ENSC Exam 2

Fossil

an imprint in stone of a dead organism

Fossil Record

cumulative body of fossils worldwide

What does the fossil record show?

-Life has existed on Earth for at least 3.5 billion years
-Earlier types of organisms evolved into later ones
-The number of species has increased over time
-Most species have gone extinct
-There have been several mass extinctions in the past

Extinction

the disappearance of a species from Earth

Is biological diversity increasing or decreasing?

It is decreasing by an astounding rate

Sympatric speciation

species form from populations that become reproductively isolated within the same area

Allopatric speciation

species formation due to physical separation of populations; main mode of speciation

Biological Diversity (biodiversity)

the variety of life across all levels of biological organization

Endemic species

species only exists in a certain, specialized area

When does extinction occur? Name some factors.

when the environment changes rapidly

-Severe weather, climate change, changing sea levels
-New species, small populations
-Specialized species

What US species have a small range because they are vulnerable to extinction?

Amphibians

Artificial selection

the process of selection conducted under human direction

Convergent evolution

unrelated species may evolve similar traits

What are three types of Selection

directional, stabilizing, disruptive

Directional selection

drives a feature in one direction

Stabilizing selection

favors intermediate traits

Disruptive selection

traits diverge in two or more directions

Adaptation

the process where, over time, characteristics (traits) that lead to better reproductive success

Adaptive trait (adaptation)

a trait that promotes reproductive success

Mutations

accidental changes in DNA that may be passed on to the next generation

Natural Selection

traits that enhance survival and reproduction

Species

a population or group of populations

Population

a group of individuals of a species that live in the same area

Evolution

means change over time

Age distribution

the relative numbers of organisms of each age in a population
(aka age structure)

Artificial selection

Natural selection conducted under human direction

Biodiversity

Natural selection conducted under human direction

Biosphere

The cumulative total of all the planet's living organisms and the nonliving portions of the environment they inhabit.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a given organism that a given environment can sustain

Communities

an assemblage of populations of interacting organisms that live in the same area at the same time

Community ecology

scientific study of patterns of species diversity and interactions among species, ranging from one-to-one interactions to complex interrelationships involving entire communities

Charles Darwin

English naturalist who proposed the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution and as a way to explain the great variety of living things

Demographers

social scientist who studies the size; density; distribution; age structure; sex ratio; and rates of birth, death, immigration, and emigration of human populations

Density dependent factor

condition of a limiting factor whose effects on a population become stronger or weaker depending on the population density

Density independent factor

condition of a limiting factor whose effects on a population are independent of (not affected by) population density

Ecology

The science that deals with the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interactions among them, and the interactions between organisms and their nonliving environments

ecosystem ecology

scientific study of how the living and nonliving components of ecosystems interact

ecosystems

an assemblage of all organisms and nonliving entities that occur and interact in a particular area at the same time

ecotourism

Tourism involving natural areas and outdoor recreation. Often viewed as providing financial incentives for conservation efforts

emigration

departure of individuals from the population

endemic

Native and restricted to a particular geographic region

exponential growth

increase of a population (or of anything) by a fixed percentage each year. This results in a J-shaped curve on a graph

extinction

disappearance of an entire species from Earth

fossil

remains, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of past geologic ages that has been preserved in rock or sediments

fossil record

cumulative body of fossils worldwide, which paleontologists study to infer the history of past life on Earth

generalists

species that can survive across a wide array of habitats or that can use a wide array of resources

habitat

specific environment in which an organism lives, including both biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) elements

habitat use

process by which organisms use habitats from among the range of options they encounter

habitat selection

process by which organisms select habitats from among the range of options they encounter

immigration

arrival of individuals from outside the population

k-selected

species with long gestation periods and few offspring

limiting factors

physical, chemical, or biological characteristic of the environment that restrains population growth

logistic growth curve

pattern of population growth that results as a population at first grows exponentially and then is slowed and finally brought to a standstill at carrying capacity by limiting factors

mass extinction events

extinction of a large proportion of the world's species in a very short time period due to some extreme and rapid change or catastrophic event

mutations

accidental change in DNA that may range in magnitude from the deletion, substitution, or addition of a single nucleotide to a change affecting entire sets of chromosomes

natural selection

process by which traits that enhance survival and reproduction are passed on more frequently to future generations of organisms than traits that do not, thereby modifying the genetic makeup of populations through time

natural rate of population growth

birth rate - death rate

niche

functional role of a species in a community

phylogenetic trees

treelike diagram that represents the history of divergence of species or other taxonomic groups of organisms

population density

number of individuals within a population per unit area

population dispersion

describes the arrangement of individuals within a habitat at a particular point in time

population distribution

spatial distribution of organisms in an area

population ecology

scientific study of the quantitative dynamics of population change and the factors that affect the distribution and abundance of members of a population

population growth rate

(birth rate + immigration) - (death rate + emigration)

(put over 100 to express as a %)

population size

rate of change in a population's size per unit time

r-selected

species which reproduce quickly

sex ratio

proportion of males to females in a population

specialists

species that can survive only in a narrow range of habitats or that depends on very specific resources

speciation

process by which new species are generated

species

distinct type of organism. A population or group of populations of a particular type of organism whose members uniquely share certain characteristics and can breed freely with one another and produce fertile offspring

survivorship curves

the likelihood of death varies with age

Alfred Russell Wallace

English naturalist who proposed, independently of Charles Darwin, the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution and as a way to explain the great variety of living things.

What are three types of population distribution?

Random
Uniform
Clumped

Which of the following is NOT a part of the process of natural selection?
a) Once grown, organisms generally don't have to struggle to survive
b) Organisms produce more young than can survive
c) Individuals vary in their genetic characteristics
d) Some individuals are better suited to their environment than others

a

What happens as a result of adaptation?
a) Species have lower reproductive success and lower survival.
b) Species have higher reproductive success and higher survival.
c) Species have higher reproductive success and lower survival.
d) Species have lower reproductive success and higher survival.

b

Directional selection would result in which of the following?
a) Dogs with black coats evolving whiter coats in colder areas
b) Red and white flowers interbreeding, producing pink flowers
c) Fish evolving bigger eyes as the water gets muddier
d) A population of birds, some with thicker beaks that eat seeds, and others with thinner beaks that eat insects

c

Allopatric speciation would occur in:
a) One population that mates in May, and another that mates in June
b) Two populations separated by the Mississippi River
c) One population that feeds in tree branches, another feeds on tree trunks
d) A population with a mutation that turns fur a different color than usual

b

Which of these species is MOST vulnerable to extinction?

a) A species with a population size of 500 individuals
b) A species distributed in one county of the United States
c) A species that eats many different plant species
d) A species that has hundreds of offspring
-

b

A community is defined as:

a) The total of living things on Earth
b) Members of the same population that can interbreed
c) Interacting species in an area
d) Species and the nonliving material they interact with

c

Should we care whether a species goes extinct?
a)Yes, because all life is important and valuable.
b)Yes, because we are causing this wave of extinction, so we should fix it.
c)We should not, because it's natural.
d)I don't care; it really does not affect me.

any

Do you think humans are subject to limiting factors and, ultimately, a fixed carrying capacity?
a)Yes, although we have raised the carrying capacity, there are limits to the number of humans Earth can support.
b)Yes, but technology will keep raising the carrying capacity, so it's not much of a problem.
c)No, humans are no longer constrained by environmental limits, due to our technology and ability to manipulate the environment.
d)I don't care; it really does not affect me.

any

Which type of distribution is a result of competition between individuals?
a) Random
b) Uniform
c) Clumped
d) None of these

b

What does this graph show?
a) The effects of carrying capacity on population growth
b) A population that keeps growing
c) The effects of exponential growth
d) The effects of increasing carrying capacity

a

Active solar

approach in which technological devices are used to focus, move, or store solar energy

Concentrated solar power

CSP
means of generating electricity at a large scale by focusing sunlight from a large area onto a smaller area

Electrolysis

process in which electrical current is passed through a compound to release ions

Feed-in tariff

payment made by a utility to a business or homeowner who produces electricity (generally from renewable sources) and feeds it into the electrical grid

green-collar jobs

job resulting from an employment opportunity in a more sustainably oriented economy, such as a job in renewable energy.

net-metering

Process by which homeowners orbusinesses with photovoltaic systems or wind turbines can sell their excess solar energy or wind power to their local utility

not-in-my-backyard

NIMBY
Syndrome in which people do not want something (e.g., a polluting facility) near where they live, even if they may want or need the thing to exist somewhere

passive solar

approach in which buildings are designed and building materials are chosen to maximize direct absorption of sunlight in winter and to keep the interior cool in the summer

photovoltaic cells

PV
device designed to collect sunlight and directly convert it to electrical energy

solar energy

Energy from the sun

thin-film solar cells

photovoltaic material compressed into an ultra-thin lightweight sheet that may be incorporated into various surfaces to produce photovoltaic solar power

wave energy

Energy harnessed from the motion of ocean waves

wind energy

wind turbines

mechanical assembly that converts the wind's kinetic energy, or energy of motion, into electrical energy

Who are the world leaders in renewable energy production?

Texas and Germany

In 2018, what percentage of Texas energy was wind energy?

19%

Which form of renewable energy has experienced the most rapid growth in recent years?
a. Wind
b. Hydropower
c. Solar
d. Geothermal

c