Biomes
What two climatic factors determine a terrestrial biome?
Temperature and Precipitation
Give an example of a secondary consumer
Any carnivore/predator
An organism which is highly adaptable, has a wide range of tolerance, and does well when the environment is in flux.
Generalist Species
When a toxic substance is introduced into the environment
Pollution
Give an example of a limiting factor
Food
Precipitation
Disease
Predation
Territory
Competition
Give an abiotic factor for which an organism would have a range of tolerance
Temperature
Salinity
Precipitation
Acidity
Oxygen Level
Carbon Dioxide Level
What's the difference between species richness and species evenness?
Richness is the number of species
Evenness is how equal the populations of different species are
The largest tropical rainforest in the world is on what continent?
South America
Give an example of a mutualistic symbiotic relationship
Bees and flowers
Nitrogen fixing bacteria and legumes
Coral and algae
Egrets and elephants
Give three differences between an r-selected species and a K-selected species
Size
Lifespan
Clutch size
Gestation period
Parental care
Time to reach maturity
Number of reproductive events per year
Density dependent vs. density independent factors
The most abundant greenhouse gas which is responsible for climate change
Carbon dioxide
What kind of population growth do animals exhibit when there are no limiting factors
Exponential Growth
Give an example of a pioneer species
Lichen
Algae
Moss
Phytoplankton
Give an example of a regulating service provided by forests
Regulate atmospheric composition
Sequester carbon
Control runoff and soil erosion
Regulate temperature via shade
Regulate humidity via transpiration
What is the primary type of vegetation found in a taiga?
Conifers
If the NPP of a forest is 2,000 g C/m2/year and the rate of respiration of plants is 500 g C/m2/year then what is the gross primary productivity of this biome?
2,500 g C/m2/year
Give four examples of an adaptation that allows a predator to obtain energy
Camouflage
Teeth/Claws
Keen Senses
Ability to accelerate rapidly
Venom
Sticky Tongue
Teamwork
What adaptations make invasive species likely to be successful in a new habitat
Being r-selected (high reproductive rate)
Being a generalist (adaptable)
How does migration allow populations to become several orders of magnitude larger than they normally would be
Migration gives animals access to food year-round without having to worry about seasonal variation and it helps them avoid predators.
What's the difference between primary and secondary sucession
Primary succession starts in a place that previously had no life. Secondary succession is when an ecosystem restarts after a major disturbance.
Give an example of an ecosystem service provided by an animal.
Predators control pest populations
Pollination
Herbivores spread seeds
Detritivores aerate the soil and break down organic matter
This zone of lake is dark, lacking in oxygen, and is home to many decomposers and detritivores.
Profundal Zone
What is a trophic cascade
When removal of a top predator causes a chain reaction where an overabundance of its prey leads to a decrease in the population of the next member in the food chain and so on.
What is an indicator species?
An organism whose population responds quickly to environmental changes because of its narrow range of tolerance.
A strategy for mitigating the impacts of habitat fragmentation
Wildlife corridors
What's the difference between density-dependent and density-independent factors
Density-dependent factors are less influential on small populations and more influential on large populations. Density-independent factors affect all populations the same
Give an example of an episodic natural disruption
Hurricanes
Wildfires
Tornadoes
Floods
What is a population bottleneck?
What adaptations to grasses have that allow them to thrive in a temperate grassland biome?
Ability to tolerate direct sunlight
can survive with little water
fast rate of growth to deal with grazers
stores much of their biomass underground
Explain how the second law of thermodynamics effects the ecological efficiency of an ecosystem.
This law states that heat is always lost to the environment during a transfer of energy. So, as energy moves up the food chain, much of it is lost which gives rise to the 10% rule.
Describe the relationship between age and survivorship for an organism which is halfway between K and r selected
There is a direct (linear) relationship between age and survivorship. In other words, a type 2 curve.
This international treaty bans the trade of endangered species or their parts
CITES
How are the factors that limited r-selected populations different from the factors that limit K-selected populations?
r-selected populations tend to be limited by predation. K-selected populations tend to be limited by food
What's the difference between fundamental niche and realized niche?
Fundamental niche is theoretical and based on an organism's range of tolerance. The realized niche is an organism's niche "in practice" and is limited by interspecific competition
What makes organisms that are endemic to islands more likely to become endangered?
Limited geographic range
They are often niche specialists
They often have no defense against predators
Why are temperate rainforests only found in a few select regions on Earth?
The right latitude, wind direction, proximity to the ocean, and position of mountains needs to line up in order to create a rain shadow effect
Describe the competitive exclusion principle and give an example of how two organisms could use resource partitioning to avoid competitive exclusion.
This principle states that when two organisms' niches directly overlap, one organism will outcompete the other. They can avoid this by modifying their niches to avoid competition.
Describe how a selection pressure forces changes in the gene pool of a population
A selection pressure, such as a predator, kills off organisms that are unfit (poor adaptations), leaving organisms with more effective adaptations to reproduce
Describe two ecological problems associated with habitat fragmentation
Decreased genetic diversity in metapopulations
Decreased gene flow
Edge effect
Animal deaths due to collision with cars or trains
Why is it possible for a population to go above its carrying capacity
This is called overshoot. It happens as a consequence of population momentum and it's only temporary. Once the population runs out of the food, there will be a dieback.
The non-avian dinosaurs along with many other families went extinct at the end of what geologic period?
The Cretaceous Period
Explain why species diversity is necessary in order for an ecosystem to be resilient
Every organism has an important job and is a part of the food web. So, the more organisms there are doing similar jobs, the less likely it is that that job will disappear.