PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY Flashcards
deals with how organisms survive in their environments, looks at extreme conditions
physiological ecology
focus of physiological ecology
temperature
water
energy
environmental stressor
body temperature can change over time over a wider range
ectothermic organism
cold-blooded; body temperature is the same as the environment and fluctuates with the environment
poikilothermic animals
point beyind which tolerance cannot be adjusted to further increase
absolute upper lethal limit
point beyond which no further decrease in temperature is tolerated
absolute lower lethal limit
maintain body temperature at a constant level irrespective of environmental temperature
homoiothermy
unique metabolic process on which plant growth depends
photosynthesis
inescapable physical consequence of the development of terrestrial vegetation
transpiration
movement of water depends on the existence of gradients of decreasing water potential
water potential
when cells are not fully turgid
water stress
when plants are transpiring at an appreciable rate
mild water stress
absorption of light energy by chlorophyll a and splitting of molecules of water
light reaction
carbon is fixed in a carbohydrate
dark reaction
shade tolerant species (shade-loving)
sciophyte
shade intolerant species (sun-loving)
heliophyte
promotes the development of vegetative structures
diffused light
favors the development of flowers, fruits, seeds
intense light
supplementary pigment of red alga that enable them to utilize energy and live at greater depths
phycoerythrings
environmental stressors
climate change
nutritional availability
disease
exposure to toxins
response of an organism to day length
photoperiodism
species that flower when the day are longer
long day plants
flower only conditions of short days and long night
short day plants
are not affected by day length
day neutral
environmental stressors
climate change
nutritional variability
disease
exposure to toxins
describes the patterns of population distribution and the factors affecting population growth and change
population ecology
subset of individuals of one species that occupies a particular geographic area and, in sexually reproducing species, interbreeds
population
probability of leaving descendants over long periods of time
persistence
population size in relation to some unit of space; generally assayed and expressed as the number of individuals or the population biomass per unit area or volume
population density
number or biomass per unit total space
crude density
number or biomass per unit of habitat space
ecological density
obtained by dividing the change by the period of time elapsed during change; rapidity with which something changes with time
population rate
number of birth per year
birth rate
inherent ability of a population to increase; production of new organisms ( born, hatched, germinated, arise by division )
natality
theoretical maximum production of new individuals under ideal conditions; constant
maximum natality
population increase under an actual or specific environmental conditions; not a constant for a population but may vary with the size and composition of the population
ecological or realized natality
death of individuals in the population; death rate; number of individuals dying in a given period
mortality
loss of individuals under a given environmental conditions
ecological or realized mortality
