community ecology, population ecology, conservation biology Flashcards

384157653	biosphere	all of the Earth inhabited by life. it is the sum of Earth's ecosystems
384157654	biomes	major types of ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water
384157655	aquatic biomes	fresh water and marine water ex)streams, rivers, wetlands, oceans
384157656	terrestrial biomes	distinguished by climate (temp and rainfall) and predominant vegetation
384157657	biological community	group of interdependent organisms living and interacting with each other in the same habitat
384157658	characteristics of biological community	species diversity, dominant species, response to disturbance, trophic structure
384157659	species diversity	the variety of organisms that make up the community
384157660	two components of species diversity	species richness and relative abundance
384157661	species richness	total number of species in the community
384157662	relative abundance	the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community..ex)how common or rare a species is relative to other species in a community
384157663	dominant species	species that predominates in an ecological community. this species exerts strong control over a community's composition and diversity
384157664	dominant species in terrestrial environment	the most prevalent form of vegetation. the types and structural features of plants usually determines the kinds of animals that live in the community
384157665	disturbance	a change (usually temporary) in average environmental conditions that alters or disrupts the community. ex) floods, fires, hurricanes, human activities
384157666	succession	a process the community goes through after a disturbance.
384157667	trophic structure	the feeding relationship among various species in the community. it determines the passage of energy and nutrients from certain grouping of organisms to the next
384157668	autotrophs/producers	provide nutrients and energy for other organisms. all life is supported by them
384157669	food chain	the stepwise flow of energy and nutrients from plants to herbivores to carnivores
384157670	food web	interconnecting food chains
384157671	detrivores/decomposers	eat dead materials and help recycle nutrients in the environment ex)vultures, earthworms, fungi
384157672	interactions between organisms in communities	competition, herbivory, predation, symbiotic relationships
384157673	competition	interaction between two or more organisms or groups of organisms that use a common resource in short supply such as light,nutrients,water,space
384157674	interspecific competition	occurs between two or more species if they require the same limited resource
384157675	intraspecific competition	occurs when two or more members of the same species compete for the same limited resource
384157676	competitive exclusion principle	two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist in the same place. one of the two competitors will always outcompete the other
384157677	outcomes of competitive exclusion	the extinction of the weaker competitor or resource partitioning
384157678	resource partitioning	an evolutionary or behavioral differentiation (shift) of one competitor towards using a different set of resources. this enables similar species to coexist in a community
384157679	niche	the sum total of all biotic and abiotic factors that an organism requires to survive
384157680	herbivory	an interaction between species in which one species, the herbivore, eats another, the autotroph
384157681	coevolution	a change in one species acts as a new selective force on another. ex)passiflora plant and caterpillars
384157682	predation	an interaction between species in which one species, the predator, kills and eats another, the prey
384157683	mimicry	one species mimics the appearance of another to avoid predation
384157684	Batesian mimicry	a harmless species mimics a harmful species
384157685	Mullerian mimicry	two harmful species mimic each other
384157686	keystone species	a species that exerts a strong control on community structure because of its ecological role ex) seastars are keystone species in the experiment with mussels
384157687	symbiotic relationship	an interaction between two or more species. 3 main types: parasitism, commensalism, mutualism
384157688	parasitism	one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. ex)tapeworm,ticks,pathogen
384157689	commensalism	one species benefits while the other is unaffected ex)algae on turtle shells
384157690	mutualism	both species benefit ex)legume plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria
384157691	ecosystem	all of the organisms in a community as well as the abiotic environment with which the organisms interact
384157692	2 important processes in ecosystem	-energy flow:passage of energy through ecosystem -chemical cycling:transfer of material within ecosystem
384157693	primary production	the amount of solar energy converted by primary producers (through photosynthesis) to chemical energy (in the form of living organic material) in a given area at a given time
384157694	biomass	the amount of living organic material in an ecosystem
384157695	the percent of solar energy that reaches the producers that is converted to chemical energy	1%
384157696	percent of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next	10%
384240613	population ecology	is concerned with changes in population size and the factors that regulate populations over time. it is the study of how and why populations change
384240614	population	a group of individuals of a single species that occupy the same general area
384240615	population dynamics	the change in population size and structure (as a result of interactions between biotic and abiotic factors
384240616	population density	the number of individuals of a species per unit of area or volume. ex) number of oak trees per square kilometer or forest
384240617	dispersion patterns	the way organisms are distributed within the area
384240618	spacing patterns	-clumped:organisms are aggregated in patches -uniform:equally spaced out in the environment -random:spaced in patternless, unpredictable way
384240619	life table	an age specific summary of the survival pattern of a population
384240620	survivorship curve	a graphic way of representing the data in a life table; it illustrates the percentage of individuals alive as age increases
384240621	types of survivorship curve	-type1:low death rates during early and middle life then an increase among older age groups -type2:death rate is constant over organisms life span -type3:high death rates for the young, then a slower death rate for survivors
384240622	exponential growth	the accelerating increase in population that occurs when growth is unlimited. one variable increases much faster than the other. (J shaped curve)
384240623	limiting factors	environmental factors that restrict population growth. ex)food,space,light,predation,disease,weather
384240624	logistic growth	early on populations will exhibit very rapid growth (exponential growth) but as they near the carrying capacity, they will level off as a result of limiting factors. (S shaped curve)
384240625	carrying capacity (K)	maximum number of individuals of a population the environment can sustain. each environment can only support so many individuals
384240626	density dependent factors	as a populations density increases, factors such as limited food supply, less space, increased disease, and predation may increase the death rate, decrease the birth rate, or do both
384240627	density independent factors	abiotic factors such as weather, light, nutrients, weather, & natural disasters may also limit natural population
384240628	life history	the series of events from birth through reproduction to death. traits include age where reproduction first occurs, frequency of reproduction, amount of parental care given, etc
384240629	r-selection	organisms put most of their energy into rapid growth and reproduction. they produce many offspring & don't put a lot of resources into individual offspring. ex)roaches,weeds,mice
384240630	K-selection	organisms produce fewer offspring, but put a lot more resources into each offspring. put most of their energy into growth NOT rapid reproduction. ex)humans & elephants
384240631	current approximate human population	7.0 billion
384240632	ecological footprint	the amount of land needed per person to support a nation's resource needs
384240633	ecological capacity	the overall ability of an ecosystem to maintain its natural, original, or current condition and to produce goods and services
384388082	conservation biology	an applied and goal oriented science that seeks to understand the factors that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity
384388084	primary goal of conservation biology	counter biodiversity loss
384388086	biodiversity	sum total of all organisms in an area OR variability among living organisms in an area
384388088	three levels of biodiversity	genetic diversity species diversity ecosystem diversity
384388090	genetic diversity	differences in DNA among individuals within a given species
384388091	species diversity	number or variety of species in the world or in a particular region
384388093	ecosystem diversity	the number and variety of ecosystems. rapid vegetation change and varying landscapes within an ecosystem promote higher levels of biodiversity
384388095	species richness	the number of species
384388097	eveness or relative abundance	extent to which numbers of individuals of different species are equal or skewed
384388098	2 ecosystems that have very high biodiversity	tropical forests and coral reefs
384388099	benefits of biodiversity	ecosystem services, biological resources, socio-economic benefits
384388100	ecosystem services	provides habitat, purifies air&water, detoxifies wastes, stabilizes climate, generates and renews soil fertility, pollinates plants, controls pests&disease, maintains genetic resources
384388101	biological resources	food, clothes, medicinal, and industrial resources. wood products and ornamental plants.
384388102	socio-economic benefits of biodiversity	research and education, recreation and tourism, cultural and aesthetic values
384388103	amount of species identified on Earth	1.7-2 million
384388104	estimated number of species on Earth	3-100 million
384388105	extinction	when the last member of a species dies and the species ceases to exist
384388106	extirpation	the extinction of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally. can lead to extinction.
384388107	background rate of extinction	natural rate of extinction
384388108	causes of biodiversity loss	habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, overharvesting/overexploitation, global climate change, population growth
384388109	greatest cause of biodiversity loss	habitat destruction
384388110	two ways invasive species can be introduced	-accidental:marine organisms that have been transported between continents in the ballast water of ships & animals that escape from pet trade -intentional:humans have introduced many food crops and domesticated animals to new places
384388111	global climate change	rapid global warming due to excessive emission of greenhouse gasses
384388112	risks of global climate change	most animals and plants will not be able to cope, disappearance of ecosystems, change in species composition and distribution
384388113	habitat fragmentation	when populations become isolated, reducing genetic variation, their population starts to decline
384388114	main cause of habitat fragmentation	human activities such as deforestation
384388115	captive breeding	individuals are bred and raised with the intent of reintroducing them into the wild
384388116	biodiversity hotspots	regions which have large concentrations of endemic species (species found nowhere else in the world)
384388117	reserves	undisturbed wildlands surrounded by buffer zones of compatible economic development
384388118	sustainable development	seeks to improve the human condition while conserving biodiversity