Introduction to Ecology Flashcards
What does ecology mean?
‘eco’ = home
‘ology’ = study of
“study of home”
what is ecology?
it is the study of interactions between organisms and the environment
what two things does the environment consist of?
abiotic and biotic factors
what are abiotic factors?
nonliving factors (temperature, light, water, nutrients, oxygen, salinity, soil, pH)
what are biotic factors?
living factors (bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, animals)
what is the hierarchy of ecological interactions?
organism, population, community, ecosystem, landscape, biosphere
what does an organism consist of?
one individual
what does a population consist of?
many organisms of the same species living in the same area
what does a community consist of?
many populations of different species living in one area
what does an ecosystem consist of?
a community + abiotic factors
what is a biome? give examples
a type of ecosystem that occupies a large geographic area (desserts, tundra, rainforest)
what does a landscape consist of?
several different ecosystems linked by exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms
what does a biosphere consist of?
the sum of all the ecosystems and landscapes globally (all life on Earth and where it lives)
what are the levels of organization preceding organism?
atoms, molecules, organelles, cells (eukaryotes), tissues, organs, organ systems, organism
what is the most significant influence on the distribution of organisms?
climate
what is the difference between climate and weather?
climate is the long-term trends/patterns (~30 yrs) weather conditions for a given area
weather is the state of atmospheric conditions in a particular place at a particular time
what are the physical factors that affect climate?
temperature
precipitation
sunlight
wind
rocks, soil pH, proximity to large bodies of water, volcanoes, mountains
how do rocks affect climate?
CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)/ Limestone buffers Michigan’s lake’s pH
How does the soil’s pH affect the climate?
evergreen pine needles lower soil pH-becoming more acidic
how does being close to waters affect climate?
lake effect snow- when cold winds move across warmer water and picks up water vapor that freeze and deposit snow leeward
how do volcanoes affect climate?
gas and dust particles shade incoming UV and solar radiation
how do mountains affect climate?
cooler temperatures and increased UV radiation at higher altitudes so no trees grow above the timberline and often snow crowns at highest elevations
what are the two most important influences on climate?
temperature and precipitation
on which side of the mountain does moist air rise and cuase sprecipitation?
windward side
on which side of the mountain doe dry dessert conditions occur on? what is it called?
leeward side; rain shadow
what is the tilt of the Earth’s axis?
23.5 degrees
what happens to the Northern Hemisphere in Decemeber?
tilts away from the sun
what happens to the Northern Hemisphere during June?
tilts toward the sun
what happens to the Northern Hemisphere in March and September? what is this called?
neither pole tilts towards the sun and all regions of Earth experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness; equinoxes
At what Latitude is Michigan?
42 degrees N
what are the main causes of temperature and precipitation differences in different locations?
Latitudes- sunlight strikes the equator/the tropics directly leading to more heat and light
at what angle does the sun hit Michigan?
oblique angle, so less light energy
What is the global air circulation?
sunlight striking the equator causes water to evaporate and warm, wet air masses to create lots of precipitation in tropical areas. Then dry air masses move towards 30 degress N and S of the equator to create dry, arid/desert climates
what does terrestrial mean?
on land
what do terrestrial biome distributions show?
show latitudinal patterns in where they are found
which biome is most represented along the equator?
tropical rainforests
which biome is most represented near the poles?
tundra
do biomes have sharp boundaries, or do they overlap? what is this called?
overlap; ecotone
what is a climatograph?
is used to plot the two most important factors influencing climate (annual averages for temperature and precipitation)
both northern coniferous and temperate broadleaf forests have a similar range of precipitate. how do they differ?
TBF have warmer temperatures
which biomes have the least precipitation?
desert and tundra
which biomes has the greatest range of precipitation?
tropical forest
which biomes are found in Michigan?
temperate broadleaf and northern coniferous forests
another term for temperate broadleaf forests?
deciduous forests
another terms for norther coniferous forests?
taiga and boreal forests
examples of disturbances biomes face?
fires, storms, or human activity
what biomes experience wildfires naturally? what are its other names?
- tropical savannah/grassland
- temperature grasslands/prairies
3.chaparral
- coniferous/taiga/boreal forests
what is the first layer of the forest called?
canopy
what is the second level of the forest?
understory
what is the third level of the forest?
shrub
what is the lowest layer in the forest?
forest floor
what can be found on the forest floor?
leaf litter
what is the layer above the canopy? give an example
emergent layer; kapok tree
what are epiphytes?
plants that grow on the canopy or understory of a tree to obtain nutrients and water, but do not harm the tree.
what is the relationship between epiphytes and trees?
commensalism
what is a flowering plant that grows on trees in the SE US?
Spanish moss
what is a flowering plant found mostly in the tropics?
orchids
examples of epiphytes
Spanish moss, orchids
what is the word for salt water?
marine
what biome covers most of Earth? how much?
aquatic marine biomes; 75%
how many oceans are on Earth? list them
5; Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic
what are phytoplanktons?
they are microscopic, photosynthesis algae and bacteria which supply half of the worlds O2 supply
what is phytoplankton Greek for? break it down
“Plant Drifters”; phyto- plant
what are phytoplanktons?
autotrophs; make their own food through photosynthesis
what are zooplanktons?
heterotrophs; they don’t make their own food
what does ‘zoo’ in zooplankton mean?
animal
what macro-level drifters are considered plankton since they cannot swim against the current?
jellies
what zones do aquatic biomes consist of? what is the difference?
photic zones - receive light
aphotic zones - do not receive light
what is the benthic zone?
bottom of a body of water
what is the littoral zone?
shallow close water close to the shore
what is the limnetic zone?
photic, open waters rich in plankton
what is the profundal zone?
aphotic, open waters
what is the pelagic zone?
photic and aphotic zones together
what is the name of the deepest marine zone?
abyssal zone
what is the benthic zone made of?
sand, sediments, benthos
what are benthos?
organisms that live in the benthic zone
what is detritus?
dead organic matter that rains down from the productive surface waters of the photic zone
what are organisms that feed on detritus called?
detritivores
why are shallow waters warmer than deeper waters?
the sunlight penetrates and warms shallow water
what is the thermocline?
a narrow layer of abrupt temperature change especially in lakes during the summer
which lake temperature holds the most dissolved oxygen and why?
4 degrees C; water is the most dense
what are lake turnovers?
when nutrients on the bottom mix with dissolved oxygen at the surface resulting in increased 1 degree productivity
when do lake turnovers occur?
spring and fall
what happens during autumn turnovers?
going from summer to fall, the surface waters cool and become more dense. then they sink to the benthic zone and it results in the mixing of water
what turnovers occur in oceans? what is it caused by? what does it lead to?
ocean upwelling; cool currents, seasonal changes, cyclones; leads to large scale fishery production- sardines and anchovies
what is El Nino?
weakened trade winds in the Pacific build up warmer surface waters and decrease ocean upwellings. usually occurs every 3-7 days
what are the effects of El Nino?
lowers fishery production, increases tropical storms, increases floods in Southeastern US, increases droughts in Australia
what conditions increase dissolved oxygen? (8)
moving water, cool water, low salinity, few photosynthetic organisms, little detritus, high amount of light, lower elevations/higher pressure, shallow water
few nutrients and lots of O2
oligotrophic
moderate nutrients and intermediate amounts of O2
mesotrophic
many nutrients and less O2
eutrophic
why does a lot of photosynthetic organisms in a lake= more dissolved oxygen=more happy fish? what is the term for a build up of photosynthetic algae?
algal blooms cause lakes to become eutrophic as cellular respirations eventually builds up and consume oxygen notably during the night
what happens when the algae die off in algal blooms?
they sink to the benthic zone to become detritus. large numbers of detritivores and aerobic bacteria will feed, consuming oxygen
what happens to the remaining algae in an algal bloom after some die off?
they cannot replenish the dissolved O2 quickly enough, so eutrophication creates an anoxic lake where fish and nonmotile are to suffocate and die if they do not leave
what does anoxic mean?
inadequate oxygen supply
what are some sources that can cause a lake to become eutrophic?
nitrates (NO3-) and phosphates (PO4-3) from agricultural practices- fertilizer, runoff from farms and lawns, manure runoff from animal feedlots, and sewage runoffs from septic tanks
what is an estuary?
a transition area between freshwater river and marine seawater
what do estuary organisms need to be able to do?
Osmoregulate to maintain an internal balance/equilibrium called homeostasis
what are great examples of osmoregulators? How so?
salmon; born in freshwater streams, then live in ocean for 1-4 years, before returning upstream to where they were born to spawn and complete lifecycle
what does osmosis state?
water moves from high concentrations to lower concentrations of water across a selectively permeable membrane
if a salmon is in salt water, which way will the water flow?
outside
which way will water flow when salmon live in freshwater?
inside
what trees are common in estuaries and marine shorelines? what must they do?
mangrove trees have portion of their trunks under water during high tides. they must osmoregulate salinity, cellular water content, and respiratory gases
how much oxygen content do flooded wetland soils have?
low
how do a majority of plants take in oxygen for cellular respiration?
through both roots and tiny spores called stomata
why do mangrove trees exclusively take in oxygen for cellular respiration ?
they grow in warm regions of the world, therefore limit the opening of stomata which would allow oxygen/ gas exchange for cellular respiration/photosynthesis, but also increase the risk of desiccation because water also exists from the stomata
what is desiccation?
drying out
tundra biome
artic/alpine
“treeless plain”
very cold, high winds, short growing season, permafrost
no trees or tall plants, few specialized plants-perennials, lichens, mosses
few animals: birds, pika; summer-goat and elks
taiga biome
coniferous/boreal
“marshy pine forest”
long harsh winters, hot summers, periodic fires
spruce, fire, pines
moose, deer, chipmunk, bald eagle, woodpecker
tropical rainforest biome
2 m of rain per year, poor soil
layered vegetation, kapok
bat, sloths, howler monkeys, snake
temperate deciduous forest
temperate broadleaf forest
4 distinct seasons
deciduous - leaves fall
vertical layering of plant species
deer, wolve, small mammals
temperate grassland
prairie
annual fire, drought, nutrient rich soil
grasses dominate, few to no trees
deer and bison
tropical savanna
tropical grassland
seasonal fires, rainy season, drought
few trees, grasses, forbs (flowers that pop up amongst grass)
zebra, lion, elephant
chapparal
rainy winters, dry summers
shrubs, small trees
browsers (eat twigs), deer, goat
desert
low precipitation
high day temps, low night temps
succulents: cacti (african deserts), euphorbs (NA SA)
snake, lizard, scorpions
