ecology and evolution introduction and chapter 1

what is ecology

the study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment

• the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms

what is evolution

change in a population’s gene pool over time

• science of the origins of biological diversity and its distribution

what is an individual

the most fundamental unit of ecology

individuals acquire ___ and ____ and produce ___

nutrients, anergy, waste

what do individuals have that separates internal processes from the external environment

membrane boundary

what are species

individuals that are capable of interbreeding or share genetic similarity

what is a population

individuals of the same species living in a particular area and interbreeding

what is a community

populations of species living together in a particular area

• adds many types of interactions, such as predation and competition

what is an ecosystem

one or more communities of living organisms interacting with their nonliving physical and chemical environments

what do ecosystems focus on

• movement of energy added and lost in ecosystem

• cycling of matter within and between ecosystems

what is the biosphere

all ecosystems on earth

what is the individual approach to studying ecology

understands how adaptations, or characteristics of an individuals morphology, physiology, and behavior enable it to survive in an environment

what is the population approach to studying ecology

examines variation in the number, density, and composition of individuals over time and space

what is the community approach to studying ecology

understands the diversity and interactions of organisms living together in the same place

what is the ecosystem approach to studying ecology

describes the storage and transfer of energy and matter

what is the biosphere approach to studying ecology

examines movements of energy and chemicals over the earths surface

Question: Which of the following is
an example of a population?
a. a group of several species of birds living
in an aviary
b. all of the animals living on a single farm
c. a herd of cattle on a ranch
d. a grove of aspen trees connected by a
single root system

c. a herd of cattle on a ranch

what is the first law of thermodynamics

matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can change form

what is natural selection

a change in the frequency of alleles in a population through differential survival and reproduction of individuals that posses certain phenotypes

what are the three requirements of natural selection

1) individuals vary in their traits

2) traites are heritable (more offspring are born then survive)

3) variation in traites cause some individuals to experience higher fitness

what are producers

(autotrophs) convert chemical energy into resources

what are consumers

heterotrophs, they obtain their energy from other organisms

what are mixotrophs

can switch between being producers and consumers

what are scavengers

consume dead animals

what are detritivores

break down dead organic matter into smaller particles

what are decomposers

break down detours into simpler elements that can be recycled

what is predation

when an organism kills and consumes an individual

what is parasitism

when one organisms lives in or on another organism

what is herbivory

when one organism consumes producers

what is competition

when two organisms that depend on the same resource have a negative effect on each other

what is mutualism

when two species benefit from each other

what is commensalism

when two species live in close association and one receives a benefit, whereas the other is unaffected

what is habitat

the place, or physical setting, where an organism lives. distinguished by physical features, such as dominant plant type

what is a niche

the range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate

no two species have the same ___ because each has unique phenotypes that determine the conditions it can tolerate

niche

Question: Yeti crabs are a deep sea
hydrothermal vent species that obtain their
nutrients by eating bacteria that live within
long hair-like structures on their bodies.
These crabs can survive high pressures,
temperature extremes, and complete
darkness. This is an example of
a. mutualism
b. a niche
c. a habitat
d. parasitism

a niche

what is a hypotheses

ideas that potentially explain a repeated observation

what are predictions

statements that arise logically from hypotheses

what are manipulative experiments

where a hypothesis is tested by altering a factor hypothesized to be the cause of a phenomenon

what is a treatment

the factor that we want to manipulate in a study

what is a control

a treatment that includes all aspects of an experiment except the facto if interest

experimental unit

the object to which we apply a manipulation

replication

being able to produce a similar outcome multiple times

randomization

a requirement for manipulation experiments; every experimental unit must have an equal chance of being assigned to a particular treatment

natural experiments

an approach to hypothesis testing that relies on natural variation in the environment to test a hypothesis

mathematical models

representations of a system with a set of equations that correspond to hypothesized relationships among the systems components hw

what are greenhouse gases

compounds in the atmosphere that absorb infrared head energy emitted by Earth and then emit some of the energy back toward Earth. High amounts of these gases can increase average earth temperatures