BIO 1B ECOLOGY

species distribution

range of area that a species occupies

Island biogeography theory

hat larger, less isolated islands support more species.

dispersal

the movement of individuals or gametes away from their original location

dispersal limitations

behavior

environment

biotic + abiotic components, everything in an organisms surroundings

biotic

living components of the environment

abiotic

non-living components of the environment

abiotic limits

temperature

biotic limit

herbivory, competition

continuous gradient

physically continuous

patchy gradient

patches span range of environmental conditions

biome

a region experiencing similar environmental condition, therefore containing a similar core set of species

temperature

increase at low latitudes because they receive more solar radiation

decreases at high elevation

precipitation

decreases at mid latitudes because of Hadley cell air

increases at high elevation on windward side of mountains

Hadley cell step 1

tropical air heats up, moisture rises and air cools

Hadley cell step 2

cooler air precipitates moisture as rain in tropic

Hadley cell step 3

rising air is displaces either north or south, creating winds and air transport

Hadley cell step 4

transported air begins to cool down and sink

Hadley cell step 5

dry air falls in mid-latitudes

oceans

buffer climate, so climate extremes are strong in the interior of continents

ecosystems

all the organism in a place and the environment

ecosystem ecology

typically focuses on systems thinking, and abstracting away the complexity of what happens within it, meaning less focus on population and communities

photosynthesis

solar energy is captured by formation of C bonds in compounds that are stored in organismal bodies

respiration

metabolic reaction release chemical energy, and in doing so return carbon to the environment

energy used directly for metabolism

gross primary production

the energy obtained from sunlight by autotrophic organisms

net primary production

all the energy available to other organisms from autotrophs

NPP equation

NPP = GPR - R

climate drivers of NPP

water availability is a limit on productivity

extreme temperatures limit productivity

energy flow

consumption of living tissue and organisms

ecological efficiency

fraction of energy later available to other organisms growth

assimilation fraction

fraction of energy used by an organism for growth and respiration

trophic pyramid

distribution of energy across trophic levels

trophic cascade

an effect of energy flow due to a change in the biomass of one trophic level

bottom up control

amount of limiting resources determine energy avail to producers which in turn limit other trophic levels

top down control

amount of top predators/ consumer determines energy flows of prey, which in turn limit other trophic levels

sociometabolism

metabolism of human accounting for bodily energy use and also indirect consumption through appropriation of ecosystems ad well as other energy sources

residence time equation

residence time = stock/flux into subject

net flux

when fluxes in are not equal to the fluxes out

types of stocks

sink and source

sink

a stock that is increasing due to net flucx

source

a stock that is decreasing due to net flux

nitrogen cycle I

nitrogen reaches animals and plants→ nitrogen expanses animal and plants through decomposer microbes

nitrogen fixation

bacteria convert nitrogen gas to ammonium or amonia for the rest of the ecosystem to use

nitrogen cycle II

humans increase nitrogen inputs via industrial nitrate fertilizers

humans increase nitrogen inputs from atomostphere to land via acid rain

acid rain

nitric acid and other compounds

haber-bosch process

production of nitrate from nitrogen gas using catalysts, hydrogen, and high pressure/ temperature

nitrogen fixing crops

an alternative to fertilizer

phosphorus cycle

most phosphorus available to life boringly comes from phosphate rock weathering, restored slowly as new phosphate rock is formed

rock weathering

method of introducing phosphorus to ecosystem

Dust transport

Dust particles, once airborne, can be carried by winds to various distances from the source region and deposited back onto the surface somewhere downstream

greenhouse gas

absorb infrared radiation and re-emit infrared radiation, trapping more of it in the atmosphere instead of allowing it to radiate to space

greenhouse gas examples

carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, ozone, water vapor

fossil fuel burning

direct emissions of carbon to the atmosphere

land use change

through chains how humans use land and therefore how the carbon cycle operates in those locations, we change carbon emissions

human impacts on carbon cycle

land use change and fossil fuel burning

climate models

link data to physical processes and enable predicting future climates

positive feedback

X changes, causing Y to change, causing X to change further- a destabilizing feedback

negative feedback

X chabges, causinf Y to change, causing X to change back toward its original value- a stabilizing feedback

positive feedback examples

ice feedback, vegetation feedback, cloud feedback

ice feedback

warmin = polar ice melting = lower albedo = more sunlight absorbed =. more warming

vegetation feedback

warming = more tree mortality = more CO2 in atomostphere =. more warming

cloud feedback 1

warming = more high elevation clouds = more infrared radiation absorbed = more warming

negative feedback examples

radiation feed back and cloud feedback

radiation feedback

warming = more infrared radiation

(heat) emitted = more cooling

cloud feedback 2

warming = more tropical atlitude

clouds = more sunlight reflected to space = more cooling

representative concentration pathway

reflect trajectories of population growth, economic development, and carbon efficiency of the economy with respect to using carbon

phenology

changes in timing of seasonal events relating to organisms

disease

a harmful condition affecting an individual, sometimes reducing its growth, survival, or reproduction

biological pest control

uses natural enemies like predators, parasites, or pathogens to manage pests

parasite

an organism that feeds on cell contents/tissues/fluids of a host while in to on the host organism; harm but usually do not kill the host organism. Generally much smaller than the host, but can also live outside the host organism

pathogen

an organism or virus that causes disease(not neccesarilty living on/in a host)

hyperparasites

parasites that live off of other parasites

contact transmission

direct movement from one host to another. indirect contact is also possible

vehicle transmission

indirect movement from one host to another via aerosols, water, dust, etc. also via side stage in an environmental reservior

vector transmission

indirect movement from one host to another via another biological host species

metapopulation

many patches, each with populations, linked by immigration/emigration of individuals

environmental reservior

locations where pathogenic species live when not parasitizing a host

biotic reservior

locations where pathogenic species live when parasitizing a host

ozonic disease

one that typically has non-human biotic reserviors but which can jump to a human host

SIR model of disease spread

factors in susceptible, infectious, and recovered(or dead) populations when an epidemic occurs

epidemic

when the number of infections individuals starts to rapidly increase(dI/dt > 0)

SIR equation

dI/dt =. beta * S * I - m * l

indigenous science

bodies of observations, oral and written knowledge, innovations, techniques, etc. developed by indigenous people passed from generation to generation

forest gardens

a non-plowed, year round tree dominated agricultural system common in central america

cultural landscape

maintained by regular actions that promote/ discourage certain species

fire

long tradition of indigenous management of landscapes by regular burning to promote habitat for food plant, game animals, ect.

pyromes

fire dependent biomes

pyrome examples

savanna, chaparral, and coniferous forests

regeneration

post-fire germination

flammability

dead tissue accumulates and promotes fire spread, compete by killing ones neighbors and survive better, or resprout first

serotiny

reproductive parts survive fire and open/germinate immediately after a fire- compete by having highest colonization or dispersal rate

anthrome

human-modified landscape

biotic homeogenization

overtime ecological communities increase in similarity over time

human appropriation

how much of the production humans use for their own benefit

protected area

humans set aside land or water areas for more restricted set of human uses

dispersal corridors

promote persistence of a species metapopulation across its multiple patches

translocation/ assisted migration

human moves genotypes of a species to new location, helping support climate adaptation and is also time/money-intensive