Bio Test

Biogeography

Study of the distribution of organisms across geographical space

Habitat

Natural setting where an organism lives and finds necessary resources

Ecosystem

Geographic area encompassing all living and nonliving components

Biome

Large terrestrial region with characteristic climate, soil, plants, and animals

Temperate Grassland Biome

Area dominated by fire-tolerant grasses with few to no trees

Forest

Closed canopy of trees

Savanna

Area with codominance of grasses and trees

Chaparral

Biome dominated by shrubs

Desert

Area with scarcity of plant cover

Ecotone

Region of transition between biomes

Tropical Rainforest

Biome dominated by evergreen trees with high biodiversity

Temperate Forest

Biome dominated by deciduous trees in humid mid-latitudes

Boreal Forest

Biome dominated by cold-tolerant conifers circling the globe

Tropical Savannah

Biome with drought-tolerant trees and grasses in tropical areas

Temperate Grassland

Biome dominated by drought-tolerant grass species

Chaparral

Biome dominated by fire-adapted shrubs in regions with wet winters

Arctic Tundra

Biome dominated by cold-tolerant shrubs and herbaceous plants

Desert

Biome with drought-tolerant perennials and ephemeral herbs

Estuary

Coastal ecosystem receiving freshwater and saltwater

Wetlands

Interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

Aerenchyma

Spongy tissue in wetland plants aiding air diffusion

Pneumatophores

Specialized roots in wetland shrubs for air diffusion

Prop-roots

Specialized roots stabilizing shrubs in wetland mud

Buttressing

Flared bases of large trees in forested wetlands for stability

Ecology

Study of interactions between organisms and their environment

Ernst Haeckel

Considered the "Father of Ecology"

Environmental Movement

Movement for environmental conservation

Nitrogen Fixation

Process converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia

Distribution

Area where a population occurs

Geographic Range

Area including all individuals of a species

Abundance

Number of individuals in a population

Ecology

Study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Ernst Haeckel

Considered the Father of Ecology.

Environmental Movement

Initiated in the 60s to 70s for conservation.

Organisms->Population->Community->Ecosystem

Hierarchy in ecology.

Nitrogen Fixation

Process converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia.

Density

Number of individuals per unit area

Dispersion

The spacing of individuals relative to each othe

Random Dispersion

each individual's position is random compared to everyone else’s location

Clumped Dispersion

Individuals appear in groups; groups are like patches

Uniform Dispersions

Individuals are spaced more or less evenly in rows

Age Structure

The proportion of individuals in different age groups

Population Growth

describes how the number of individuals increases or decreases over time

Species Diversity

The number of species and the relative importance of each species (Means there’s variety)

Species Richness

The number of species in the community, and the more variety, the richer it is.

Realtive Abundance

The percentage of each species contributes to the total number of all species.

Species Evenness

Communites with more equal distribution of individuals have more eveness

Dominant Species

Dominare organisms within the community based on the number and/or size of the individual

Keystone Species

Species that have a disproportionate impact community relative to its abundance (basically a species that keeps the ecosystem from coming down)

Competition

When two species fight for a common resource

Intraspecific competition

Competition between two individuals of the same species

Interspecific competition

competition between same individuals of different species

Competitive Exclusion Principal

If species have exactly the same ecological requirements, one will always drive the other to local extinction. Complete competitors cannot coexist

Resource Partitioning

Complete competitors can’t coexist, however, if similar species utilize the same resources at similar times, it can work.

Physical Structure

space distribution of populations that gives rise to physical features

Vertical Structure

Variation of vertical structures between species like height in trees

Zoonation

Changes in structure and species along the landscape or topographic gradient

Ecological Succession

the process of colonization of an unoccupied area by a variety of species but gradually replaced by other species, it keeps repeating

Primary Succession

When it begins at rock bottom, with soil not even formed

Secondary Succession

When everything is gone, but the soil is still there (like a forest fire)

Mass Extinction Events

Events that cause a mass extinction

Permian Mass Extinction

eliminated 96% of all marine species.

Yucatan Peninsula

Eliminated 70% of species

Tasmanian Tiger

Extinct because of the destruction of habitat by human activities

Zoonotic Spillover

Sevents such as MERS, SARS, SARS CoV-2

Invasive species

non-native species introduces from a different continent

Conservation Biologist

Biologist trying to conserve environments

Identify Threatened species early

evaluate, rank, and prioritize threatened species

Biodiversity Hotspots

High Diversity regions on earth

Biota of North America Program

Program that identifies diversity in North America.

Which state has the highest diversity of plants

Texas

Minimum Viable Population

population size required for long term survival of the species. The smallest isolated population that has a 99% of remaining for 1000 years

Mark Schaffer

Developed MVP

Ecological Restoration

Oftren Necessary part of conservation effort

Economic

Countless products we stand to lose as our ecosystems collapse

Evolutionary

Extinction will limit the evolution of species diversity in the future

Ethical

To what degree will we allow to continue resulting in the extinction of other species

Eichhornia Crassipes

Native species to the Amazons, brought to the World Fair (1884) to New Orleans, the plant was given as a gift, but soon choked waterways, and destroyed aquatic habitats

Water hyacinth

spread from lake to lake in Texas as fragments stick to boats

Guam Snakes

Snakes from New Guinea were introduced to Guam, no other species could kill it, so it was responsible for causing the extinction of a bunch of species

General vegetation

trees, shrubs, and grasses

Order of Species

Organisms->Population->Community->Ecosystem

More nitrogen in the soil causes what

Better Plant Growth