Topic 1 (LEC) - Introduction to Ecology Flashcards
Derived from the Greek oikos, meaning
‘home’
Ecology
____________ is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water.
Aquatic ecosystem
In an environment, there are _______factors and _________ factors.
biotic, abiotic
Which of the levels of ecological organization pertains to this question:
“What role does concentration of atmospheric CO2 play in the regulation
of global temperature?”
Biosphere
These are are the living aspects of the environment (like the present species, counts of individual organisms, rates of reproduction, etc.)
Biotic factors
Which of the levels of ecological organization pertains to this question:
“How does fire affect nutrient availability in grassland ecosystems?”
Ecosystem
The study of how individual organisms meet the challenges of their interactions with the living and nonliving components.
This field of ecology includes the subdisciplines of physiology, evolution, and behavior of INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS as a basis for studying how each adapts to the challenges presented within their environments.
Organismal Ecology
True or false
According to the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, the individuals that make up a population of a species are not identical.
True
The part of earth that contains all ecosystems
Biosphere
A group of organism that can interbreed
and produce offspring.
Species
This is the long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area
Climate
Which of the levels of ecological organization pertains to this question:
“How do zebras regulate their internal water balance?”
Organism/species
The word “Ecology” was first used by _____________ in 1869 to describe the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment.
Ernst Haeckel
Which of the levels of ecological organization pertains to this question:
“What factors influence the number of large mammal species living together in African grasslands?”
Community
Study of soil is called ____________
Pedology
Which of the levels of ecological organization pertains to this question:
“What factors control zebra populations?”
Population
True or false
Evolutionary processes do not shape the interactions between organisms and their environments
False
The study of the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients among organisms within a community and between
organisms and the environment. Research in this field deals with the flow of energy and materials within an ecosystem.
Ecosystem ecology
True or false
According to the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, different ancestors do not leave different numbers of descendants.
False
These are the major fields of ecology
Biology
Chemistry
Earth Science
___________ refers to the physical disintegration and chemical
decomposition of the rocks and minerals
Weathering
A group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time.
Community
These are the levels of ecological organization
Biosphere
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism/species
These are the non-living aspects of the environment
Abiotic factors
All the organism of a given species that live in a particular area.
Population
True or false
The fittest individuals in a population are those that leave the least number of
descendants relative to the number of
descendants left by other individuals in the population.
False
*leave the GREATEST number
These are key components of a climate
Temperature
Precipitation
Sunlight
Wind
The study of how POPULATIONS grow and what factors promote or limit growth. Studies in this field center on the determining factors influencing the occurrence and abundance of a
population.
Population Ecology
____________ is a land-based community of organisms.
Terrestrial ecosystem
The uppermost weathered layer of the Earth’s crust
Soil
Photosynthesis occurs in the ____ and ____ light
blue, red
The word “Ecology” was later defined by __________ in 1972 as the scientific study of interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.
Charles Krebs
Types of aquatic ecosystem
Marine ecosystem
Brackish water ecosystem
Freshwater ecosystem
The scope of the definition of the word “Ecology” was expanded in 1999 as the scientific study of the relationships between organisms and their environment by marine ecologist
and fisheries biologist, _____________.
Manuel Molles
These are determined largely by the
input of solar energy and Earth’s movement in space
Global climate patterns
Plants use _________ to sense photoperiod, which they take as
signals for many growth and developmental processes.
photoreceptors
A geographic area where plants, animals
and other organism as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a
bubble of life
Ecosystem
These are soil mineral particles that have been carried from some other location
by wind, water, gravity or ice
Transported soil
Types of terrestrial ecosystem
Tundra
Taiga
Temperate forest
Tropical rainforest
Grasslands
Deserts
Wetlands (saturated by water)
It’s an electromagnetic radiation, its intensity and duration of solar radiation varying at Earth’s surface
Light
The study of how populations of species interact and form functional COMMUNITIES. It examines the environmental influences on the kinds and diversity of organisms inhabiting
an area, particularly including the study of species interactions that often influence the structure and organization of communities.
Community Ecology
These are soil mineral particles that have been formed in place from the bedrock
below
Residual soil
