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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is ecology?
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The study of how organisms interact with each other and their environments
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What are the five subsets of ecological organization from smallest to largest?
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Individual
Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere |
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Name and describe the two types of growth curves.
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Exponential (rising steeply) and logistic (s-shaped)
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What is a Type I survivorship curve?
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Individuals live out their lives and die of old age; i.e. humans
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What is a Type II survivorship curve?
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Individuals die at a constant rate; i.e. birds and rodents
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What is a Type III survivorship curve?
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Most individuals die early in life; i.e. fish and bugs
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What is an ecological pyramid?
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A graph representing trophic levels and numbers within an ecosystem; primary producer is the base
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What is a pyramid of numbers?
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A graph comparing the number of individuals in each trophic level
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What is a biomass pyramid?
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A graph comparing the total dry weight of the organisms in each trophic level
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What is an energy pyramid?
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A graph comparing the total amount of energy available in each trophic level
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In what form is nitrogen available to plants?
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Ammonia
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What is intraspecific competition?
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Competition among individuals of the same species
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What is interspecific competition?
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Competition between different species
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What are the 3 names for Taiga?
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Taiga, Boreal Forest, and Coniferous Forest
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What is biotic potential?
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The maximum rate of increase under ideal conditions
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What is the defining characteristic of r-selected individuals?
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Most of their energy goes to rapid reproduction
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What is the defining characteristic of k-selected individuals?
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Most of their energy goes toward growth
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What does the theory of competitive exclusion state?
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That two organisms cannot share the same niche
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What is resource partitioning?
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Dividing resources; permitting species with similar requirements to use the same resources in different areas, ways and/or times
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What are detritivores?
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Decomposers that eat detritus (organic waste)
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What is gross primary productivity?
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The rate at which primary producers capture and store energy per unit time
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What is biological magnification?
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The tendency for toxic substances to increase in concentration at progressively higher levels of the food chain
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What is ecological succession?
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A directional, cumulative change in the species that occupy a given area through time
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