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110 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Abiotic |
Non-living, including temperature, light, humidity, wind, salinity, pH and water |
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Biotic |
Living, including competition, exploitation (predation/ herbivory/ parasitism) and mutualism |
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Physiological Tolerance |
The limits/tolerance of abiotic factors of an organism |
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Receptors |
Detect specific environmental stimuli. Photoreceptors=light, Chemoreceptors = chemicals, Mechanoreceptors = sound |
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Effectors |
Produce a response to the stimuli such as behaviour |
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Innate Behavior (animal) |
Genetically determined and cannot be modified by experience |
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Learnt Behavior(animal) |
Behavior that changes as a result of experience |
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Growth responses (plant) |
Brought about by slow, permanent changes in cell size |
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Turgor responses (plant) |
reversible and are caused by changes in cell water content |
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Adaptions |
Fit an organism for living successfully in its habitat and way of life. These include structural (body), behavioral (behavior) and physiological (chemical processes) |
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Niche |
Where an organism lives and how it lives there. Fundamental niche: an niche an organism WOULD occupy Realized niche: the actual niche an organism lives in |
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Gauses principle |
No two species with similar niches can live in harmony - one will out compete the other or one will adapt to a new niche. Interspecific competition occurs |
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Vacant niches |
When colonizing, a species may find an uninhabited niche and so adapt to occupy this niche, leading to evolution |
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Nocturnal |
Night active
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Diurnal |
Day ctive |
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Crepuscular |
Active during dawn/dusk |
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Annual Rhythms |
Seasonal changes as earth rotates around the sun eg. migration |
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Photoperiod |
Day length |
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Tidal Rhythms |
Gravitational pull of moon causes the tides every 12.5 hours |
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Lunar Rhythms |
Rotation of moon around the earth, 29.5 days |
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Semi-lunar Rhythms |
Occur every 15 days at the highest tides |
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Endogenous Rhythms |
Internally driven, biological clock is independent to changes of the external environment |
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Exogenous Rhythms |
Externally driven solely by external events and environmental cues |
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Free Running |
A rhythm continues in constant environmental conditions. It is unaffected by external time cues. |
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Period |
When an organism is free running, its period does not correspond exactly with the period of the environment rhythm |
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Circadian |
About a day because free running endogenous rhythms are never exactly 24 hours. Circatidal = about 12.5 hours Circalunar = about 29.5 days Circannual = about 365 days |
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Entrainment |
The internal clock must continually be rest/entrained by the environment as it is not exact. Without entrainment, internal and external rhythms would become de-synchronised. It must have a transmission of a signal from the receptor to the clock. It is important as it allows animals to adapt to seasons and make the most out of their days/nights and it also lets migratory animals update their clocks regularly. |
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Zeitgeber |
The environmental cue to reset the internal clock in entrainment |
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Phase Shifting |
The time of the peaks of an endogenous rhythm are advanced or retarded. Phase shifting can occur by using the appropriate environmental cue. |
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Continuously consulted clocks |
Solar navigation in which the sun is used as a compass in relation to the direction the animal in going |
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Seasonal Rhythms |
Organisms can avoid the "bad" seasons and thrive in the "good" |
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Photoperiodism |
The regulation of seasonal activity by day length or photoperiod such as hibernation and migration |
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Long day plants |
Only flower when the photoperiod exceeds a certain value known as the Critical Day Length, and these plants flower as the days get longer in late spring/early summer. If a long night is interrupted with a few minutes of light, long day plants are induced to flowering. |
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Short day plants |
Only flower when the photoperiod is less than the Critical Day Length, usually flowering in autumn or spring. If a long night is interrupted with a few minutes of light, shortday plants are prevented from flowering. |
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Red light |
Can prevent flowering in SDP, and induce it in LDP. The phytochrome symbol is Pr. |
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Far Red light |
can reverse red light effects and cancel them out. The phytochrome symbol is Pfr. |
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Phytochrome |
A pigment that activates the photoperiod response. Pr absorbs red light to change to Pfr, and Pfr absorbs far red light to change to Pr. In darkness, Pfr slowly converts back to Pr. |
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Bud Dormancy |
Short days trigger winter buds and these stay dormant until spring when bees come around to pollinate, allowing plants to reach sexual maturity that coincides with when pollinators are most active. |
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Abscisic Acid |
Growth inhibitor for bud dormancy |
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Gibberellin |
When chilled, this hormone initiate the growth of a plant |
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Abscission |
Precedes leaf fall, and is a complex process involving changes in a layer of cells at the base of the lead called the abscission layer. |
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Vernalisation |
Promotion of flowering by chilling after a prolonged period of growth |
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Diapause |
A period of arrested development, common in insects and other anthropods native to climates with a cold season |
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Taxes |
The movement of an organism either towards or away from an external stimulus. It is a directional response which is innate. Positive means towards, negative means away. Photo = light, chemo = chemical, gravi = gravity, thermo = heat, thigmo = objects, rheo = current |
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Tropotaxis |
This involves the simultaneous comparison between impulse frequency from receptors on the two sides of an animal. |
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Klinotaxis |
Only requires 1 distinct area of a receptor to compare the strength of the stimulus over time |
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Kinesis |
The movement of an organism which is random. It is non-directional and innate. |
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Orthokinesis |
Stimulus intensity governs the speed of movement - faster in unfavourable conditions and vice versa, allowing an organism to be more likely to find favourable conditions |
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Klinokinesis |
Stimulus intensity determines the rate of turning. |
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Homing |
Is the ability of an animal to return over unfamiliar territory to its "home", usually on a regular basis. |
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Navigation |
Innate behavior which allows an animal to find its way home, requiring a sense of direction (compass) and a sense of location. These can include landmark navigation, solar navigation, stellar navigation, magnetic fields, chemical navigation, and sound navigation. |
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Migration |
The movement of individuals from one geographic location to another in order for the animal to always be in optimum conditions. Animals use photoperiod to judge when to leave and it is innate. It also gives better chances for young to survive, however it also uses much energy, and may result in getting lost or being hunted en route |
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Autotroph |
Plants make food from photosynthesis |
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Tropisms |
Growth responses by parts of a plant to abiotic factors, and is used to place the plant in more favourable environmental conditions, and is the growth response towards or away from an external stimulus and is directional. |
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Positive Phototropism |
Growth of stem towards light to ensure maximum light for photosynthesis |
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Positive gravitropism |
Growth of young shoot downwards from seed to anchor the plant |
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Negative gravitropism |
Growth of young shoot upwards from seed towards the light |
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Positive hydrotropism |
Growth of roots towards a water source |
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Poositive thigmotropism |
growth of stem of climbing plants |
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Auxins |
Auxins are responsible for phototropism and are produced in the tops of shoots and stems, and migrate throughout the plant, promoting elongation and differentiation of cells |
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Hormones |
Control plant growth and life cycle and are specific to their needs. They are effective in small amounts and can be transported to other areas of the plant. |
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Phototropism |
Growth response seen in plants where plants grow either towards (+) or away (-) from the light. The stimulus is detected by the tip of the coleptile. Because auxin promotes elongation and is always found on the dark side, the auxin side of the plant is longer and the plant bends towards light. It is also water soluble (auxins) and so does not require intact cells. Auxin makes it easier for osmotic uptake and enlargement of the cell. |
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Plumule |
Negatively gravitropic (first shoot) |
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Radicle |
Positively gravitropic (first root) |
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Gravitropism |
Allows seeds that are randomly scattered to know which way is up/down for correct growth |
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Nastic responses |
Rapid, reversible movement responses by parts of a plant to changes in abiotic factors, removing a plant or part of the plant from unfavourable environmental conditions. They are non-directional and occur to changes in the intensity of the stimulus. |
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Photonasty (nastic) |
The collapse of leaves when exposed to high light intensity |
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Nyctinasty(nastic) |
The closing of petals of the flowers |
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Thigmonasty(nastic) |
Response to touch |
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Thermonasty(nastic) |
Flowers of some plants close in low temperatures |
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Interspecific |
Relationship between DIFFERENT species |
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Commensalism |
2 species relationship in which one benefits and the other is neutral |
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Mutualism |
2 species relationship in which both benefit |
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Exploitation |
2 species relationship in which one benefits and one is harmed |
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Herbivory |
Animals eat plants/leaves/flowers and so the animal benefits and the plant is harmed. Animals help reduce competition amongst plants while plants have adapted and evolved in order to combat some animals. |
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Parasitism |
A parasite lives and feeds from another living organism |
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Ectoparasites |
Live and feed on the outside of the host |
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Endoparasites |
Live and feed on the inside of the host |
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Predation |
Involves a carnivore which hunts and kills another animal, and both the carnivore and victim shape each other's evolution. |
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Synchronised Breeding |
In large colonies, individuals of both sexes are sexually stimulated by neighbours and partners and so synchronized breeding takes place, making breeder season faster. |
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Co-evolution |
Occurs when 2 species with a strong ecological relationship influence each other's evolution by exerting selection pressures on the other |
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Competition |
Involves a relationship between the members of 2 species in which both are harmed and it occurs when resources are in short supply. |
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Character displacement |
Occurs when the differences in a characteristic common to different species is exaggerated, reducing competition |
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Sympatric species |
Species sharing the same habitat |
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Stratification |
A distinct vertical pattern seen in the species distribution in a community and is typical in most plant communities |
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Zonation |
A distinct horizontal pattern seen in the species distribution, the species best adapted to the particular environmental conditions present in a zone is the dominant species |
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Succession |
A distinct pattern over time seen in the species' distribution |
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Contest/InterferenceCompetition |
Occurs when some individuals of one species actively prevents individuals of another species from obtaining a resource |
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Antibiosis |
The relationship between members of two different species in which one species releases a substance that inhibits the growth or kills another species, hence reducing interspecific competition |
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Allelopathy |
An example of antibiosis in which a plant species produces a chemical that inhibits the growth or is toxic to another plant's soil etc |
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Evolutionary fitness |
A measure of an organism's reproductive success. Adaptions increase evolutionary fitness. |
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Intraspecific |
Relationship between the same species |
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Intraspecific Competition |
Competition that occurs within a species, resulting in a decrease in the reproductive rate, and competition for limited resources raises mortality rates |
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Mate competition |
To show their alleles are more favourable, males "battle it out" or display their "beauty" to win the female's egg |
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Territory |
A territory is an area occupied by an animal and defended against other and the boundaries are usually patrolled. Defending a territory costs energy that could otherwise be spent on feeding or breeding, and the benefits must exceed the costs in guarding an area. |
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Home range |
May surround a territory, but is not defended - usually where an animal forages for food and water. Home ranges can overlap. |
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Hierarchy |
Some individuals in a group have a "higher ranking" as they have the best foods and mates. Pecking order is the most common in which there is an Alpha and a Beta. Positioning in the ranks is usually achieved at a young age with fights |
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Agonistic behaviour |
Behaviour associated with conflict |
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Dispersal |
In plants and animals which move little, competition is reduced by the dispersal of the young away from the parent |
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Differences in Niche |
Member of the same species having different feeding habitats reduces competition |
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Plants and intraspecific competition |
Usually for light/water/minerals influencing the average growth per plant and the considerable variation in the growth of individual plants |
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Groups |
Animals in a group actively stay together as a result of responding to one another's presence. Group members work together and hold structure, co-operating with one another to ensure optimum survival. The advantages of living in a group must outweigh the disadvantages. |
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Altruism |
Self-sacrificing behaviour towards other individuals in a group |
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Kin slection |
Altruism towards relatives |
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Courtship |
Fertilization occurs inside the female after a succession of signals are expressed between the sexes. |
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Viviparity |
Animal produces one live young |
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Parental care |
Increases the survival of each offspring in which the parent(s) raise the young |
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Monogamous |
Male only mates with one female every breeding season because the female cannot raise the clutch on her own |
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Polygyny |
Males mate with more than one female in breeding season, and this increases the male's chances of his alleles entering the gene pool |
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Co-operative breeding |
Young are raised by several adults |
