Slides 30

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment; biotic and abiotic components of natural systems

Question 2

environmental science

Answer 2

incorporates concepts from natural sciences and social sciences and focuses on how people affect the environment ad how to address environmental problems

Question 3

ecological balance historical view

Answer 3

“balance in nature” in which natural systems are stable and tend to return to after an original disturbance; each species plays a role

Question 4

ecological balance modern view

Answer 4

different states can form in the same area under similar environmental conditions; not always reach pre-disturbance state; alternative stable state

Question 5

organismal ecology

Answer 5

concerned with how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges of the environment; understand how adaptations or characteristics of an individual’s morphology, physiology, and behavior enable it to survive in an environment

Question 6

population ecology

Answer 6

individuals of the same species living in a particular area; boundaries can be natural or political; examines variation in the abundance, density, and composition of individuals over time and space

Question 7

community ecology

Answer 7

populations of species living together in a particular area; boundaries between communities are always rigid; understands the diversity and interactions of organisms living together in the same place (predation, competition, mutualism, parasitism, facilitation); EX: fox eating mountain lion prey

Question 8

ecosystem ecology

Answer 8

energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment; elemental cycling, decomposition, primary productivity

Question 9

ecosystem

Answer 9

the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors which they interact

Question 10

landscape ecology

Answer 10

heterogeneous area composed of a mosaic of interacting ecosystems; through water flow, energy, nutrient, pollutants, or biota; emphasizes the causes and consequences of spatial variation across a range scales

Question 11

global ecology

Answer 11

examines how the exchange of energy and materials influences the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere; EX: carbon emissions before and during COVID

Question 12

biosphere

Answer 12

global ecosystem, sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes

Question 13

first law of thermodyamics

Answer 13

matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can change form

Question 14

dynamic steady state

Answer 14

when gains and losses are in balance,

Question 15

evolution

Answer 15

1. change in genetic characteristics of a population over time 2. descent with modification-organisms gradually accumulate differences from their ancestors; micro -> macro

Question 16

driving forces of evolution

Answer 16

adaptation, natural selection (individuals vary in their traits, traits are heritable, variation in traits causes some individuals to experience higher fitness)

Question 17

selection for “best” adaptation

Answer 17

regular reminder that natural selects for “eh, good enough”

Question 18

biomes

Answer 18

major life zones characterized by vegetation type or physical environment; affects latitudinal patterns of terrestrial biomes

Question 19

features of terrestrial biomes

Answer 19

major physical or climatic features and predominant vegetation; grade into each other

Question 20

ecotone

Answer 20

area of intergradation, wide or narrow

Question 21

species distributions

Answer 21

result of ecological factors and evolutionary history; both abiotic and biotic factors influence species distribution; temperature and water availability affect cactus, herbivores, pollinators, pathogens

Question 22

niche

Answer 22

range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate; unique phenotypes that determine the conditions it can tolerate

Question 23

fundamental niche

Answer 23

the niche a species can potentially

Question 24

realized niche

Answer 24

the one it actually occupy

Question 25

dispersal

Answer 25

the movement of individuals or gametes away from centres of high population density or from their area of origin

Question 26

abiotic factors

Answer 26

whether or not the species can survive in the new location (fundamental niche)

Question 27

biotic factors

Answer 27

whether or not the species can interact with other species successfully in the new location (realized niche)