Life as we know it
The 2 factors that are used to measure species biodiversity.
What is species richness and species evenness?
*Note: Species Evenness is also known as Relative Abundance
pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. These are the pH values characteristic of an acid.
Also, name three other abiotic factors that a species might experience a range of tolerance for.
acids- pH value is less than 7
Abiotic factors include sunlight, temperature, dissolved oxygen.
What is the main difference between primary and secondary succession?
BONUS 100 pts - List an additional difference.
What is...
primary succession starts with no soil and secondary succession starts with soil ...?
BONUS* It takes longer to reach a climax community in primary succession.
Products obtained from nature that humans can use such as lumber, medicines and food crops are
What are provisions or Provisional Services?
A trait that improves a individuals ability to survive and reproduce (also known as fitness)
What is an adaptation?
Ecosystem A has 5 different species with the following abundances: A - 20%, B - 30%, C - 20%, D - 20%, and E 10%
Ecosystem B has 5 different species with the following abundances: A - 5% B - 25% C - 25%, D - 35%, and E 10%
This ecosystem would be expected to have higher resilience — explain why.
What is ecosystem A? Although the species richness is the same for both ecosystems, A has a higher species evenness, therefore it is less vulnerable to disturbances affecting a single species.
These are the 3 zones that would be appear on a range of tolerance graph.
optimal range
zone of physiological stress
zone of intolerance
If a lightning strike starts a fire that destroys all the plants on the forest floor, what type of ecological succession will occur? Also, what kind of natural disturbance caused it?
What is secondary succession and random disruption?
What are three examples of cultural services that a freshwater lake ecosystem provides?
What is recreation, tourism, mental health, spiritual health, education?
When a large population declines in number, the amount of genetic diversity carried by the surviving individuals is greatly reduced.
What is bottleneck effect?
According to the Theory of Island Biogeography, extinction rates are highest on island with these two characteristics - and why.
What is an island FAR from the mainland and SMALL in size?
FAR- more isolated/remote; harder to immigrate to.
SMALL - support smaller population, less niches, less resources.
Name one factors that drive natural climate change.
*Bonus- name more than one!
1. CO2 fluctuations
2. Earth's orbital changes (Milankovitch cycles)
3. Volcanic eruptions
As two example: glacial retreat and volcanic eruption.
What is primary succession?
Human waste is often dumped in the ocean. Microbial organisms in marine ecosystems can break down organic waste into less harmful components, which is an example of this type of service.
What is a regulating service?
These are environmental factors, biotic or abiotic, that influence which traits increases an organism's survival and reproduction in a population.
What are selective pressures?
Name the aquatic and terrestrial biomes that are the most biodiverse.
Aquatic - Coral reefs
Terrestrial - Tropical rainforests.
Explain what happens to organisms in each of the three zones of an ecological tolerance curve. Identify the relative number of organisms you would find there.
Optimal - thrive, grow and reproduce (numerous individuals)
Stress - survive (few individuals)
Intolerance - death (no individuals)
This is the final stage of ecological succession, and it’s characterized by the presence of these types of plants.
What is a climax community; characterized by mature shade tolerant trees (oak, maples, hardwoods)
*Be sure you can list the stages of succession in the correct order.*
DAILY DOUBLE!!!
What are 3 regulating services that a forest ecosystem provides?
climate sequestration -absorbs carbon from the atmosphere
Air quality regulation - trees filter pollutants and produce oxygen.
Water regulation - control runoff, recharge groundwater. Both examples of flood prevents
Erosion control - trees roots stabilize soil, preventing landslides and soil loss.
This process occurs when populations exposed to chemical agents evolve traits that allow individuals to survive, demonstrating adaptation over generations.
What is pesticide resistance?
Would also accept - antibiotic resistance.
Two part -
1. This ecological process occurs when large pieces of land are broken into smaller pieces.
2. Fill in the blanks - When a large forest is divided by roads or development, the amount of ______ increases, while the amount of ______ decreases, creating challenges for species that rely on stable interior conditions.
What is habitat fragmentation?
Edge habitat increases;
Core habitat decreases.
As rising sea levels, desertification, habitat fragmentation and extreme weather pattern continues, this movement of organisms (including humans) is expected to become one of the most significant consequences.
What is climate migration?
What is climate-induced migration?
What is migration due to climate change?
Describe how the introduction of 2 different pioneer species in primary succession and HOW they impact the formation of soil.
Lichens - break down rock into soil using acids.
Mosses - able to grow on bare rock/hard surface -adding organic material to the ground when they die.
*Be sure you can list the stages of succession in the correct order.*
How overfishing disrupts three out of four categories of ecosystem services.
Provisioning - depletes food resources and/or reduces economic yield
Supporting - damages marine food webs and/or reduces biodiversity
Regulating - Removing feed that feed on algae causes an increase in algae bloom; predation can limit the spread of parasites
Cultural - Threatens cultural traditional/recreation tied to fishing communities.
Rising global temperatures don't just melt ice caps - this process, in which ocean water increases in volume as it warms, is a major contributor to sea level rise.
What is thermal expansion?