Module 3 - From Population To The Globe Flashcards
Ecology
The study of the interactions among organisms and their biophysical environment (biotic and abiotic)
Biological hierarchy (small to big)
Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere
Weather vs. Climate
Weather: lower atmosphere, specific place, short time period
Climate: weather experienced in an area over long time
Weather and climate are both
Temperature, precipitation, winds, humidity, cloud cover
Climate effects
The biosphere and ecological communities (organisms are strongly influenced by climate)
Electromagnetic radiation provides (3)
- heat
- visible light
- UV light
What does the ozone layer do
Filters harmful radiation, retains heat
Precipitation occurs when…
Moisture-laden air cools and releases its water as rain or snow (6 major convection cells)
Coriolis Effect
Winds produced by the major convection cells curve as they travel near the earths surface due to earths rotation
Ocean currents and temperatures
Vary depending on temperature and directionality of the currents and other factors
Rain shadow
An area on the side of a mountain facing away from the moist prevailing winds where little rain falls
Productivity
Measure of the energy that producers are able to store in the form of biological material or “biomass” (consumers depend on productivity of of producers)
How does climate affect terrestrial biomes
Climate is the most important factor in corralling the location of natural terrestrial biomes
Climate affects on aquatic biomes
Shaped by physical characteristics of their environment (salt content, water temperature, water depth etc.)
Distribution of terrestrial biomes are affected by
Climate, latitude, disturbance
Terrestrial regions (4)
Arctic regions, subarctic regions, temperate regions, tropical regions
Terrestrial biomes (8)
Tundra, boreal forest, temperate forest, grassland, chaparral, desert, tropical forest
Tundra
Cold winters, short growing season, has permafrost
boreal forrest
populated by coniferous species
temperate deciduous forest
fertile soils, mild winter
grasslands (savannah)
good soil little moisture
chaparal
short wet winters, long, hot, dry summers
desert
scarcity of moisture (NOT temperature)
Tropical Forrest
high species diversity, stable annual temperature, near constant rain
Water based biomes are shaped by…
physical characteristics of their environments; salt, temperature, water speed
fresh water biomes
lakes
lakes
landlocked bodies of standing water
rivers
bodies of freshwater that move continuously in a single direction
wetlands
shallow waters that flow slowly over lands that boarders rivers or coasts
estuaries
tidal ecosystems where rivers flow into the ocean
Coastal regions
support high diversity
Oceanic regions
productivity is limited by available nutrients;
pelagic zone
open ocean
abyssal zone
begins where continental slope ends
carbon cycle
process which carbon compounds are converted in the environment involving: photosynthesis, respiration, and decay and fossil fuels
Nitrogen Cycle
nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted into the environment and in living organisms (nitrogen fixation and decompisition)
eutrophication
nitrogen runoff causes algal blooms and creates dead zones
population
group of individuals of a species within an area
population density
total number if individuals per unit of area
logistic growth (majority of populations)
populations increase exponentially, then stabilize at max pop. size
carrying capacity
the max a pop. size that can be supported indefinitely by the environment
Growth limiting factors (2)
density-dependent; density-independent
density dependent
related to the size of the population (food shortages, disease)
density-independent
not related to the size of the population (weather, fire, floods)
species abundance
number of individuals of a species in a given community
species richness
total number of different species that live in the community
species diversity
richness and relative abundance
geographic diversity
distribution of a community across a geographic range
genetic diversity
variation of genes within populations and across the community
diverse communities are more
productive and stable
mutualism
both organisms benefit
outcomes of mutualism
alter biodiversity and geographic diversity
commensalism
one organism benefits, the other is not affected
outcomes of commensalism
stability of community
competition
both organisms harmed
two types of competition
interference competition, exploitative competition
Interference competition
direct exclusion, affects distribution
Exploitative competition
outcompetes for same resource
Outcomes of competition
limits distribution and abundance; could result in coexistence, localized extinction, niche partitioning
exploitation
one organism benefits the other is harmed
exploitation outcomes
induced defenses, camouflage, warning coloration, mimicry, behavioral
batesian mimicry
one species copies form of another
mullerian mimicry
several species resemble one another to protect against predetors
parasitic relationships
one benefits, one harmed/dies
