Terms : Hide Images
| 7354594940 | ecology | the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment | 0 | |
| 7354594941 | population | group of individuals of same species living in a particular geographic area |  | 1 |
| 7354594942 | community | group of populations of different species in an area |  | 2 |
| 7354594943 | ecosystem | community of organisms & physical factors |  | 3 |
| 7354625603 | landscape | mosaic of connected ecosystems | 4 | |
| 7354594944 | biosphere | global ecosystem |  | 5 |
| 7354594945 | habitat | type of place where an organism usually lives; descriptions typically include the organisms and the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment |  | 6 |
| 7354594946 | niche | all biotic and abiotic resources in the environment used by an organism | 7 | |
| 7354594947 | biotic | living(organisms - behaviors & interactions between organisms) |  | 8 |
| 7354594948 | abiotic | nonliving(temp, water, salinity, sunlight, soil) |  | 9 |
| 7354594949 | climate | long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area; major components include temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind |  | 10 |
| 7354594950 | macroclimate | global, regional, or local climate example: changing angle of earth with respect to the sun, bodies of water, mountains that exert long-term effects |  | 11 |
| 7354594951 | microclimate | fine-scale variations, like sunlight and temperature under a log | 12 | |
| 7354594952 | biome | major types of ecosystems that occupy very broad geographic regions determined by climate and elevation |  | 13 |
| 7354594953 | major biomes of the world | tropical rainforest, temperate grasslands, conifer forest (taiga), desert, temperate deciduous forest, tropical seasonal (dry) forest, tundra, savanna, chaparral, and aquatic biomes | 14 | |
| 7354594954 | tropical rainforest | distribution: equatorial precipitation: very wet temperature: always warm characteristics: many plants & animals, thin soil |  | 15 |
| 7354594955 | desert | distribution: 30°N & S latitude band precipitation: almost temperature: variable daily & seasonally, hot & cold characteristics: sparse vegetation & animals, cacti, succulents, drought tolerant, reptiles, insects, rodents, birds |  | 16 |
| 7354594956 | temperate grasslands | distribution: mid-latitudes, mid-continents precipitation: seasonal, dry season/wet season temperature: cold winters/hot summers characteristics: prairie grasses, fire-adapted, drought tolerant plants; many herbivores; deep, fertile soil |  | 17 |
| 7354594957 | temperate broadleaf (deciduous) forest | distribution: mid-latitude, northern hemisphere precipitation: adequate, summer rains, winter snow temperature: moderate warm summer/cool winter characteristics: many mammals, insects, birds, etc.; deciduous trees; fertile soils |  | 18 |
| 7354594958 | conifer forest/taiga | distribution: high-latitude, northern hemisphere precipitation: adequate to dry (temperate rain forest on coast) temperature: cool year round characteristics: conifers; diverse mammals, birds, insects, etc. |  | 19 |
| 7354786687 | Alpine Tundra | distribution: high elevation at all latitudes precipitation: dry temperature: cold year round characteristics: permafrost, lichens, mosses, grasses; migrating animals & resident herbivores |  | 20 |
| 7354594959 | Arctic tundra | distribution: arctic, high-latitude, northern hemisphere precipitation: dry temperature: cold year round characteristics: permafrost, lichens & mosses, migrating animals & resident herbivores |  | 21 |
| 7354594960 | savanna | distribution: equatorial precipitation: seasonal, dry season/wet season temperature: always warm characteristics: fire-adapted, drought tolerant plants; herbivores; fertile soil |  | 22 |
| 7354594961 | chaparral | characteristics: low-lying plants, herbivores, burrowers,deer, goat, & small mammals |  | 23 |
| 7354825561 | climograph | plot of temperature & precipitation in a particular region | 24 | |
| 7354830245 | biogeography | geographic distribution of species | 25 | |
| 7354837571 | factors of biogeography: dispersal | movement away from area of origin | 26 | |
| 7354841294 | factors of biogeography: behavior | habitat selection | 27 | |
| 7354891012 | factors of biogeography: biotic factors | other species, food resources, competition, pollinators, predators | 28 | |
| 7354894139 | factors of biogeography: abiotic factors | temp, water, oxygen, salinity, sunlight, rocks & soil | 29 | |
| 7354594962 | aquatic biomes include... | freshwater, estuaries, marine | 30 | |
| 7354594963 | primary way to distinguish aquatic biomes | salinity | 31 | |
| 7354594964 | vertical stratification in aquatic biomes | photic zone: enough light for photosynthesis aphotic zone: very little light benthic zone: bottom of biome with sand, detritus, and inorganic matter |  | 32 |
| 7354594965 | thermocline | narrow layers of fast temperature change that separate a warm upper layer of water and cold deeper waters |  | 33 |
| 7354594966 | littoral zone | in fresh, standing bodies of water, it is the well-lit shallow water near the shore that contains rooted and floating aquatic plants |  | 34 |
| 7354594967 | limnetic zone | in fresh, standing bodies of water, it is the well-lit open surface waters farther from shore that are occupied by phytoplankton |  | 35 |
| 7354594968 | oligotrophic lakes | deep lakes that are nutrient-poor, oxygen-rich, and contain sparse phytoplankton | 36 | |
| 7354594969 | eutrophic lakes | shallower, higher-nutrient content, lower oxygen content, high concentration of phytoplankton | 37 | |
| 7354594970 | primary way to characterize moving bodies of water | current | 38 | |
| 7354594971 | marine biome | largest and most stable biome temperature varies little because of water's high heat capacity |  | 39 |
| 7354594972 | marine biome zones | intertidal zone: land meets water, as in tide pools neritic zone: beyond intertidal zone; shallower water over continental shelves pelagic zone: vast realm of open blue water coral reef: biome created by corals, varying in shape and support the growth of other organisms | | 40 |
| 7354594973 | population ecology | study of the growth, abundance, and distribution of populations | 41 | |
| 7354912152 | density | number of individuals per area | 42 | |
| 7354914311 | dispersion | pattern of spacing between individuals | 43 | |
| 7354594974 | population growth is described by... | biotic potential, carrying capacity, and limiting factors | 44 | |
| 7354926535 | how to determine population size and density: | - count every individual - random sampling - mark-recapture method | 45 | |
| 7354594975 | population size | symbolically represented by N it is the total number of individuals in the population | 46 | |
| 7354594976 | population density | total number of individuals per area or volume occupied | 47 | |
| 7354594977 | population dispersion | describes how individuals in a population are distributed | 48 | |
| 7354594978 | clumped dispersion | most common; near required resource |  | 49 |
| 7354594979 | uniform dispersion | usually antagonistic interactions | | 50 |
| 7354594980 | random dispersion | not common in nature | | 51 |
| 7354594981 | age structure | describes the abundance of individuals of each age | 52 | |
| 7354958667 | demography | study of vital statistics that affect population size | 53 | |
| 7354964290 | life table | age-specific summary of the survival pattern of a population | 54 | |
| 7354594982 | survivorship curves | describe how mortality of individuals in a species varies during their lifetimes | 55 | |
| 7354594983 | type I survivorship curve | low death rate in early life example: humans |  | 56 |
| 7354594984 | type II survivorship curve | constant death rate over lifespan example: rodents, invertebrates | | 57 |
| 7354594985 | type III survivorship curve | high death rate early in life example: oysters, species with free-swimming larvae | | 58 |
| 7354594997 | life history | traits that affect an organism's schedule of reproduction and survival | 59 | |
| 7354990517 | 3 life history variables | - age of sexual maturation - how often organism reproduces - number of offspring during each event | 60 | |
| 7355013028 | semelparity | - many offspring produced at once - individual often dies afterwards -less stable environments | 61 | |
| 7355022410 | iteroparity | - repeated reproduction - few, but large offspring - more stable environment | 62 | |
| 7355032154 | critical factors of iteroparity | - survival rate of offspring - repeated reproduction when resources are limited | 63 | |
| 7355102169 | zero population growth | b=d | 64 | |
| 7354594995 | exponential growth | ideal conditions, population grows rapidly |  | 65 |
| 7354594996 | logistic growth | incorporates carrying capacity(k); forms an S-shaped curve on a graph |  | 66 |
| 7354594988 | carrying capacity | maximum number of individuals of a population that can be sustained by a particular habitat |  | 67 |
| 7355119799 | carrying capacity (k) | maximum stable population which can be sustained by environment | 68 | |
| 7354594986 | biotic potential | maximum growth rate of a population under ideal conditions with unlimited resources and without any growth restrictions | 69 | |
| 7354594987 | factors that contribute to biotic potential | age at reproductive maturity, clutch size, frequency of reproduction, reproductive lifetime, survivorship of offspring to reproductive maturity | 70 | |
| 7354594989 | limiting factors | elements that prevent a population from attaining its biotic potential | 71 | |
| 7354594990 | types of limiting factors | density-dependent factors and density-independent factors | 72 | |
| 7354594991 | Factors that limit population growth: density-dependent factors | population matters i.e. Predation, disease, competition, territoriality, waste accumulation, physiological factors |  | 73 |
| 7354594992 | factors that limit population growth: density-independent factors | population not a factor i.e. Natural disasters: fire, flood, weather |  | 74 |
| 7354594993 | r-strategist (or r-selected species) | maximize reproductive success - exponential growth - little or no care - high birth numbers - poor survival of young - density independent i.e. cockroach |  | 75 |
| 7354594994 | k-strategist (or k-selected species) | population close to carrying capacity - live around K - high prenatal care low birth numbers - good survival of young - density-dependent i.e. humans | | 76 |
| 7355185178 | boom-and-bust cycles | predator-prey interactions | 77 | |
| 7355192193 | demographic transition | populations goes from high birth/ death to low birth/death | 78 | |
| 7355198751 | ecological footprint | total land & water area needed for all the resources a person consumes in a population | 79 | |
| 7354594998 | reproductive success | measure of fitness - how well an organism survives and reproduces |  | 80 |
| 7354594999 | reproductive success depends on four variables | age of reproductive maturity frequency of reproduction number of offspring per reproductive event how long the organism lives |  | 81 |
| 7354595000 | community ecology | concerned with the interaction of different populations | 82 | |
| 7354595001 | interspecific competition | Can be positive (+), negative (-) or neutral (0) |  | 83 |
| 7354595002 | Competitive Exclusion (Gause's principle) | when two species compete for exactly the same resources, or occupy the same niche, one is likely to be more successful |  | 84 |
| 7355296011 | competition (-/-) | two or more species compete for a resource that is in short supply | 85 | |
| 7355303127 | predation (+/-) | one species, the predator, kills and eats the other, the prey. leads to diverse adaptions, including mimicry. | 86 | |
| 7355311145 | herbivory (+/-) | an herbivore eats part of a plant/alga. plants have various chemical and mechanical defenses against ____, and herbivores have specialized adaptions for feeding. | 87 | |
| 7354595012 | symbiosis | individual or two or more species that live in direct contact with one another |  | 88 |
| 7354595013 | types of symbiotic relationships | mutualism commensalism parasitism |  | 89 |
| 7354595014 | mutualism (+/+) | both species benefit |  | 90 |
| 7354595015 | commensalism (+/0) | one species benefits while the second is neither helped nor harmed |  | 91 |
| 7354595016 | parasitism(+/-) | parasite benefits while the host is harmed |  | 92 |
| 7355366022 | facilitation (+/+ or 0/+) | species have positive effects on the survival and reproduction of other species without the intimate contact of a symbiosis | 93 | |
| 7355374135 | interspecific competition | when resources are in short supply | 94 | |
| 7355381615 | competitive exclusive principle | Two species which cannot coexist in a community if their niches are identical. | 95 | |
| 7354595003 | resource partitioning | differences in niches that enable similar species to coexist |  | 96 |
| 7355389817 | ecological niche | the sum total of an organism's use of abiotic/biotic resources in the environment | 97 | |
| 7354595005 | realized niche | portion of fundamental niche the species actually occupies |  | 98 |
| 7354595004 | fundamental niche | niche potentially occupied by the species | | 99 |
| 7354595006 | character displacement | niche shift certain characteristics may enable individuals to obtain resources in their partitions more successfully. this reduces competition and leads to a divergence of features. | 100 | |
| 7354595007 | predation | predator totally or partly consumes a plant or other animal |  | 101 |
| 7354595008 | true predator | kills and eats other animals |  | 102 |
| 7354595009 | parasite | spends most or all of its live living on or in a host; obtains nourishment by feeding on host tissues | 103 | |
| 7354595010 | parasitoid | insect that lays eggs on a host, usually an insect or spider, and after hatching the larvae consume the host |  | 104 |
| 7354595011 | herbivore | animal that eats plants; some act like predators and totally consume the organism whereas others may only eat a part of the plant |  | 105 |
| 7354595017 | coevolution | evolution of one species in response to new adaptations that appear in another species - evolutionary arms race |  | 106 |
| 7354595018 | secondary compounds | toxic chemicals produced in plants that discourage would-be herbivores | 107 | |
| 7354595019 | cryptic coloration | camouflage by coloring |  | 108 |
| 7354595020 | aposematic or warning coloration | bright color of poisonous animals |  | 109 |
| 7354595021 | mimicry | two or more species resemble one another in appearance |  | 110 |
| 7354595022 | mullerian mimicry | 2 bad-tasting species resemble each other; both to be avoided |  | 111 |
| 7354595023 | batesian mimicry | harmless species mimic color of harmful species | | 112 |
| 7355404522 | herbivory | plants avoid this by chemical toxins, spines & thorns | 113 | |
| 7354595024 | ecological succession | transitions in species composition in a certain area over ecological time |  | 114 |
| 7354595025 | climax community | final successional stage of constant species composition; persists relatively unchanged until destroyed by a catastrophic event, like fire |  | 115 |
| 7355425860 | species diversity | species richness (number of different species) & relative abundance of each species. | 116 | |
| 7355431693 | shannon diversity index | - calculate diversity based on species richness & relative abundance - Highly diverse communities more resistant to invasive species | 117 | |
| 7354595026 | in succession, resident species may alter... | substrate texture, soil pH, soil water potential, light, and crowding | 118 | |
| 7354595027 | pioneer species | species that are the first to colonize a newly exposed habitat; work to break down rock into smaller rock, then into sand, and finally into soil as succession progresses |  | 119 |
| 7354595028 | primary succession | Plants & animals invade where soil has not yet formed | 120 | |
| 7354595029 | secondary succession | Occurs when existing community is cleared by a disturbance that leaves soil intact | 121 | |
| 7356014968 | biogeographic factors: latitude | species more diverse in tropics than poles | 122 | |
| 7356019987 | biogeographic factors: area | larger areas more diverse | 123 | |
| 7356024134 | biogeographic islands | natural labs for studying species diversity | 124 | |
| 7356036404 | biogeographic islands influenced by | size and distance | 125 | |
| 7356115913 | ecosystem (long definition) | sum of all the organisms living within its boundaries (biotic community) + abiotic factors with which they interact involving energy flow & chemical cycling | 126 | |
| 7354595030 | food chain | transfer of food energy from plants>herbivores>carnivores>decomposers |  | 127 |
| 7357309021 | what limits the length of a food chain? | energetic hypothesis | 128 | |
| 7357315133 | length limited by inefficiency of energy transfer | dynamic stability hypothesis | 129 | |
| 7354595031 | food web | two or more food chains closely linked together |  | 130 |
| 7354595032 | autotrophs | are the primary producers, and are usually photosynthetic (plants or algae) |  | 131 |
| 7354595033 | heterotrophs | can't make own food |  | 132 |
| 7354595034 | ecological pyramids | show relationships between trophic levels |  | 133 |
| 7354595035 | trophic level | an organism's place in a food chain or food web | 134 | |
| 7354595036 | primary producers | autotrophs that perform photosynthesis |  | 135 |
| 7354595037 | primary consumers | Herbivores that eat primary producers |  | 136 |
| 7354595038 | secondary consumers | Carnivores that eat herbivores |  | 137 |
| 7354595039 | tertiary consumers | Carnivores that eat secondary consumers |  | 138 |
| 7354595040 | quaternary consumers | carnivores/omnivores, heterotrophs that eat tertiary consumers |  | 139 |
| 7354595041 | detritivores/decomposers | They get energy from detritus, nonliving organic material, and play an important role in material cycling. |  | 140 |
| 7356173761 | primary production | amount of light energy that is converted to chemical energy | 141 | |
| 7356177381 | gross primary production (GPP) | total primary production in an ecosystem | 142 | |
| 7356186156 | net primary production | storage of chemical energy available to consumers in an ecosystem | 143 | |
| 7356193696 | primary production affected by: | light availability and nutrient availability | 144 | |
| 7356198830 | key factors controlling primary production | temperature & moisture | 145 | |
| 7356202043 | nutrient-rich lake that supports algae growth is | eutrophic | 146 | |
| 7354595042 | why will you typically not see more than five levels in a food chain, pyramid, or web? | only 10% of the energy at one trophic level is available for the next trophic level. 90% of the energy is used, stored, or lost. there's not enough energy in any ecosystem to support more than 5 levels. this is called ecological efficiency. | 147 | |
| 7354595043 | primary productivity | amount of organic matter produced through photosynthetic activity per unit of time | 148 | |
| 7354595044 | dominant species | has the highest biomass or is the most abundant in the community |  | 149 |
| 7354595045 | keystone species | exert control on community structure by their important ecological niches |  | 150 |
| 7354595046 | invasive species | Organisms that become established outside native range |  | 151 |
| 7355488686 | disturbance | changes a community by removing organisms or changing resource availability (fire, drought, flood, storm, human activity) | 152 | |
| 7355447982 | kudzu | vine plant from Japan, noxious weed that kills trees & shrubs | 153 | |
| 7355449592 | dutch elm disease | fungus carried by beetles - Arrived in U.S. on logs imported from Netherlands - Death of many elm trees across U.S., Europe, Canada | 154 | |
| 7355455666 | potato blight | fungus-like disease caused Irish Potato Famine in 1840's - Arrived in Ireland from ships coming from U.S. - Only 1 species of potato planted in Ireland → all susceptible to disease - 1 million people died - Problem with monoculture & lack of genetic diversity of crops | 155 | |
| 7355464191 | trophic structures determined by | feeding relationships between organisms. | 156 | |
| 7355468757 | trophic levels | links in the trophic structure | 157 | |
| 7354595047 | bottom-up model of trophic interactions | describes how changes in the structure of trophic levels are regulated by changes in the bottom level (plants) | 158 | |
| 7354595048 | top-down model of trophic interactions | changes in the structure of trophic levels are regulated by changes in the top trophic level | 159 | |
| 7354595049 | biodiversity | function of the number of species, niches, and trophic levels in the ecosystem and the complexity of its food web | 160 | |
| 7354595050 | factors that influence biodiversity | climate, latitude, habitat size and diversity, and elevation | 161 | |
| 7354595051 | biogeochemical cycles | nutrient cycles that contain both biotic and abiotic components | 162 | |
| 7356219314 | nutrient cycles: | water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus | 163 | |
| 7354595052 | water cycle - reservoirs | oceans, air (water vapor), ground water, glaciers | 164 | |
| 7354595053 | water cycle - assimilation | plants absorb water from soil, animals drink water or eat other organisms | 165 | |
| 7354595054 | water cycle - release | plants transpire, animals and plants decompose | 166 | |
| 7354595055 | carbon cycle - reservoirs | atmosphere, bodies of water, fossil fuels, peat, durable organic material | 167 | |
| 7354595056 | carbon cycle - assimilation | photosynthesis, consumption | 168 | |
| 7354595057 | carbon cycle - release | respiration, decomposition, burning | 169 | |
| 7354595058 | nitrogen cycle - reservoirs | atmosphere, soil | 170 | |
| 7354595059 | nitrogen cycle - assimilation | absorption, consumption, nitrogen fixation, nitrification | 171 | |
| 7354595060 | nitrogen cycle - release | denitrifying bacteria convert ammonia into atmospheric nitrogen, detritivorous bacteria convert organic compounds into ammonia, and animals excrete ammonia, urea, or uric acid | 172 | |
| 7354595061 | phosphorus cycle - reservoirs | rock and ocean sediments | 173 | |
| 7354595062 | phosphorus cycle - assimilation | plants absorb from soils, animals eat plants or other animals | 174 | |
| 7354595063 | phosphorus cycle - release | decomposition, excretion | 175 | |
| 7356230080 | bioremediation | use of organisms (prokaryotes, fungi, plants) to detoxify polluted ecosystems | 176 | |
| 7356235167 | Bioaugmentation | introduce desirable species (eg. nitrogen-fixers) to add essential nutrients | 177 | |
| 7356240427 | conservation biology | is a goal-oriented science that seeks to counter the biodiversity crisis, the current rapid decrease in Earth's variety of life. | 178 | |
| 7356242737 | three levels of biodiversity | - genetic diversity - species diversity - ecosystem diversity | 179 | |
| 7356249296 | four major threats to biodiversity | - habitat loss - introduced species - overexploitation - global change | 180 | |
| 7356255944 | eutrophication | Excess nitrogen from agriculture enters aquatic ecosystems | 181 | |
| 7356259227 | acid precipitation | Rain, snow, or fog with a pH less than 5.6 | 182 | |
| 7356270106 | biological magnification | process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or heavy metals move up the food chain, work their way into rivers or lakes, and are eaten by aquatic organisms such as fish, which in turn are eaten by large birds, animals or humans. | 183 | |
| 7356278962 | greenhouse effect | absorption of heat the Earth experiences due to certain greenhouse gases | 184 | |
| 7354595064 | humans damage the biosphere by... | exponential population growth habitat destruction pollution |  | 185 |
| 7354595065 | most destructive consequences of human activity include... | global climate change, deforestation, acid rain, reduction in species diversity, ozone depletion, desertification, and pollution |  | 186 |
| 7354595066 | global climate change | Burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation, raising the temperature of the earth's atmosphere and resulting in large scale climate change. |  | 187 |
| 7354595067 | acid rain | burning of fossil fuels like coal and other industrial processes release pollutants in the air, which react with water vapor to produce sulfuric acid and nitric acid, which rains down on us | 188 | |
| 7354595068 | desertification | overgrazing of grasslands that border deserts transform those grasslands into deserts; agricultural output decreases and habitats available to native species are lost |  | 189 |
| 7354595069 | deforestation | clear-cutting of forests causes erosion, flooding, and changes in weather patterns; occurs most often in the tropical rainforest, where most of our carbon fixation occurs |  | 190 |
