Module 8

Question 1

phoresy

Answer 1

interaction in which a phoretic animal (or phoront) latches itself onto a host animal for the purpose of dispersal

common form of commensalism

Question 2

What types of human activities disrupt ecosystem services

Answer 2

climate change

deforestation

soil erosion

ALL LOWERS BIODIVERSITY

Question 3

trophic web

Answer 3

Question 4

food web vs interaction web

Answer 4

Question 5

how mutualisms (in particular) evolved

Answer 5

increased investments must yield return

Question 6

how energy moves through a trophic web

Answer 6

primary/secondary/tertiary moves up

only 10% of the energy can move to next level

Question 7

Why do ecologists subdivide biological communities

Answer 7

Subdividing a community allows scientists a manageable group of organisms to monitor and describe

Question 8

biotic factor

Answer 8

living components
species and their interactions

Question 9

abiotic factor

Answer 9

physical factors (describes habitat)
geology
soil composition
temperature
precipitation
disturbance regime

Question 10

What types of benefits do organisms gain in positive interactions

Answer 10

provision of food, habitat, and more specialized services such as pollination, dispersal, predator defense, and reduction of physical stress

Question 11

how are species accumulation curves generated?

Answer 11

Each time an inventory is taken you add new species found to a compounding total.

When a plateau is reach, that typically indicates all the species in an area have been found

Question 12

primary consumers in trophic levels

Answer 12

2nd level

herbivores

heterotroph

Question 13

nitrogen cycle

Answer 13

Bacteria are essential to the entire nitrogen cycle

Reservoirs:

Processes: Nitrogen fixation, Nitrification, Denitrification

Question 14

bioaccumulation

Answer 14

organisms absorb substances that they cannot lose and the concentration increases as you move up trophic level (10% with each level)

can lead to the loss or extinction of many species

Question 15

taxonomic affinities

Answer 15

based on evolutionary relationships

(ex. warblers)

Question 16

How are interaction webs more informative than trophic/food webs?

Answer 16

Food web only contains interactions between trophic levels while an interaction web shows both trophic and non-trophic interactions.

Question 17

ecosystem service

Answer 17

an ecosystem service is a naturally occurring ecological process that supports the system (typically viewed in terms of benefits derived by humans)

Question 18

How are obligate mutualisms different from facultative mutualisms?

Answer 18

Facultative mutualists are ones whose populations persist in the absence of a mutualist, whereas obligate mutualists are ones whose populations go extinct in the absence of a mutualist.

Question 19

four main categories of ecosystem services

Answer 19

• provisioning services - obtained from ecosystems (i.e seafood, energy)
• regulating services - benefits obtained from the regulating of ecosystem services ( i.e erosion control, flood prevention)
• cultural services - nonmaterial benefits obtained from ecosystem (i.e educatioonal, recreational)
• supporting services - services neccesary for production of all other ecosytem services (nutrient recycling)

Question 20

What types of questions do ecologists ask when they study ecosystems?

Answer 20

How does the environment affect a community of organisms?
How do the functional processes contribute to ecosystem stability and longevity?

Question 21

interaction webs

Answer 21

demonstrate relationships among organisms and how energy moves through an ecosystem showing herbivory, predation, & parasitism

Question 22

phosphorus cycle

Answer 22

Reservoirs: sediments

Process: Weathering & erosion, Run-off, Decomposition, Absorption

Question 23

biogeochemical cycles

Answer 23

the recycling of matter and nutrients between living organisms and their environment

includes both abiotic and biotic environments

reservoirs: atmosphere, land, water, biota, and beneath Earth’s surface

Includes elements associated with organic life:

carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, & sulfur

Question 24

species accumulation curves

Answer 24

Question 25

guilds

Answer 25

organisms who use similar resources

(ex. pollen/nectar feeders)

Question 26

decomposers in trophic levels

Answer 26

scavengers, detritivores, & other saprotrophs

heterotroph

Question 27

producers in trophic level

Answer 27

1st level

photosynthetic organisms

autotroph

Question 28

functional groups

Answer 28

organisms with similar roles in environment

(ex. nitrogen-fixing plants)

Question 29

carbon cycle

Answer 29

follows how carbon (and therefore energy) move through ecosystems

reservoirs: atmosphere, ocean, fossils, polar ice, living organisms

Carbon reservoirs act as “sinks

Process: Photosynthesis, Respiration/decompositionDiffusion, Freezing/melting, Burning

Question 30

secondary/tertiary consumers in trophic levels

Answer 30

3rd level/4th level

predators

heterotroph

Question 31

why are about species accumulation curves important?

Answer 31

measure species richness, species diversity of a ecosystem

Question 32

Hydrologic cycles

Answer 32

follows how water moves through the environment

reservoirs : ocean, surface water, ground water, terrestrial surfaces, polar ice, living organisms

Process: Condensation/precipitation, Percolation, Run-off, Evaporation, Transpiration