- If mutations occur in body cells, it will disappear when the organism dies
Mutagens
Agents that cause mutations
Selective Advantage
- 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
Natural Selection
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
Selective Pressure
Abiotic environmental condition can be said to select for certain characteristics in some individuals and select against different characteristics in other individuals
Ancient Theory
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
Lamarck: Acquired characteristics
- 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
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
5 lines of evidence that helped prove that species change over time
- Fossil Record
- Biogeography
- Anatomy
- Embryology
- Molecular Biology (biochemistry)
Fossil Record
- Fossils provided history of life by showing species that were alive in the past
Biogeography
- Study of the past and present geographical distribution of organisms
Anatomy
- Homologous structure
- Analogous Structure
- Vestigial Structure
Homologous Structure
Similar structural elements and origin but have different functions
Analogous Structure
Body parts that have similar functions but do not have common evolutionary origin
Vestigial Structure
Basic structures that serve no useful function
Embryology
- Embryos of different organisms have similar stages of development
- These similarities point to a common ancestral origin
Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary relationships among species are reflected in their DNA and proteins
Artificial Selection
Process of humans selecting and breeding individuals with desired traits
- used to alter appearance, behaviour, and chemical makeup of plants and animals
What does it mean to be reproductively isolated?
Species that are geographically isolated cannot interbreed
Ex. Elephants n frogs cannot mate
Ex. Populations that breed at different periods (spring or fall)
Speciation
Formation of new species
- Two pathways: Transformation and Divergence
Transformation (speciation)
New species gradually develop as a result of mutation and adaptation to changing environmental conditions
Divergence (speciation)
One or more species arise from a parent species that continues to exist (increasing diversity bcs increasing number of species)
Geographical Barriers
- Prevent interbreeding and result in speciation bcs they keep populations physically separated
Biological Barriers
Behaviour: courtship and pheromones (chemical signals) to attract mates, habitats, etc
Adaptive Radiation
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
Gradualism
- Gradual change occurs steadily in linear fashion (slow)
- Big changes occur as a result of many small changes
Punctuated Equilibrium
- This model proposes that evolutionary history consists of long periods of equilibrium where there is little change and interrupted periods of speciation
