Intro to Ecology

Question 1

Ecology is

Answer 1

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Question 2

Ecology allows us…

Answer 2

to predict the distribution and abundance of organisms

Question 3

Major Ecological Questions

Answer 3

Why are certain species found in some places and not others? (what factors influence abundance?)
What factors regulate population growth rates/persistence? (what factors influence abundance)
Why are some species rare and others abundant?
What is the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem “function”?

Question 4

Evolution⇌Ecology

Answer 4

Population size(abundance) -> drift
Movement(distribution)->gene flow
Interactions, abundance, distribution-> fitness

Question 5

Three postulates of evolution by natural selection

Answer 5

1. Individuals vary in traits that affect fitness
2. This variation is heritable
3. Fitness correlates with the heritable trait
4. Fitness depends in the environment

Question 6

Ecology and Fitness

Answer 6

An individual’s fitness, and therefore allele frequencies in a population, are affected by…..
- Biotic Elements= Living Things
- Abiotic Elements= Non-living things

Question 7

What ecological (biotic) interactions affect fitness

Answer 7

Predator vs. Prey, competition, resource availability

Question 8

Levels of Biological Organization

Answer 8

Atoms, cells, tissue, organ, body system, organism, populations, communities, ecosystems, biospheres

Question 9

Five primary levels of ecological study

Answer 9

1. Organismal ecology
2. Population ecology
3. Community ecology
4. Ecosystems ecology
5. Global Ecology

Question 10

When wolves were introduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995, researchers documented a number of dramatic effects. What level of ecology is best for studying this phenomenon?

Answer 10

ecosystem ecology

Question 11

An ecologist studying how maggot fly feeding parts are adapted to eat apples is studying…

Answer 11

Organismal ecology

Question 12

Four main abiotic factors fundamentally affect the distribution and abundance of life on earth…

Answer 12

Sunlight
Temperature
Moisture
Wind

Question 13

Sunlight

Answer 13

The amount of Light affects photosynthesis
Tilt of the earth creates variation in daylength

Question 14

Temperature is affected by

Answer 14

Solar radiation,
The curvature of the Earth

Question 15

Moisture is caused by…

Answer 15

Uneven solar heating causes atmospheric circulation and predictable precipitation patterns.

Hot rising air at the equator creates Hadley cells, which generate predictable areas of precipitation (e.g. deserts).

Question 16

Wind

Answer 16

Coriolis effect= A phenomenon that causes fluids, like water and air, to curve as they travel across or above Earth’s surface.

Caused by temp diffs & earth’s rotation

Question 17

Ecology is defined as the study of ____________; its main outcome is understanding _______________.

1. biological diversification; evolutionary relationships.
2. latitudinal gradients in species richness; how energy,
   productivity, age, and area contribute to species
   distributions.
3. how organisms interact with each other and their
   environment; the distribution and abundance of
   organisms on the planet.
4. fitness interactions among species; the relative
   importance of mutualism, commensalism, and
   consumption in explaining community composition.
5. all of the above.

Answer 17

5. all of the above.

Question 18

Which of the following are biotic interactions?
1. predation
2. competition
3. mating
4. respiration

Answer 18

4. respiration

Question 19

What causes seasonality in weather on Earth?

1. Earth’s spherical shape.
2. Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees.
3. The tropics receive the most solar radiation.
4. Rising air currents at the equator lead to greater
   precipitation at the equator and less at the poles.
5. Falling air currents at 30° North and South latitudes lead to low levels of precipitation.

Answer 19

Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees.

Question 20

Areas at 30° North and South latitudes are
most likely to be subjected to ________.

1. rising air currents and desert conditions
2. falling air currents and desert conditions
3. rising air currents and high levels of precipitation
4. falling air currents and high levels of precipitation

Answer 20

2. falling air currents and desert conditions

Question 20

Areas at 30° North and South latitudes are
most likely to be subjected to ________.

1. rising air currents and desert conditions
2. falling air currents and desert conditions
3. rising air currents and high levels of precipitation
4. falling air currents and high levels of precipitation

Answer 20

2. falling air currents and desert conditions