Ecology Exam 1

Front 1

environment

Back 1

all factors, biotic and abiotic, that affect an organism during the course of its life.

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environmental science

Back 2

all sciences that help to explore relationships in the environment.

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natural history

Back 3

predates ecology and consists primarily of catologuing plants, animals, and minerals in a particular area.

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ecology

Back 4

the study of the relationship and interactions that exist between organisms and tehir environment and among organisms themselves.

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three main types of interactions in ecology:

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1. action
2. reactions
3. coactions

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ecogical heirarchy

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the step-wise organization of the levels of ecology

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physiological (organismal) ecology

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lowest level of the ecological heirarchy. focuses on single responses of single organisms to their environment.

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Ernst Mayer's biological species concept

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states that a species is a reproductively isolated group of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that produces fertile offspring.

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populations

Back 9

groups of individuals of the same species all interacting and living together in the same place at the same time. Evolution affects populations, not individuals

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communities

Back 10

populations of different species all living and interacting together

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ecosystem

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the sum total of all the species on a site, along with the physical factors that affect them

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landscapes

Back 12

assemblages of overlapping and adjacent ecosystems

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biomes

Back 13

large ecological units composed of many overlapping landscapes. Each biome has its own prevailing climate and characteristic plant and animal life. There are twelve major biomes on earth.

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biosphere

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essentially the entire earth and parts of its atmosphere. Biosphere ecology is the highest and most complex level of ecological study.

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autecology

Back 15

?

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synecology

Back 16

?

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basic ecology

Back 17

?

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applied ecology

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?

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applied ecology: conservation

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involoves the principle of susatainable yield; that is, humans can and should use nature, but not to the point of destruction. Sensibility and responsibility.

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applied ecology: preservation

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the "hands off" approach to nature. Humans should not use the environment for economic gains and untouched areas should be left alone.

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environmentalism

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sociopolitical movement concerned with the affects of humans on nature and devoted to stopping or minimizing them.

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weather

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combination of temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, cloudiness, and other atmospheric conditions at a specific place and time.

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climate

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long term, average pattern of weather. This is the greatest constraint on organisms in their environment.

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solar radiation

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from the sun. Helps generate prevailing winds and ocean currents by causing thermal patterns. Solar radiation is also subject to the greenhouse effect, which is normally beneficial, but can lead to unnatural global warming.

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coriolis effect

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several large air masses circulate across the surface of the earth. These masses deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.

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ocean currents

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systematic patterns of weather movement in the oceans. Each of the four major oceans are dominated by two massice currents known as gyres.

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microclimates

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the conditions in which most organisms live do not match that of the general climate. Instead, thier immediate surroundings modify the local climate. N-facing slopes, S-facing slopes, valleys, meadows.

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electromagnetic spectrum

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contains all types of radiation, including visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared light.

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visible light

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inclused all the colors of the rainbow and is the only portion of of the spectrum that is usable by plants for photosynthesis.

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ultraviolet light

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composed of wavelengths that are shorter than those of visible light

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infrared light

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contains long wavelengths. Includes terrestrial radiation; that is, longer wavelength heat rays given off by the earth itself.

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Light that reaches vegetation will be _______, _________, or _________?

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1. reflected
2. transmitted
3. absorbed

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Light _______, ________, & __________ are important to living organisms.

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1. intensity
2. directionality
3. duration

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Leaf area index (LAI)

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a measure of foliage density that takes into account number, size, position, and shape of leaves in the canopy.

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attenuation

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(decreasing intensity). Attenuation of light increases with increasing leaf area.

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The photosynthetic activity of any plant is directly proportional to ________________________.

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the amount of light the plant receives.

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light compensation point

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the light level at which the rate of CO2 uptake in photosynthesis equals the rate of CO2 loss due to cellular respiration. (at this point, photosynthesis proceeds so slowly that it only meets the needs of cellular respiration, such that the plant can do nothing more than survive).

Front 38

light saturation point

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the light level at which a further increase in light intensity no longer results in an increase in the rate of photosynthesis.

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photoinhibition

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in plants adapted to low light level conditions, too much lught can actually have a negative effect on the rate of photosynthesis.

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shade-tolerance

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the ability of a plant to survive, grow, and reproduce in the shade.

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shade-intolenace or "sun species"

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plants adapted to high light levels

Front 42

*Ecology focuses on three major types of interactions between organisms and their environments:

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1. actions
2. reactions
3. coactions

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*While attending an ecological conference, you hear one of the speakers talk about and support the principle of sustainable yield. He would be classified as a _________________.

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conservationist

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*A _______________ is a reproductively isolated group of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that produces fertile offspring.

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species

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*Briefly describe the difference between a population and a community.

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A population is a group of the same species living and interacting in the same place at the same time. A community is a group of different species living and interacting together.

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*The fundamental units of ecological study are ___________.

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ecosystems

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*A biologist decides to go out into the field and catalgue all of the plant life that exists in Spencer Crest Nature Center. By doing this, she is really studying the ____________ of the area.

Back 47

natural history

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*Once in graduate school, you decide to study the behavior of barred owls in their natural habitat under natural, undisturbed conditions. This type of research is classified as ___________ ecology.

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preservationist

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*_____________ is the greatest constraint of the physical environment on organisms.

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climate

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*The factor that forms and moderates microclimates the most is _____________.

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temperature

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*Plants use only the _______________ portion of the electromagnetic spectrum during photosynthesis.

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visible light

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optimum temperature range

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all organisms have this. It is the range under which they best survive, grow, and reproduce. Adaptations for maintaining this optimum temperature affect the rate of heat gain, heat loss, or both.

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cold-tolerance

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basically a genetic adaptation, although many plants can develop frost-hardiness.

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heat-tolerance

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can be genetic or metabolic and is lowest during main periods of growth. Transpiration and adaptive pricesses in cells all contribute to heat-tolerance.

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endotherms

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rely on stored energy to generate heat through internal metabolic processes. They maintain a relatively constant body temperature, regardless of environmental conditions.

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ectotherms

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rely on external, environmental sources to heat and cool their bodies. Their body temperature fluctuates with that of the environment, but these organisms use many strategies to keep their body temp as constant as possible.

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heterotherms

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represent an intermediate group. They use both endothermy and ectothermy.

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torpor

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temporary and short-term state of dormancy

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hibernate

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semi-permanent dormancy in the winter

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estivate

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semi-perminent dormancy in the summer

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__________ is the main limiting factor for most organisms.

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water

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water is polar or nonpolar?

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polar

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imp't properties of water

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high viscocity, high surface tension, high specific heat, cohesion, adhesion, capillarity, and imbibition.

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The _________, __________, and __________ of water are very important to living organisms.

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quality, clarity, and salinity

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humidity

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the amount of moisture in the air in the form of water vapor

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xerophytes

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plants adapted to grow in dry environs. Their most serious problem is conserving water.

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mesophytes

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plants adapted to grow in moderate amounts of water.

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hydrophytes

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plants adapted to grow in wet environs. Their largest concern is too little CO2 and O2 because the concentration of these gases is much lower in water than in air.

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hydroperiods

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length of time during any given year that the soil is saturated.

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halophytes

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plants that have to deal with high levels of salinity (salt).

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freshwater species

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must deal primarily with ridding their bodies of excess water and retaining salts and other ions. A flame cell system or kidneys are used to combat this problem.

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saltwater species

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must deal with water leaving their odies and salt/ions entering it. Saltwater species can be either osmoconformers or osmoregulators.

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terrestrial species

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must deal with water conservation and obtaining enough water in the first place. Water conservation is accomplished through nephridia, amlphigian tubules, or kidneys. Terrestrial animals possess a wide varieyy of adaptations to get them through periods of drought or very cold, including a state of arrested development called "diapause."

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*The minimum level of light that a plant needs to photosynthesize and survive is more properly called the _____________.

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light compensation point

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*A quantitative measure of foliage density that takes into account the number, size, shape, and position of leaves on a plant is termed the ________________________.

Back 75

LAI = leaf area index

Front 76

*What is shade-tolerance?

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A shade tolerant plant is a plant with the ablity to live in shaded areas.

Front 77

*List one way in which organisms can gain heat and one way they lose heat.

Back 77

gain = conduction
loss = convection

Front 78

*Many plants posses adaptations that allow them to withstand very cold temperatures for a temporary period of time. What is this adaptation more properly called?

Back 78

frost hardiness

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*State the major advantage and disadvantage that faces ectotherms.

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advantage = requires less food and E intake/consumption
disadvantage = they have to use behavioral mechanisms and the environment to thermoregulate. They are at teh mercy of the environment.

Front 80

*The property of water that allows many aquatic insects to live and move across the surface of a body of water with ease is called: ________________

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surface tension

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*Plants adapted to survive, grow, and reproduce in very dry or desert conditions are termed _______________.

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xerophytes

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*As far as water and moisture are concerned, what do a cactus, a shark, and a human all have in common?

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all three share the imperitive of obtaining and retaining water.

Front 83

essential nutrients

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nutrients that are absolutely required by living organisms and which cannot be synthesized within the organism. Must be obtained via heterotrophy or autotrophy.

Front 84

weathering

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a large percentage of macronutrients and micronutrients are released from rocks during this process.

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(Acidic or basic) soil usually has lower nutrient content and overall fertility.

Back 85

Acidic

Front 86

Depending of tolerance of Ca, plants can be ______________, ____________________, or __________________.

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1. Calciphobes
2. Calciphilies
3. Neutrophiles

Front 87

How do plants obtain nutrients from the soil?

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They are absorbed as dissolved ions via diffusion or active transport through root hairs.

Front 88

mycorrhizal associations

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plants further increase their absorptive surface area through this.

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Fixation

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the process of pulling an elemental gas directly out of the atmosphere and combining it with an acceptor molecule.

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N-fixation

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before plants can absorb N, it must first be converted into a form that is usable by them.

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All plants have a __________________________ for any given nutrient.

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maximum uptake rate

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decomposition

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a form of cellular respiration that helps return CO2 to the atmosphere. It is the chemical breakdown of dead, energy-rich organic matter by bacteria, fungi, and a few other types of organisms.

Front 93

Detritivores and microbivores

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help regulate the rate of decomposition by controlling the amount of detritus and decomposers that are present.

Front 94

Decomposition releases:

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heat, CO2, and inorganic nutrients.. these become available to plants through leaching, fragmentation, colonization, chemical breakdown, and consumption.

Front 95

mineralization

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the release of nutrients tied up in dead matter back to the soil.

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immobilization

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when decomposers also remove nutrients from the soil in order to meet their own nutritional needs.

Front 97

rate of decomposition

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limits teh overall reate of nutrient availability in any ecosystem. In turn, the decomposition rate is affected by many abiotic factors and the quality of the detritus.

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periodicity

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an organism's cycles of activity

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photoperiod

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the length of time during an given day that an area receives light.

Front 100

biological clock

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an innate mechanism by which organisms are able to perceive the lapse and flow of time. All clocks have a genetic component.

Front 101

Biological clocks are influenced by:

Back 101

photoperiod, temp, and/or moisture

Front 102

Melatonin

Back 102

animal hormone involved in biological clocks

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phytochrome

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plant hormone involved in biological clocks

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biorhythms

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behaviors that occur in response to an organisms's biological clock

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circadian rhythms

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daily cycles of activity. They arise internally, but are greatly influenced by photoperiod. (day-night cycles)

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clock-shifting

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an organism's daily clock can be shifted about 1 hour a day in either direction.

Front 107

annual rhythms

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yearly cycles of activity that are usually expressed in the seasons of the year. Sometimes referred to as "seasonality."

Front 108

phenology

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the study of seasonality or annual rhythms

Front 109

The timing of many seasonal events is based on _____________________.

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photoperiod.

Front 110

lunar rhythms

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biorhythms based on tidal activity caused by the moon. Therefore, lunar cycles follow a monthly pattern of activity. Esp. imp't for tidal species or organisms that live in intertidal zones.

Front 111

*While purusing the magazing "Horticulture" one day, you come across an article that describes a type of tomato plant as a calciphile. What type of soil does this plant prefer and what would you add to your garden to maki it the proper type?

Back 111

soil preferred = calcium rich
what you should add = calcium

Front 112

*The rate at which a plant can uptake nutrients from the soil is limited most by what process?

Back 112

decomposition?

Front 113

*One day you are helping your supervisor perform an in-depth analysis in the ecology lab. While examining the microbes in the soil, your supervisor suddenly tells you that she has found a new species of bacteria that can fix sulfur from the atmosphere. What does she mean by this?

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The bacteria can pull sulfur from the environment and harness it into a usable form.

Front 114

*Briefly explain why myorrhizal associations are important to plants.

Back 114

Mycorrhizae help plants obtain usable nutrients and water.

Front 115

*In general, why do carnivorous plants have to supplement their diet by capturing and then consuming live animal prey?

Back 115

Their environment lacks the essential nutrients, so they have to get them from another source.

Front 116

*As decomposers digest and breakdown dead organic material, they convert nutrients in this matter to a form usable by plants and ten release the nutrients to the atmosphere or soil. This process is known as

Back 116

?

Front 117

*Several factors limit the overall rate of decomposition in an ecosystem. Name one of them.

Back 117

Temperature?

Front 118

*From a nutritional standpoint, how do carnivores compensate for poor quality herbivore stock?

Back 118

By consuming more.

Front 119

*Briefly define photoperiod.

Back 119

The length of time during the day in which there is usable light.

Front 120

*An organism's daily cycles of activity, that operate on a 24-hour cycle, are more properly called ___________ rhythms.

Back 120

circadian.

Front 121

*The process of maintaining internal stability in spite of environmental fluctuation and variation is known as _____________.

Back 121

homeostasis

Front 122

Briefly define what a tolerance range is.

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A tolerance range represents a continuum of factors in which an organism can grow, reproduce, and survive.

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*If environmental conditions are best for survival, growth, and reproduction, an organism is siad to be living in its _____________ range.

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optimum.

Front 124

*Non-evolutionary, physiological adjustments to changes in teh environment are more properly called __________________.

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phenotypic plasticity

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*The performance of any organism is determined most by the resource that is in shortest supply. This principle is known as: ________________________.

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law of limited resources

Front 126

*While flipping through the latest edition of the professional journal "Ecology," you find an article in which the author is describing a new species of insect she has discovered. In this article, she carefull details teh habitat, feedling preferences, daily activities, environmental requirements, and a while host of other variables related to this species. In this example, the researcher is really describing the _______ of this new species.

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niche

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*What are indicator species?

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species that can show ... ?

Front 128

*State one advantage of dispersal.

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An organism cna obtain more resources and opportunities than it could in its natural environment.

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*Active dispersers, like many birds and mammals, show a general pattern of dispersal known as ___________.

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Bimodal.

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*Why does dispersal usually not extend the geographic range of a species?

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Some factor at the edge of the geographic range inhibits growth; possibly a limited resource of an intolerable abiotic factor.

Front 131

population

Back 131

a group of individuals of the same species all living in the same place at the same time

Front 132

evolution occurs on the _____________ level.

Back 132

population

Front 133

demography

Back 133

the study of plant and animal populations

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abundance

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the total number of individuals of a species that inhabit a particular area

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dispersion

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the way in which individuals are distributed or spread out in a given area. can be clumped, random, or uniform.

Front 136

metapopulation

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a group of smaller populations that are all linked and held together by the dispersal and movement of individuals between them.

Front 137

age structure

Back 137

the ratio of individuals in various age classes within the population: prereproductive, reproductive, postreproductive.

Front 138

problems in determining age structure:

Back 138

plants: suppressed growth
animals: logistics

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primary sex ratio

Back 139

determined at conception. tends to be 1:1.

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secondary sex ratio

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determined at birth or hatching. It is often weighed more toward males because males tend to have a lower life expectancy.

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tertiary sex ratio

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ratio of juveniles. This ratio tends to fluctuate, but is weighed more towards males because they reach sexual maturity faster.

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quaternary sex ratio

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the ratio of adults in a population. tends to be 1:1.

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cohort

Back 143

a group of individuals all born at the same time