Unit 2 Flashcards
Adaptation
any behavioral or physical characteristic that increases fitness
Anthropogenic
(chiefly of environmental pollution and pollutants) originating in human activity.
Biodiversity
The variety of life on Earth
Ecosystem
particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components
Ecosystem Services
provisioning, regulating, supporting, cultural. The process by which natural environments provide life-supporting resources
Genetic Diversity
Genetic variation among individuals in a population
Habitat/Ecosystem Diversity
the variety of habitats that exist within a given region
Indicator Species
give early warning signs of damage or danger to a community. i.e. absence of trout in areas that are within their range of tolerance indicates poor water quality. Common species: birds, butterflies, amphibians
Island Biogeography
study of the ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands and of these organisms’ community organisms. Closer and larger have more species.
keystone species
A species that influence the survival of many other species in an ecosystem. Ex: pollinators, apex predators, decomposers. Lose a species = food webs and nutrient cycles disrupted, population crashes, extinctions. Ex: sea otter, American alligator, beavers, red mangrove, bees
limiting factors
the factor that causes the growth of a population to decrease. even if all other factors are optimum its the one most likely to regulate population growth. env factor most often in short supply.
natural selection
A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.
theory of natural selection
was developed by Charles Darwin and first presented in his book origin of species, published in 1859.
pioneer species
The first species to populate a “new” area. Soil is formed by the presence of lichens
bottleneck effect
drastic and sudden reduction in the size of a population leads to a change in the gene pool. Causes: overhunting, asteroid, disease, env stressors, habitat destruction
primary succession
An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed. No soil
Provisioning Service
goods that humans use directly from ecosystems
- lumber, food crops, rubber, fur, medicinal plants (Taxol)
- disrupted by overharvesting, water pollution, clearing land for ag. and urbanization
regulating service
the service provided by natural systems that helps regulate environmental conditions. natural ecosystems regulate climate/air quality, reducing storm damage and health care costs
- Ex: trees store CO2 through photosynthesis which decrease the rate of climate change and lessens damage caused by rising sea level and decrease in crop failure from droughts.
-4 gigatons of carbon removed by phytoplankton and plants, nutrient and water cycles
- disrupted by deforestation
supporting services
natural ecosystems support processes we do ourselves, making them less costly and easier for us
- Ex: bees pollinate agriculture crops - more crop production and higher profits
- disrupted by pollinator habitat loss and filling in wetlands for development
- pollination, water filtration, natural pest control
cultural services
revenue from rec. activities (hunting, fishing, camping) and profits from scientific discoveries made in ecosystems (health/ag./edu. knowledge)
- Ex: landscapes draw tourists who pay to enter parks, spend money at local stores/restaurants, or camping fees
- ecosystems provide cultural or aesthetic benefits to many people.
- disrupted by deforestation, pollution, urbanization
-Tourism, real estate, recreation
Resilience
ability and rate of an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance and return is pre-disturbance
- higher species diversity = higher ecosystem resilience - high species diversity = more plant species to repopulate disturbed ground, anchor soil, provide food and habitat for animal species
resistance
ability to remain unchanged when being subjected to disturbance
secondary succession
reestablishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact. often after disaster like fire or volcano
specialist species
live under a very narrow range of conditions or feed on one or a very small group of species. Ex: Koalas, pandas, salamanders
generalist species
Can live with a wide range of Biotic/abiotic conditions Ex: deer, squirrel, wolves, raccoons, possums, rats
species diversity
The number of species in a region or habitat (in a community or ecosystem)
- critical env indicator: higher diversity = healthier ecosystem
species evenness
Abundance of individuals within each species
species richness
The total number of species
tolerance
Populations thrive within certain ranges of abiotic factors such as pH, temp, light, and amount of moisture.
environmental stressors
▪Physical Stress (natural
disasters)
▪Wildfires
▪Pollution
▪Thermal stress
▪Radiation
▪Climatic (light, temperature)
▪Biological (predation,
competition, parasitism, lack
of mates)
genetic diversity
Genetic variation among individuals in a population
intrinsic values
moral/spiritual/religious/philosophical
provising/instrumental values
has worth in terms of goods and services
natural disturbances
all natural events that destroy an ecosystem; fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, floods
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
Ecosystems require a certain level of disturbance for maximum health and diversity
fitness
differential ability to survive and reproduce
adaptation
any behavioral or physical characteristic that increases fitness
common descent with modification
every living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time
ecological succession
gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance
climax community
A stable group of plants and animals that is the end result of the succession process
relative abundance
the number of how many individuals are present for each species
Gaia hypothesis
organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet
ecological footprint
a measure of human impact on earths ecosystems, its typically measure in area of wilderness or amount of natural capital consumed each year.
non-native species
a species that is not known historically in an area, EX: cane toads in Australia
lichen
a symbolic relationship of a fungus and an algae
germination
sprout of a seed
competitive exclusion principle
species with the same niche in the same area cannot coexist
order of ecological succession
Exposed rock, lichens, mosses, grasses, weed and scrubs, “young” forest, mature forest, climax community.
