MIDTERMS Flashcards
1
Q
a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife
A
Biome
2
Q
bodies of water surrounded by land
A
freshwater biomes
3
Q
salt content of freshwater biomes
A
less than one percent
4
Q
ponds
rivers
lakes
streams
springs
bogs
wetlands
A
freshwater
5
Q
the study of inland waters
A
limnology
6
Q
lakes (both freshwater and saline)
reservoirs
streams
wetlands
groundwater
A
inland waters
7
Q
integrates the functional relationships of growth, adaptation, nutrient cycles, and biological productivity with species composition, and describes and evaluates how the physical, chemical, and biological environments regulate these relationships
A
limnological discipline
8
Q
the word “limnology” comes from the Greek words ___ and___
A
limne (marsh, pond) and limnaea (a thing pertaining to a marsh)
9
Q
the study of the structure, function, and change of organisms in freshwaters as affected by their physical, chemical, and biotic environments
A
freshwater ecology
10
Q
a subset to Earth’s aquatic ecosystems
A
freshwater ecology
11
Q
freshwater ecosystem (still water)
A
lentic ecosystems
12
Q
freshwater ecosystem (flowing water)
A
lotic ecosystems
13
Q
freshwater ecosystems are also called
A
vegetated wetlands
14
Q
freshwater ecosystems play an important role in
A
mitigation against climate variability
15
Q
the largest lake in the Philippines
A
Laguna Lake
16
Q
the second largest lake in the Philippines
A
Lake Lanao
17
Q
the deepest lake in the Philippines
A
Lake Mainit
18
Q
habitats that support marine life
A
marine habitats
19
Q
what biome is composed of:
the ocean
coral reefs
estuaries
A
marine biomes
20
Q
the term marine comes from the Latin word ___
A
mare (sea or ocean)
21
Q
marine habitats can be divided into (2)
A
coastal habitats
open ocean habitats
22
Q
found in the area that extends from as far as the tide comes in on the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf
A
coastal habitats
23
Q
the shelf area occupies ___ percent of the total ocean area
A
seven
24
Q
found in the deep ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf
A
open ocean habitats
25
a transitional area of vegetation between two different plant communities
ecotone
26
support thousands of marine species, store carbon, improve water quality, protect coastlines, cycle nutrients, and create habitat corridors between coral reefs and mangroves
seagrasses/seagrass beds
27
created by tiny animals “coral polyps”
act as homes or nurseries for 25% of all marine life
found in over 100 countries
coral reefs
28
tiny animals that create coral reefs
coral polyps
29
the coral polyps’ ___ build up over time, forming the base of the ___ habitat that supports the world’s ___
limestone skeletons, complex reef, highest level of marine biodiversity
30
13m hectare underwater plateau near Aurora. the Philippines’ biggest island, considered part of the Philippines continental shelf
Benham Rise
31
partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more streams into it, and with a free connection to the open sea
estuary
32
estuaries form a ___ between river environments and maritime environments known as ___
transition zone, ecotone
33
estuaries are subject to both (2)
marine influences: tides, waves, and influx of saline water
riverine influences: flows of freshwater and sediment
34
the mixing of seawater and freshwater provides ___ both in the ___ and ___, making estuaries among the ___ in the world
high levels of nutrients, water column and in sediment, most productive natural habitats
35
estuaries are incredibly dynamic systems, where ___, ___, ___, ___, and ___ all change daily in response to the tides (5)
temperature
salinity
turbidity
depth
flow
36
this dynamism makes estuaries ___ habitats, but also makes it difficult for many species to ___
highly productive, survive year-round
37
estuaries provide ___ to a variety of species that rely on estuaries for life-cycle completion
critical habitats
38
species known to lay their eggs in estuaries and bays
Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii)
39
species that give birth in estuaries
surfperch
40
species that migrate to estuaries to rear
juvenile flatfish and rockfish
41
species that use estuaries as migration corridors
anadromous salmonids and lampreys
42
migratory bird population - relies on estuaries
black-tailed godwit
43
habitat that is found predominantly on land
terrestrial habitat
44
terrestrial habitats are spread out across a large range of environments such as (7)
caves
deserts
farms
forests
grasslands
shorelines
wetlands
45
___ or ___ habitats such as ___ or ___ also constitute to terrestrial habitats
semi-natural or man-made, national parks or biosphere reserves
46
types of terrestrial habitats (4)
forests
deserts
mountains
grasslands
47
an essential for the existence of life on Earth as it served as a natural habitat for a vast range of plants and animals
forests
48
covers nearly ___ square km of the Earth’s surface or ___ of the total land surface
40m, 31%
49
forest ecosystem is divided into four different subgroups (4)
tropical forest
temperature forest
boreal forest
plantation forest
50
layers of rainforest (4)
forest floor
understory layer
canopy layer
emergent layer
51
have the highest species diversity
usually located around the equator in the South Africa and Southeast Asia
tropical forests
52
tropical forests are characterized by (2)
humidity
excessive rainfall
53
similar to temperate forests but have a much harsher temperature
boreal forests
54
boreal forests are also called ___ and are the ___
Taiga, largest land biome
55
cultivated for the purpose of commercialization
only one or two species of trees are cultivated
genetically altered to provide better resistance against disaster and commercial viability
plantation forests
56
areas where the most dominant type of vegetation is gasses
these types of environments occur naturally throughout the world
grasslands
57
grasslands can be subdivided into (2)
tropical grasslands
temperate grasslands
58
tropical grasslands are also called
Savanna or Savannah
59
characterized by a combination of widely spaced grassy fields and woodlands where sufficient light reaches the ground
tropical grasslands
60
tropical grasslands receive ___ of rain every year, which is then followed by a ___
30 to 50in, dry season
61
similar to tropical grasslands except it has warmer summers followed by cold winters
temperate grasslands
62
average annual rainfall of temperate grasslands
30-35 in
63
temperate grasslands can be categorized into (2)
steppes (short grasses)
prairies (tall grasses)
64
examples of major grasslands (2)
Great Plains of the Midwest
Palouse Prairie (America)
65
biomes that receive less than 10in of rainfall anually
deserts
66
regarded as a desert as annual precipitation is less than 2in (interior parts)
Antarctica
67
animals have adapted to the heat by ___ or ___
burrowing or living in caves
68
in deserts, animals have adopted a ___
nocturnal lifestyle
69
the effect of Earth’s rotation on the direction of winds and current
an effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system experiences a force (the Coriolis force) acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation. On the Earth, the effect tends to deflect moving objects to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern and is important in the formation of cyclonic weather systems.
Coriolis Effect
70
classified as a polar desert
largest desert in the world
Antarctic
71
largest subtropical desert
Sahara
72
one of the “big four” deserts in North America
largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America
The Great Basin
73
large landform that rise above the surrounding surface
mountains
74
mountain regions have ___ due to ___
colder climates, high elevations
75
plants and animals residing in these regions (mountains) have ___ to cope up with the environment
special adaptations
76
forests are present in ___ but become increasingly sparse as the ___
moderate elevation, elevation increases
77
height/elevation of Mt. Everest
8,848.86m
78
height/elevation of Mt. Apo
2,954m
79
A community’s structure can be described by its ______.
is the total number of different species in the community
the number of species present
species richness
80
is a measure of both species richness and species evenness (relative numbers)
species diversity
81
Community structure is influenced by many factors, including:
abiotic factors, species interactions, level of disturbance, and chance events.
82
play particularly important roles in determining their communities’
foundation species and keystone species
83
is the feeding relationships between organisms in a community
It is a key factor in community dynamics
Trophic structure
84
link trophic levels from producers to top carnivores
food chains
85
is a branching food chain with complex trophic interactions
Foods Webs
86
Food webs can be simplified by
Grouping species with similar trophic relationships into broad functional groups
Isolating a portion of a community that interacts very little with the rest of the community
87
Each food chain in a food web is usually only
a few links long
88
Two hypotheses attempt to explain food chain length
the energetic hypothesis and the dynamic stability hypothesis
89
suggests that length is limited by inefficient energy transfer.
For example, a producer level consisting of 100 kg of plant material can support about 10 kg of herbivore biomass.
most data support this hypothesis
energetic hypothesis
90
the total mass of all individuals in a population
biomass
91
proposes that long food chains are less stable than short ones
dynamic stability hypothesis
92
highly abundant or play a pivotal role in community dynamics
Species with a Large Impact
93
are those that are most abundant or have the highest biomass
One hypothesis suggests that ______ are most competitive in exploiting resources
Another hypothesis is that ______ are most successful at avoiding predators
Dominant Species
94
_______ exert powerful control over the occurrence and distribution of other species
For example, _______ have a major impact on shading and soil nutrient availability in eastern North America; this affects the distribution of other plant species
Dominant Species; sugar maples
95
typically introduced to a new environment by humans, often lack predators or disease
organisms that become established outside their native range
Invasive species
96
exert strong control on a community by their ecological roles, or niches
In contrast to dominant species, they are not necessarily abundant in a community
Keystone Species
97
Field studies of _____ illustrate their role as a keystone species in intertidal communities
sea stars
98
Is an event that changes a community
Removes organisms from a community
Alters resource availability
A disturbance
99
Is a significant disturbance in most terrestrial ecosystems
Is often a necessity in some communities
Fire disturbance
100
Suggests that moderate levels of disturbance can foster higher species diversity than low levels of disturbance
The intermediate disturbance hypothesis
101
Demonstrated that communities can often respond very rapidly to a massive disturbance
The large-scale fire in Yellowstone National Park in 1988
102
Are the most widespread agents of disturbance
Humans
103
Usually reduces species diversity
Human disturbance to communities
104
also prevent some naturally occurring disturbances.
Which can be important to community structure
humans
105
Is the sequence of community and ecosystem changes after a disturbance
ecological succession
106
Occurs where no soil exists when succession begins
started by pioneer species
primary succession
107
Begins in an area where soil remains after a disturbance
started by remaining species
Secondary succession
108
May facilitate the appearance of later species by making the environment more favorable
May inhibit establishment of later species
May tolerate later species but have no impact on their establishment
Early-arriving species
109
Provide a valuable field-research opportunity on succession
Retreating glaciers
110
Follows a predictable pattern of change in vegetation and soil characteristics
Succession on the moraines in Glacier Bay, Alaska
A. Pioneer stage, with fireweed dominant
B. Dryas stage
C. Spruce stage
D. Nitrogen fixation by Dryas and alder increases the soil nitrogen content.
111
Biogeographic factors affect
community diversity
112
Two key factors correlated with a community’s species diversity are
its geographic location and its size
113
The two key factors in equatorial-polar gradients of species richness
Are probably evolutionary history and climate
114
generally declines along an equatorial-polar gradient
And is especially great in the tropics
species richness
115
May account for the greater species richness
The greater age of tropical environments
116
Is likely the primary cause of the latitudinal gradient in biodiversity
climate
117
The two main climatic factors correlated with biodiversity
Are solar energy input and water availability
118
_________ quantifies the idea that
all other factors being equal, the larger the geographic area of a community, the greater the number of species.
A ________ supports this idea
species-area curve;
species-area curve of North American breeding birds
119
Habitat and Niche Key Concept:
Every organism has a habitat and a niche.
120
differs from a niche.
is all aspects of the area in which an organism lives. (biotic factors and abiotic factors)
habitat
121
includes all of the factors that a species needs to survive, stay healthy, and reproduce.
(food, abiotic conditions, behavior)
ecological niche
122
Resource availability gives structure to a
community
123
Species can share habitats and resources. (T or F)
T
124
occurs when two species use resources in the same way.
competition
125
keeps two species from occupying the same niche.
has different outcomes.
One species is better suited to the niche and the other will either be pushed out or become extinct.
The niche will be divided.
The two species will further diverge.
Competitive exclusion
126
are species that occupy similar niches but live in different geographical regions.
ecological equivalents
127
is the variety of organisms that make up the community
Species diversity of a community
128
two components of species diversity
species richness and relative abundance
(Two communities can have the same species richness but a different relative abundance )
129
is the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community
Relative abundance
130
Diversity can be compared using a
diversity index (Shannon diversity index (H))
131
H = – (pA ln pA + pB ln pB + pC ln pC + …)
where A, B, C . . . are the species, p is the relative abundance of each species, and ln is the natural logarithm
Shannon diversity index (H)
132
can be used to help determine microbial diversity
molecular tools
133
Ecologists manipulate diversity in experimental communities to study the _______.
For example, plant diversity has been manipulated at _______________.
potential benefits of diversity;
Cedar Creek Natural History Area in Minnesota for two decades
134
Communities with higher diversity are More productive and more stable in their productivity
Better able to withstand and recover from environmental stresses
More resistant to invasive species
T or F
T
135
Ecological Succession Key Concept:
Ecological succession is a process of change in the species that make up a community.
136
occurs following a disturbance in an ecosystem.
regenerates or creates a community after a disturbance.
- a sequence of biotic changes
- damaged communities are regenerated
- new communities arise in previously uninhabited areas
Succession
137
two types of succession.
primary succession
secondary succession
138
secondary natural succession
autoregeneration
139
Why does change or succession occur?
It occurs as the result of either autogenic processes (associated with the living community) or allogenic processes (associated with the physical environment).
140
result of three major biotic mechanisms:
1. Colonization
2. Alteration of the physical characteristics of the site
3. Displacement of species by competition or antibiosis.
Autogenic succession
