L4: Adaptations to the Environment Flashcards
A measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a mass of a substance
Temperature
The kinetic energy in a mass of a substance
Heat
The climatic condition of a large scale of area that is usually represented by climate diagrams
Macroclimate
A climatic variation on a scale of a few kilometers, meters, or even centimeters
Microclimate
What are the 5 factors that affect microclimates?
Altitude
Aspect
Vegetation
Ground Color
Boulders & Burrows
A short-term physiological adjustment that is generally reversible with change in environmental conditions
Acclimation
Organisms that thrive in temperatures ranging from -20C to 10C
Psychrophiles
Organisms that thrive in temperatures 80C and above
Thermophiles
Organisms that do not regulate body temperature but instead varies directly with environmental temperature
Poikilotherms
Organisms that rely mostly on external sources of energy for temperature regulation
Ectotherms
Organisms that heavily depend on internally derived metabolic heat energy
Endotherms
Organisms that use metabolic energy to maintain a relatively constant body temperature
Homeotherms
How do desert plants avoid heating?
Decrease heating by conduction
Increase rates of convective cooling
Reduce rates of radiative heating
What is the difference between arctic and alpine?
Arctic is found at high latitudes
Alpine is found at high altitudes
How do plants in temperate regions regulate temperature?
Increase rates of radiative heating
Decrease rates of convective cooling
How does Sceloporus undulatus (eastern fence lizard) regulate its body temperature?
Ectotherm
Basking in the sun or seeking shade
How does Camnula pellucida (clear-winged grasshopper) regulate its body temperature?
Ectotherm
Orient their body perpendicular to the sun’s rays in the early morning
Refers to the range of environmental temperature at which the metabolic rate of a homeothermic animal does not change
Thermal Neutral Zone
Thermoneutral Zone
The capacity of water to absorb heat energy without changing temperature as compared to air
3000x
Conductive and convective heat losses to water as compared to air
20x in still water
100x in moving water
What are the 2 major reasons why aquatic birds and animals can be endothermic
- Air breathers
- Insulated by thick fat or fur
Refers to vascular structures among endothermic aquatic animals that reduce the rate of heat loss to the surrounding aquatic environment
Countercurrent Heat Exchangers
Organisms that can produce their own heat
Thermogenic
How does Symplocarpus foetidus (eastern skunk cabbage) regulate its temperature?
Thermogenic
Producing its own internal heat and its flowers enclose on itself to retain heat
How do organisms survive in environments with extreme temperatures?
Inactivity
A state of low metabolic rate and lowered body temperature
Torpor
A state of reduced metabolism lasting several months, mainly during winter
Hibernation
A state of reduced metabolism lasting several months, mainly during summer
Estivation
Influences the movement of water between an organism and its environment
Concentration Gradient
Occurs when the internal environment of the organism and its external environment differ in concentrations of water and salts
Diffusion
Occurs when water diffuses across a semipermeable membrane
Osmosis
Produced as water moves down its concentration gradient
Osmotic Pressure
The capacity of water to do work
Water Potential
Ψ (psi)
A consequence of water’s tendency to adhere to the walls of containers
Matric Forces
What are the 2 major environmental challenges organisms faced when moving into the terrestrial environment?
- Massive loss of water through evaporation
- Reduced access to replacement water
The 3 major sources of water acquisition in land
- Drinking
- Eating
- From the air
The 2 major causes of water loss in land
- Evaporation
- Secretions and excretions
The 2 major ways plants lose water
- Transpiration
- Secretions and reproductive structures
How does the Lepidochora acquire water?
Digs canals to direct water to itself
How does Onymacris unguicularis acquire water?
Stands in a bent position to direct moisture to its mouth
The water released during cellular respiration
Metabolic Water
How do plants acquire water?
Shallow roots
Deep roots
Stolon
How do plants conserve water?
Waxy cuticle
Wilting
How are camels and cacti similar in terms of regulating body temperature?
They match the environment’s temperature
How are scorpions and cicadas different in terms of behavior?
Scorpions are nocturnal
Cicadas are diurnal
What solutes make up shark’s blood?
33% inorganic ions
67% urea and TMAO
How do sharks excrete excess sodium?
Salt Gland
Differentiate marine bony fish and freshwater bony fish
MBF - Hypoosmotic
FBF - Hyperosmotic
The raw materials an organism must acquire from the environment to live
Nutrients
Organisms that use inorganic sources of both carbon and energy
Autotrophs
Organisms that use carbon dioxide and light to synthesize organic compounds
Photosynthetic Autotrophs
Photoautotrophs
Organisms that use carbon dioxide and inorganic chemicals to synthesize organic molecules for energy
Chemosynthetic Autotrophs
Chemoautotrophs
Organisms that use organic molecules as a source of carbon and energy
Heterotrophs
Light that carries insufficient energy for photosynthesis
Infrared Light
Light that carries too much energy for photosynthesis
UV Light
Light that carries sufficient energy for photosynthesis
Visible Light
Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
The most common photosynthesis pathway
C3
What is produced in C3 photosynthesis?
Phosphoglyceric Acid (PGA)
Photosynthesis that occurs in mesophyll cells and in bundle sheaths
C4
What is produced in C4 photosynthesis?
Oxaloacetate
Explain CAM photosynthesis
Carbon fixation at night
C3 photosynthesis at day
Occurs in mesophyll cells
Bacteria that use carbon dioxide and get their energy by oxidizing sulfur, hydrogen, sulfide, or thiosulfate
Chemosynthetic Bacteria
Sulfur Oxidizers most common
The 2 types of chemosynthetic bacteria living around geothermal vents
- Free-living
- Living within tissues of invertebrates
The 3 major categories of heterotrophs
Herbivores
Carnivores
Detritivores (decomposers)
What elements make up 93-97% of the biomass of living organisms?
Phosphorus
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Carbon
Hydrogen
Give 3 physical defenses of plants against herbivores
Thorns
Abrasive Silica
Toughened Tissues
Give 2 chemical defenses of plants against herbivores
Toxins
Digestion-reducing substances (e.g. tannins)
Give 3 defenses of prey against carnivores
Camouflage
Anatomical Defenses
Behavioral Defenses
The conspicuous, bright colors of many animals to deter predators
Aposematic
A form of mimicry among noxious organisms
Mullerian Mimicry
A form of mimicry among harmless organisms in which they mimic noxious organisms
Batesian Mimicry
The behavior of predators caused by the size of their prey
Size-Selective Predation
A branch of biology concerned with the study of social relations
Sociobiology
Defined as the number of offspring or genes contributed by an individual to future generations
Fitness
Characteristics of males or females not directly involved in the process of reproduction
Secondary Sexual Characteristics
A process which results from differences in reproductive rates among individuals as a result of differences in their mating success
Sexual Selection
A form of sexual selection in which individuals of one sex compete for mates
Intrasexual Selection
A form of sexual selection in which individuals of one sex consistently choose mates on the basis of some particular trait
Intersexual Selection
A condition where plants cannot self-pollinate
Self-Incompatibility
A process that generally involves exchanges of resources or various forms of assistance between individuals
Cooperation
What signal the beginnings of sociality?
Group Living
Cooperation
A complex level of social behavior
Eusociality
The 3 major characteristics of eusociality
- Individuals of more than one generation living together
- Cooperative care of the young
- Division of individuals into castes
A concept that proposes that an individual’s overall fitness is determined by its own and its relatives’ survival and reproduction
Inclusive Fitness
The evolutionary force favoring helping relatives
Kin Selection
The territory in which an animal is raised
Natal Territory
The tendency of an animal to remain in the same area throughout their lives
Philopatry
The total number of offspring produced over the course of a lifetime
Lifetime Reproductive Success
A group of physically distinctive individuals that engage in specialized behavior within a group
Castes
