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Ch. 50 : Introduction to Ecology Flashcards

Peter Minchin, Fall 2011 SIUe

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255845082What is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environments?Ecology0
255845083What is the goal of ecology?To explain the distribution and abundance of organisms.1
255845084What are the different levels that ecologists study systems at?- Organisms. - Populations. - Communities. - Ecosystems.2
255845085What do organismal ecologists study?The morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations that allow individual organisms to live successfully in a particular area.3
255845086What is a population?A group of individuals of the same species that lives in the same area at the same time.4
255845087What do population ecologists study?How the numbers of individuals in a population change over time and the factors that determine this.5
255845088What is a community?Something that consists of all the different species that interact with one another within a particular area.6
255845089What do community ecologists study?The nature and consequences of the interactions between species. ** Also might concentrate on predation, parasitism, mutualism or competition, or explore how groups of species respond to fires, floods, droughts and other disturbances.7
255845090What is an ecosystem?Something which consists of all the organisms in a particular region along with nonliving components.8
255845091Biotic ComponentsLiving organisms9
255845092Abiotic ComponentsNonliving organisms10
255845093What do ecosystem ecologists study?How nutrients and energy move among and between organisms and the surrounding physical environment.11
255845094What is conservation biology?The effort to study, preserve, and restore threatened populations, communities, and ecosystems.12
255845095What three key physical factors affect the distribution and abundance of organisms in aquatic environments?- Nutrient Availability - Water Depth - Water Movement13
255845096Nutrients tend to be washed away in moving water, and fall to the bottom in still water, and thus are in _____ _______ in many aquatic ecosystems.Short supply14
255845097Why are nutrient levels important in aquatic environments?They limit growth rates of the photosynthetic organisms that provide food for other species.15
255845098What two things affect nutrient availability by bringing nutrients from the bottom up to the surface?Ocean upwelling and Lake turnover16
255845099Ocean UpwellingThe surface water moves away from the coast,and it is steadily replaced by water moving up from the ocean bottom, which is nutrient rich.17
255845100ThermoclineA gradient in which the temperature of lakes vary from top to bottom.18
255845101In winter, surface water is ______ while the water at the bottom is ______.Colder; Warmer19
255845102In the summer, surface water is ______ while the water at the bottom is _______.Warmer; Colder20
255845103The surface water in winter and summer is _______ rich, while the water at the bottom is ________ rich.Oxygen; Nutrient21
255845104Without the spring and fall turnovers, most nutrients would remain on the bottom and lake ecosystems would be much _____ productive.Less22
255845105What is one key physical factor that shapes the environments in aquatic ecosystems?The rate of water movement.23
255845106Water ______ and _______ light, so the amount and types of wavelengths available to organisms change dramatically as water depth increases.Absorbs; Scatters24
255845107What is productivity in aquatic environments?The total amount of carbon fixed by photosynthesis per unit area per year.25
255845108_______ are large enough that the water in them can be mixed by wind and wave action.Lakes26
255845109What are the 5 zones in freshwater environments?Littoral, Limnetic, Benthic, Photic, Aphotic27
255845110The ________ ("seashore") zone consists of the shallow waters along the shore, where plants are rooted.Littoral28
255845111The ________ ("lake") zone is offshore and comprises water that receives enough light to support photosynthesis.Limnetic29
255845112The ________ ("depths") zone is made up of the bottom, or substrate.Benthic30
255845113Regions of the littoral, limnetic, and benthic zones that receive sunlight are part of the _______ zone.Photic31
255845114Portions of the lake or pond that do not receive sunlight make up the _______ zone.Aphotic32
255845115Water movement in lakes and ponds is driven by ______ and changes in temperature.Wind33
255845116PlanktonCyanobacteria, algae, and other microscopic organisms34
255845117Where do plankton live?The photic zone35
255845118What is detritus?Dead Organic Matter36
255845119Where do organisms that consume detritus live?Benthic Zone37
255845120What are shallow-water habitats where the soil is saturated for at least part of the year?Wetlands38
255845121What are plants that only grow in saturated soil?Indicator Plants39
255845122How are wetlands distinct from lakes and ponds?They have only shallow water, and they have emergent plants that grow above the surface of the water.40
255845123What have low or nonexistent water flow, and are stagnant, acidic, and have low productivity?Bogs41
255845124Freshwater _______ and ________ have a slow but steady flow of water and are relatively nutrient rich and highly productive.Marshes; Swamps42
255845125_________ dominated by nonwoody plants.Marshes43
255845126_________ are dominated by trees and shrubs.Swamps44
255845127What moves constantly in one direction?Streams (Creeks - Small ; Rivers - Large )45
255845128What is the structure of a typical stream?Where it originates, it tends to be cold, narrow, and fast; at the end, it tends to be warmer, wider, and slower.46
255845129Streams thus tend to have ______ organism types near their source (mostly animals) and ______ varied types near their end (algae, plants, and animals).Fewer ; More47
255845130What is an estuary?It forms where a river meets the ocean and freshwater mixes with salt water.48
255845131Most estuaries are relatively ________, but water depth may vary dramatically.Shallow49
255845132An estuary includes ______ marshes as well as the body of water that moves in and out of these environments.Saline50
255845133True or False: Salinty VariesTrue; it varies with the changes in tides51
255845134What are the six zones of water depth in the ocean?Intertidal, Neritic, Oceanic, Benthic, Photic, and Aphotic52
255845135The _________ zone consists of a shoreline that is exposed to the air at low tide but submerged at high tide.Intertidal53
255845136The _______ zone extends from the intertidal zone to depths of about 200 m.Neritic54
255845137What is the outermost edge of the neritic zone?Continental Shelf55
255845138The _______ zone is the "open ocean"—the deepwater region beyond the continental shelf.Oceanic56
255845139The bottom of the ocean is the ______ zone.Benthic (Ocean)57
255845140The intertidal and sunlit regions of the neritic, oceanic, and benthic zones make up a _______ zone.Photic (Ocean)58
255845141Water _________ in the ocean is dominated by different processes at different depths.Movement59
255845142What zones in the ocean are the most productive?Intertidal and Neritic60
255845143What zone has coral reefs which are among the most productive environments on Earth?Neritic61
255845144What are biomes?Major types of terrestrial ecosystems, defined mainly by the dominant vegetation type.62
255845145Each biome is associated with a distinctive set of _______ conditions.Abiotic63
255845146ClimatePrevailing, long-term weather conditions64
255845147What determines the type of biome present in a terrestrial region?Climate65
255845148What factors does climate include?temperature, moisture, sunlight, and wind66
255845149Net Primary Productivity (NPP)The total mass of carbon that is fixed by per unit area per year minus the amount used by plants in cellular respiration.67
255845150What does the NPP represent?The organic matter that is available as food for other organisms.68
255845151On land, photosynthesis and plant growth are _________ when temperatures are warm and conditions are wet.Maximized69
255845152Photosynthesis cannot occur efficiently at _____ temperatures or under drought stress.Low70
255845153What is biomass?The total dry mass of living plants per unit area in an ecosystem.71
255845154_________ biomass includes shoots only.Aboveground72
255845155_________ biomass includes roots and rhizomes.Belowground73
255845156_____ ________ are found in equatorial regions where temperatures and rainfall are high and annual temperature variation is very low.Rain Forests or Tropical Wet Forests74
255845157Tropical wet forests are renowned for their species _______.Diversity75
255845158What is the uppermost layer of branches in a tree?Canopy76
255845159What are plants that grow entirely on other plants?Epiphytes77
255845160Subtropical _______ are characterized by high average annual temperatures, moderate variation in temperature, and very low precipitation.Deserts78
255845161Because the ______ of water means conditions are rarely favorable enough to support photosynthesis, the productivity of desert communities is very low.Scarcity79
255845162How do desert species adapt to the extreme temperatures and aridity?- growing at a low rate year-round. - or by breaking dormancy and growing rapidly in response to any major rainfall event.80
255845163_________ regions have moderate temperatures relative to the tropics and polar regions. Summers are typically long and warm; winters are short and cold.Temperate81
255845164Temperate grasslands occur in temperate regions with relatively _____ precipitation and a well-defined growing season.Low82
255845165What seasons is plant growth possible in temperate grasslands?Spring, Summer, Fall83
255845166North American temperate grasslands are known as ________.Praries84
255845167________ are the dominant life-form in temperate grasslands because either conditions are too dry to enable tree growth or encroaching trees are burned out by fires.Grasses85
255845168Although the productivity of temperate grasslands is generally lower than that of forest communities, grassland soils are often highly _______.Fertile86
255845169In temperate areas with relatively high precipitation, grasslands give way to temperate _______.Forests87
255845170Temperate forests experience a winter in which mean monthly temperatures fall below ________ and plant growth stops.Freezing88
255845171Compared with temperate grassland climates, forest precipitation is moderately ______ and relatively constant throughout the year.High89
255845172In the _________ hemisphere, these forests are dominated by deciduous trees.Northern90
255845173Evergreen trees dominate in ________ hemisphere temperate forests.Southern91
255845174The _______ _______, or taiga, occurs on subarctic lands just south of the Arctic Circle.Boreal Forest92
255845175The climate of the boreal forest is characterized by very cold winters and short, ____ summers. Temperature variation is extreme.Cool93
255845176Annual precipitation in a boreal forest is low, but temperatures are so cold that _________ is minimal. As a result, moisture is usually abundant enough to support tree growth.Evaporation94
255845177Boreal forests are dominated by highly cold-tolerant ______.Conifers95
255845178The productivity of boreal forests is ______, but aboveground biomass is _____ because slow-growing tree species may be long-lived and gradually accumulate large biomass.Low; High96
255845179Boreal forests also have exceptionally _____ species diversity.Low97
255845180The arctic ________ is found throughout the arctic regions and in high mountains where land is not covered in ice.Tundra98
255845181The growing season of a tundra is __ - __ weeks at most; temperatures are below freezing the rest of the year.6 - 899
255845182What is permafrost?Tundra soils which are in a perennially frozen state100
255845183Tundra has very low temperatures with high annual temperature ________ and very low annual precipitation.Variation101
255845184The ______ ______ is dominated by small woody shrubs, lichens, and herbaceous plants.Artic Tundra102
255845185Animal diversity in the tundra also tends to be low but _________ numbers can be high in the short summer.Insect103

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