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AP BIO > Introduction to Ecology > Flashcards

Introduction to Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What does ecology mean?

A

‘eco’ = home
‘ology’ = study of
“study of home”

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2
Q

what is ecology?

A

it is the study of interactions between organisms and the environment

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3
Q

what two things does the environment consist of?

A

abiotic and biotic factors

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4
Q

what are abiotic factors?

A

nonliving factors (temperature, light, water, nutrients, oxygen, salinity, soil, pH)

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5
Q

what are biotic factors?

A

living factors (bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, animals)

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6
Q

what is the hierarchy of ecological interactions?

A

organism, population, community, ecosystem, landscape, biosphere

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7
Q

what does an organism consist of?

A

one individual

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8
Q

what does a population consist of?

A

many organisms of the same species living in the same area

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9
Q

what does a community consist of?

A

many populations of different species living in one area

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10
Q

what does an ecosystem consist of?

A

a community + abiotic factors

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11
Q

what is a biome? give examples

A

a type of ecosystem that occupies a large geographic area (desserts, tundra, rainforest)

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12
Q

what does a landscape consist of?

A

several different ecosystems linked by exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms

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13
Q

what does a biosphere consist of?

A

the sum of all the ecosystems and landscapes globally (all life on Earth and where it lives)

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14
Q

what are the levels of organization preceding organism?

A

atoms, molecules, organelles, cells (eukaryotes), tissues, organs, organ systems, organism

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15
Q

what is the most significant influence on the distribution of organisms?

A

climate

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16
Q

what is the difference between climate and weather?

A

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

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17
Q

what are the physical factors that affect climate?

A

temperature
precipitation
sunlight
wind
rocks, soil pH, proximity to large bodies of water, volcanoes, mountains

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18
Q

how do rocks affect climate?

A

CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)/ Limestone buffers Michigan’s lake’s pH

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19
Q

How does the soil’s pH affect the climate?

A

evergreen pine needles lower soil pH-becoming more acidic

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20
Q

how does being close to waters affect climate?

A

lake effect snow- when cold winds move across warmer water and picks up water vapor that freeze and deposit snow leeward

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21
Q

how do volcanoes affect climate?

A

gas and dust particles shade incoming UV and solar radiation

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22
Q

how do mountains affect climate?

A

cooler temperatures and increased UV radiation at higher altitudes so no trees grow above the timberline and often snow crowns at highest elevations

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23
Q

what are the two most important influences on climate?

A

temperature and precipitation

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24
Q

on which side of the mountain does moist air rise and cuase sprecipitation?

A

windward side

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25
Q

on which side of the mountain doe dry dessert conditions occur on? what is it called?

A

leeward side; rain shadow

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26
Q

what is the tilt of the Earth’s axis?

A

23.5 degrees

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27
Q

what happens to the Northern Hemisphere in Decemeber?

A

tilts away from the sun

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28
Q

what happens to the Northern Hemisphere during June?

A

tilts toward the sun

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29
Q

what happens to the Northern Hemisphere in March and September? what is this called?

A

neither pole tilts towards the sun and all regions of Earth experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness; equinoxes

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30
Q

At what Latitude is Michigan?

A

42 degrees N

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31
Q

what are the main causes of temperature and precipitation differences in different locations?

A

Latitudes- sunlight strikes the equator/the tropics directly leading to more heat and light

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32
Q

at what angle does the sun hit Michigan?

A

oblique angle, so less light energy

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33
Q

What is the global air circulation?

A

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

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34
Q

what does terrestrial mean?

A

on land

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35
Q

what do terrestrial biome distributions show?

A

show latitudinal patterns in where they are found

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36
Q

which biome is most represented along the equator?

A

tropical rainforests

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37
Q

which biome is most represented near the poles?

A

tundra

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38
Q

do biomes have sharp boundaries, or do they overlap? what is this called?

A

overlap; ecotone

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39
Q

what is a climatograph?

A

is used to plot the two most important factors influencing climate (annual averages for temperature and precipitation)

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40
Q

both northern coniferous and temperate broadleaf forests have a similar range of precipitate. how do they differ?

A

TBF have warmer temperatures

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41
Q

which biomes have the least precipitation?

A

desert and tundra

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42
Q

which biomes has the greatest range of precipitation?

A

tropical forest

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43
Q

which biomes are found in Michigan?

A

temperate broadleaf and northern coniferous forests

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44
Q

another term for temperate broadleaf forests?

A

deciduous forests

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45
Q

another terms for norther coniferous forests?

A

taiga and boreal forests

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46
Q

examples of disturbances biomes face?

A

fires, storms, or human activity

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47
Q

what biomes experience wildfires naturally? what are its other names?

A
  1. tropical savannah/grassland
  2. temperature grasslands/prairies

3.chaparral

  1. coniferous/taiga/boreal forests
48
Q

what is the first layer of the forest called?

A

canopy

49
Q

what is the second level of the forest?

A

understory

50
Q

what is the third level of the forest?

A

shrub

51
Q

what is the lowest layer in the forest?

A

forest floor

52
Q

what can be found on the forest floor?

A

leaf litter

53
Q

what is the layer above the canopy? give an example

A

emergent layer; kapok tree

54
Q

what are epiphytes?

A

plants that grow on the canopy or understory of a tree to obtain nutrients and water, but do not harm the tree.

55
Q

what is the relationship between epiphytes and trees?

A

commensalism

56
Q

what is a flowering plant that grows on trees in the SE US?

A

Spanish moss

57
Q

what is a flowering plant found mostly in the tropics?

A

orchids

58
Q

examples of epiphytes

A

Spanish moss, orchids

59
Q

what is the word for salt water?

A

marine

60
Q

what biome covers most of Earth? how much?

A

aquatic marine biomes; 75%

61
Q

how many oceans are on Earth? list them

A

5; Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic

62
Q

what are phytoplanktons?

A

they are microscopic, photosynthesis algae and bacteria which supply half of the worlds O2 supply

63
Q

what is phytoplankton Greek for? break it down

A

“Plant Drifters”; phyto- plant

64
Q

what are phytoplanktons?

A

autotrophs; make their own food through photosynthesis

65
Q

what are zooplanktons?

A

heterotrophs; they don’t make their own food

66
Q

what does ‘zoo’ in zooplankton mean?

A

animal

67
Q

what macro-level drifters are considered plankton since they cannot swim against the current?

A

jellies

68
Q

what zones do aquatic biomes consist of? what is the difference?

A

photic zones - receive light
aphotic zones - do not receive light

69
Q

what is the benthic zone?

A

bottom of a body of water

70
Q

what is the littoral zone?

A

shallow close water close to the shore

71
Q

what is the limnetic zone?

A

photic, open waters rich in plankton

72
Q

what is the profundal zone?

A

aphotic, open waters

73
Q

what is the pelagic zone?

A

photic and aphotic zones together

74
Q

what is the name of the deepest marine zone?

A

abyssal zone

75
Q

what is the benthic zone made of?

A

sand, sediments, benthos

76
Q

what are benthos?

A

organisms that live in the benthic zone

77
Q

what is detritus?

A

dead organic matter that rains down from the productive surface waters of the photic zone

78
Q

what are organisms that feed on detritus called?

A

detritivores

79
Q

why are shallow waters warmer than deeper waters?

A

the sunlight penetrates and warms shallow water

80
Q

what is the thermocline?

A

a narrow layer of abrupt temperature change especially in lakes during the summer

81
Q

which lake temperature holds the most dissolved oxygen and why?

A

4 degrees C; water is the most dense

82
Q

what are lake turnovers?

A

when nutrients on the bottom mix with dissolved oxygen at the surface resulting in increased 1 degree productivity

83
Q

when do lake turnovers occur?

A

spring and fall

84
Q

what happens during autumn turnovers?

A

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

85
Q

what turnovers occur in oceans? what is it caused by? what does it lead to?

A

ocean upwelling; cool currents, seasonal changes, cyclones; leads to large scale fishery production- sardines and anchovies

86
Q

what is El Nino?

A

weakened trade winds in the Pacific build up warmer surface waters and decrease ocean upwellings. usually occurs every 3-7 days

87
Q

what are the effects of El Nino?

A

lowers fishery production, increases tropical storms, increases floods in Southeastern US, increases droughts in Australia

88
Q

what conditions increase dissolved oxygen? (8)

A

moving water, cool water, low salinity, few photosynthetic organisms, little detritus, high amount of light, lower elevations/higher pressure, shallow water

89
Q

few nutrients and lots of O2

A

oligotrophic

90
Q

moderate nutrients and intermediate amounts of O2

A

mesotrophic

91
Q

many nutrients and less O2

A

eutrophic

92
Q

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?

A

algal blooms cause lakes to become eutrophic as cellular respirations eventually builds up and consume oxygen notably during the night

93
Q

what happens when the algae die off in algal blooms?

A

they sink to the benthic zone to become detritus. large numbers of detritivores and aerobic bacteria will feed, consuming oxygen

94
Q

what happens to the remaining algae in an algal bloom after some die off?

A

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

95
Q

what does anoxic mean?

A

inadequate oxygen supply

96
Q

what are some sources that can cause a lake to become eutrophic?

A

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

97
Q

what is an estuary?

A

a transition area between freshwater river and marine seawater

98
Q

what do estuary organisms need to be able to do?

A

Osmoregulate to maintain an internal balance/equilibrium called homeostasis

99
Q

what are great examples of osmoregulators? How so?

A

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

100
Q

what does osmosis state?

A

water moves from high concentrations to lower concentrations of water across a selectively permeable membrane

101
Q

if a salmon is in salt water, which way will the water flow?

A

outside

102
Q

which way will water flow when salmon live in freshwater?

A

inside

103
Q

what trees are common in estuaries and marine shorelines? what must they do?

A

mangrove trees have portion of their trunks under water during high tides. they must osmoregulate salinity, cellular water content, and respiratory gases

104
Q

how much oxygen content do flooded wetland soils have?

A

low

105
Q

how do a majority of plants take in oxygen for cellular respiration?

A

through both roots and tiny spores called stomata

106
Q

why do mangrove trees exclusively take in oxygen for cellular respiration ?

A

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

107
Q

what is desiccation?

A

drying out

108
Q

tundra biome

A

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

109
Q

taiga biome

A

coniferous/boreal

“marshy pine forest”

long harsh winters, hot summers, periodic fires

spruce, fire, pines

moose, deer, chipmunk, bald eagle, woodpecker

110
Q

tropical rainforest biome

A

2 m of rain per year, poor soil

layered vegetation, kapok

bat, sloths, howler monkeys, snake

111
Q

temperate deciduous forest

A

temperate broadleaf forest

4 distinct seasons

deciduous - leaves fall

vertical layering of plant species

deer, wolve, small mammals

112
Q

temperate grassland

A

prairie

annual fire, drought, nutrient rich soil

grasses dominate, few to no trees

deer and bison

113
Q

tropical savanna

A

tropical grassland

seasonal fires, rainy season, drought

few trees, grasses, forbs (flowers that pop up amongst grass)

zebra, lion, elephant

114
Q

chapparal

A

rainy winters, dry summers

shrubs, small trees

browsers (eat twigs), deer, goat

115
Q

desert

A

low precipitation

high day temps, low night temps

succulents: cacti (african deserts), euphorbs (NA SA)

snake, lizard, scorpions

AP BIO (30 decks)

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