apbio: modules 51, 52 ecology

ecology hierarchy of lvls

-individuals

-population

-community

-ecosystems

-biosphere

individuals

smallest/most fundamental unit

-natural selection

-1st lvl that can live on its own in environment (not cells/elements)

- adaptations that improve organisms survival + reproduction

-physiological, morphological, behavioral adaptions

populations

all individuals belonging to same species within given area

-evolution

-group of individuals that experience changes in abundance

-focus on evolutionary changes

communities

collection of populations (species) in a given area that interact w/ eachother

-interactions among species

ex.predator/prey

polinators fertilizing flowers

ecosystems

multiple communities (living and nonliving world)

-flow of energy and matter(elements)

+ nonliving world, chemical environment (sunlight, water, temp, etc.)

ex.carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus

(large proportion of elements that are needed by organisms)

biosphere

highest ecological lvl, all ecosystems on earth (global)

-focus on movement of matter and energy

ex. by air, water currents

-migration of organisms

nutrients cycling within/between ecosystems

(law of conservation of matter+energy)-->can't be created nor destroyed BUT change form

physiological response

-involuntary

-how body reacts automatically to stimulus to keep balanced

behavioral response

-voluntary

-how organisms consiously/instinctively react

-move towards favorable and away unfavorable stimuli

kinesis

random movement in response in stimuli

ex. bacteria

taxis

movement in a specific direction, either toward or away from a stimulus

phototropism

ex. plants growing towards sunlight

photoperiod

# of sunlit hrs in a day(plants respond to)

-helps plants properly time-OPTIMAL FITNESS

important to animals-->migration, producing hormones

photoreceptors-determine day length

navigation

-some species orient themselves for long distances

-cues

-internal compass

biological clock

-respond to presence of daylight/darkness

-helps set circadian clock-sleep, eat, when to release specific hormones

-"clock genes"

"clock genes"

turn on/off in 24 hr cycle feedback loops

-humans seem to still operate same in darkness sometimes

visual communication

-signals seen by other individuals

auditory communication

-signals-->communicate info

ex.

-impeding danger

-attracting mates

-warn other members

chemical communication

-attract mates-->chemicals into air

-food source-->chemicals dropped along food trail

-warn for predators

- mark boudaries

plants-->release into air, emit odors(pollination_

tactile/electrical communication

tactile-->respond to stimulus through touch

electrical-->less common, send electrical signals

innate behaviors

instinctive behavior

-performed w/out any previous experience

-determined by genes (smaller effect on environment)

-similar among individuals of same species

ex.courtship behavior

learned behaviors

-habituation

-operant

-imitation

-imprinting

habituation

-learn overitme to ignore a stimulus

operant conditioning

-animal awarded/ or punished after a behavior

imitation

-learn behavior from watching other individuals perform

imprinting

-usually when animal is young, learn what their parents look like

-strong attatchment to parent after birth (first ppl offspring sees)

cooperative behaviors

-w/ some animals who are social w/ one another

-members of same species exhibit behaviors that improve another individuals fitness

extreme example: living in large groups-->but few breed

-large benefit from working together

metabolic rate

-# of calories burned overtime @ rest

-constant body temp-->internally regulated

-body temp that is more strongly affected by external environment

thermoregulation

process of organism controlling body temp

endotherms

-body temp regulated internally

-typically warmer than environment

-higher metabolism

-higher energy requirements

-mammals, birds

ectotherms

-organisms that typically generate small amounts of heat

-body temp impacted by external conditions

-plants, reptiles, amphibians, insects

-rely on behavioral response to acheive desired body temp (hypothalamus)

net gain in energy

individual can explore growth + reproduction

-increase in pop size

net loss in energy

loss in growth + reproduction

-death of individual or decline in populatiom

larger species

-higher metabolic rate

BUT

lower metabolic rate in a per kilo basis-->SA:V ratio is smaller

reproductive strategies

-times reproduction to energy availability

ex. larger mammals breed in fall-->so offspring is born in spring when food is abundant

-plenty of food to begin life

chemosynthesis

-obtain energy from chemical compounds to build sugars

autotrophs

-photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

-producers

-plant, algae

heterotrophs

-obtain energy by eating other organisms

-consumers-->consuming organic compounds synthesized by other organisms

catabolism

further categorized-->which organisms they consume

catabolism process

break down carbohydrates, proteins, lipids of other organisms

primary consumer

herbivores (plants or algae)

secondary consumer

carnivores (eat primary consumers)

tertiary consumer

carnivores (eat secondary consumer)

trophic lvls

-autotrophs, heterotrophs organized in siccessive lvls

-depict direction of energy and matter flow between lvls

1-% of biomass of each lvl is passed onto the next higher lvl

matter cycles within ecosystem

-phosphorus, nitrogen (plants, soil), sulfur, carbon

carbon cycle

-extraction

-photosynthesis

-cell resp

-burial

-exchange

-combustion

-sedimentation

extraction

carbon cycle

-removal of burried CO2-->moves fossil fuels to surface to be combusted

combustion

carbon cycle

-transforms fossil fuels -->CO2

exchange

carbon cycle

-CO2 in atmosphere + CO2 dissolved in water constantly exchanged

burial

carbon cycle

-buried CO2-->fossil fuels

sedimentation

carbon cycle

-calcium carbonate percipitates out of water as sediments