mendota ecology - exam 4 Flashcards
why are lakes good for studying ecology
clear physical boundaries
lots of organisms
limnology
study of lakes
watershed
an area of land where precipitation collects & drains off into a common outlet
bottom up controls
sun
temp
oxygen
nutrients
top down controls
predation
phytoplankton
photosynthetic plankton
microorganisms, suspended, adapted to live partly or continuously in open water
pro & eukaryotes
paradox of the plankton
no competitive exclusion in lakes bc environment is not stable (heterogenous)
symbiotic relationships negate competition
selective grazing by predators
growth rate limitations
nutrients or light can maximize growth
what can limit phytoplankton growth
abiotic factors (temp & less nutrients)
biotic factors (predation)
zooplanktons daphnia
keystone species
primary forage of fish
used as an indicator species to assess the response of ecosystems to environmental change
cyclomorphosis
occurence of cyclic or seasonal changes in the phenotype of an organism through generations
climate change & lakes
air temp
cloudiness
wind speeds
rain - flooding, runoff
length of winter - warm vs cold water fish
