terms Flashcards

1
Q

competitive release

A

aftet midterm

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2
Q

shared limiting resource

A

after midterm

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3
Q

exploitation competition

A

after midterm

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4
Q

interference competition

A

after midterm

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5
Q

population

A

a group of individuals of a single species that live in a particular area and interact with one another

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6
Q

community

A

an association of interacting populations of different species that live in the same area

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7
Q

ecosystem

A

a collection of communities of organisms plus the physical environment in which they live

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8
Q

landscapes

A

areas that vary substantially from one place to another, typically including multiple ecosystems

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9
Q

biosphere

A

global patterns of air and water circulation link worlds ecosystems into the biosphere which consists of all living organisms on earth plus the environments in which they live

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10
Q

adaptation

A

a feature of an organism that improves its ability to survive or reproduce in its environment

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11
Q

natural selection

A

an evolutionary process in which individuals hat posses particular characteristics survive or reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals because of those characteristics

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12
Q

producer

A

an organism that uses energy from an external source such as the sun to produce is own food without having to eat other organisms or their remains

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13
Q

consumer

A

an organism that obtains its energy by eating other organisms or their remains

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14
Q

net primary production (NPP)

A

the amount of energy (per unit time) that producers fix by photosynthesis or other means, minus the amount they use in cellular respiration

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15
Q

nutrient cycle

A

the cyclic movement of a nutrient between organisms and he physical enviroment

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16
Q

weather

A

current temp, humidity, precipitation, wind and cloud cover

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17
Q

climate

A

long-term description of weather at a given location, based on averages and variation measured over decades

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18
Q

what is a population

A

A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area at the same time and interact wih one another. Interaction usually refers to interbreeding (if sexual reproducing) compete for resources if asexually reproducing. It can be difficult to delineate a population but i is still import for understanding ecology

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19
Q

How do ecologists develop and answer questions?

A

observations: documentation of patterns leads to questions about mechanisms

Mathematical/ Statistical models: test expected outcomes of particular processes

Experiments: Controlled manipulations test hypothesized mechanisms

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20
Q

Give 5 key processes that determine distribution and abundance of species

A

-meeting abiotic requirements
- biotic interactions
- dispersal
- evolution
-stochasticity (randomness0

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21
Q

why are the tropics warmer than the poles?

A

Near the equator the suns rays strike earth surface perpendicularly
where towards the poles the suns rays are spread over a larger area and take a longer path trough he atmosphere

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22
Q

Which latitudes get the most(and least) precipitation, and why?

A

high-rainfall biomes in the tropics and low rainfall niomes at 30N and 30S this is due to global atmospheric circulation (the hadley cell)

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23
Q

what drives global patters of prevailing winds

A

Global atmospheric circulation
and the rotation of the earth and the Coriolis effect creates the deflection of wind

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24
Q

What is a Hadley cell?

A

when sun heats earth surface most intensely at the equator, an uplift of air is created which creates a large band of low atmospheric pressure then subsidence of air creates a band of high atmospheric pressure

this happens from tropics to 30 degrees N/S

–> warm air rises, then cools holding moisture which precipitates out as rain

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25
Q

What is the ferrel cell?

A

atmospheric circulation which is driven by the movement of the Hadley and polar cells and is between 30degres -60degrees/ polar zone

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26
Q

What is the polar cell

A

atmospheric circulation which is formed by subsidence of cold air at the poles

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27
Q

What is the rain shadow effect?

A

the fact that air cools when it rises forcing out moisture as precipitation
on the windward slope the air rises and clouds release most of its moisture, on leeward side dry air descends and warms and there is little precipitation

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28
Q

Where would you expect to find rain shadows?

A

West of mountains in the tropics, east of the mountains in the temperate zones and west of the mountains at the poles

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29
Q

Why is Vancouver island warmer than Prince Edward Island in the winter?

A

wind comes from over the ocean where the surface temperature is ~1 degrees C to Vancouver island whereas on the east coast wind is coming from land in winter which is much colder ~- 40- -50 degrees C

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30
Q

Some Abiotic factors that affect the performance of individuals

A

temperature
precipitation
sunlight
fire frequency
salinity
nutrients
currents
wind
oxygen
soil type
pH

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31
Q

define stress

A

the condition in which an environmental change results in the decrease in the rate of an important physiological process (ecology textbook)

conditions that cause subcellular or cellular damage, leading to impaired function (physiologists)

stress is always defined relative to the organism

32
Q

consequences of getting too hot or too cold, and how these extremes can be tolerated or avoided

A

lack of survival, reproduction or growth

ways to avoid:
move
reduce metabolic rate
change color (reduce solar irradiance)
increase SA (convection)
air flow(conduction)
Tolerance:
acclimation in lab
acclimatization in the field
longer-term adaption over generations

33
Q

Why is actual distribution of an organism different from potential distribution

A

because interactions with other organisms such as competition, that may constrain the geographic range

34
Q

what are the fundamental ways that an organism acquires energy?

A

Autotrophs (from sunlight or from inorganic chemical compounds)

or heterotrophs (by consuming other organisms)

35
Q

Can light for photosynthesis vary?

A

Yes, in darkness they have dark respiration and past light compensation point is when net photosynthetic Co2 uptake goes above 0 this asymptotes at light saturation point.

example tamp can effect this

36
Q

What is a Heterotroph?

A

organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms (including non-living material = detritus)

37
Q

What is an Autotroph?

A

organisms that
assimilate energy from sunlight
through photosynthesis or from
inorganic chemical compounds in
the environment through
chemosynthesis

38
Q

what do organisms do to deal with light variance for photosynthesis?

A

they adapt/ acclimatize/ acclimate to conditions

evolve mechanisms (physiological, morphological, behavioral) to cope with variation

39
Q

What do various ways of coping come hand in hand with?

A

trade offs- you cant have the perfect physiology, morphology or behavior for every situation

40
Q

what is life history

A

an organisms life history consists of major events related to its development, growth, reporduction and survival.

41
Q

What is life history strategy

A

The pattern in the timing and nature of life history events averaged across all the individuals in a species

42
Q

What are some developmental strategies?

A

complex life cycles:
planktotrophic (feeding)
lecithotrophic (non-feeding
direct developer

43
Q

Under what circumstance is direct development strategy favored?

A

Direct developers do well when planktonic food
is scarce or unpredictable, and planktonic
predation is high (e.g. in polar seas)

44
Q

Under what circumstance is lecithotroph strategy favored?

A

Lecithotrophs do well when planktonic food is
scarce or unpredictable, but planktonic predation
is lower (e.g. in the deep sea)

45
Q

Under what circumstance are Planktotroph strategy favored?

A

Planktotrophs do well when planktonic food is
predictable and plentiful, and planktonic
predation is lower (e.g. during coastal spring
blooms)

46
Q

how do calculate change in population size

A

population in t2- population in t1

47
Q

how do you calculate population growth rate (lambda)

A

population in t+1/ population in t

lambda= Nt+1/Nt

48
Q

What is Geometric growth

A

discrete time periods eg annua plants or looper moths

Nt+1= lambdaNt
Nt= population size after t generation or after t time periods
lambda= geometric population growth rate

49
Q

what is exponential growth

A

continuous reproduction eg humans

dN/dt= rN

dN/dt = rate of change in population size at each instant in time
r= exponential growth rate

50
Q

what must the value of lambda be when population is decreasing

A

<1

51
Q

What is the value of r when the population is stable

A

0

52
Q

When lambda is <1 or r<0 what is happening to the population

A

the population is decreasing in siaze

53
Q

when lambda is =1 or r= 0 what is hapening to the population?

A

the population size does not change

54
Q

when lambda is >1 or r>0 what is happening to the population

A

the population is increasing in size

55
Q

How do we find out values fro r and lambda?

A

1- monitor a population over time
2- life table data

56
Q

Why dont populations increase indefinitely?

A
  • not enough resources (competition). Density dep.
    -predators or pathogens. Density dep.
    -catastrophes like storms or fires. Density indep.
57
Q

What is density-independent

A

refers to a factor whose effects on birth and death rates (offspring per mother, probability of death per individual) are independent of population density (N)
example: weather conditions, catastrophes

  • Density-independent factors can determine population size
58
Q

what is density dependent?

A

refers to a factor that causes birth rates, death rates or dispersal (immigration and emigration) rates to change as the density of population changes

  • density-dependent factors regulate population size
59
Q

What is population regulation?

A

Density-dependent factors cause a population to increase when density is low and decrease when density is high

-density-independent factors can have large effects on population size but do not regulate population size

60
Q

What is Logistic growth?

A

a population level pattern in which abundance rapidly increases at first and then stabilizes at a population size known as the carrying capacity (k)

dN/dt=rN(1-N/K)
robs=rmax(1-N/K)

61
Q

IN logistic growth when N is small what happens?

A

growth is close to exponential growth

62
Q

IN logistic growth when N is large what happens?

A

when N gets larger it approaches K so growth rate gets close to zero

63
Q

what is rmax

A

the “per capita intrinsic rate or increase under ideal conditions”

64
Q

what is robs

A

it is the per capita intrinsic rate of increase under actual conditions

65
Q

What other rates does robs depend on?

A

N(t+1)=N(t)+B-D
population growth depends on births and deaths
birth rate= births per individual per unit time
death rates= deaths per individual per unit time
robs= b-d

66
Q

what are birth rates and death rates at K?

A

at K b=d assuming no immigration or emigration

67
Q

Why doesn’t population growth rates look perfect?

A

population fluctuations, they can be erratic in either direction +/-

68
Q

Symbiosis

A

a relationship in which two species symbionts live in close physical and/ or physiological contact
(mutualism, commensalism. parasitism)

69
Q

Positive interactions (aka facilitation)

A

interactions in which one or both species benefit and neither is harmed

there sometimes is a cost to one or both partners but the net effect is positive

70
Q

Benefits of positive interaction examples

A

food, shelter, transport etc

71
Q

Facilitation includes:

A

Mutualism: mutually beneficial interactions between individuals of two species (+/+)
and
Commensalism: individuals of one species benefit but are not harmed (+/0)

72
Q

Obligate

A

not optional for either species

73
Q

facultative

A

not dependent on mutualism or commensalism

74
Q

Relative neighbor effect (RNE)

A

target species growth with neighbors present minus its growth with neighbors

75
Q

Trophic mutualism

A

a mutualist receives energy or nutrients from its partner
eg: leaf-cutter ants and fungus, mycorrihizae

76
Q

Habitat mutualism

A

one partner provides the other with shelter, living space or favorable habitat
ex: Pistol shrimp dig burrows that thy share with goby fish. The goby gets a refuge and in turn serves as a “seeing eye fish” for the nearly blind shrimp