Introduction to Ecology

These flashcards cover the fundamental concepts of ecology, including definitions, relationships, and processes related to organisms and their environment.

What is the primary focus of Ecology?

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Name the six macroleves of ecological study.

1. Organism 2. Population 3. Community 4. Ecosystem 5. Biome 6. Biosphere.

What does Population Ecology study?

Studies how populations grow.

What does Ecosystem Ecology focus on?

Studies how populations interact with the physical environment.

What is the aim of Conservation Ecology?

Studies how to preserve and create a lasting biosphere.

What are the two processes driven by the sun in ecosystems?

Energy flow and chemical cycling.

What defines an ecosystem?

Everything living and non-living in one place and how they interact.

Define biotic factors.

Living factors such as diseases and competition.

Define abiotic factors.

Non-living factors such as light, temperature, soil, and nutrients.

What is a key concept related to energy flow in ecosystems?

Feeding relationships and how energy moves from one organism to the next.

What are primary producers?

Autotrophs that are the base of all food chains, such as plants and algae.

What do primary consumers eat?

Plants; they are herbivores.

Who are the secondary consumers?

Carnivores or omnivores that control herbivore populations.

What are tertiary consumers?

Higher level predators that eat secondary consumers.

Identify quaternary consumers.

Top predators with no natural predators, e.g., eagles and orcas.

What is the starting point of a food chain?

Producers/autotrophs.

What are decomposers?

Organisms that break down dead, rotting remains.

Define detritivores.

Organisms that ingest dead organic matter.

At which trophic level do most ecosystems lose energy?

At each level, some energy is lost as heat waste.

What percentage of energy is typically passed to the next trophic level?

About 10%.

Define primary productivity.

The rate at which light energy is converted to chemical energy by producers.

What is demography in ecology?

The statistical study of populations to predict changes.

What are the three key features of populations?

Size, Density, Dispersion.

How is population density calculated?

Number of individuals divided by unit of space.

What does immigration in a population refer to?

Movement of individuals into a population.

What does emigration refer to?

Movement of individuals out of a population.

What factors can affect population density?

Biotic factors (like disease) and abiotic factors (like weather).

Describe clumped dispersion.

Organisms group or cluster together.

Describe random dispersion.

Organisms are spaced anywhere with no specific pattern.

Describe uniform dispersion.

Organisms are evenly spaced.

What kind of growth does a population exhibit in exponential growth model?

J-shaped growth.

Define carrying capacity (k).

The maximum population size that an environment can support.

What are R-strategists adaptation characteristics?

Short life span, small body size, reproduce quickly, have many young.

Describe K-strategists.

Long life span, large body size, reproduce slowly, have few young.

What can affect the human population growth rate?

Technological advances and historical revolutions like agricultural and industrial.

How fast does the human population grow yearly?

At a rate of about 80 million yearly.

What type of curve represents human population growth?

J-curve growth.

What environmental effect was diminished due to improved health and technology?

Death rates lowered.

What are the three reported human doubles in the last three centuries?

Population doubled three times.

What might the global population reach by 2050?

Approximately 9.3 billion.

Mention one consequence of limited food in population growth.

Declining birth rates or increasing death rates.

How many amendments are there related to conservation ecology?

45 amendments.

What type of organisms are at the top of a trophic level pyramid?

Tertiary and quaternary consumers.

What is the key concept related to feeding in ecosystems?

Energy transfer through food webs.

What type of relationships does a food web represent?

Complex interrelational relationships among organisms.

In terms of energy conservation, what happens in a food web?

Energy is continuously lost as heat at each trophic level.

What roles do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

They recycle nutrients by breaking down organic matter.