practice quiz Flashcards
use the example of the California sea otter to explain why ecologists must study multiple hierarchical levels to understand most environmental problems
- they are a predatory and prey trophic level
- when their predators (whales) can’t find seals, they’ll eat otters
- when the sea otters can’t find food, they eat fish
- sea otters are usually herbivores, but they can be carnivores
- food availability above and below
explain how increased atmospheric carbon dioxide can affect the ability of coral to build their exoskeletons?
- atmospheric CO2 is absorbed by the ocean, causes acidification
- acidification reduced the availability of carbonate ions (CO2 + H2O –> carboxyl acid –> bicarbonates–> none left), less available to form calcium carbonate for exoskeletons
how does size affect heat exchange in animals?
- larger bodies can retain heat better (cold environments)
- increase in surface area = increase in heat loss
how could you measure the success of a diet?
biomass (how much nutrients you actually get)
what are the two ways that vertical mixing of waters in lakes and oceans affects the primary production?
INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY:
- it can bring the deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface where phytoplankton can use it
DECREASE PRODUCTIVITY:
- it can also carry phytoplankton down to the deep water, where they will die because of the low light conditions
- When phytoplankton die, primary production may shut down in the deep water and little primary production will occur in the nutrient-rich waters at the surface.
why do giraffes have long necks?
sex- fighting for mates
Hadley cells cause:
- major effects on weather patterns
- why equator/deserts are hot
- why tropics have moisture
Apex predator
top predator in food chain; highest trophic level
do freshwater fish need to drink water?
no, they have a higher solute concentration than the water around them
- net influx of water over entire surface (osmosis)
- hypertonic
- sodium and chloride ions diffuse out, gills move them up gradient to maintain concentration
do saltwater fish need to drink water?
yes, they have a lower solute concentration than the water around them (hypotonic)
- water flows out, drink water
freshwater fish have more __ cells in their lamellae than saltwater fish
chloride
- keeps sodium levels high (hypertonic)
freshwater excrete ___ urine, while saltwater fish excrete ___ urine.
- freshwater = lots of diluted urine
- saltwater = concentrated urine
as water flows over fish gills, they extract ___ from the water.
some O2, diffuses into blood
as water flows forward over gills in one way, ___ flows in the opposite direction because…
blood flows in the opposite direction because O2 concentration in higher in the water
- most oxygenated blood exchanges w/ most oxygenated water
lots of bacteria doing decomposition in water causes decreased ___ availability
O2
