test 4 Flashcards
biotic factors
includes all organisms in an area
abiotic factors
includes all non-living components of an area
habitat
biotic + abiotic factors
organism (level)
how one kind of organism meet the challenges and opportunities
population (level)
Example: factors that affect the size population
ecosystem (level)
how chemical cycle and how energy flows between organisms and their surroundings
biosphere
all inhabitable area of the Earth
physical and chemical factors that influence life in the biosphere
energy sources, temperature, water, inorganic nutrients, other aquatic factors, and other terrestrial factors
prevailing winds
major global winds
biomes (terrestrial)
determined by temperature and precipitation
biomes (aquatic)
determined by salinity
pelagic realm
open water from the surface to bottom
benthic realm
seafloor from the continental shelf to deep-sea bottom ( Rock Bottom)
photic zone
continental shelf to the top of the water
aphotic zone
barely any light
intertidal zone
where the ocean meets land and the fresh water and the saltwater mix
permafrost
continuously frozen subsoil
zooplankton
animals that draft in aquatic environments
estuary
a biome that occurs where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean
proximate causes
the answers to such question about the immediate mechanism for a behavior
proximate questions
concern the immediate reason for the behavior
ultimate questions
address why a particular behavior occurs a component of the animal’s phenotype shaped by natural selection
ultimate cause
are evolutionary explanations
innate behavior
behavior that is under strong genetic control and is performed in virtually the same way by all individuals os a species
Fixed action patterns (FAPs)
os an unchangeable series of actions triggered by a specific stimulus
behavior is the result of both genetic and environmental factors. True or false?
true.
habituation
lass of response to a stimulus after repeated exposure
imprinting
learning that is irreversible and limited to a sensitive time period in an animals life
spatial learning
use of landmarks to learn the spatial structure of the environment
associative learning
behavioral change based on linking a stimulus or behavior or punishment; includes trial and error learning
social learning
learning by observing and mimicking others
problem-solving
inventive behavior that arises in response to a new situation
cognition
is the process carried out by an animal’s nervous system to perceive, store, integrate, and use information gathered by the senses.
foraging
includes not only eating but also any mechanism an animal uses to search for, recognize, and capture food
search image
a mental picture of the food enables an animal to find the particular foods efficiently
optimal foraging model
an animal’s feeding behavior should provide maximal energy gain with minimal energy expense and minimal risk of being eaten
promiscuous
no strong pair- bonds or lasting relationships between males and females
monogamous
a bond between one male and one female with shared parental care
polygamous
an individual of one sex mating with several of the others
social behavior
as any kind of interaction between two or more animals of the same species
sociobiology
applies evolutionary theory to the study and interpretation of social behavior
agonistic behavior
conflicts that arise over limited resources such as food mates or territories, including threats, rituals, and sometimes combat
dominance hierarchy
a ranking of individuals based on social interactions
altruism
as behavior that reduces an individuals fitness while increasing the fitness of others in the population
inclusive fitness
describes an individuals success at perpetuating its genes by producing its own offing and by helping close relatives, who likely share many of those genes, to produce offspring
kin selection
the natural selection favoring altruistic behavior that benefits relatives
population density
is the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume
dispersion pattern
a population refers to the ways individuals are spaces within an area
clumped dispersion pattern
in which individuals are grouped in patches, is the most common in nature
uniform dispersion pattern
(an even one) often results from interactions between individuals of a population
random dispersion pattern
individuals in a population are spaced in an unpredictable way, without a pattern
life tables
track survivorship
survivorship curves
which plot survivorship as the proportion of individuals from an initial population that are alive at each age
exponential growth model
gives an idealized picture of unlimited population growth
limiting factors
environmental factors that resist population growth
logistic growth model
a description of idealized population growth that is slowed by limiting factors as the populations’ size increases
density-dependent factors
limiting factors whose intensity is related to population density- appear to restrict growth in natural populations
density-independent factors
a population- limiting factor whose intensity is unrelated to population
boom- and- bust cycles
is a process of expansion and contraction that occurs repeatedly.
life history
the traits that affect an organisms schedule of reproduction and death
r- selection
species are those that emphasize high growth rates, typically exploit less-crowded ecological niches, and produce many offspring, each of which has a relatively low probability of surviving to adulthood (i.e., high r, low K)
k- selection
On the other extreme are species that are highly K-selected. K refers to the carrying capacity and means that the babies are entering a competitive world, in a population at or near its carrying capacity. … K-selected species produce offspring that each have a higher probability of survival to maturity.
sustainable resource management
practices that allow the use of natural resources without damaging it
demographic transition
a shift from birth rates and death rates that are low but roughly equal
age structure
a population is the number of individuals of different age group
fertility rate
the average number of children produced by a woman over her life- substantially exceeds the number of children needed to replace herself and her mate
population momentum
results from the increased proportion of women of childbearing age in the population
ecological footprint
is an estimate of the land and water area required to provide the resources an individual or a nation consumes- for example, food, fuel, and housing- and to absorb the waste it generates
biocapacity
earth capacity to renew these resources gives us a broad view of the sustainability of human activities
sustainability
is the goal of developing managing and conserving earth resources in ways that meet the need of people today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
herbivory
is the consumption of plant part parts or algae by an animal
ecological niche
the sum of its use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment
detritus
consumers that derive their energy from dead material produced at all trophic levels
species diversity
is defined by two components: species richness, or the number of different species in a community or relative abundance, the proportional representation of each species in a community.
keystone species
a species whose impact on its community is much larger than its abundance or total biological mass would indicate
ecologicacal succession
a disturbed area may be colonized by a variety of species, which are gradually replaced by a succession of other species,
primary succession
when ecological succession begins in a virtually lifeless area with no soil
secondary succession
occurs where a disturbance has cleared away an existing community but left the soil intact
invasive species
spreading far beyond the original point of introduction and causing environmental or economic damage by colonizing and dominating wherever they find suitable habitat
ecosystem
consists of all organisms in a community as well as abiotic environment with which the organism interact
energy flow
the passage of energy through the components of the ecosystem
chemical cycling
the transfer of matter within the ecosystem
primary production
the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy- as organic compounds- by photosynthesis
gross primary production
the total amount of primary prodution during a given time period
net primary production
is the amount of new organic material added to an ecosystem in a given amount
biogeochemical cycles
because chemical cycles in an ecosystem include both biotic and abiotic (geologic and atmospheric) components
abiotic reservoirs
where chemicals accumulate or are stockpiled outside of the living organisms
nitrogen fixation
which is performed by some bacteria, converts n2 to components of nitrogen that can be used by plants
biodiversity
encompasses more than individual species- it includes ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity
extirpation
the loss of a single population of a species
ecosystem diversity
Ecosystem diversity deals with the variations in ecosystems within a geographical location and their overall impact on human existence and the environment. Ecosystem diversity addresses the combined characteristics of biotic properties and abiotic properties.
genetic diversity
is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species.
ozone layer
protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet ray in the sunlight
biological magnification
occurs because the biomass at any given point tropic level is produced from a much larger toxin- containing biomass ingested from the level below
phenotype plasticity
the ability to change phenotype in response to the local environment conditions
conservation biology
is a goal-oriented science that seeks to understand and counter the loss of biodiversity
movement corridor
where habitats have been severely fragmented by human activities; a narrow strip or series of small clumps of high-quality habitat connections
biodiversity hot spot
is a relatively small area with numerous endemic species, those that are found nowhere else in the world, and a large number of endangered and threatened species
endemic species
those that are found nowhere else in the world and a large number of endangered and threatened species
zoned reserve
an extensive region of land that includes one or more areas undisturbed by humans
ecotourism
travel to natural areas for tourism and recreation
restoration ecology
uses ecological principles to develop methods of achieving this goal
ocean currents
a combination of the prevailing winds, the planets rotation, unequal heating of the surface waters, and the locations and shapes of the continents
tropics
the region surrounding the equator between latitudes 23.5 north ( Cancer) and 23.5 south (Capricorn)
temperate zones
the latitudes between the tropics and the arctic circle in the north and the antarctic circle in the south
continental shelves
the photic zones include both the pelagic and benthic realms
phytoplankton
microscopic algae and cyanobacteria and multicellular algae provide energy and organic carbon for a diverse community of animals
desertification
the conversion of semi-arid regions to the desert is a significant environmental problem
kinesis
a random movement in response to a stimulus
species richness
the number of different species represented in an ecological community
niche
matching the animal to its environment
