Ecology Concepts

Front 1

climate

Back 1

prevailing weather conditions over time
--determined by:
a. latitude (curvation of the Earth & angle of incident of solar radiation
b. altitude
c. topography = proximity to H20 (holds heat longer)

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biome

Back 2

large geographic area defined by climate and vegetation (some animals)

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tundra

Back 3

20% of surface of the earth.
-ice covered
-permafrost = soil is frozen
-vegetation = short grasses, dwarf shrubs
-animals = caribou, reindeer, smaller mammals, owls, lynx, snowshoe hare

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taiga

Back 4

(boreal, N. coniferous forest) 11% of land mass. includes:
-boreal (Canada, Russia)
-montane coniferous forest
-vegetation: needles on trees, evergreen, limited understory, rainforest has epiphytes (plant growth on trees)
-animals: many mammals, amphibians, some reptiles, birds

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temperate forest (close relative to N. coniferous forest)

Back 5

14% of land mass.
includes:
-boreal (Canada)

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temperate deciduous forest

Back 6

climate = moderate, w/ definite seasons
-vegetation: canopy that lets sunlight penetrate - definite understory
-animals: nut, berry, fruit eaters

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tropical forest

Back 7

temperature between 20-25 *C
-190 cm rainfall/year
-vegetation: broadleaf, woody vines, canopy & understory
-animals: tropical

Front 8

shrubland

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shrub = no central trunk
-climate: dry, windy
-vegetation: small, dry, seeds need fire

Front 9

lake zonation

Back 9

depth in a lake
-zones are determined by light availability

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euphatic zone

Back 10

lighted & usually well-mixed portion of a body of water from the sruface down to where the light level is 1% that of the surface

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limnetic zone

Back 11

surface water layer where light pentrates beyond the influence of the shoreline

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littoral zone

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near shore, light penetrates, shallow enough for rooted plants to grow

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profundal zone

Back 13

aphotic, below limnetic zone to bottom of lake

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intertidal zones

Back 14

region between high/low tide
-can be rocky, sand, gravel, or mud

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epipelagic zone

Back 15

sunlit region from surface down to ~100-50m
thin layer, meets seafloor in inshore regions of continental shelf

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mesopelagic zone

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"twilight zone"
-upperregions have a little light 150-1000m in depth
-bioluminescent orgs - capture prey, attract mates

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bathypelagic zone

Back 17

1000-3000m in depth, no light

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abyssal zone

Back 18

the abyss:
3000m-seafloor

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benthic zone

Back 19

seafloor

Front 20

upwelling

Back 20

wind-driven motion moves surface waters away
-dense, cooler, nutrient-rich waters move up toward ocean surface
-seasonal, climate change-induced winds

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coral reefs

Back 21

cnidarian polyps. tiny polyps secrete Ca[CO3]2 shells to form a large, hardbed of coral. insde polyps are algae zooxanthellae - photosynthesis
-provide glucose for polyp; polyp provides habitat - mutualism

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estuary

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partially enclosed body of water formed where freshwater from rivers & streams flows into the ocean
-salt & freshwater mix
-"nurseries of the sea"
-grasses

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wetland

Back 23

an area of land where soil is saturated with moisture permanently or seasonally

Front 24

riparian zone

Back 24

ecosystems located along the banks of rivers or streams; soil is very moist; tree roots stabilize

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epiphyte

Back 25

plant that grows on other plants' mass

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canopy

Back 26

top layer of a forest

Front 27

understory

Back 27

beneath the canpoy layer (smaller trees/shrubs)

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leaf litter

Back 28

detritus on forest floor

Front 29

macroinvertebrates

Back 29

small insects and crustaceans
-aquatic or soil

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macrophyte

Back 30

phyte = plant
large plants in littoral zone of a lake

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ecosystem

Back 31

living community & environment
-includes biotic (living organisms) and abiotic factors (wind, tide, temp., moisture)

Front 32

within ecosystems-
energy flows -
nutrient cycles -

Back 32

energy flows through trophic levels
nutrient cycles - C, N, P, --> H2O

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trophic level

Back 33

all the organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain

Front 34

primary producers

Back 34

-photosynthetic organisms, autotrophs

Front 35

consumers

Back 35

1*, 2*, 3*, 4* - top level b/c of 10% rule

Front 36

biomass

Back 36

any weight of a population of orgs

Front 37

trophic pyramids (3)

Back 37

1) energy pyramids
--calories (Joules)/m2
2) biomass pyramids
-- grams/m2
3) numbers: count population level
-- #/m2

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grazing food web

Back 38

based on living producers

Front 39

detrital food web

Back 39

based on dead organic matter

Front 40

decomposers

Back 40

break down dead animals and plants, also break down waste (poop)
ex. earthworms, fungi, bacteria

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heterotroph

Back 41

An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition

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photoautotroph

Back 42

An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances using light as an energy source

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autotroph

Back 43

Any living organism that synthesizes organic substances from inorganic molecules by using light or chemical energy

Front 44

ecosystem

Back 44

living community & environment
-includes biotic (living organisms) and abiotic factors (wind, tide, temp., moisture)

Front 45

within ecosystems-
energy flows -
nutrient cycles -

Back 45

energy flows through trophic levels
nutrient cycles - C, N, P, --> H2O

Front 46

trophic level

Back 46

all the organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain

Front 47

primary producers

Back 47

-photosynthetic organisms, autotrophs

Front 48

consumers

Back 48

1*, 2*, 3*, 4* - top level b/c of 10% rule

Front 49

biomass

Back 49

any weight of a population of orgs

Front 50

trophic pyramids (3)

Back 50

1) energy pyramids
--calories (Joules)/m2
2) biomass pyramids
-- grams/m2
3) numbers: count population level
-- #/m2

Front 51

detritus

Back 51

non-living particulate organic material

Front 52

hydrologic cycle (3 steps)

Back 52

1. evaporation from surface of ocean
2. rises, cools, condenses to form clouds
3. clouds blown by wind and transport moisture around the globe, returns as precipitation

Front 53

carbon cycle (4 steps/kinds)

Back 53

cycles between a source and a sink
1) Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O --> C6H12O6 + 6O2
--autotrophs (carbon sinks)
2) Cellular Respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 --> 6CO2 +6H2O
-all living orgs (carbon source)
3) decomposition: break down detritus into elemental Carbon (in soil or exhaled)
4) APG (anthropogenic):
-human induced: burning fossil fuels, wood, factories

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what happens to groundwater? (2 steps)

Back 54

1) transpiration (trees = pump)
2) seeps into rivers and streams

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carbon fixation

Back 55

removal of inorganic carbon from atmosphere & attachment to an organic molecule
CO2 --> C6H12O2

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nitrogen fixation

Back 56

remove N2 from atmosphere (with nitrogen-fixing bacteria which live on or in plant roots)

Front 57

oligotrophic (lakes)

Back 57

-low in nitrates and phosphate
-high in DO (dissolved oxygen)
-translucent water
-healthy fish
-low--moderate phytoplankton

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eutrophic (lakes)

Back 58

-high in nitrates and phosphates
-high turbidity
-eutrophication:
--in nutrients high in algae
--decomposed by bacteria, conserve oxygen in the lake
--bacteria consume O2
--fish die

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ecological succession

Back 59

growth of plants in predictable series over time following a disturbance

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DO

Back 60

dissolved oxygen

Front 61

primary succession

Back 61

recolonization after soil-removing disturbance
--floods, volcanoes

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pioneer species

Back 62

1* = lichens + mosses
2* = grasses + herbs -->
small plants + shrubs -->
deciduous trees -->
coniferous -->
climax community

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climax community

Back 63

mature stable community
(cedar, hemlock, alder)

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secondary succession

Back 64

remaining soil (from primary succession)
logging, mudslide, fire

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community

Back 65

-below ecosystem, above population
-living orgs within a given area

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herbivore

Back 66

consumes primarily plants

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carnivore

Back 67

eat herbivores, but can eat omnivores, and occasionally other carnivores

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omnivore

Back 68

eat both plants and animals as primary food source

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insectivore

Back 69

type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures

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predator

Back 70

An organism that lives by preying on other organisms

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prey

Back 71

An animal hunted or caught for food; quarry

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prey defenses

Back 72

-aggression
-avoidance
-cryptic coloration (match backround)
-aposematic coloration (mark it as dangerous/poisonious)
--nudibranch; poisonous dart frogs
-mimicry: harmless bee mimics poisonous wasp

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predator - prey interactions

Back 73

more prey = more predators
more predators = less prey
-keystone predator: predator presence increases biodiversity because it prevents a single species from dominating

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ecological niche

Back 74

role of an organism in an ecosystem

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habitat

Back 75

place where organism lives

Front 76

interspecific competition

Back 76

a form of competition in which individuals of different species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem

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intraspecific competition

Back 77

a particular form of competition in which members of the same species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem

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agonistic behavior

Back 78

any social behaviour related to fighting, such as aggressive or submissive behaviours

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courtship behavior

Back 79

behavior in which males and females of the same species prepare for mating

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symbiosis

Back 80

the living together of two dissimilar organisms, as in mutualism, commensalism, amensalism, or parasitism.

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parasitism

Back 81

a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the host

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commensalism

Back 82

a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is unaffected

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mutualism

Back 83

any relationship between two species of organisms that benefits both species

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population

Back 84

all the organisms that both belong to the same species and live in the same geographical area

Front 85

biotic factors

Back 85

the living things that shape an ecosystem. They are, any living component that affects another organism

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abiotic factors

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non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment

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limiting factors

Back 87

limit population growth

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carrying capacity

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the population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely

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density dependent factor

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living organisms (crowding)

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density independent factor

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natural disaster diminishes health of ecosystem

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biotic potential

Back 91

numbers could be at ideal conditions

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logistic growth

Back 92

growth of a population whose biotic potential is checked by limiting facors so population reaches carrying capacity
(S curve)

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exponential growth

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growth at ideal conditions
(J curve)

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environmental resistance

Back 94

The effect of physical and biological factors in preventing a species from reproducing at its maximum rate

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r-selection

Back 95

occurs in an environment with plentiful resources, favoring a reproductive strategy in which many offspring are produced

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K-selection

Back 96

occurs in an environment at or near carrying capacity, favoring a reproductive strategy in which few offspring are produced.

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semelparity

Back 97

one time reproductive event (usually followed by death of org)

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iteroparity

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repeated reproductive events

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species diversity

Back 99

the number of different species in a particular area

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species richness

Back 100

simply the number of species present in a sample, community, or taxonomic group

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species evenness

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relative abundance or proportion of individuals among the species

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population

Back 102

all the organisms that both belong to the same species and live in the same geographical area

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pheromone

Back 103

chemicals released by an organism into its environment enabling it to communicate with other members of its own species

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biomagnification

Back 104

the increase in concentration of a substance

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greenhouse gases

Back 105

gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range

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ozone shield

Back 106

the layer of ozone that hangs in the atmosphere from 20 to 40 miles above the surface of the earth and protects the earth from excessive ultraviolet rays

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taxis

Back 107

an innate behavioral response by an organism to a directional stimulus or gradient of stimulus intensity