Biology Exam 4 Review

Practice flashcards for reviewing key concepts from Biology Exam 4 covering ecology, population dynamics, and species interactions.

What is behavior in the context of ecology?

Behavior is a response to a stimulus.

What is optimal foraging?

Optimal foraging involves balancing costs and benefits while choosing what, how, and when to eat.

Name three mating systems.

Monogamy, polygamy, and promiscuity.

What are the three types of navigation in animals?

Piloting, compass orientation, and true navigation.

What is Hamilton's Rule?

Hamilton's Rule explains cooperation in terms of fitness through relatedness.

What are the types of spatial distribution in a population?

Random, clumped, and uniform.

What is the difference between density-independent and density-dependent limiting factors?

Density-independent factors include weather, while density-dependent factors involve limiting resources like food and space.

Define population dynamics.

Population dynamics study fluctuations in population sizes, including population crashes and cycles.

What is a metapopulation?

Metapopulations consist of habitat patches linked by immigration and emigration.

What kinds of species interactions are there in community ecology?

Commensalism, competition, consumption, and mutualism.

What are the two kinds of defenses in consumption interactions?

Constitutive defenses and inducible defenses.

What is a Batesian mimicry?

Batesian mimicry is when a harmless species mimics the appearance of a harmful species.

What factors influence the distribution and abundance of species?

Abiotic and biotic factors.

What causes climate patterns?

Climate patterns are influenced by variation in solar radiation, the Earth's tilt, Hadley Cells, and rain shadows.

What are the key characteristics of terrestrial biomes?

Average temperature, average precipitation, and variation of both.

What influences aquatic biomes?

Salinity, water depth, sunlight, nutrient sources like coastal runoff, ocean upwelling, and lake turnover.