Lecture 5- Ecosystem Ecology

Question 1

Foundation Species

Answer 1

a species that has a large effect on a community as a result of their large size or high abundance

Question 2

Keystone Species

Answer 2

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on a community, relative to the species’ abundance

Question 3

Ecological Niche

Answer 3

the specific set of biotic and abiotic environmental resources an organism uses

Question 4

The more the species’ needs to overlap:

Answer 4

the more likely they are to compete

Question 5

Competitive exclusion

Answer 5

if both species need the same thing, they cannot coexist

Question 6

Resource partitioning

Answer 6

the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community

Question 7

Fundamental niche

Answer 7

the area/ resources a species could occupy

Question 8

Realized niche

Answer 8

the area/ resources a species actually uses/ occupies

Question 9

Allopatry

Answer 9

geographically separate

Question 10

Sympatry

Answer 10

Geographically overlapping

Question 11

Character displacement

Answer 11

the tendency for characteristics to diverge more in sympatric than in allopatric populations of two species

Question 12

Ecosystem

Answer 12

all the living organisms in an area and the abiotic factors with which they interact

Question 13

As energy flows through ecosystems it will

Answer 13

dissipate as it climbs the food web

Question 14

Trophic structure refers to:

Answer 14

the feeding relationships between organisms

Question 15

Food chain

Answer 15

the transfer of chemical energy from plants to carnivores to decomposers

Question 16

Each level of the food chain is called

Answer 16

trophic levels

Question 17

a food chain illustrates a

Answer 17

trophic structure

Question 18

Energetic hypothesis

Answer 18

energy is lost as feeding occurs ( 10% of the previous level is gained at the next)

Question 19

The energy budget of an ecosystem is set by

Answer 19

the amount of sunlight energy

Question 20

Decomposers

Answer 20

Heterotrophs that get their energy from detritus, nonliving organic matter

Question 21

Production efficiency

Answer 21

The fraction of energy stored in assimilated food that is not used for respiration

Question 22

Net secondary production

Answer 22

amount of energy consumed and used for growth and reproduction

Question 23

Assimilation

Answer 23

total energy consumed and used for growth, reproduction, and respiration

Question 24

Which has a higher production energy, a mammal or a reptile? (endotherm or ectotherm)

Answer 24

ectotherm bc they don’t use as much energy to regulate their own body temp

Question 25

Trophic efficiency

Answer 25

percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next

Question 26

Gross primary production (GPP)

Answer 26

total primary production (measured as the conversion of energy from light to the chemical energy of organic molecules per unit time)

Question 27

Net ecosystem production (NEP)

Answer 27

total biomass accumulation of producers and consumers during a given period ( NEP= GPP- Rt)

Question 28

Net primary production (NPP)

Answer 28

GPP minus energy used by autotrophs for respiration (NPP= GPP- Ra)

Question 29

In aquatic ecosystems, what controls primary production?

Answer 29

sunlight and nutrients

Question 30

Limiting Nutrient

Answer 30

is an element that must be added for production to increase

Question 31

What controls primary production in terrestrial ecosystems?

Answer 31

temperature and precipitation are the main factors