Ecology Test #1

ecology

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

replicate

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research's reliability

statistical analysis

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

scientific method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.

hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

soil

The loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow.

0 horizon

the top layer of the surface containing inorganic solids, decaying organic matter, and living organisms

A horizon

mixture of minerals, clay, silt, and sand

B horizon

A soil horizon composed primarily of mineral material with very little organic matter

C horizon

The least-weathered soil horizon, which always occurs beneath the B horizon and is similar to the parent material.

soil texture

the soil quality that is based on the proportions of soil particles

biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Tundra

An extremely cold, dry biome.

permafrost

Ground that is permanently frozen

arctic tundra

Biome that encircles the Earth just south of ice-covered polar seas in the Northern Hemisphere

climate change

Change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades

Desert

An extremely dry area with little water and few plants

Shrubland

Arid terrestrial biome characterized by shrubs and tending to occur along coasts that have dry summers and receive most of their rainfall in the winter.

temperate forests

occur in eastern North America, Japan, northeastern Asia, and western and central Europe. Dominated by tall deciduous trees. Well-defined seasons include a distinct winter. Logged extensively, only scattered remnants of original temperate forests remain.

tropical rainforest

a broadleaf evergreen forest found in wet and hot regions near the equator.

tropical seasonal forest

biome characterized by deciduous and evergreen trees, a dry season, and animal species that include monkeys, elephants, and Bengal tigers

hyrdologic cycle

the movement of water through the biosphere

lotic

flowing water

lentic

standing water

grassland

A biome where grasses are the main plant life

riffles

shallow areas of swiftly flowing water

pools

deeper, slower moving sections

gougers

burrow into waterlogged limbs and trunks of fallen trees

shredders

an aquatic invertebrate such as a stonefly nymph that feeds by cutting and tearing organic matter.

detrital

sedimentary rocks made from the broken fragments of other rocks that are compacted and cemented together

headwater

a tributary stream of a river close to or forming part of its source

lakes

A body of water that is surrounded by land it can be fresh water or salt water.

estuary

A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

salt marsh

A marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation, found along the coast in temperate climates.

mangrove forest

trees and shrubs growing in saline/brackish coastal habitats in tropics

coral reef

A structure of calcite skeletons built up by coral animals in warm, shallow ocean water.

sediments

Loose materials such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and bits of shell that have been moved by wind, water, ice, or gravity

nutrient runoff

A type of runoff that leads to algae blooms, eutrophication, and fish kills

coral bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white.

kelp beds

large dense patches of kelp

photic zone

Portion of the marine biome that is shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate.

pelagic zone

open water above the ocean floor

benthic zone

the muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean

microclimate

Climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area

macroclimate

Patterns on the global, regional and local level.

photosynthesis

Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.

conduction

The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching.

convection

The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid

ectotherm

An animal whose body does not produce much internal heat

endotherm

An organism that is internally warmed by a heat-generating metabolic process

thermoneutral zone

range of environmental temperatures within which the metabolic rates are minimal

torpor

extreme mental and physical sluggishness

hibernation

Long-term torpor that is an adaptation to winter cold and food scarcity.

gravitational potential

Water flows downhill, following a gradient of potential energy

pressure potential

moving from area of higher to lower pressure

osmotic potential

The tendency of water to move across a permeable membrane into a solution

matric potential

The energy associated with attractive forces on the surfaces of large molecules inside cells or on the surfaces of soil particles.

diffusion

Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

osmosis

diffusion of water

isoosmotic

the movement of water is equal in both directions

hyperosmotic

solution with a greater concentration of solute

hypoosmotic

lower solute concentration

metabolic water

water released during cellular respiration

Camels

animals that hold water in hump, have reflective hair, and face the sun

Saguaro Cactus

plants that open stomata at night

Desert scorpion

only comes out at night

Desert cicada

out at hottest part of day, perch on branch tips

trophic levels

levels of nourishment in a food chain

autotroph

An organism that makes its own food

photosynthetic

use CO2 as carbon source, and sunlight as energy

chemosynthetic

having the ability to use the energy from chemical reactions to construct organic food molecules

heterotroph

An organism that cannot make its own food.

infrared

long wavelength low energy

ultraviolet

short wavelength high energy

photosynthetically active radiation

Wavelengths of light that photosynthetic organisms use as a source of energy.

photon flux density

the number of photons of light striking a square meter surface each second

3-PGA

3 carbon molecule that is made from the splitting of RuBP

C4 photosynthesis

process that first converts CO2 into a 4-carbon molecule in the mesophyll cells, converts that product to malate and then shuttles it to the bundle sheath cells, where the malate releases CO2 and rubisco picks it up as if all were normal

CAM photosynthesis

The photosynthetic pathway in which carbon fixation takes place at night, and the resulting carbon acids are stored until daylight when they are broken down into pyruvate and CO2.

herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

detritivores

feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

cellulose

A substance (made of sugars) that is common in the cell walls of many organisms

allelopathic

describes a plant that produces and releases chemicals that inhibit the growth of nearby individuals of the same or another species

detritivores

feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

aposematic coloring

warning colors

Mullerian mimicry

two or more unpalatable species resemble each other

Batesian mimicry

A type of mimicry in which a harmless species looks like a species that is poisonous or otherwise harmful to predators.

Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Mendel

Father of genetics

alleles

Different forms of a gene

ecotypes

populations with adaptations to unique environments

disruptive selection

form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle

directional selection

Form of natural selection in which the entire curve moves; occurs when individuals at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle or at the other end of the curve

stabilizing selection

Natural selection that favors intermediate variants by acting against extreme phenotypes

geographic speciation

The creation of a species due to a geographic separation

sympatric speciation

The formation of new species in populations that live in the same geographic area

genetic drift

A change in the allele frequency of a population as a result of chance events rather than natural selection.

mutation

A change in a gene or chromosome.