unit 3: ecology Flashcards
1
Q
how an organisms structure, physiology, and behavior meet environmental challenges
A
organismal ecology
2
Q
group of individuals of the same species
A
population
3
Q
group of populations of different species in an area
A
community
4
Q
organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact
A
ecosystem
5
Q
mosaic of connected ecosystems
A
landscape
6
Q
global ecosystem (sum of all ecosystems)
A
biosphere
7
Q
individuals make up populations which make up species which make up communities
A
true dat
8
Q
where is solar energy the strongest
A
equator because direct sunlight
9
Q
why is solar energy weaker at the poles
A
rays are diffused over a greater distance
10
Q
where does surface air move to
A
areas of low pressure
11
Q
when rising air departs, surface air fills in gaps, creating
A
wind
12
Q
air cools as it rises and cold air can hold less moisture, causing
A
cloud formation and rain
13
Q
what creates cells
A
heating and rising of air, air pulled to fill voids
14
Q
when air descends
A
surface pressure is high
15
Q
when air rises
A
surface pressure is low
16
Q
which direction does wind move at the surface
A
from areas of high pressure to low pressure
17
Q
where is there lots of rain
A
areas of low pressure (equator)
18
Q
where is there very little precipitation and deserts
A
30 degrees north and south
19
Q
which direction does wind move approaching the equator from the north
A
to the west, as the earth is rotating
20
Q
what winds move towards the equator
A
trade winds (left from south, right from north)
21
Q
where does wind go at 30 north
A
from west to the east (westerlies)
22
Q
what causes bending of wind towards the equator due to earths rotation
A
coriolis effect
23
Q
wet on west side of a mountain, dry on east due to wind from east side
A
rain shadow
24
Q
at the equator, where is wind always blowing
A
east to west
25
equatorial winds push water
towards the west
26
equatorial winds move water cause
upwelling zones (deep water rises on west coasts, nutrient rich, increases primary production)
27
amount of biomass of photosynthetic organisms created per unit area
primary production
28
where are continents drier
west sides due to high pressure cells
29
moist air over the ocean moves
toward the east side of continents
30
long term average weather, determined by solar radiation, wind, ocean circulation, and topograpy
climate
31
grew from cultural histories of observation and experimentation in the natural world, took root during age of exploration
ecology
32
study of the interaction of organisms with one another and the environment
ecology
33
33
33
34
the number of species in an area
richness
34
relative abundance of species in an area
eveness
34
what limits species distribution
abiotic and biotic factors, dispersal, and behavior
35
temperature, moisture, light, water, nutrients
abiotic factors
36
where is the sun in the winter
more directly on southern hemisphere
37
when is the angle of the sun highest in the north hemisphere
summer
38
in summer, the earths north pole is pointed
towards the sun
39
major ecological associations that occupy broad geo regions of land and water, defined by major species, annual cycles
biomes
40
characterized by growth of forms of dominant plant species, temperature, precipitation
terrestrial biomes
41
characterized by coral reefs, depth, flow, salinity
aquatic biomes
42
are there any biomes with high precipitation and low temperatures
no
43
global patterns of abiotic conditions on land match biodiversity and
production patterns
44
rate of enzyme activity increases as
low temperatures
45
lowest critical temp in vulnerable life stage limits
range of species
46
what determines moisture
slope and aspect
47
there is an increased rate of heat loss and water loss at higher
elevations
48
what leads to adaptations
water density, movement, light availability
49
what determines organism distribution chemically
water availability, oxygen availability, salinity, pH, (higher pH means more diversity), acid rain
50
in the northern hemisphere, the
south side of a mountain gets more direct sun
51
range of conditions necessary for a species to persist and the ecological role of the species in an ecosystem
biotic niche
52
fundamental niche
the broad conditions a species could live in
53
where is there the most species richness
large and close islands
54
larger islands have
more immigration and less extinction
55
what causes different water temps
lake turnover in seasons (cold water at top in winter, warm at top in summer)
56
where is there greater seasonality
between hadley and ferrel cells (middles of continents), as land heats faster than water and the middle of the continent is far from moderating effects of ocean
57
what affects distribution of biomes
changing land use (agriculture) and climate change
58
how do species adapt to climate change
adapt individualistically, move north and west
59
increasing temperature has led to
northward expansion of species range
60
individuals of one species occupying same general area and using same resources
population
61
demography of pop
births, deaths, age dist.
62
number of individuals per area
population density
63
pattern of spacing
population dispersion
64
BIDE
controls populations (births, deaths, immigration, emigration)
65
population dispersion can be
clumped, random, or uniform
66
mark recapture
number of total caught in recap divided by number recap with marks, times number marked originally (tells population estimate)
67
mark recapture EQ
C/R X M or (MxC)/R
68
what does mark recapture assume
population size hasn't changed between sampling, no BIDE, short time frame
69
exponential population growth
unlimited, assumes continuous reproduction, individuals are identical, constant environment, unlimited resources
70
exponential growth EQ
dN/dt = rN
71
when is there exponential population growth
beginning of bounded pop growth (low population and high growth rates), density independent
72
what assumption of exponential group is not true
unlimited resources
73
logistic population growth
limited by carrying capacity K, assumes as N increases r decreases, density dependent
74
as pop approaches K, rate of growth slows
in logistic model
75
logistic growth EQ
dN/dt = rN (K-N/K)
76
focuses on births and deaths, mortality risks and life stage
demography and life histories
77
R adapted
many offspring, not a lot of care, unstable env
78
K adapted
fewer offspring, more care, stable env., populations close to K
79
focus on emigration and immigration, regular gene flow between geo separate units
metapopulations
80
migration can
restore subpops
81
source population
BR > DR, lots of emigration
82
sink pop
DR > BR, immigration
83
if sinks are too abundant
population can't persist
84
corridors help increase
immigration
85
why are there death outbreaks
overshooting K
86
density dependent r
has delay
87
optimal life histories
maximize fitness
88
reproduce only once
semelparous
89
species can reproduce many times, can be seasonal
iteroparous
90
reproductive trade offs
early reproduction means more offspring in lifetime, but later reproduction increases reprod success
91
parental investment in offspring is traded off with
parental survival
92
adult survival drops as
more energy goes into reprod
93
future population growth depends on
the proportion of the pop in reprod age
94
how to stabilize a population
increase birth AND death rate, or decrease both
95
demographic transition
first high BR and DR, then DR declines, then BR declines, the both are low, then BR is lower than DR and population ages, BR may rebound
96
origin, implementation, short and long term, limits distribution
behavior
97
populations select habitats that
maximize fitness
98
finding food
foraging
99
animals maximize energy gain per unit time and risk
optimal foraging
100
profitability EQ
energy in food / search and handling time (P = E/t)
101
net profitability decreases with
larger prey
102
no time to catch and digest
type 1
103
search and handling time fixed cost, learn
type 2
104
low density, high efficiency
type 3
105
commonly encountered animals are
consumed more
106
increased foraging risk means
decreased profitability
107
predators maximize
energy value of prey
108
predators minimize
search and handling time
109
prey maximize
predator search time and handling time (camouflage, physical protection, intimidation)
110
prey minimize
probability of being eaten
111
costs of foraging
spending energy, no reprod, risk, conflict
112
fixed area where indv/group excludes others
territory
113
benefits of territory
exclusive access to resources
114
costs of territory
time and energy to maintain
115
larger territory means
larger body size
116
sexual selection
promotes traits that increase mating success
117
increased male population means
increased mate guarding
118
intersexual
choose mate based on characteristics
119
intrasexual
choose mate based on competition
120
female mate choice depends on
polygamy, monogamy, cost and benefit, selective pressure, environment
121
monogamy leads to
mate guarding, mate assistance, female enforced monogamy
122
polygyny
1 male, many females, 1 parent cares for young, causes sexual dimorphism, resource based
123
polyandry
1 female, many males, female is larger
124
behavior that appears to benefit others at cost to donor
altruism
125
reciprocal altruism
cost to altruism offset by likelihood of return benefit
126
kin selection
serve indv close relatives, alarm calling, favored by nat, sel when likelihood of alleles times beneit is greater than cost to donor
127
hamiltons altruism rule
rB > C (coeff of relatedness times benefit greater than cost)
128
eusociality
workers help queen raise offspring, increases vigilance and safety, many eyes hypothesis, selfish herd
129
decreasing prey means
less foo, predators decrease
130
decreasing predation means
less danger, prey increase
131
increasing predation meeans
prey decrease
132
increasing prey means
predators increase
133
competition, predation, parasitism, negative for one specie
antagonism
134
direct mutualism, indirect facilitation, positive for both sides
mutualism
135
no direct benefit for one species
commensalism
136
competition for a shared resource can lead to
competitive exclusion and character displacement
137
competition over shared resource leads species to
resource partition, specialize in different parts of a resource
138
two species with similar needs cannot coexist
competitive exclusion
139
increased differences in the niche spaces occupied by a species
resource partitioning
140
competition can lead to
differences in fundamental and realized niche
141
behavioral defense to predation
hiding, fleeing, herds, self defense, alarm calls
142
weapons of defense
armor, shells, quills, chemicals
143
camoflauge
cryptic coloring
144
warning colors show posion
aposematic coloring
145
harmless species mimic dangerous ones
batesian mimicry
146
two harmful species resemble each other
mullerian mimicry
147
evolution of plant physical, chemical, and behavioral defenses
herbivory
148
lots of seeds some years, barely any other years and the plant hides
masting
149
tough leaves, thorns, induced defenses
structural plant defenses
150
secondary compounds like toxic chemicals
chemical plant defenses
151
describe trophic interactions between species
food webs
152
includes trophic and other interactions
interaction web
153
measure of effect of one species on the population size of another
interaction strength
154
most abundant in biomass or number, affects the number of other species
dominant species
155
control the distribution of other species but are not the most abundant
keystone species
156
causes physical or chemical changes in the environment that affect other species
ecosystem engineers
157
alter food webs and community composition
pathogens
158
conditions change before competitively superior species reach carrying capacity
hutchinson paradox (allows species to coexist)
159
number of species present
species richness
160
how individuals are distributed
evenness or relative abundance
161
removes species and biomass, affects resource availability
disturbance
162
disturbance can act as a
keystone abiotic constraint
163
disturbance allows for
increased climate variability and healthier species
164
biome that depends on disturbance
chaparral
165
disturbing part of a landscape every 100 years increases patch diversity
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
166
the effect of a disturbance depends on
disturbance size, frequency, and rate of recovery
167
wisconsin oak savannas have
declined due to fire suppression
168
increased climate variability is altering
disturbance regimes in ecosystems
169
sequence of community and ecosystem changes after a disturbance
ecological succession
170
no soil exists when succession begins
primary succession
171
area where soil remains after a disturbance
secondary succession
172
the fraction of energy stored in assimilated food not used for respiration
production efficiency
173
percent of production transferred from one trophic level to the next
trophic efficiency
174
chemicals not processed that accumulate in tissue over an organisms lifetime
bioaccumulation
175
example of bioaccumulation
mercury in fish
176
amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs
primary production
177
total primary production
gross PP (GPP)
178
GPP minus the energy used
net prim prod (NPP)
179
must be added for production to increase
limiting nutrient, limits the rate of production of biomass
180
amount of chemical energy from food that goes to new biomass
secondary productivity
181
increased phosphorous and algae
eutrophication
182
series of trophic interaction causing
changes in biomass and species composition
183
two species interacting with one or more intermediate speces
indirect effect
184
energy flow determined by predators
top down
185
resources that limit NPP determine energy flow
bottom up
186
energy flow and chemical cycling
ecosystem ecology
187
food webs and interactions
community ecology
188
energy cannot be created or destroyed
1st law of thermodynamics
189
how is energy lost
heat
190
every energy exchange increases the entropy of the universe
2nd law
191
matter cannot be created or destroyed
law of conservation of mass
192
includes pools and reservoirs, goes between organic and inorganic forms
nutrient cycling
193
weathering, erosion, fossilization
geological methods of cycling
194
dissolved in precipitation, atmospheric gas
chemical cycling
195
turnover rates
rates of nutrient cycling
196
total amount of nutrient in an ecosystem
pool size
197
tropical soil has
less nutrient pools, and increased rates of P and N cycling due to temp, moisture
198
controls rates of nutrient cycling
decomposition rates
199
where is decomposition faster
warmer and wetter climates
200
methods of nutrient input
wet or dry deposition, photosythesis, nitrogen fixation
201
losses of nutrients
leaching, dissolve, blow away, leave with an organism
202
carbon cycle
needed for PS, life, stored in sedimentary rocks, deep oceans, and soil, can be in atmosphere
203
nitrogen cycle
needed for many bio functions, pool in atmosphere, leaky cycle, fixed in soil, used in amino acids
204
phosphorous cycle
pools in rocks, decomposers release it, comes through weathering or decompositon, needed for calvin cycle
205
at first in plants
nitrogen is limiting
206
later in plants
phosphorus is limiting
207
nutrient excess can cause
eutrophication
208
nutrient deposition
produces N in plant available forms
209
accumulation in excess of plant demands causing forest decline, causes dead zone
N saturation
210
logging causes
nutrient losses
