Unit 2 - Climate and Population Ecology Flashcards
What is climate?
The LONG-TERM prevailing weather conditions in an area.
What is weather?
The DAILY conditions of the atmosphere in terms of temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, and moisture.
What is the ultimate source of energy?
The Sun.
Weather or Climate: There are more sunny days per year in Los Angeles than Seattle.
Climate
Weather or Climate: A thunderstorm toppled some trees in my neighborhood last summer.
Weather
Where is sunlight most direct and intense?
The equator.
How does the sun shine light on the poles?
It hits it at an oblique angle, making the light energy more diffuse and less intense.
Why is climate seasonal?
Due to the tilt of the Earth and its annual orbit around the Sun.
On average, solar energy is _____ intense as you move away from the equator.
less
How do rising air masses affect the tropics?
They release water and cause high precipitation.
What do descending air masses do?
They create arid climates, especially near 30° north and south.
What are the different bends of air moving?
It is “bent” to the west when moving towards the equator, and “bent” to the east when moving to the poles.
True or False: Seasons are determined by how close the Earth is to the sun.
False, seasons are determined by the tilt of the Earth’s axis relative to its orbit around the sun.
How are ocean currents created?
Air currents that move water.
Water has a higher _____ than land or air.
specific heat
What is specific heat?
The amount of energy required to raise temperature.
Mountains create _____ effects.
orographic
What are orographic effects?
When air masses are forced to flow over high topography.
Climate is __________ in regions where forests have been cut down.
hotter and drier
What are biotic factors?
The organisms in an environment.
What are abiotic factors?
The physical and chemical properties of an environment.
What is dispersal?
The movement of individuals away from centers of high population density or from their area of origin.
What are the different types of species interactions?
Predation, parasitism, competition, mutualism, and herbivory.
What are biomes determined by?
Climate on land and depth and salinity in water.
What are the two fundament aspects of biomes?
Primary productivity and biodiversity.
What is primary productivity?
The amount of plant growth in a given area over a given time.
What is biodiversity?
Number of species.
What is disturbance?
An event that changes a community.
Many aquatic biomes are stratified into zones defined by ____.
depth
What is the benthic zone?
The bottom surface of an aquatic environment.
What is the pelagic zone?
The open-water component of aquatic biomes.
What is the climate like in the tropical forest biome?
In tropical rain forests, rainfall is constant, while in tropical dry forests, rainfall is highly seasonal.
What is biodiversity like in the tropical forest biome?
Vegetation is vertically layered with intense competition for light. It covers 5% of Earth’s land area but makes up 70% of terrestrial animal and plant species.
What is climate like in the temperate broadleaf forest biome?
There is significant amounts of precipitation during all seasons. Winters are cool, summers are hot and humid.
What is biodiversity like in the temperate broadleaf forest biome?
Vertical layers include trees, shrubs and herbs, moderate primary productivity. Moderate biodiversity.
What is climate like in the tundra biome?
Precipitation is low in arctic tundra and higher in alpine tundra. Winters are very cold and summers are cool. Permafrost.
What is permafrost?
A permanently frozen layer of soil, prevents water infiltration.
What is biodiversity like in the tundra biome?
Vegetation is herbaceous(mosses, grasses, shrubs); low primary productivity. Low biodiversity.
What is climate like in the chaparral biome?
Precipitation is low and highly seasonal with rainy winters and dry summers.
What is biodiversity like in the chaparral biome?
Dominated by shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs. Low primary productivity. Low but variable biodiversity, many endemic plants.
What is population ecology?
It explores how biotic and abiotic factors influence the abundance, dispersion, and age structure of populations.
What is emigration?
The movement of individuals out of a populations.
What is random dispersion?
The position of each individual is independent to that of other individuals.
What is clumped dispersion?
When individuals aggregate in patches.
What is uniform dispersion?
When individuals are evenly spaced.A
A male stickleback fish attacks other males that invade his nesting territory. What is the likely pattern of dispersion for male sticklebacks?
Uniform.
What is climate like in the desert biome?
Precipitation is low and temperatures can be extreme (hot or cold).
What is biodiversity like in the desert biome?
Plants and animals occur in low densities and must be adapted for desiccation tolerance and low nutrient availability. Low but variable biodiversity.
What is desiccation tolerance?
The ability of an organism to withstand or endure extreme dryness.
What is climate like in the savanna biome?
Precipitation is seasonal with a prolonged dry season. Temperatures are warm and more seasonally variable than in tropical forests.
What is biodiversity like in the savanna biome?
Plants are fire-adapted and tolerant of seasonal drought; moderate primary productivity. Moderate biodiversity.
What is climate like in the temperate grassland biome?
Precipitation is low and seasonal, occurring in summer. Winter are cold; summers are hot.
What is biodiversity like in the temperate grassland biome?
The dominant plants are herbaceous (grasses and forbs). Moderate biodiversity. Dominant plants are adapted to droughts and fire.
What is biodiversity like in the northern coniferous forest biome?
Dominated by conifers such as pine and spruce. Low biodiversity. Some species depend on periodic fires to regenerate.
What is climate like in the northern coniferous forest biome?
Precipitation varies; dry in some biomes, wet in biomes close to the coast. Cold winters, summers may be hot.
___ and ___ models describe population growth in an idealized, unlimited environment.
Geometric; exponential
What is demography?
The study of population vital statistics and how they vary with age.
What is the life table?
Age-specific summary of the vital statistics of a population.
What is a cohort?
A group of individuals in a population born about the same time.
Type I survivorship curve:
Low death rates during early and middle like and a sharp increase in death rates later in life.
Type II survivorship curve:
Constant death rate over the life span.
Type III survivorship curve:
High death rates for the young.
What is the reproductive table?
An age-specific summary of the reproductive rates in a population.
What is geometric growth?
Unregulated population growth in discrete time intervals.
What is exponential growth?
Unregulated population growth in continuous time intervals.
If the per capita change in population size is 1.5 and the population is currently 100 individuals, how many invidious will be added to the population in the next generation?
150
When the per capita rate of increase is positive and constant, the number of individuals added to a population ____ in each generation.
Increases
What factors can lower birth rates?
Shortages in food, greater intraspecific aggression, increased attention from predators, and disease outbreaks.
What are physical properties of the lakes biome.
There is oligotrophic lakes (nutrient-poor and O2-rich) and eutrophic lakes (nutrient-rich and O2-poor).
What are physical properties of the wetlands biome?
Flooded by water, organic production depletes dissolved oxygen.
What are physical properties of the streams and rivers biome?
O2-rich, but organic enrichment can deplete O2 downstream.
What are the physical properties of the estuary biome?
Nutrient rich and productive transition zone between a river and the sea.
What is carrying capacity (K)?
The maximum population size the environment can support.
What is the logistic population growth model?
The per capita rate of population growth approaches zero as the population size nears carrying capacity.
What happens when N=K?
The population stops growing.
What is the difference between density-independent and density-dependent populations?
In density-independent birth and death rate do not change with populations, white in density-dependent populations birth and death rates are regulated by population density.
What do population dynamics focus on?
The complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors that cause variation in population size.
What is semelparity?
A “one-shot” pattern of big-bang reproduction.
What is iteroparity?
Repeated reproductive events throughout a lifetime.
What is r-selection?
Selection for life history traits that maximize reproductive success at low density.
What is K-selection?
Selection for life history traits that are advantageous at high population densities.
What is the principle of allocation?
Resources that an organism has to partition among life history functions.
What are physical properties of the intertidal biome?
Periodically submergaed and exposed by tides, oxygen and nutrient levels are high in intertidal zones.
What are physical properties of the ocean pelagic zone biome?
Coves 70% of Earth’s surface.
What are polyps?
Large coral groups of genetically identical individual animals.
What are physical properties of the coral reef biome?
Corals require high oxygen concentrations and a solid substrate to attach to.
What are physical properties of the marine benthic zone biome?
Very deep benthic zones are cold and have very high water pressure.
What is age structure?
The relative number of individuals of each age in a population.
What is demographic transition?
The move from the first state to the second. Driven by medicine, agricultural development, and family planning.
What is the ecological footprint concept?
The aggregate land and water area needed to sustain a person, city, or nation.
