Physical Env
Biomes
Evolution + Populations
Species Interactions
Ecology and Biogeography
100
What is a sea surface temperature anomaly?
An area of ocean that is either significantly cooler or warmer than the long-term average for that area.
100
What is a biome?
Biomes are large biological communities shaped by the physical environment, particularly climatic variation.
100
How does natural selection operate?
Selection occurs based on individuals fitness -- acts on phenotype and whole organism, not on genes!
100
What kind of species interaction is competition?
Negative Negative
100
Why is biodiversity important?
important to ecosystem services, ecosystem function, impacts conservation and management.
200
Why do we have hadley, ferrel and polar circulation cells instead of just 1 for N/S hemisphere?
Earth's rotation / Coriolis effect
200
How deep does the photic zone extend?
To where light reaches enough for phytoplankton to perform photosynthesis / 200m
200
What is genetic drift and why does it especially impact small populations?
Changes in allele frequency due to chance. In smaller pops can randomly eliminate or fix genes.
200
What are some ways competition can be altered?
environmental conditions, disturbance, species interactions, evolution
200
What does Jaccard's index measure?
Distinctiveness between sites
300
What is this? Explain the process behind it.
Rain shadow - area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
300
What's the difference between lentic and lotic?
lentic – non-flowing water (ponds, lakes, wetlands)
lotic – flowing water (rivers and streams)
300
What is a geographic cline?
Changes in population along gradient
300
What do we expect to see in a healthy predator-prey dynamic?
fewer predators than prey, growth of both species cycles, predators lag behind prey in population
300
What three processes determine species richness?
speciation, migration and extinction
400
Describe the process of upwelling and why it's important
Circulation of nutrient dense cooler water replacing nutrient depleted surface water
400
What is desertification?
Desertification is not the natural expansion of existing deserts but the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. It is a gradual process of soil productivity loss and the thinning out of the vegetative cover because of human activities and climatic variations such as prolonged droughts and floods.
400
What are some disadvantages of sexual reproduction?
Only half of genome transmitted
Half of individuals can’t reproduce/have to find mate
Can lead to loss of beneficial combinations
Resources put to finding/selecting/fighting for mate
(intra vs intersexual selection)
400
What is the difference between an endoparasite and an ectoparasite?
ecto live on body, endo live inside of host
400
What is the island theory of biogeography?
Number of species an island can support is a function of size and distance, eventually reaching an equilibrium -- species may change but the number stays the same
500
What are the major soil horizons, and how is soil formation determined?
O =organic layer
A = surface
B = subsoil
C = substratum
Climate, Organic material, Relief, Parent Material, Time
500
What conditions/factors would help you identify a biome as Boreal Forest (Taiga)
Between 50° and 65° N.
Cold, dry winter and short, cool summer
Evergreen trees are primary vegetation
Cold, wet conditions limit decomposition, so soils have high organic matter.
500
What is the r-K continuum, and what does r-selected mean?
The r–K continuum is a spectrum of population growth rates, from fast to slow. On the r-selected end: short life spans, rapid development, early maturation, low parental investment, high rates of reproduction.
500
What is a parasitoid?
Unique parasite that lays eggs in/on another organism, eggs hatch and consume host
500
What is NPP?
Net Primary Productivity -- GPP (gross primary productivity) - respiration/energy used for growth and reproduction
It is the energy stored in plant tissue available to heterotrophs