Mount Saint Helen Flashcards
species
organisms that can produce viable offsprings
population
all the individuals of a single species interact
community
all of the populations of living things that interact in a place
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms with their physical environment
ecosystem: abiotic
climate (seasonality, variability), geology, disturbance (natural/human)
ecosystem: biotic
biodiversity, biomass, species interaction, keystone and invasive species
disturbances
scale, frequency, and and intensity depends on the event (whether it was natural or human as well)
what changes with elevation?
temperature, precipitation, O2, soil, pressure
elevation and latitude
because of elevation there is a change in biomes (temp/pressure), changes with increasing elevation = those with increasing latitude
msh before the volcanic event
“old growth” forest, rich soil with lots of nutrients, temperate rainforest biome, heterogenous forest
south slope vs north slope
south slope used as a “control” (unaffected) to study the north slope
pumice plain
most impact, moonscape, nothing alive, covered in tephra
scorch zone
least impacted, furthest away, some living plant
blowdown zone
trees snapped off at ground, large area
tephra
volcanic ash, makes reestablishment harder for plants and animals because it had not macro/micronutrients needed for life
what species will establish first?
lupine
what is seed dispersal?
how plants move or migrate away from their parent plants
dispersal strategies
- wind
- animals
- fruit
- sticky surfaces
- humans
- ballistic seeds
- gravity
- rain
seed size
larger seeds usually store more nutrients allowing them to withstand more from the environment
cotyledon
food and energy stored as fats and oils in the seed for the “baby” plant to grow
large vs small cotyledon
large: big storage for energy, able to grow bigger plant, need less outside nutrients because it cannot move so far, lasts longer before sprouting (germination), can grow quickly to overtop competitors before they need to tap into their own food and water, each seed is individually more likely to survive
small: can produce more small seeds cause it takes less energy, longer distance dispersal, has a lower chance of survival (per capita survivorship)
seed coat
shell of a seed that gives protection from its environment; thicker it is, the more energy expending to make it
evolutionary tradeoffs
there’s a pro and a con for everything as there is no “best” evolutionary trait
animal vs plant reestablishment
animals will reach the pumice plain first but cannot survive/reproduce without plants establishing first
early succession
The first species to come in and establish in a place with high light
late succession
can establish underneath an existing canopy, slowly making their way up
shade tolerance
how much light a tree requires in order to live
longevity
maximum life span
persistance
how little growth a tree can sustain without dying
max growth rate
how fast a tree is able to grow under ideal conditions
fitness vs per capita survivorship
more fitness, more per capita survivorship
bond
“permanent” connections between atoms in a single molecule (intramolecular forces)
intramolecular bond
electrostatic (charge) attractions between molecules that can vary in permanence and strength
electronegativity
how tightly an atom holds onto its electrons
nonpolar covalent bonds
electrons are shared equally between atoms, while a nonpolar covalent bond occurs when electrons are shared equally due to a difference in electronegativity between the atoms involved
polar covalent bonds
electrons are shared equally between atoms, while a polar covalent bond occurs when electrons are shared unequally due to a difference in electronegativity between the atoms involved
ionic bonds
ionic bonds involve a full transfer of electrons
what are partial charges?
unequal distribution of electrons in a covalent bond
what molecules have the highest electronegativity?
fluorine, oxygen, nitrogen
importance of nitrogen
to make proteins, DNA, chlorophyll, neurotransmitters
proteins
complex molecules made of amino acids that do many things, synthesized (made) using ribosomes and an mRNA template (translation), can denature (change shape) when too hot
what are plants made of?
nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, CO2, H2O
micronutrients
needed in small quantities
primary structure
amino acid chains, peptide bonds: C-N covalent bond connecting AA
secondary structure
a-helix, beta-sheets, hydrogen bonding
tertiary structure
R-Groups determine tertiary structures, IMFs, ionic bonds and sometimes disulfide bridges determine exact folding pattern (covalent S-S bonds)
quaternary structure
multiple tertiary subunits
how does lupin overcome the lack of nitrogen in the tephra?
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Liebig’s Law of Minimums
the organism will only grow until the limiting resource will runout
What is limiting in msh pumice plain soils?
nitrogen
fitness
refers to the parents and the number of surviving offsprings that make it to reproduction
how do species on msh interact and how might those interactions shape ecosystem recovery?
what is facilitation and how does it help to initiate ecosystem recover?
when one organism changes the environment, leading to its own eventual replacement
symbiosis
live their lives in close physical proximity (together/ touching) and evolved together
mutualism
both species benefit from the interaction
parasitism
+, -
predation
-, +
commensalism
+, 0
herbivory
animals eating plants
altruism
one organism acts to increase the fitness of another organism at a cost to itself (decreasing fitness
competition: intraspecific
Between individuals of the same species
competition: interspecific
between individuals of the different species
what is the typical progression of communities?
Succession is the process of development that over time, gradually and predictably changes the biological community
what are the benefits of older ecosystems?
high biodiversity, increased carbon storage, improved water quality, unique habitats for specialized species, and often hold cultural and historical value for communities
primary succession
Starting from bare rock
secondary succession
Starting with at least some soi
vertical complexity
different layers of the forest
horizontal complexity
patchiness
early successional trees
shade intolerant trees, hare (fast growth)
late succession trees
shade tolerant trees, tortoise (slow growth)
species richness
species richness is the total # of species
resistance
an ecosystem’s ability to withstand change and remain largely unchanged when faced with a disturbance
resilience
its capacity to recover from a disturbance
what increases biodiversity?
time,
why is biodiversity important?
it leads to complexity which leads to stability
dynamic equilibrium
an ecosystem in a constant state of flux (change) due to disturbance and succession
