Eco-Logical Thinking
What term describes the maximum population size that an environment can sustainably support under a given set of conditions?
Carrying capacity.
What marine mammal is known for using rocks to break open shellfish while floating on its back?
Sea otter.
What type of symbiotic relationship benefits one organism while harming the other?
Parasitism.
What biome is characterized by permanently frozen ground, short growing seasons, and vegetation such as mosses and lichens?
Tundra.
What class of arthropods includes spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites?
Arachnida (arachnids).
What term describes a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem relative to its abundance?
Keystone species.
What Australian mammal lays eggs, has a duck-like bill, and possesses venomous spurs in males?
Platypus.
What term describes two species evolving in response to selective pressures they impose on each other, such as plants and their pollinators?
Coevolution.
What term describes the transitional zone between two different ecological communities, such as a forest and grassland?
Ecotone
What is the name of the hardened forewings of beetles that protect their flight wings?
Elytra.
What ecological principle states that only about 10% of the energy available at one trophic level is transferred to the next?
The 10% Rule (Lindeman's Law of Trophic Efficiency).
What amphibian, native to Mexico, retains its juvenile characteristics into adulthood and can regenerate lost limbs?
Axolotl.
What principle states that two species occupying exactly the same niche cannot coexist indefinitely when competing for limiting resources under stable conditions?
Competitive exclusion principle.
What is the name of the middle layer of a stratified lake, where water temperature changes rapidly with depth?
Metalimnion (contains the thermocline).
What type of mimicry occurs when a harmless species resembles a harmful or toxic species to deter predators?
Batesian mimicry.
What is the term for the gradual change in species composition and community structure over time, such as a grassland eventually developing into a forest?
Ecological succession.
What flightless parrot, native to New Zealand, is nocturnal and is one of the world's heaviest parrots?
Kakapo.
What ecological phenomenon occurs when changes in predator populations indirectly affect organisms at lower trophic levels?
Trophic cascade.
What process occurs when a lake's surface and deep waters mix seasonally, redistributing oxygen and nutrients throughout the water column?
Lake turnover (or overturn).
What is Dr. O'Neill's favorite bug?
Stick bug.
What ecological rule predicts that animals of closely related warm-blooded species or populations tend to have larger body sizes in colder climates?
Bergmann's rule.
What species of jellyfish is famous for its ability to reverse its life cycle, returning from an adult medusa to an earlier developmental stage?
Turritopsis dohrnii (immortal jellyfish)
What term describes the division of limited resources among competing species, allowing them to coexist in the same habitat?
Resource partitioning (or niche partitioning).
What ecological concept predicts changes in biological communities, energy sources, and ecosystem processes as rivers progress from their headwaters to their mouths?
River Continuum Concept.
Mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies are often used to assess stream health because many species are particularly sensitive to what environmental condition?
Water pollution or poor water quality, particularly low dissolved oxygen.