General Ecology
The 6 levels of hierarchical organization in ecology.
Individual, population, community, ecosystem, landscape, Biosphere
The heating of earth as a result of absorbing solar radiation
Greenhouse effect
Terrestrial Biomes are categorized by _______. Aquatic Biomes are characterized by _________.
Dominant plant growth forms
Depth, flow, salinity
The variant forms of genes.
Alleles
This term refers to an organism’s reproductive potential
fecundity
When energetic gains and losses are in balance within an ecological systems
Dynamic steady state
Darker surfaces like asphalt reflect less less light than lighter surfaces, such as fresh snow. This term describes the fraction of solar energy reflected by an object
albedo
Moving from the epilimnion to the hypolimnion of a lake ecosystem, measured oxygen levels will change in this direction.
Decrease
Genetic variation is essential for evolution and adaptation. It arises through these 3 primary mechanisms.
Sexual reproduction (random assortment), mutations, genetic recombination
This term refers to the number of reproductive episodes an organism experiences
Parity
The “Origin of Species outlines these three conditions for evolution by natural selection
Individuals vary in their traits
Parental traits are inherited by offspring
Variation in traits causes some individuals to experience higher fitness
Sunlight influences temperature of Earth differently at the poles when compared to the equator because of this.
Angle of incidence: Light striking the poles at an oblique angle resulting in less energy absorption and heating. Light striking at the equator at a perpendicular angle results in greater energy absorption and heating
In Climate diagrams, plant growth is limited by ________ when the precipitation line is above the temperature line.
Temperature
This type of selection favors extreme versions of a continuously distributed trait, while intermediate forms experience a selective disadvantage.
Disruptive selection
Plant life history traits can be grouped into these three categories.
Stress tolerators, competitors, ruderals
Organisms can be organized into these three categories based on their sources of energy
Producers (autotrophs), mixed nutrition (mixotrophs), consumers (heterotrophs)
________ refers to the typical atmospheric conditions that occur throughout the year, measured over many years. _______ refers to the variation in temperature and precipitation over period of hours or days
Climate, weather
Dominant plant growth forms are shaped these environmental factors
Temperature and precipitation
Bottleneck events and Founder events both result in reduced genetic diversity among a population of individuals, but they differ in this key step.
Founder event requires dispersal
The observation that when resources are devoted to one body structure, physiological function, or behavior, they cannot be allowed to another.
Principle of allocation
While habitat refers to the place or physical setting in which an organism lives, this term refers to the range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate
niche
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones categorize areas based on the dates of these dates.
First and last frost of the season
The 9 terrestrial biomes
Tropical rainforest 2. tropical seasonal forest (savanna) 3. subtropical desert 4. woodland shrubland 5. temperate seasonal forest 6. temperate grassland/cold desert 7. temperature rainforest 8. boreal forest 9. tundra
Microevolution can be measured by tracking changes in _______ within a population between generations.
Allelic frequency
R-life history strategies generally include organisms with these traits.
Faster growth rate, greater number of offspring, lower parental care, and smaller body size