general ecology exam 3

what is a group of organisms in the same location, at the same place, at the same time?

community

what turn Inorganic energy into organic energy?

primary producers

what eat other organisms?

Primary to Tertiary consumers

what is a critical member of the community that Causes disproportionate changes when removed?

keystone species

what is a boundary created by a sharp change in environmental conditions?

ecotones

what try to break up communities into “Zones”?

zonation

what can be defined by the species that tolerate specific abiotic conditions?

zones

what are Communities in which species do not depend on each other?

independent

what are communities in which species depend on each other?

interdependent

at what elevation did plants have higher survival and produced flowers more often?

low elevation

at what elevation did survival and flower production decrease?

high elevation

what is the diversity of life in any given area?

biodiversity

what scale of biodiversity is the easiest to conceptualize but the hardest to measure, can break it down by categories of animals?

global biodiversity

what is the diversity of specific areas?

local biodiversity

what is this equation used to measure γ = β*α?

biodiversity

in this equation, γ = β*α, what does γ stand for?

gamma diversity

in this equation, γ = β*α, what does β stand for?

beta diversity

in this equation, γ = β*α, what does α stand for?

alpha diversity

what is the diversity of organisms at a specific site within an ecosystem?

alpha diversity

what are the two methods used to sample alpha diversity?

Shannons or simpsons index

what is the Difference between patches?

beta diversity

what is the total species present?

gamma diversity

what often “reset” ecosystems and allow for other organisms to thrive?

disturbances

what is the change in species that make up a community?

ecological succession

what are the establishments of life in new habitats?

primary succession

what is change in an already established community?

secondary succession

what is a volcano eruption an example of?

primary succession

what is a forest fire an example of?

secondary succession

what says that at “intermediate” levels of ecological disturbance, biodiversity should increase?

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis

what is the role an organism can play in a community?

niche

what ecology focuses on evolution, growth rates, and distribution?

population ecology

what ecology focuses on the organism itself?

organismal ecology

what ecology focuses on how multiple species interact, effects on population sizes, and keystone species?

community ecology

what ecosystems are often considered the lungs of the planet, and the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, stable temperatures = high biodiversity?

tropics

what are the three reasons why biodiversity is so high in the tropics?

numerous resources, numerous niches, stable environments

what occupy wider niche space than other organisms?

generalist

what live in more constricted niche space?

specialist

what is mostly grasses, dominate the most landmass of all ecosystems, soil carbon is high in these environments?

grasslands

in what ecosystems are water and resources scarce, and organisms need wild adaptations to survive?

deserts

what describes the slow change from one ecosystem, to a desert, soil loses its nutrients, plants go away, primary consumers go away, and the rest of the food chain disappears or changes?

desertification

what is cold and harsh, biodiversity is extremely low, plant life is nearly monolithic?

tundra

what is soil or underwater sediment that is constantly frozen?

permafrost

what are the benefits provided to humans from healthy ecosystems?

ecosystem services

what is the Current Period on Earth?

holocene

what is the death of numerous populations/species of animals?

extinction

what’s structure allows it to capture a lot of energy, Oxygen Bonds to Carbon and forms a bridge-like structure, which allows it to vibrate and redirect light in all directions?

carbon dioxide

what are gases released into the atmosphere that retain heat (CO2, Methane)?

greenhouse gases

what is the highest temperatures organisms can survive?

thermal tolerance

what includes physiology increases with temperature?

natural selection

what is the transformation of one ecosystem into a city?

urbanization

what classifications were dinosaurs in?

chordata, clade: dinosauria

what are the two categories dinosaurs can be broken down into?

avian dinosaurs, non-avian dinosaurs

what is the independent evolution of similar species in species of different lineages?

Convergent Evolution

what is how morphology relates to animal function?

functional morphology

what group are velociraptors in?

Dromaeosaurs

where were the feather nobs noticed on dinosaur bones?

ulna

what have a four chambered heart?

birds, mammals

what have two chambered hearts?

fish

what have three chambered hearts?

reptiles

what reptiles have four chambered hearts?

crocodilians/alligators