Exam 4

Contains: Chapter 44, Chapter 45, and Chapter 47

Ecology

The study of organisms and how they interact with the environment around them.

What are abiotic factors?

The **nonliving** part of the ecosystem

What are biotic factors?

The **living** part of the ecosystem

List the levels of organization from smallest to greatest

Organisms → Populations → Communities → Ecosystems → The Biosphere

Organismal Ecology

Study adaptations that enable individuals to live in specific habitats. These adaptations can be morphological, physiological, and behavioral.

Population Ecology

Focus on the number of individuals in an area and how and why population size changes.

Community Ecology

Study the processes driving interactions between species, as well as their consequences.

Ecosystem Ecology

Study the storage and movement of nutrients and energy among organisms and the surrounding atmosphere, soil, and water.

Biosphere

all of the parts of Earth inhabited by life

What is the difference of community biology and population biology

Population biology is one type of organisms while community includes multiple types of organisms.

__**What is the biome?**__

Temperature: Day: Hot!! Night: Cold

Precipitation: Low precipitation

Plants: Xerophytes

Desert

__**What is the biome?**__

Temperature: Warm

Precipitation: Seasonal droughts

Plants: Mainlly grasses and spars trees

Grass lands

__**What is the biome?**__

Temperature: Moderate

Precipitation: Rainy winters and dry summers

Plants: Dry wood shrubs regrow quickly

Shrubland/chaparral

__**What is the biome?**__

Temperature: Cold

Precipitation: A small amount of precipitation

Plants: Coniferous trees

Coniferous forest (Tiga)

__**What is the biome?**__

Temperature: Hot

Precipitation: A lot!

Plants: Epipyltes, tall trees, and undergrowth

Tropical Rainforest

__**What is the biome?**__

Temperature: Freezing

Precipitation: Little precipitation

Plants: Small, close to the ground

Tundra

__**What is the biome?**__

Salinity: High

Diversity: Very high

Coral reef

Climate

refers to the long-term, predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area.

Weather

refers to the conditions of the atmosphere during a short period of time.

Milankovitch cycles

the effects of slight changes in the Earth’s orbit on Earth’s climate

Solar intensity

the amount of solar power or energy the sun emits in a given amount of time

Haze-effect cooling

a global phenomenon that occurs when dust, ash, or other suspended particles block out sunlight and trigger lower global temperatures as a result

**Greenhouse gases**

trap the heat in the atmosphere

What organism is an example of type 1 survival ship curve?

Humans

What organism is an example of type 2 survival ship curve?

Birds

What organism is an example of type 3 survival ship curve?

Fish

Census

Count all members of the population

Quadrat

Sectioning off a section of the area and counting the organism (For immobile organisms such as plants)

Mark and recapture

Individuals are is captured, counted, and marked. Then they are released back into the population.

Transect

A-line, laid on the forest floor, that is used to make sure the points or plots are distributed evenly throughout the forest stand.

R-selected

produce large numbers of offspring at a time with a low amount of parental care

K-selected

produce small numbers of offspring at a time with a high amount of parental care

Life tables

A divide the population into age groups and often sexes and show how long a member of that group is likely to live

Density-dependent factors

Factors that determine a population size that depend on the density of the population. (ex. disease)

Density- independent Factors

any force that affects the size of a population of living things regardless of the density of the population (ex. food)

Commensal relationship

one species benefits, while the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

Mutualism

two species benefit from their interaction.

Parasitism

one organism that lives in or on another living organism and derives nutrients from it; the parasite benefits, but the host is harmed.

Mass extinction

a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth.

Keystone species

Species hold together the complex web of relationships in an ecosystem (ex. otters)

Four Types of Ecosystem Services

provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services

What is an example of a provisioning service?

Food, water, and fuel

What is an example of a regulating service?

Climate, air quality, and pollination

What is an example of a supporting service?

Nurturance cycling, soil formation, and photosynthesis.

What is an example of a cultural service?

Ethical values, recreational, ecotourism.

What are some examples of threats to biodiversity?

habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and climate change