Unit 8 - Ecology

Detritivore

Detritivore

________- obtains its energy through the consumption of dead animals and plants.

Biosphere

________ is the entire life- containing area of a planet- all communities and ecosystems.

Batesian mimicry

________- an animal that is harmless copies the appearance of an animal that is dangerous to trick predators.

Optimal

________ foraging- Natural selection favors animals that choose foraging strategies that take into account costs and benefits.

Agonistic behaviors

________ can involve food, mates, and territory, to name only a few.

Commensalism

________- One organism benefits while the other is unaffected.

Müllerian mimicry

________- two species that are aposematically colored as an indicator of their chemical defense mechanisms mimic each others color scheme in an effort to increase the speed with which their predators learn to avoid them.

Kinesis

________- a seemingly random change in the speed of a movement in response to a stimulus.

Carnivore

________- obtains energy and nutrients through the consumption of other animals.

Niche

________ of an organism- consists of all the biotic and abiotic resources used by the organism.

Denitrification

________- the process by which bacteria themselves use nitrates and release N2 as a product.

Tundras

________- experience extremely cold winters during which the ground freezes completely.

Pheromones

________ can be powerful enough to attract mates from miles away.

Plants

________ contribute to the carbon cycle by taking in carbon and using it to perform photosynthetic reactions, and then incorporating it into their sugars.

Sex ratio

________- proportion of males and females in a population.

Humans

________ are a fine example of a* K*- selected population.

steep downward curve

Type III individuals have a(n) ________ for those of young age, representing a death rate that flattens out once a certain age is reached.

bugs

For example, ________ are eaten by spiders, who are eaten by birds, who are eaten by cats.

Siblings

________ have a coefficient of relatedness (COR) of 0.5 because they share 50 percent of their genes.

Logistic growth

________: the population grows at a rate that creates an S- shaped curve.

Taigas

________ contain coniferous forests (pine and other needle- bearing trees)

Inclusive fitness

________- represents the overall ability of individuals to pass their genes on to the next generation.

primary productivity

The communities are characterized by the amount of energy they are able to- produce (________) and the number of species present in the community.

coloration pattern

The ________ is there in the hope that the predator will, in a trial- and- error fashion, associate the ________ with an uncomfortable chemical- spraying experience that it had in the past.

Ecosystem

________- consists of the individuals of the community and the environment in which it exists.

Ethology a narrower field

________, focused particularly on animal behavior and less on ecological analysis.

Reciprocal altruism

________- reason individuals behave altruistically: the hope that in the future, the companion will return the favor.

Bees

________ provide an example of communication that involves chemical, tactile, and auditory components.

Photoautotrophs

________ (photosynthetic autotrophs) start the Earths food chain by converting the energy of light into the energy of life.

Observational

________ learning the ability of an organism to learn how to do something by watching another individual do it first, even if they have never attempted it themselves.

Insight

________ learning the ability to do something right the first time with no prior experience.

short generation time

A(n) ________ allows offspring to be produced at a faster rate.

Temperate

________ grasslands- found in regions with cold winters.

Heterotrophs

________: The consumers of the world.

Uniform

________: The individuals are evenly spaced out across a geographic area, such as birds on a wire sitting above the highway.

NH3

The ________ in the environment is converted by bacteria into NO3 (nitrate), and this NO3 is taken up by plants and then eventually by animals to complete the nitrogen cycle.

appropriate solution

It requires reasoning ability- the skill to look at a problem and come up with a(n) ________.

Survivorship

________ curves- another tool used to study the population dynamics of species.

Migration

________- a cyclic movement of animals over long distances according to the time of year.

Rainforests

________ consist primarily of tall trees that form a thick cover, which blocks the light from reaching the floor of the forest (where there is little growth)

Bacteria

________ are a good example of an Rselected population.

age structure

A(n) ________ that consists of more individuals in the middle of their reproductive years will grow at a faster rate than one weighted toward older people.

Cryptic coloration

________- those being hunted adopt a coloring scheme that allows them to blend into the colors of the environment* Deceptive markings can cause a predator to think twice before attacking.

harmful foreign insects

The ants are able to feast on the sugar produced by the trees, while the trees are protected by the ants attack on any potentially ________.

Savanna soil

________ tends to be low in nutrients, while temperatures tend to run high.

Temperate deciduous forests

________- found in regions that experience cold winters where plant life is dormant, alternating with warm summers that provide enough moisture to keep large trees alive.

Birth rate

________- offspring produced per time period.