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Biology > Unit 5: Ecology And Evolution > Flashcards

Unit 5: Ecology And Evolution Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
0
Q

Community

A

A group of populations living and interacting with each other in an area

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1
Q

Habitat

A

The environment in which species normally live, or the location of a living organism

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2
Q

Population

A

A group of organisms of the same species who live in the same area at the same time

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3
Q

Ecosystem

A

A community and it’s abiotic environment

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4
Q

Ecology

A

The study of relationships between living organisms and between organisms and their environment

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5
Q

Autotroph

A

An organism that synthesises it’s organic molecules from simple inorganic substances (plants)

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6
Q

Heterotroph

A

An organism that obtains organic molecules from other organisms (owls)

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7
Q

Consumer

A

An organism that ingests organic matter that is living or recently killed (wolves)

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8
Q

Detrivore

A

An organism that ingests non-living organic matter (earthworms)

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9
Q

Saprotroph

A

An organism that lives on or in non-living organic matter, secreting digestive enzymes into it and absorbing the products of digestion (fungi)

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10
Q

Food chain

A

A sequence of organisms, each of which feeds on the previous one

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11
Q

Food web

A

Diagram which displays the tropic relationships within ecological communities

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12
Q

Tropic level

A

Categories of organisms (producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc.)

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13
Q

10% rule of food chains

A

Only 10% of energy is passed on to the next tropic level in a food chain

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14
Q

Pyramids of energy

A

A pyramid displaying the amount of energy that is converted to new biomass during a give time period by each tropic level in an ecological community

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15
Q

Biomass

A

The total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume

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16
Q

Carbon cycle

A

The series of processes by which Carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment

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17
Q

Greenhouse effect

A

Natural process in which gasses in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat radiation from short and long wavelengths of light emitted from the Sun

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18
Q

Anthropogenic factors of enhanced greenhouse effect

A

Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, over harvesting of trees, release of CFC’s into the atmosphere and urbanisation

19
Q

Precautionary principle

A

When an activity raises the threat of harm, preventative measure should be taken even if a cause-and-effect-relationship has not yet been established (when an activity appears harmful, the activity must be approached with caution, even if those harmful factors have not yet been proven)

20
Q

Global warming

A

Gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere - set to by caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect

21
Q

Natality

A

Birth rate (ratio of births to population)

22
Q

Immigration

A

The action of coming in to a population

23
Q

Emigration

A

The action of leaving a population

24
Q

Mortality

A

Death rate (ratio of deaths to population)

25
Q

Sigmoid population curve

A

Curve displaying the population change over a given time period

26
Q

Exponential growth phase (s-curve)

A

When the population has begun to grow, it rises quickly due to unlimited growth factors

27
Q

J-curve

A

Rapid increase in growth of population (population starts to grow in a steady rate, then explodes)

28
Q

Enhanced greenhouse effect

A

The increase in natural greenhouse effect as a result of human activities contributing to an increase in concentrations of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere

29
Q

Evolution

A

The cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population

30
Q

Evidence for evolution

A

Breeding of domesticated animals and crop plants (significant differences between characteristics of domesticated/wild organisms), fossil records (significant differences between extinct and living organisms), homologous structures (any characteristic of an organism that is derived from a common ancestor), geographical distributions of animals and plants

31
Q

Natural selection

A

Process whereby organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring

32
Q

Variation

A

A change or slight difference in condition, favourable traits of variation can lead to natural selection

33
Q

Sexual reproduction

A

The production of new loving organisms by combining genetic information from two individuals of two types (sexes)

34
Q

Antibiotic resistance

A

Type of drug-resistant microorganism that is able to survive the exposure to antibiotics. This is due to a mutation that inhibits the effects of antibiotics, the favoured gene is then passed on to offspring causing a widespread resistance amongst pathogenic bacteria

35
Q

Binomial nomenclature

A

System of naming with using 2 terms, usually inclusive of Genus followed by the species. The terms must be italicised (or underlined) and only Genus is allowed to be capitalised

36
Q

Transitional phase (s-curve)

A

When limiting factors in the environment start to limit population growth, thus slowing down population increase

37
Q

Plateau phase (s-curve)

A

When the population hits it’s carrying capacity - maximum number of organisms in a population that can be supported by the environment

38
Q

Speciation

A

Formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution

39
Q

Selection pressures that lead to natural selection

A

Competition for space, food, mates, increased predation, disease, parasitism

40
Q

Abiotic

A

Physical components of a community

41
Q

Biotic

A

Living components of a community

42
Q

Greenhouse gases

A

Methane, nitrous oxides, CFCs (chloro-fluro-carbons), carbon dioxides and water vapour

43
Q

Development of antibiotic resistant bacteria

A

Population with no resistance > resistant gene (by mutation) received from a different population > continuous use of antibiotic causes strong natural selection for resistance > discontinued use of antibiotic causes natural selection against resistance > population with slightly fewer resistance

44
Q

Species

A

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Biology (5 decks)

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