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61 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Environment |
all physical, chemical and biological factors and processes that determine growth and survival of an organism. |
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sustainability |
meeting the needs of the present in an equitable and fair fashion without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs |
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sustainability maintains 3 sources of change: |
1. world is changing 2. we are changing 3. we are changing the world |
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ecosystem functions |
How of energy and matter and the processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms
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conservation of energy and matter |
1. everything goes somewhere 2. something cannot be created from nothing
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eco-stability |
dynamic homeostasis, system feedbacks, diversity and complexity |
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eco-change |
change is inevitable and essential |
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Charles Darwin video |
-preconception that nature is linked to religion -found relationship b/w fossils and animals that still live in S. Am today -mockingbird (easter island) -natural selection |
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cells |
fundamental unit of life 1. prokaryotes: very simple 2. eukaryotes: more complex (animal/plant) |
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photosynthesis |
chloroplasts in plant eukaryotes |
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chemosynthesis |
process through which bacteria obtain food in environment w/o light (extremophiles) |
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cellular respiration |
break down of glucose to produce CO2, H2O and energy |
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anerobic respiration |
respiration in the absence of oxygen, mostly bacteria or fungi (fermentation process) |
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cell division |
-need steady supply of carbs to grow -as they grow, manuf organelles -in complex org, cells differentiate into tissues that perform specialized function. |
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Organismal Growth |
1. sexual reproduction: mating, diverse offspring 2. aesexual reproduction: single parent produces exact replicas. most are single-celled, simple cell division |
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Pop Growth Rates |
PGR= (birth rate + imm rate)- (death rate+ emit rate) |
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Habitat |
environment in which an organism is found and depends on |
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Niche |
various activities that define a particular organism's role in an ecosystem |
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survival of the fittest |
1. stabilizing : out to in 2. directional: left to right 3. disruptive: in to out |
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taxonomy of organisms |
classification through description, identification, and naming. basis for comparison and hierarchy of biological classification. |
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Human Pop Growth: wealth and pop trends |
-birth rates: generally decreasing, varies -less wealthy countries have highest birth rates -infant mortality higher in poor nations -life expectancy and survivorship differences -age structure pyramids -migration: net rate, push/pull factors |
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Mathusian Catastrophe |
our demise |
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sustainability vs. carrying capacity |
-how many people can earth support -birth rates and death rates equal out |
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ecological footprint |
an estimate of the area of land needed to supply human demands for resources. |
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biocapacity |
measure of the area of land available to supply a pop with resources -eco footprint can exceed biocapacity |
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BIODIVERSITY |
variety of life in all its forms and combos and at all levels of organization |
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Call of Life Documentary |
-rate of extinction higher than rate of evolution of new species -mass extinction -pollution, pop, changing of habitats, over exploitation, global warming |
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landscape biodiversity |
-difference in the variety and abundance of species from place to place -produced by environment gradients and disturbance -many endemic species -GREAT SMOKY MTNS -disturbance mosiac |
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Community Biodiversity |
# of species, their relative abundance, and their arrangement in space |
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measure of biodiversity |
1. species richness: # of species 2. species evenness: relative abundance of different species in a community |
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structural complexity |
3D distribution of species and biological features; easy to visualize but difficult to quantify |
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genetic diversity |
the genetic variation among individuals. provides the variation upon which natural selection acts 1. outbreeding: increases genetic diversity 2. inbreeding: decreases genetic diversity |
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importance of biodiversity |
required to maintain ecosystem function and service |
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sampling effect |
higher biodiversity: greater chance of a species having a major effect on some process |
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complementarity effect |
use resources more efficiently by each species using different parts of the environment |
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ecosystem stability |
better resistance and recovery -wider range of tolerances -recovery from disturbance or change
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economic value |
provides goods and services |
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species richness can be attributed to: |
-net primary production -pleistocene climate change -habitat gradients(temp and trop regions) -ecosystem complexity
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biodiversity hotspots |
full of endemic species and high human threats |
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threats to biodiversity |
-habitat loss -habitat fragmentation -overharvesting -non-native invasive species -altered patterns of disturbance (freq/severity) |
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conservation |
proper use of nature |
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preservation |
protection of nature |
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Island Biogeography |
-12% of land is w/i a preserve -preserves are essentially islands -designed to maximize biodiversity -big, connected, near, buffers, manage people, accommodate landscape change |
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1900 Lacey Act |
-prohibits trade in wildlife taken illegally -FWS created to enforce -1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act
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Role of Private Landowner |
-80% of land is privately owned -zoning to encourage biodiversity protection -gov incentive based programs -land trusts |
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Endangered Species Trade and Harvest |
-1975 convention on international trade in endangered species -1946 The international whaling commission -unfortunately often limited and corrupt |
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Biomes |
communities of similar organisms found in a particular climate
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convergent evolution |
process by which natural selection favors similar features among otherwise unrelated species |
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Atmospheric circulation & climate determine the distribution of Biomes |
-tropical zone: equator to 25 latitude -temperate zone: 25-60 -polar: above 60 |
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continental climates |
daily and seasonal temps vary widely |
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maritime climates |
experience much less variation in temperature compared to cont. climates |
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tropical rain forest |
-climate: persistent rain, warm temps -ecology: high rate of productivity, not many nutrients in the soil, complex vegetation layers -extremely valuable biome -half of species have yet to be discovered -extremely threatened medical benefits -high bioD |
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Tropical seasonal forest |
-distinct, dry season -somewhat of a transition zone based on precip |
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Tropical savannah |
-highly seasonal rainfall -drought for more than half the year -feast/famine environment -large mammals -grasses and scattered trees and shrubs |
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temperate deciduous forest |
-deciduous trees -disturbed by humans -year round precip |
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temp evergreen forest |
-less precip and warmer temps than deciduous -conifer trees: otherwise lush and diverse
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temperate chaparral |
-prominent feature is the summer drought -SoCal, mediterranean -sclerophyllus vegetation
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temp grassland |
-too dry to support forest -wet enough to prevent desert formation
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Polar boreal forest (russia) |
-growing season <4 months -bitterly cold and long winters -spruce and fir -permafrost at high latitudes
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polar tundra |
-3 month growing season -harsh winters -surprising biodiversity |
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deserts |
-region with sustained and significant moisture deficit -not always hot -large fluctuations in daily temps |
