last minute studying le2

What is an ecological niche?

The role and position a species occupies in an ecosystem, including its interactions with abiotic and biotic factors.

What are abiotic interactions?

Interactions between organisms and non-living environmental factors (e.g., temperature, sunlight).

What are biotic interactions?

Interactions between living organisms in an ecosystem (e.g., competition, predation).

What is competitive exclusion?

The principle stating that two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist indefinitely.

What is a limiting resource?

A resource that restricts the growth, distribution, or abundance of organisms in an ecosystem.

What is a fundamental niche?

The full range of environmental conditions a species can theoretically occupy.

What is a realized niche?

The actual environmental conditions a species occupies due to competition or other biotic factors.

Describe what an ecological niche is.

The role and position a species occupies in an ecosystem, including its interactions with abiotic and biotic factors.

Compare and contrast fundamental niche and realized niche.

A fundamental niche is the potential range of conditions a species could occupy, while a realized niche is the actual range occupied due to competition.

How can two species coexist in the same niche?

By partitioning resources or differentiating their niches to reduce competition.

What happens if two species’ niches overlap?

It may lead to competitive exclusion, resource partitioning, or a shift in niche use.

What happens to an organism’s ability to occupy its niche if there is no competition for a limiting resource?

The organism can occupy its full fundamental niche.

What occurs when there is competition for a limiting resource?

Species are restricted to their realized niche.

Describe the principle of competitive exclusion and its influence on survival.

It states that two species cannot coexist indefinitely if they compete for the same limiting resource. This often results in one species outcompeting the other.

What is an ethogram?

A catalog of behaviors an animal exhibits, categorized and defined for study.

Why do researchers use ethograms?

To categorize and quantify animal behaviors for consistent analysis.

What is focal sampling?

Observing and recording the behavior of one individual at a time.

What is scan sampling?

Observing and recording the behavior of a group at predetermined intervals.

What is all occurrences sampling?

Recording every occurrence of a specific behavior within a defined period.

What is agonistic behavior?

Social behaviors related to conflict, including aggression or submission.

What is foraging behavior?

Behaviors involved in searching for and obtaining food.

What is mating behavior?

Behaviors related to reproduction and attracting mates.

What is mate choice?

Selection of a reproductive partner based on specific traits.

How are behavioral events observed and recorded?

Behavioral events are discrete actions (e.g., a bite or a vocalization) recorded as they occur, often using time or frequency as metrics.

What is a population growth model?

It describes how populations change over time and helps predict trends under different conditions.

What is carrying capacity (K)?

The maximum population size an environment can sustain due to resource limitations.

What is exponential growth?

A population growth pattern where the population increases rapidly due to abundant resources.

What is logistic growth?

A population growth pattern where growth slows and stabilizes as it reaches carrying capacity.

How does resource limitation affect logistic and exponential growth?

Logistic growth stabilizes as resources are depleted, while exponential growth assumes no limits and continues unchecked.

What is a neuron?

A nerve cell that transmits electrical signals.

What is membrane potential?

The voltage difference across a cell’s membrane.

What is an action potential?

A rapid change in membrane potential that propagates along a neuron.

What is a threshold potential?

The minimum depolarization needed to trigger an action potential.

What is depolarization?

The process where the inside of a neuron becomes less negative due to Na+ ions entering.

What is hyperpolarization?

The process where the inside of a neuron becomes more negative due to K+ ions leaving.

How does an action potential travel from a pain stimulus to the brain?

Stimulus → Receptor (nociceptor) → Neuron (depolarization) → Spinal cord → Brain.

What is occurring in a neuron when it is depolarized?

Sodium ions (Na+) enter the neuron, making the membrane potential less negative.

What is a threshold stimulus and how is it involved in neuronal communication?

A stimulus strong enough to depolarize the membrane to its threshold, triggering an action potential.

What is population oscillation?

Fluctuations in predator and prey populations over time.

What would happen to the predator-prey interactions on an island if additional prey species were introduced?

Predators may thrive, increasing pressure on all prey species and possibly altering population dynamics.

What is a keystone species?

A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance.

Compare and contrast keystone species with dominant species.

Keystone species have a large impact despite low biomass, while dominant species are abundant and impactful due to their biomass.

How do keystone species affect community structure?

They maintain biodiversity by controlling dominant species and influencing species interactions.

What is eutrophication?

A process where excess nutrients cause rapid algal growth and subsequent oxygen depletion in water bodies.

What is cyanobacteria?

Photosynthetic bacteria that can fix nitrogen and contribute to algal blooms.

How does increased availability of limiting nutrients affect lake ecosystems?

It can cause algal blooms, leading to eutrophication and oxygen depletion, which adversely affects aquatic life.

What is a trophic level?

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, representing different stages in the food chain (e.g., producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers).

What is a food web?

A complex network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow.

What is primary productivity?

The rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances.

What is bioaccumulation?

The process by which organisms accumulate toxins or pollutants in their bodies faster than they can be eliminated.

What is biomagnification?

The increase in concentration of toxins in organisms at each successive trophic level in a food chain.

What is an invasive species?

A non-native species that, when introduced to a new environment, can disrupt the local ecosystem and outcompete native species.

What is ecological succession?

The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time.

What is primary succession?

The development of an ecosystem in an area where no soil exists, starting from bare rock or substrate.

What is secondary succession?

The recovery of an ecosystem after a disturbance that does not destroy the soil, allowing for regrowth.

What is a biome?

A large ecological area on the earth’s surface with distinct flora and fauna, often defined by climate and geography.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The warming of the Earth’s surface due to the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

What is climate change?

Long-term alterations in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other elements of the Earth’s climate system.

What is sustainability?

The ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

What is conservation biology?

A field of science focused on the study and preservation of biodiversity and the management of natural resources.

What is habitat fragmentation?

The process by which larger habitats are divided into smaller, isolated patches, negatively impacting wildlife.

What is a carbon footprint?

The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, or product, usually measured in equivalent tons of CO2.

What are ecosystem services?

The benefits provided by ecosystems to humans, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

What is ecological restoration?

The practice of repairing damaged ecosystems and restoring them to a stable, healthy state