Biology Final Exam

Front 1

What is the science of behavior called?

Back 1

Ethology; Niko, Karl, Konrad

Front 2

What are some basic differences between “proximate” and “ultimate” causes of behavior?

Back 2

Proximate--"How" questions

Ultimate--"Why" questions

Front 3

What is an innate behavior?

Back 3

Inborn behavior

Front 4

What is a “fixed action pattern”?

Back 4

A sequence of innate behaviors that is performed when triggered by a Releaser--an environmental cue that elicits the behavior

Front 5

(2) Examples of "fixed action pattern"

Back 5

1) Baby birds begging for food (Releaser)

2) Praying mantis catching and eating food

Front 6

Is behavior based on genetics or on environmental factors?

Back 6

Genetics

Front 7

What is kin selection?

Back 7

Sacrifice for close relatives

Front 8

Altruism

Back 8

Reduces one animals fitness for the sake of another

Front 9

Ecology

Back 9

the study of the relationship between organisms and the environment

Front 10

Why do Scientists study ecology?

Back 10

Disease prediction to land management

Front 11

Population

Back 11

A group of ONE species occupying a location at the same time

Front 12

Why do Scientists study populations?

Back 12

Size of the population reflects the effects of catastrophes, hunting, housing,

Front 13

What are the three types of population distribution?

Back 13

Random, Uniform, Clumped

Front 14

Why is distribution used to study populations?

Back 14

Provides a "snapshot" of a population at one time

Front 15

What causes a population to grow?

Back 15

Unlimited resources

Front 16

What causes a population to shrink?

Back 16

Limited resources, competition, disease, weather, etc.

Front 17

How do density and distribution of a population describe the population?

Back 17

It describes their territorial behavior

Front 18

What is a life table?

Back 18

A chart that shows the probability of surviving to any given age

Front 19

Why are life tables important in studying a population?

Back 19

Accounts for factors that prevent an individual from reaching its theoretical life span; ex: disease, food availability, etc.

Front 20

What is a survivorship curve ?

Back 20

A graph that depicts the number of survivors out of 1000 individuals as age increases

Front 21

What is an "age structure"?

Back 21

Diagram that helps predict future population size

Front 22

How can age structure affect population growth?

Back 22

For a population to grow there needs to be a large amount of people in their reproductive years

Front 23

Exponential growth

Back 23

Where the number of individuals is proportional to the size of the population

Front 24

Why would exponential growth of a population eventually slow or stop?

Back 24

Environmental resistance

Front 25

What is Density-dependent?

Back 25

Conditions whose growth limiting effects increase as a population grows; disease, virus'

Front 26

Density-independent factors

Back 26

effects that are unrelated to population density; Natural disasters

Front 27

How does natural selection influence reproductive strategies?

Back 27

The ones with better adapted reproductive strategies will prevail

Front 28

What is r-selected species?

Back 28

Tend to be short lived, reproduce at an early age, and have many offspring that receive little care; Pigweed, Moths

Front 29

K-selected species

Back 29

Tend to be long lived, late maturing, and to produce a small number of offspring that receive extended parental care; Humans, Elephants

Front 30

What are future human population growth predictions?

Back 30

No growth will happen in the twenty-second century

Front 31

What is a community of organisms?

Back 31

A group of interacting populations tht inhabit the same region

Front 32

What is a biotic community?

Back 32

living community

Front 33

What is an ecosystem?

Back 33

Includes all the living organisms and the non-living abiotic environment

Front 34

How are ecosystems different than communities, when studied by biologists?

Back 34

ecosystems include the non-living environment; rock, soil, water

Front 35

What is a niche?

Back 35

All the resources a species exploits for its survival, growth, and reproduction

Front 36

What is competition?

Back 36

Two or more species vie for the same resources

Front 37

What are the two types of competition?

Back 37

Competitive exclusion; Resource partitioning

Front 38

What is the theory or principle of "competitive exclusion"?

Back 38

Two species cannot coexist in the same niche

Front 39

How can resource partitioning reduce competition?

Back 39

Different organisms use the same resource in a different way

Front 40

What is symbiosis?

Back 40

One species lives in or on another

Front 41

How are symbiotic relationships related to community function?

Back 41

Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism

Front 42

Mutualism

Back 42

Both partners benefit; Algae in coral animals

Front 43

Commensalism

Back 43

One partner benefits with no effect on the other; Moss plants on tree bark

Front 44

Parasitism

Back 44

One partner benefits to the detriment of the other; Tick on a deer

Front 45

What is ecological succession?

Back 45

A gradual change in a community's species composition

Front 46

Primary Succession

Back 46

Occurs where no community previously existed

Front 47

Secondary Succession

Back 47

Occurs where a community is disturbed but not destroyed, w some soil and life remaining

Front 48

Climax community

Back 48

A community that remains fairly constant

Front 49

What are pioneer species?

Back 49

The first to colonize an area; r-selected

Front 50

Biomes

Back 50

characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region

Front 51

Trophic level

Back 51

An organisms position in the food chain, relative to the ecosystem's energy source

Front 52

Primary producer (Autotroph)

Back 52

Any organism that can use energy, CO2, H2O to produce all the organic material it requires

Front 53

Consumer (Heterotroph)

Back 53

Obtain energy from producers or other consumers

Front 54

How are trophic levels part of the food web?

Back 54

It shows the relationship between the organisms in a food web

Front 55

What is an ecological pyramid?

Back 55

Represents each trophic level as a block whose size is directly proportional to the energy stored in tissues; Because every organism looses heat

Front 56

How can an ecological pyramid show the relationships between organisms?

Back 56

It shows where organisms get their energy from

Front 57

What are the different types of pyramids?

Back 57

biomagnification; a chemical becomes more and more concentrated in organisms at higher trophic levels