Unit 8: Ecology Flashcards
Abiotic Factor
nonliving factor that influences ecosystems
Biotic Factor
living factors that influences ecosystems
Conservation
the preservation and management of biodiversity
Global Warming
gradual increase in the earth’s temperature due to human activities
Imprinting
process by which early attachments form in some animals
nitrogen cycle
process by which nitrogen is cycled throughout earth’s systems
Pollution
the releasing of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere
Saprophyte
microorganisms that live on dead or decaying matter
Secondary Succession
organisms that repopulate after an extinction of previously existing life
Logistic Growth
exponential growth restricted by carrying capacity
Symbiosis
living together
adaptation
process of changing to better fit an environment
carbon cycle
cycling of carbon throughout the earth
Decomposer
organism that feeds on the remains of dead organisms
Greenhouse Effect
insulation of the earth via gases in the atmosphere
Interspecific Competition
competition between different species
Parasite
organism living in another organism that utilizes other organism’s nutrients at other organism’s expense
Predator
organism that eats another
detritovore
organism that feeds on organic waste of plants and animals,
ecosystem
sum of organisms and environment interacting
Migration
seasonal movement somewhere else
10% Rule
only 10% of previous energy or biomass remains as it moves through trophic levels
Age Structure
organization of population by age on a graph
Carrying Capacity
maximum population an environment will allow due to abiotic and biotic pressures
Density-Dependent Factor
limit growth based on density of population; usually biotic
Gross Primary Productivity
maximum amount of sunlight that is converted to organic material by producers
Intraspecific Competition
competition within a species
Photoautotroph
produce food using sunlight
Primary Consumer
herbivore that eats autotrophs
Distribution
geographic range where species can be found
Endangered Species
species is in danger of extinction throughout most of its range
Mutualism
type of symbiosis where both species benefit
Trophic Level
position an organism occupies in a food web
Biodiversity
the measure of species variation and relative abundance in an area
Climate Change
global change in climate due to excess greenhouse gases
Food Chain
arrangement of species in an ecological community by predation
Habitat
where an organism lives
K-Selection
organism that produce few offspring to survive a long life
Population
a group of same species individuals in a given area
intrinsic rate of Increase (r)
percent of the population that it will increase by; per capita rate of increase
Niche
organism’s ecological role
Exponential Growth
unrestricted growth of a population
Secondary Consumer
carnivore that eats herbivores (primary consumers)
Biome
large area defined by its climate
Community
group of different species
Food Web
the interactions of many food chains
Hydrologic Cycle (the water cycle)
the cycling of water throughout the earth
Keystone Species
species in small population that the entire ecosystem depends on to survive
Population Growth
rate at which teh population increaes (dN/dt)
R-Selection
organism that reproduces a lot of offspring that have a low rate of survival
Primary Succession
organisms that repopulate a newly formed environment
Limiting Factor
abiotic and biotic factors that limit population growth
Survivorship Curve
curve showing the mortality and survivorship of a species
How is the behavioral and/or physiological response of an organism related to changes in internal or external environment?
Depending on the internal or external environment, the organism may adapt to the change by moderating their internal environment or migrating to a more suitable environment
How do the behavioral responses of organisms affect their overall fitness and contribute to the success of the population?
Specific behaviors that an individual displays may either be selected as beneficial or not beneficial and accululation of the beneficial traits increases the sucess of a population
What are the strategies organisms use to acquire and use energy?
Autotrophs produce their own energy via photosynthesis or chemosynthesis and consumers need to eat other organisms for energy
How do changes in energy availability affect populations and ecosystems?
Changes in energy availiability may either greatly increase or decrease population and ecosystem success as more or less energy allows increases and decreases in population sizes
How do the activities of autotrophs and heterotrophs enable the flow of energy within an ecosystem?
Autotrophs produce their own energy, and 10% of this energy is passed on to primary heterotrphs, and then 10% that to secondary heterotrophs
What are the factors that influence the growth dynamics of populations?
Density dependent and independent factors, which are more specific processes like competition, disease, and natural disasters
How is the density of a population affected by and determined by resource availability in the environment?
As density increases, competition for limited resources increases which then, in turn, influences the population itself. Limited resource availability may also cause competition
What is the structure of a community according to its species composition and diversity?
The structure of a community involves how many individuals per species there are as well as the diversity of the types of species in the community
How do interactions within and among populations influence community structure?
Competition may negatively impact community structure, and symbiosis can positively or negatively impact community structure depending on mutualism and parasitism or predation
How is community structure related to energy availability in the environment?
The more energy available, the more a community can flourish and increase in population size and in species diversity
What is the relationship between ecosystem diversity and its resilience to changes in the environment?
Changes in the ecosystem will force some species to find new niches, however, this can be quickly adapted, so diversity decreases at first but increases later again. This is resilience to change
How will the addition or removal of any component of an ecosystem affect its overall short-term and long-term structure?
If components are added, the new component can either become a keystone species that stabilizes the ecosystem or an invasive species that will kill it. In components are removed, the entire ecosystem, especially species that depend on this for a food source are drastically affected.
What are the interactions between the environment and random or preexisting variations in populations?
Via natural selection, the more beneficial of these population are selected for and will survive and reproduce
How do invasive species affect ecosystem dynamics?
Invasive species are not limited by the new environment’s factors, so they can grow indefinitely and disastrously harm the new environment’s ecosystem dynamics
What human activities lead to changes in ecosystem structure and/or dynamics?
Global warming, deforestation, extinction, etc
How does geological and meteorological activity lead to changes in ecosystem structure and/or dynamics?
Geological activities lead to dispersion of population and can allow speciation which increases diversity, and meteorological activities lead to changes in climate which may greatly affect global populations despite gradual changes in climate.
