Lesson 1
This type of evolution usually refers to evolution at the species or population level, over a few generations
What is microevolution?
The 2 fundamental components that define and help identify a biome (typically graphed together).
What is temperature and precipitation?
---- Cells is found between 0 and 30 degrees, ----- cells are found between 30 and 60 degrees and ----- cells are found between 60 and 90 degree regions
What is Hadley, Ferrel and Polar?
The process that is subtracted from the Gross Primary Productivity when calculating for Net Primary Productivity.
What is respiration?
This term describes the percentage of ingested energy that a consumer actually absorbs and uses, as opposed to the portion lost in feces; for example, a carnivorous lion assimilates a higher fraction of energy from meat than a cow does from grass.
What is assimilation energy
The name of a taxon in a phylogenetic tree that diverges earlier from the common ancestor than all other taxa.
What is an outgroup?
The zone of an open ocean that contains photosynthetic organisms like phytoplankton and zooplankton.
What is the photic zone?
This massive, slow-moving ocean current system circulates warm and cold water across all major oceans, influencing climate worldwide.
What is thermohaline circulation
When a gazelle grazes in the Serengeti, it is contributing to this type of production.
What is secondary production?
This type of species can strongly influence community diversity despite having low abundance; for example, sea otters eat sea urchins, allowing kelp forests to thrive.
What is a keystone species
The level of ecology that concerns an association of differing species inhabiting a specific area.
What is community ecology?
This type of disturbance allows the jack pine tree to distribute their seeds, since their cones are sealed via resin.
What is fire?
When prevailing winds drop their moisture on one side of a mountain, the opposite side becomes dry and arid; this phenomenon creates deserts like Nevada’s Great Basin.
What is rain shadow
This nutrient is typically considered limited, since it is only found in mineral deposits and only accessed through weathering.
What is phosphorus?
Food chains are often short because energy decreases at each step, limiting the number of levels; for instance, a grass → grasshopper → frog → snake chain usually ends after 3–4 steps.
What is impact of losing 90% of available energy at each triophic level.
The phylogenetic relationship between a gibbon and an orangutan indicates they share a common ancestor three nodes back, while the common ancestor of gibbons and humans is found two nodes back. This relationship between gibbons and humans illustrates evolution on a broader, more distant scale.
What is Macroevolution
This biome has very rapid nutrient cycling, but does NOT have very nutrient-dense soils.
What is a tropical rainforest?
Despite being at similar latitudes, Scotland enjoys milder winters than Alaska because this North Atlantic current transports warm water from the tropics, moderating its climate.
What is Gulf Stream
This type of decomposer is able to break down organic material directly into carbon dioxide and water.
What is an ultimate decomposer?
When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, deer populations decreased, allowing willow and aspen trees to recover; this effect across trophic levels is called this.
What is Trophic Cascade?
In a freshwater pond ecosystem, ecologists might study how algae capture sunlight to produce energy, how small fish eat the algae, how larger fish eat the small fish, and how decomposers recycle nutrients back into the water. This shows the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem.
What is ecosystem ecology
These aquatic habitats are known for their high salinity and poor oxygen conditions.
What are Marshes and Swamps?
This climate event occurs when warm water shifts eastward across the Pacific Ocean, weakening trade winds and disrupting global weather pattern
What is El Nino
This type of biomass connects all other biomass types in the pathway of energy for an ecosystem.
What is detritivore biomass?
Birds like hummingbirds have very high metabolic rates; despite eating large amounts relative to their body size, their growth efficiency is relatively low due to the energy spent on this process.
What is homeothermy?