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85 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the definition of ecology?
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The study of all components within an area.
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What are the 6 major biomes?
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Desert, Tundra, Tropical Rain Forest, Coniferous Forest, Deciduous Forest, and Grasslands
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What are 3 factors that ditinguish biomes?
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Temperature, Water, and Soil
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What are the 3 aquatic biomes?
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Freshwater, Marine, and Estuaries
Freshwater: No salt Lakes and ponds Marine: Intertidal (photic) Neritic/Oceanic (photic) OpenSea/Pelagic(non-photic) DeepSea/Benthic(non-photic) Estuaries: Anywhere freshwater meets salt water. |
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What are trophic structures?
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The feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
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What are primary producers?
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The trophic level that supports all others; autotrophs.
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What are primary consumers?
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Herbivores
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What are secondary consumers?
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Carnivores
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What are tertiary consumers?
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Omnivores
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What are detrivores/detritus feeders?
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Special consumers that derive nutrition from non-living organic matter.
Detrivores: Large; EX: Vulture Detritus Feeders: Small; EX: Bacteria |
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What is ecological efficiency?
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The percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next.
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What is the 10% Law?
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A law that states that only 10% of the energy in one trophic level gets through to the next.
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What is energy measured in?
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Joules (J)
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What is the pyramid of productivity?
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Multiplicative loss of energy in trophic levels.
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What is the biomass pyramid?
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Trophic representation of biomes in ecosystems.
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What is the pyramid of numbers?
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Trophic representation of the number of orgnisms in an ecosystem.
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What is symbiosis?
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Two unrelated organisms living close together.
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What is mutualism?
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A relationship in which both organisms benefit.
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What is commensalism?
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A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.
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What is parasitism?
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A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
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What is competition?
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A relationship in which both organisms are harmed.
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What is neutralism?
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A relationship in which neither organism benefits or is harmed.
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What are endoparasites?
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Internal parasites.
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What are ectoparasites?
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External parasites.
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What is aposematic coloration?
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Stay away color. (Has to be either batesian mimicry or mullerian mimicry).
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What is batesian mimicry?
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Copy cat coloration. When a non-poisonous organism resembles one that is poisonous.
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What is mullerian mimicry?
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When two poisonous organisms resemble each other.
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What is camouflage?
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When an organism's coloration blends in with its environment.
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What is disruptive coloring?
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Coloring that makes it difficult to see an organism when it is in a group.
EX: Zebras |
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What is intraspecific competition?
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Competition that occurs among organisms belonging to the same population.
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What is interspecific competition?
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Competition that occurs between organisms from differing populations.
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What is resource partitioning?
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When sympatric species consume slightly different foods or use other resources in slighty different ways.(Develop niches)
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What is character displacement?
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When sypatric species tend to diverge in those characteristics that overlap.
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What is the exponential population growth model?
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The idealized population in an unlimited environment; r-selected species(r=per capita growth rate); J-curve
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What is the logistic population growth model?
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Carrying Capacity (K): The maximum population size that a particular environment can support; k-selected species; S-curve
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What are the two population limiting factors?
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Density-dependent and density-independent factors.
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What are density-dependent factors?
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Limited food, water, shelter, predation, and disease.
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What are density-independent factors?
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Weather/climate.
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What are some strategies to increase biotic potential?
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r-selected(opportunistic):
short maturation and lifespan; many, smaller offspring; no/little parental care; high death rate; EX: insects, rabbits, frogs, weeds, bacteria. k-selected(equilibrial): long maturation and lifespan; few, larger offspring; extensive parental care; low death rate; EX: whales, lions, horses, bears, tigers. |
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What is demography?
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Factors that affect growth and decline of popultions.
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What is birthrate?
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Natality/fecundity: The number of offspring produced.
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What is deathrate?
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Mortality: The number of individuals that die.
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What is age structure?
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The relative number of individuals at each age.
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What is the survivorship curve?
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A plot of numbers still alive at each age.
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What is percolation?
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When water seeps into soil and becomes groundwater.
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What is evapotranspiration?
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When water is evaporated from the leaves of land plants.
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What is ammonification?
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When nitrogen fixing bacteria convert N2 into NH4.
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What is nitrification?
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When nitrifying bacteria convert NH4 into nitrite(NO2-) and nitrate(NO3-).
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What is denitrification?
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When dentrifying bacteria convert nitrate(NO3-) back into N2 for release back into the atmosphere.
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What are three ways to determine the characteristics of a population/
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Random sampling, point intercept, and mark and recapture.
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What is random sampling?
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A process in which you divide the area you are analyzing into equal quadrants, and then randomly select a specific number of sub-divided quadrants. Then count all of the organisms in those areas and multiply the number of organisms caught by the total number of counted quadrants.
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What is point intercept?
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A process in which you draw a line 10 meters out and count all of the organisms that fall along the line. Then total the number of each species and multiply this number by the total area counting.
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What is mark and recapture?
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A process in which you capture a specific number of organisms in a given area. Then mark them and release them back into the wild and over a set amount of time, recapture a preset number of organisms and keep track of how many have already been captured. Then use math to estimate the total population in the area.
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What is climate?
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The prevailing weather conditions of an area.
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What is ozone?
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A layer of the atmosphere that absorbs ultraviolet wavelengths in the sun's rays.
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What is ozone thinning?
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Pronounced seasonal thinning of the atmosphere's ozone layer.
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What are CFC's?
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(Clorofluorocarbons) They are odorless gases, which are major ozone destroyers.
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What is smog?
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An atmospheric condition in which winds cannot disperse airborne pollutants that have become trapped under a thermal inversion.
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What is acid rain?
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Acidic precipitation with high levels of sulfur and nitrogen oxides.
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What is biodiversity?
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Biological diversity in an environment, as measured by the number of species and their relative abundances.
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What is sustainability?
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Developement that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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What is eutrophication?
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Nutrient enrichment of a body of water that promotes population growth of phytoplankton and opacity.
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What is the greenhouse effect?
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When heat builds up in the lower atmosphere, it causes the temperature near Earth's surface to rise.
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What is desertification?
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Conservation of grassland or cropland to desert-like conditions.
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What are the three pillars of sustainability?
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Environmental, economic, and social.
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Waht are some main environmental issues?
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Air quality/global climate change, water availability and quality, impact of exploitation of resources, waste, and human quality of life.
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What does renewable mean?
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It means that the source is able to be recycled in some way and used again and again.
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What does non-renewable mean?
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It means that once the energy has been extracted from the source, it is no longer usable.
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What gases create a blanket-effect that holds in the sun's energy?
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CO2 and methane gases(CH4).
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What are some outcome of global climate change?
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Changes in ice caps, drying rivers/lakes, longer summers/delayed winters, more severe weather, flooding, and fires.
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What chemical cycle does global climate change effect?
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The carbon cycle.
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What are two water pollutants?
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Pesticide and fertilizer.
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What is the chemical equation for acidic precipitation?
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CO2+H2O-->H2CO3-->HCO3-+H+
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What is over-exploitation?
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Using resources with no concern for future needs.
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What is extinction?
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A natural phenomenon, however, its rate is of concern due to commercial harvest and/or fishing; illegal trade.
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What are two major outcomes of over-exploitation?
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Habitat destruction and competition by exotic(non-native) species.
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What does biodegradable mean?
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It means that materials can be broken down by microorganisms into essential nutrients.
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What does non-biodegradable mean?
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It means that materials cannot be broken down by natural processes.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of geothermal energy, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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Pollution.; It has little/no environmental impact, and it is sold at good prices.; Spots for geothermal fields are hard to find, and the fields may go through periods with no steam.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of tidal/wave energy, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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Pollution.; Water supplies are never depleted, and it is low maintainance.; It is very expensive, and it causes environmental marine safety issues.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of wind energy, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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Global climate change.; It makes no pollution, and during a power failure, places run by wind turbines will not lose power.; Wind turbines kill birds, and can be destroyed in thunder storms.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of biomass energy, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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Poor air quality.; It is cleaner than fossil fuels, and it doesn't release CO2 into the atmosphere.; It isn't easy to collect, and it isn't available year-round.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of hydrogen fuel cells, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.; It is the most abundant element, and its waste product is water.; Hydroen is difficult to store, and its difficult to distribute.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of solar energy, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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Waste.; It is "clean" energy, and it doesn't have to be transported.; It produces less power than traditional energy sources, and the solar panels are expensive.
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Name one environmental issue that is reduced because of hydropower energy, and two pros and cons of using this energy alternative.
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Need for nuclear power.; It is cheaper, and it isn't polluting.; It destroys natural habitats and can flood the surrounding environment.
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