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Ecology > Mid Term 2 reveiw > Flashcards

Mid Term 2 reveiw Flashcards

1
Q

What is life history

A

the attributes of the life cycle
through which an individual passes, with particular
reference to survival and reproduction

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2
Q

What are some important life history traits

A
  • Age at maturity
  • Size at maturity
  • Fecundity (number of
    offspring)
  • Size of offspring
  • Frequency of
    reproduction
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3
Q

How does age of Maturity vary among species

A

Some species it is quick, some is long. Bacteria is minutes, Sharks is decades

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4
Q

What is the correlation between body size and maturity

A

Large-bodied
animals have later
age at maturity. small bodied animals have early maturity

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5
Q

What is fecundity

A

Annual fecundity is the
number of offspring
produced by an
individual during a
breeding season

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6
Q

What influences fecundity

A

Annual fecundity is
influenced both by the
number of reproductive
events and the number
of offspring per event

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7
Q

What does Semelparous mean

A

reproduces then dies

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8
Q

What does iteroparous mean

A

Continuous reproduction

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9
Q

What type of correlation is shown between size and number of offspring’s

A

Negative correlation
Organisms produce
numerous small
offspring, or few large
offspring

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10
Q

What is Bet Hedging

A

bet-hedging
occurs when an animal
has lower fitness in
optimal conditions, but
increased fitness in
suboptimal conditions

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11
Q

What is an example of bet hedging

A

Large female cod have longer spawning periods,
are more likely to spawn in a favorable period

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12
Q

What is r-selection

A

emphasis on
fast reproduction

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13
Q

What is K-selection

A

emphasis on
survival, resource use

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14
Q

What is fast life history

A

high
fecundity, short life,
young age of maturity

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15
Q

What is slow life history

A

low
fecundity, long life, old
age of maturity

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16
Q

What is Harvest-induced evolution

A

Intensive harvest can result
in genetic changes, driving
earlier age of maturity and
smaller size at maturity

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17
Q

What is a community

A

a group
of organisms that live
together at the same
place and time and
interact directly or
indirectly includes
all of the organisms
present – animals,
plants, fungi, bacteria,
etc.

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18
Q

What types of forest community’s types are located in Canada

A

Tundra, boreal, boreal barren, mixed forest, deciduous forest

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19
Q

What is the community
unit concept

A

A community is a highly
organized and closely
integrated entity that is
composed of mutually
interdependent species
that are co-adapted
Clements’ community
unit concept predicts
discrete community
types with sharp
ecotones

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20
Q

What does continuum concept mean

A

Communities are a
coincidental assemblage
of species that have
similar environmental
requirements
Gleason’s continuum
concept predicts
continuous variation

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21
Q

How can communities be studied based on

A

trophic position:
* autotrophs
* herbivores
* carnivores
* detritivores

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22
Q

What is a guild

A

group of
organisms that use similar
resources
* Example: hummingbirds,
bats, and insects that feed
on nectar and pollen are a
“floral-visiting guild”

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23
Q

What are the types of interactions in communities

A
  • Herbivory
  • Predation
  • Competition
  • Disease
  • Symbiosis
  • Mutualism
  • Parasitism
  • Commensalism
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24
Q

What is commensalsim

A

one of
the partners benefits,
and the other is
unharmed

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25
Q

What is paratism

A

one of the
partner benefits, and the
other suffers

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26
Q

What is symbiosis

A

intimate relationship
between two
organisms

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27
Q

What is species richness

A

the
number of species
present in a community

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28
Q

What is species evenness

A

the relative
abundance of species

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29
Q

What is Species diversity

A

an
integrated measure of
both richness and
evenness

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30
Q

What is a dominant species

A

A dominant species is
the most conspicuous
and abundant one in a
community
In many cases, the
dominant species has
the greatest influence on
community structure and
function

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31
Q

What is a keystone species

A

have disproportionately large
effect on community structure

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32
Q

What is a niche

A

A multidimensional
space of environmental
factors that a species can
tolerate (the
fundamental niche),
within which it lives (the
realized niche), and to
which it is well adapted

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33
Q

What is niche overlap

A

when one aspect of a multidemetional niche overlaps

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34
Q

What is The competitive
exclusion principle

A

states that in a stable
environment, no two
species can occupy the
same niche—one will be
eliminated

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35
Q

What is Competitive release

A

a
species can spread out,
and occupy a broader
niche when a
competitor is eliminated

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36
Q

What is an example of Competitive release

A

If meadow
voles are removed from
an area, mountain voles
experience competitive
release, and expand to
their wetter habitats

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37
Q

What is a fundamental niche

A

Fundamental niche is full
range of environmental
tolerances

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38
Q

how do warblers use trees differently

A

different species of warblers occupy different parts of the trees.

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38
Q

What is a realized niche

A

Realized niche is the
range after restriction by
competitors

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39
Q

What is Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

A

Species richness is the
highest at intermediate
levels of disturbance
* At high levels of
disturbance, many
species fail to establish
* At low levels of
disturbance,
competitively superior
species suppress others

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40
Q

What is top down hypothesis

A

abundance of a
species is limited by
consumers

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41
Q

What is the bottom down hypothesis

A

consumer abundance
determined by food
limitation

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42
Q

what is isostasy

A

Earth being relieved from compression from ice. Isostatic rebound

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43
Q

What type of ecostsyem is the pinery

A

Oak savanna ecosystem

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44
Q

What is special about Oak savanna ecosystems

A

they are fire depemdent

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45
Q

What is disturbance

A

n event that
causes destruction of
some part of a community
or ecosystem

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46
Q

What is succession

A

is the
community-level recovery
that follows a disturbance

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47
Q

If succession restores the original community, the
system shows resilience
* If the system can avoid disturbance, it shows
resistance (sometimes called tolerance)

A

True

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48
Q

What is small scale disturbance

A

Death of a single tree
– Small landsides
– Grazing by cattle

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49
Q

What is Large scale disturbance

A

Wildfire
– Wind storms
– Glaciation
– Biological agents

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50
Q

What are seral stages

A

A stable community
develops, depending on
environmental factors,
species present, and
stochastic factors

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51
Q

What is a forest sere

A

initial seral stages: r-strategist plants and survivors* Pioneer trees are fast-growing, shade-intolerant,
with strong dispersal* Shade-tolerant trees
dominate over time

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52
Q

Hydrosere

A

Initial stage: a young
lake or pond after glacial
melting
* Oligotrophic at first,
sediment accumulates
slowly
* Nutrients increase over
time
* Eventually the entire
lake may turn into a
wetland, even a forest

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53
Q

Lithosere

A

Succession on
bare rock
* Common after
glacial retreat or
volcanic activity
* Begins with algae,
lichens, mosses
* Followed by
grasses and later
by shrubs

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54
Q

Psammosere

A

Succession on sandy
substrates, such as
shores of lakes and
oceans
* Moving substrate is a
special stress for plants:
this instability favours
vegetative reproduction
* Pinery’s dune
ecosystems are an
excellent example

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55
Q

What is Alternative stable states

A

In
some cases, end point of
succession may be dissimilar
to the original community

56
Q

Facilitation model of succession

A

A predictable sequence of
species occurs because
earlier seral stages facilitate
conditions for later stages

57
Q

Tolerance model of succession

A

A predictable sequence
of species occurs
because species vary in
their ability to utilize
resources and tolerate
certain conditions

58
Q

Inhibition model

A

A predictable sequence of
species occurs because
early species prevent or
delay the establishment
of later species

59
Q

Seed bank

A

an enduring
population of seeds in
the surface litter and soil
* Following disturbance,
increase in light or
nutrients stimulate
germination

60
Q

Means of regeneration

A

Plants reproduce either
vegetatively or by seed
* Reproduction by seed
has the advantage of
large numbers, good
dispersal, and durability
during cold or dry
periods
* Vegetative reproduction
is more dependable

61
Q

Advanced regeneration

A

Many trees survive over
years as small plants
under a canopy of
mature trees
* They start to grow when
the canopy opens
* This enables rapid
response to disturbance

62
Q

Serotiny

A

Serotinous seeds stay for
years on the plant
* Release is triggered by
an environmental factor

63
Q

Primary succession

A

Primary succession
follows severe
disturbances
* Succession depends on
organisms invading from
elsewhere

64
Q

Secondary succession

A

Secondary succession
follows moderate
disturbances

65
Q

What is a biome

A

clusters of
ecosystems that have a
general similarity of
structure and function

66
Q

How are biomes defined

A

by climates, characterized by late succesion

67
Q

What degree is earths axis tilted

A

23

68
Q

What is Autumnal equinox

A

Sun directly overhead
(90°) at equator at
midday

69
Q

Winter solstice

A

Sun directly overhead
(90°) at Tropic of
Capricorn at midday

70
Q

Summer solstice

A

Sun directly overhead
(90°) at Tropic of
Cancer at midda

71
Q

Vernal Equinox

A

Sun directly
overhead (90°) at
equator at midday

72
Q

What line is located above the equator

A

tropic of cancer

73
Q

what line is located below the equator

A

Tropic of Capricorn

74
Q

where are deserts most likely found

A

Global distribution of deserts results from the
return of dry air near 30ºN and 30ºS

75
Q

What is a tundra

A

High latitude biome
* Growing season too
short to support trees
* Low precipitation, low
evapotranspiration
* Permafrost prevents
drainage
* Small shrubs, grasses,
and sedges

76
Q

Temperate zones

A

Temperate zones lie
between the Arctic /
Antarctic and the Tropics
of Cancer / Capricorn
* Variable vegetation,
depending on latitude
and the pattern of
precipitation
* Marked seasonal
variation is
commonplace

76
Q

Boreal forest (taiga)

A

Dominated by coniferous
trees
* Spread across the
northern hemisphere
* Short but warm
summers
* Deciduous trees such as
aspen and birch after
disturbance such as fire

77
Q

Temperate deciduous forest

A
  • Cold short winters
  • Summer warm and long
    enough to support many
    deciduous trees
  • In Canada, highest tree
    diversity is in southern
    Carolinean forests
  • High species richness is
    common in southern
    temperate deciduous
    forest
78
Q

Why do leaves change colour

A

breakdown of chlorphyll

79
Q

Photoprotection
hypothesis

A

red pigments
protect against the
harmful effects of light at
low temperatures

80
Q

Coevolution hypothesis

A

red is a warning signal
toward insects migrating
to the trees in autumn

80
Q

Temperate forests

A

Found only in
western North
America
* Bountiful
precipitation all
year
* Mild winters
* Highest conifer
diversity of all
biomes
* Abundant moss

81
Q

Temperate grassland

A

Also called prairie and
steppe grasslands
* Low annual precipitation
* Insufficient moisture to
support forests
* Cold winters, hot
summers
* Fire and herbivores
(bison) keep trees out in
the more humid regions
(tallgrass prairie)

82
Q

Chaparral

A

Mild, moist winters; hot
dry summers; a
“Mediterranean climate”
* Poor soils and fires limit
tree growth
* Dominant plants are
shrubs
* Fires are a key part of
chaparral system, but fire
prevention has meant
accumulation of fuel,
threatening this biome

83
Q

Deserts

A

Too dry for closed
vegetation
* Deserts occur in tropical,
temperate, and even arctic
climates
* Plants show strategies to
tolerate arid climate:
* Storing water
(succulents)
* Avoiding dry periods
(annuals)
* Having deep roots

83
Q

Tropical savanna and dry forest

A

tropical climate with a
dry season
* Long drought: savanna
(grassland) with
scattered trees
* Fire and large herbivores
limit tree growth in
savannas
* Short drought: dry
forests with deciduous
trees

84
Q

Evergreen tropical rainforest

A

No dry season
* No frost
* Diurnal temperature
fluctuations are larger
than seasonal
fluctuations
* Often daily precipitation
* High productivity and
biomass
* Complex vertical
structure

85
Q

Lentic ecosystems

A

Lakes and ponds with
standing (non-flowing)
water
* Characteristics are shape
and volume, nutrient
concentration, water
transparency
* Distinct habitats
* Littoral (shore)
* Pelagic (open water)
* Benthic (bottom)

86
Q

What does Eutrophic mean

A

nutrients rich

87
Q

what does Oligotrophic mean

A

nutrient
poor

88
Q

What does Mesotrophic mean

A

intermediate nutrient
levels

89
Q

Lotic ecosystems

A

Flowing water: rivers,
streams
* Key characteristics:
amount, speed, seasonal
variation, and turbidity
of water
* Primary productivity
often not self-sustaining:
consumers supported by
upstream lakes or
terrestrial ecosystems

89
Q

Freshwater wetlands

A

Characteristics determined by
water nutrient content and
variation in water level
* Bogs: low productivity with no
inflowing groundwater; acidic
* Fens: mineral rich with inflowing
groundwater; non-acidic
* Swamps: fertile wetlands
dominated by trees or shrubs
* Marshes: fertile wetlands
dominated by grasses

90
Q

Marine biomes: open ocean

A

Currents and upwellings
determine ecological
variation in open ocean
* Low productivity per unit
area
* Pelagic: currents and
upwellings cause
variation
* Benthic: mostly
heterotrophic

91
Q

Marine biomes: continental shelf

A

More productive than
open ocean
* Nutrients from rivers or
upwellings
* Seashores: ecology
determined by bottom
characteristics
* Estuaries: productive
regions at
marine/freshwater
interface
* Coral reefs: ecosystems
built by animals

91
Q

Urban ecosystems

A

Can have relatively high
biodiversity due to
heterogeneity, warm
microclimate, and
species introductions
through humans
* Many species are alien,
do not survive without
human influence

92
Q

Rural ecosystems

A

Extensive networks of
highways, railroads,
electrical lines,
industrial facilities, and
towns associated with
the harvest and
processing of natural
resources

93
Q

Agroecosystems

A
  • Modern agricultural
    practices can lead to
    unstable ecosystems
    with low diversity
  • Centuries-old low-
    intensity agricultural
    practices may have
    resulted in high species
    diversity (e.g. European
    hay meadows)
93
Q

What is Biodiversity

A

refers
to the richness of
biological
variation
occurring at all
levels of
ecological
organization

94
Q

What are the 3 levels of organization of biodiversity

A

l Genetic variation within populations and species
II. Number of species in an ecological community
III. Assortment of communities at a landscape scale

95
Q

Where are the flordia panthers restricted to

A

West coast of flordia

95
Q

What is an endemic species

A

species restricted to an area

95
Q

What is species richness

A

Number of species in a
particular area

96
Q

How did the Florida panthers population grow

A

relocated 8 panther from Texas to grow genetic diversity

97
Q

how many species names do we have

A

1.8 million

98
Q

How to we classify species

A

Latinized names

99
Q

What percentage of species is located in the temperate zones

A

65%

99
Q

How is species richness affected by latitude

A

As latitude increases richness decreases

99
Q

What percentage is located in the tropics

A

90%

100
Q

ow many species of beetles were found in one luechea tree

A

1100

100
Q

How is genetic Biodiversity Measured

A

Genetic variability is measured using Molecular markers

101
Q

What is the simplest measure of species level biodiversity

A

Species richness

102
Q

What level is species richness often measured at

A

the level of the guild

103
Q

What is species diversity

A

is a
measure that includes
both number of species
present (i.e. richness)
and their relative
abundances (i.e.
evenness)

104
Q

What is DNA barcoding

A

Identifying species with a short
sequence of species-specific DNA

105
Q

How does biodiversity provide instrumental value

A

– Food
– Materials
– Energy
– Medicine

106
Q

What is the Aesthetic Value of Biodiversity

A

Important to cultures

106
Q

What are the ecological services of biodiversity

A

– Nutrient cycling
– Cleaning the
environment
– Resilience to
perturbation, such as
floods and landslides
– Reducing dust

107
Q

what is a patch

A

contiguous area of
similar habitat

108
Q

What is an edge

A

steep transition
between patches

108
Q

What is an ecotone

A

gradual transition
between patches

109
Q

What is an Interior

A

central patch
bounded by edge or
ecotone

110
Q

What is a Corridor

A

linear feature
that differs from the area
on either side

111
Q

What is a Network

A

interconnected
linear elements

112
Q

What is a Mosaic

A

an integrated
complex of patches,
corridors and networks

113
Q

What are some examples of corridors

A

Wildlife bridge, Wildlife underpass

114
Q

What is the main cause of habitat fragmentation

A

Human activity

114
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Ecology (3 decks)

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