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49 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Biological Community |
Consists of interacting species, usually living within a defined area
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Community Ecology |
Studies how groups of species interact and form functional communities |
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Ecotone |
Areas where distinct communities meet
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Ecological Niche |
Distinctive lifestyle and role of an organism in a community
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Fundamental Niche |
Potential ecological niche for an organism, in absence of competing species and predators |
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Realized Niche |
Niche an organism actually occupies
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Competition |
Two or more individuals attempting to use the same resource, including space
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Intraspecific Competition |
Among individuals within a population (same species) |
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Interspecific Competition |
Between different species |
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Alleopathy |
Organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms |
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Consumptive Competition |
Organisms consume the same resources (different and same species) |
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Competitive Exclusion Principle |
Two species cannot permanently occupy the same niche in the same community for an indefinite amount of time
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Types of Ecological Interactions |
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Prey Defenses |
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Mullerian Mimicry |
Resemblance of two harmful prey species
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Batesian Mimicry |
Resemblance of an innocuous prey species to a dangerous prey species |
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Ecological Succession |
Both a pattern and a process; mediated by competition and arrival of new species adapted to changing conditions in each sere |
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Sere |
Succession stage |
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Primary Succession |
Occurs in an area not previously inhabited (e.g. rock/gravel after glaciation)
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Secondary Succession |
Occurs where there is pre-existing climax community and well-formed soil
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Arms Race |
Characterizes interactions between predators/parasites and prey
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Highly Developed Countries |
Low birth rate, low infant mortality, long life expectancies, top-heavy age structure, high avg. personal income |
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Developing Countries |
High birth rate, high infant mortality, short life expectancies, bottom heavy age structure, low avg. personal income |
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Biological Diversity |
Variety of organisms at three levels:
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What are the causes of declining biological diversity? |
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What are the 'ecosystem services' that forests provide? |
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Conservation Biology |
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Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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CITIES |
International organization to protect species from illegal international wildlife trade
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In Situ Conservation |
Efforts to preserve biological diversity in the wild
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Ex Situ Conservation |
Efforts to preserve biological diversity in human-controlled settings
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Ecosystems |
Consist of the communities of organisms that live in the area and their physical and chemical abiotic environments |
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Ecosystem Ecology |
The study of how energy flows among components of an ecosystem
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Biogeography |
Environmental and historical factors explain plant and animal distributions on the globe
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Four Components in Every Ecosystem |
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Primary Producer (Autotroph) |
Organism that synthesizes its own food from inorganic materials and energy sources
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Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) |
Rate at which photosynthesis captures energy
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Net Primary Productivity (NPP) |
Energy available to consumers (both herbivores and carnivores)
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Decomposers (Detritivores/Saprotrophs) |
Feed on waste products or dead remains of other organisms |
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10% Rule |
Only 10% of energy flows through to the next trophic level (90% energy lost) |
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Which ecosystems have the highest total Net Primary Productivity? |
Tropical wet forests (high NPP per unit area, large area) and open ocean (low NPP per unit area, but very large area) |
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What limits productivity of terrestrial or marine ecosystems? |
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Eutrophication |
Caused by excess of macronutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus
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Standing Crop |
Available biomass (eg. algae) at any given moment
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Biomagnification |
Pollutants (eg. DDT, PBCs) become more concentrated as they move from lower to higher trophic levels |
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Biogeochemical Cycles |
Nutrients cycle from organism to organism in an ecosystem via assimilation, consumption, and decomposition
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What factors control the rate of nutrient cycling in ecosystems? |
Decomposition of detritus
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Global Carbon Cycle |
Involves the movement of carbon among terrestrial ecosystems, the oceans, and the atmosphere
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Greenhouse Gasses |
Trap heat radiated from earth and keep it from being lost to space
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