Ecology - Midterm #1

Pollination

In seed plants, transfer of pollen from male parts to female parts

Self Pollination

Same Plant

Cross Pollination

Different plant

Advantages of Self pollination

Greater chance of pollination

Advantages of Cross Pollination

Greater Genetic Diversity in offspring

Pollen Vectors

Water wind animals

Rewards for pollinators

nectar, pollen, scented oil

Signals for pollinators

color, large size, shape, scent

Traits of effective animal pollinators

surfaces pollen can stick too, long tongue to acess nectar, move from one flower to another, vibrate at certain frequency and sensory system

Human color vision

3 types cone cells, percieved color depends on relative response of each type

Range of visible light spectrum

380-740nm

Cone cells in Birds

4 types that can see ultraviolet through red light

Number photoreceptors in Honeybees

3 types spanning UV to orange

Number of photoreceptors in Butterflies

Up to 15 types. but may not use all for color vision

Benefits plant recieves from animal pollination

More diversity, higher chance of pollination, don’t need to make as much pollen

Benefits animal receives from animal pollination

Food source

Bee specific pollinator plants

Bright white, yellow, blue UV, with a fresh mild pleasent scent. Nectar is usually present and pollen is limited and often sticky. The flower shape is shallow / tubular with landing platform

Beetle Specific pollinator Plants

Dull white or green, no odor to strongly fruity or bad smelling, nectar is sometimes present and pollen is ample. The flower shape is bowl like.

Bird Specific Pollinator Plants

Orange red white, no odor, ample deeply hidden nectar with moderate pollen, the shape is large tubular.

Wind Specific Pollinator Plants

Dull green or brown with no odor or nectar. Pollen is abundant, small not sticky and the shape is small, petals absent or reduced

What cost plants pay in animal pollination

animal eats some of the pollen, plant dependent on pollinator for sucess

Cost an animal pays in animal pollination

Time and energy for travel, pollinator sucess depedent on plant

Advantages of Generalist

More Options

Advantages of Specialist

Only goes to that type of pollen, guarentees pollen reaches right area

Ecology

How organisms interact with their environment (including other organisms)

Levels of Biological Organization

Individual Population Community Ecosystem Landscape Biosphere

Population

Group fo individuals of a single species that live in a particular area and interact with each other

Community

An associaton of populations of different species living in same area at same time

Ecosystem

A community of organisms plus their physical environment

Landscapes

Areas with substantial differences, typically including multiple ecosystesms

Biosphere

All living organisms on earth plus the environments in which they live

Experiments

Scientist manipulate or change some variable to determine how changes in that variable affect some other variable of intrest

Observational Study

Scientist measure existing variation in nature to find out if there is a relationship between two variables

Treatment

Factor or variable you are testing

Experimental Group

Factor you are testing

Control Group

Does not have factor you are testing

Experimental Unit

Smallest unit to which a treatment is given

Cofounding Factors

Variables other than one you are testing that could affect the outcome

Cofounding factors

Control, replicate, randomize, block

Hypothesis

A possible explaination for phenomenon that was observed

Prediction

What expect to see assuming hypothesis is correct

Adpatation

A feature of an organsim that improves its ability to survive or reproduce in its environment

Natural Selection

An evolutionary process in which individauls that possess particualr characteristics survive or reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals because of those characteristics

Producer

An organism that uses energy from an external source to produce its own food without having to eat other organisms or their remains

Consumer

An organism obtains its energy by eating other organsims or their remains

Net Primary PRoduction

Amount of energy that producers fix by photosyntehsis or other means, minus the amount they use in cellular respiration

Nutrient Cycle

Cyclic movement of nutrient between organisms and physical environment