Biology Final Study Guide New Info

ecology

The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

biotic factors

living things (predators, competition, etc.)

abiotic factors

non living factors (water availability, temp, ph)

order of ecological hierarchy

organismal to population to community to ecosystem

organismal hierarchy

behavior, morphology of an individual

population hierarchy

individuals of one species at one place at one time (can have multiple)

community hierarchy

groups of individuals of two or more species in one place at one time

ecosystem hierarchy

community of interactions with biotic and abiotic factors

examples of behavior at organismal level

feeding, reproductive, altruistic

good gene reproductive behavior

the payoff to females through increasing genetic variability

direct benefits reproductive behavior mechanism

they pay off to females through access to resources

what are the factors in mating systems

local ecology, past evolution, availability to monopolize mates

monogamy

1 male and 1 female; males and females show parental behavior. if not, then the offspring dies. social monogamy is common, genetic is rare

polygyny

1 male and multiple females. females fight off predators and the males fight to be part of the group (ex: elk)

polyandry

1 female and multiple males. females move around and mate with males while men stay home to take care of the offspring. nest failure is common. (ex: red neck bird)

polygynandry

multiple males and multiple females. mate then move onto next mate. this is common in streams.

Altruistic behavior

a behavior that costs you and benefits others

Kin selection

altruistic acts that benefit relatives. benefits are through shared genes. (ex: mom squirrels go outside to scream at predators instead of kids.)

reciprocal altruism

provided to non relatives, benefits occur when act is reciprocated

Agonistic Behavior

social behavior that explains dominant and submissive behavior (reasons why you would fight someone)

Types of Communication

visual, chemical, vibrational, acoustic

Honest signals

these are costly to produce, but they can’t be bluffed. they provide accurate information about organisms ability.

dishonest signals

when an organism lies to lure predator away

legit receiver

the intended receiver (potential mate, opponent, predator)

illegitimate receiver

when an organism intercepts a signal meant for someone else (ex: a predator gets it first)

carotenoids

vertebrates cannot make red, yellows or oranges. They can eat it. they are common signals in immune function

information given by carotenoids

foraging abilities, physiological abilities, parental ability, parasite resistance, immune function

3 types of population dispersion

clumped, uniform and random

exponential growth model

no limits to this growth, unlimited resources, no competition

logistical growth model

resources are limited, competition present, most organisms included in this model

density dependent versus independent regulation

depends on population vs. the population size has no effect

fundamental niche (physiological)

a niche that could be occupied. there are no enemies.

realized niche (ecological)

niche that IS occupied. enemies present.

evidence of competition in nature

competition of exclusion of barnacles in Scotland, niche partitioning of lizards in the d republic, character displacement of finches in galap islands

niche partitioning

given that the competition can be costly to both species. there are mechanisms that avoid costs so those are favored. niches can be divided so that competition is avoided.

character displacement

evidence of competition revealed by difference in traits among populations in closely related species that share a resource

ecological succession

predictable change in the species composition of a community over time following a disturbance

what is a keystone species

a species that has a large impact on community dynamics. If it is removed, diversity goes away and the system will collapse.

keystone example: sea stars

seas stars are predators on mussels and barnacles. the mussels are the most prevalent but the sea stars are what are keeping them from taking over

correlational approach when it comes to sea star keystone species

diversity levels depending on sea star presence

manipulative approach to sea star keystone species

manipulating the location of the sea star to make sure that they act as keystone

energy base in ecosystem ecology

set by producers (photoautotrophs) or chemoautotrophs

problems with phylogeny

different taxa can exchange genetic info and its difficult to reconstruct evolutionary relationships

problems with species definitions

exchange genetic information across species lines and asexual reproduction

endosymbiosis

how eukaryotes have evolved from prokaryotes. mitochondria and chloroplasts are evidence of this

symbiosis

a relationship of any kind, as long as it is between two species

key role of evolution

gave rise to all eeukaryotes

key role of ecology

critical role in energy flow and nutrient cycle

bio remediation

prokaryotes used to clean up the environment

biofilm

community of prokaryotes that live on surfaces. ex: leaf, teeth or medical tube slime