ENV 1003 Midterm Review: Ecology, Physical Environment, Biomes, Evolution, and Population Dynamics

Vocabulary flashcards covering core definitions, principles, biomes, evolutionary concepts, and population dynamics from ENV 1003 lecture notes.

Ecology

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment, encompassing both biotic and abiotic interactions across multiple scales.

Spotted Lanternfly

An invasive sap-feeding insect native to Asia that arrived in the US in stone shipments around 2012; it feeds on sap and is particularly detrimental to grapes and maples.

Science

A process used to generate knowledge about the natural world that is testable or observable, relies on data, is quantifiable, falsifiable, and reproducible.

Climate

The summary of long-term weather patterns in an area, as opposed to short-term atmospheric conditions.

Weather

Short-term atmospheric conditions occurring at a specific location.

Albedo

The reflectivity of Earth's surface and atmosphere that determines the proportion of solar radiation reflected back to space (approximately $30\%$).

Greenhouse Effect

The warming process that occurs when atmospheric gases (such as $CO_2$, $N_2O$, water vapor, and $CH_4$) absorb heat radiated from Earth; without it, Earth would be below freezing.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of air moving between the equator and the poles due to Earth's rotation, causing cyclones to rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Ferrel Cells

Mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cells created by air caught between the sinking cool air of Hadley cells and the rising warm air of polar cells.

Tree

A woody plant with a main stem or trunk, generally taller than a shrub, and possessing a distinct canopy.

Shrub

A woody plant that is usually shorter than a tree and commonly features multiple stems arising near the base.

Herbaceous Plant

A plant that lacks persistent woody stems, including grasses, forbs, and many other non-woody species.

Grass

A herbaceous plant featuring narrow leaves and jointed stems, especially important in grassland and savanna biomes.

Forb

A broad-leaved herbaceous plant that is not a grass or grass-like plant.

Broadleaf

A leaf type describing plants with relatively broad, flat leaves, many of which are flowering plants.

Needleleaf

A leaf type consisting of narrow, needle-like leaves, characteristic of many conifers.

Deciduous

A leaf persistence strategy in which plants shed their foliage seasonally or during an unfavorable period.

Evergreen

A leaf persistence strategy in which plants retain functional leaves for more than one growing season rather than dropping them all at once.

Canopy

The upper layer of vegetation formed by the crowns and foliage of trees and other tall plants.

Understory

The vegetation layer growing beneath the main canopy, which includes smaller trees, shrubs, herbs, and seedlings.

Biomass

The total amount of living biological material present in a given area or ecosystem.

Water Density Anomaly

The property of water whereby its maximum density occurs at $4^\circ\text{C}$, causing ice to be less dense than cold liquid water and float.

Categorization of Aquatic Ecosystems

The organizational hierarchy of water ecosystems divided into freshwater (lentic: lakes/ponds, wetlands [marshes, swamps, bogs, fens]; lotic: rivers/streams, estuaries) and saltwater (coastal, open-water).

Lentic Systems

Freshwater aquatic ecosystems characterized by still, non-flowing water, such as lakes, ponds, and wetlands.

Lotic Systems

Freshwater aquatic ecosystems characterized by flowing water, including rivers, streams, and estuaries.

Evolution (Biological)

A change in the gene pool or allele frequencies within a population across generations.

Modern Synthesis of Evolution

The unified framework combining Darwinian natural selection, Mendelian heritable intraspecific variation, and the molecular structure of $DNA$, defined as the change in allele frequencies within a population across generations.

Phenotypic Plasticity

The capacity of different genotypes to produce different phenotypes in response to varying environmental conditions ($G \times E$ interaction).

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A null model where evolution is not occurring due to large population size, no mutation, no migration, random mating, and no natural selection, modeled by $p + q = 1$ and $p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1$.

Population Ecology

The study of groups of individuals of the same species occupying the same area at the same time with the potential to interbreed.

Ubiquitous Species

A geographically widespread species whose distribution is often composed of multiple interacting subpopulations termed metapopulations.

Endemic Species

A species that is geographically restricted or confined to a single, small localized area.

Instantaneous Growth Rate ($r$)

The difference between the per capita birth rate ($b = \frac{B}{N}$) and per capita death rate ($d = \frac{D}{N}$), expressed as $r = b - d$.

Carrying Capacity ($K$)

The maximum population size that a specific habitat or ecosystem can sustain or support.

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

The harvest level maintained at half the carrying capacity ($\frac{K}{2}$), where the population growth rate reaches its theoretical maximum.

Allee Effects

A population phenomenon where individual fitness or per-capita population growth rate increases as population size or density increases.

Type I Survivorship

A life history pattern characterized by low mortality rates during early and middle life, followed by high mortality in older age (e.g., humans and other mammals).

Type II Survivorship

A life history pattern characterized by a roughly constant mortality rate throughout an organism's entire lifespan (e.g., fishes, plants, oysters).

Type III Survivorship

A life history pattern characterized by high mortality rates for juveniles and high survival rates for individuals reaching adulthood (e.g., birds, rodents, reptiles).

r-Selected Species

Organisms characterized by short lifespans, high reproductive rates, low survival rates, rapid development, low parental investment, and fluctuating population sizes.

K-Selected Species

Organisms characterized by long lifespans, low reproductive rates, high survival rates, slow development, high parental investment, and relatively stable populations.

Density-Dependent Factors

Population-limiting factors that intensify in effect as population density increases, such as resource competition, disease, and predation.

Density-Independent Factors

Population-limiting factors that exert their effects regardless of the population density, including climate change, human disturbances, and natural disasters.