Ecology Test 2

At what level of ecology is temperature relation studied?

individual

What does temperature influence in ecology?

it influences rate of chemical reactions and responses to climate change. It also affects activity levels.

What is the small scale variation of environmental conditions caused by interactions between climate and topography

microclimate

What landscape features affect microclimate?

-altitude

-aspect

-vegetation

-ground color

-burrows

(Always ask (for) very good brownies))

What is true of altitude?

high altitude has lower temps. atmospheric pressure also decreases with elevation and air expands do to there being less atmosphere to trap heat

What is true of aspect?

aspect creates microclimates as it determines how much shade an area has which effects vegetation, evaporation, diversity of orgs, etc

What is true of vegetation”?

Plants themselves create microclimates as they shade landscapes. these are very important in deserts as microclimates form under bushes

what is true of the color of the ground

color of the ground can affect the temp when vegetation is sparce as dark colored ground absorbs more heat.

what is true of the presence of burrows

burrows have distinctive microclimates that differ from that of the surface.

they have less temp variation from the surface

overlaying soil provides insulation

similar to snow pack

What tells us that if an organism allocates energy to one expense, this reduces the amount of energy available for other expenses

The principal of allocation

What is the subsidy stressor effect?

describes how the increase of an environmental driver can enhance the ecosystem up to a point before it becomes a harmful after a certain threshold

What is an example of environmental temp affecting physiology and behavior of organisms?

Turtles and lizards having more boy or girl offspring depending on the temp of the sand the eggs are laid in

What can extreme heat do to plants?

it can reduce their rate of photosynthesis (different plant species have different temperatures they can conduct photosynthesis at)

What is the short term usually reversable physiological adjustment to new/ changing environments and climates?

Acclimation

_____ are found in all aquatic temperature conditions but no single spp. found in thema ll

microbes

What microbes are marine bacteria that live in cold water

psychrophiles

What microbes are marine bacteria that live in very hot water

Thermophiles

How do organisms regulate body temp or chemoregulation?

balancing heat gain and heat loss

How do desert plants use morphology to reduce heat storage?

-foliage above ground level

-small leaves and open growth form

-dense plant hairs

How do arctic plants use morphology to increase heat storage?

-Darker pigmentation

-Cushion growth form

-dense pubescents

What group of organisms rely on external sources for regulating body temp? What is an example?

ectotherms

iguanas

What group of organisms do not regulate body temp as their body temp varies directly with the environment? They shift temp with environment with no issue. This can however effect growth.

What is an example?

What larger group do these belong to?

Poikilotherms

fish

Ectotherms

What group of organisms regulates their body temp using internally derived metabolic heat energy

What is an example?

endotherms

bear

What group of organism maintains a relatively consistent body temperature?

What is an example?

What larger group do they belong to?

Homeotherms

elephants and humans

Endotherms

What do endothermic animals rely on to maintain internal temperatures?

They rely on metabolic heat to maintain internal temp

______________ is the range of environmental temp over which the rate of metabolic rate of an endotherm doesn’t change

Thermal Neutral zone

For endotherms, at low temps what happens?

metabolic rate rises (shivering), fat metabolism

For endotherms, at high temp what happens?

increase in convective cooling, increase in heart rate and blood to skin

What is true of the thermal neutral zone from species to species

it varies

Between tropical spp. and artic spp. which has the smaller thermal neutral zone? WHy?

tropical species because arctic areas are more variable which requires a larger thermal neutral zone to allow organisms to adjust to variable conditions

How can radiative heat loss by endotherms be increased for those that live in hot environments?

enlarged structures such as the jack rabbit’s ears

At what level is water relations examined?

individual level

What is the physiological and behavioral adaptation for balancing water gain and loss to maintain water balance?

water relations

why does water play a central role in living organisms?

-life evolved in water

-body water 50-90%

-chemical reactions occur in aqueous solutions

What are the reasons for the 7 properties of water?

molecule shapes, polarity, and hydrogen bond

(My pee hisses)

Why does molecule shape affect the seven properties of water?

two hydrogen (H) atoms bonded to one (O) atom.

covalent bond

why does polarity relate to the seven properties of water?

water is a polar molecule

why does hydrogen bonding relate to the seven properties of water?

each water molecule can form 4 hydrogen bonds.

-inorganic molecules with polar charge can bond to water.

What are the seven properties of water

Density

Water is Sticky

Specific Heat

Heat of Vaporization

Good Solvent

Nonpolar molecules

Water can form ions

what property of water tell us that solid water is less dense than liquid water? Why is it like this?

Density

hydrogen bonds in ice space the water molecules far apart.

At what temperature is freshwater most dense?

4 degrees C

_______ is the weight of a substance per unit volume

Density

____________ is pressure exerted by a fluid in which an object is immersed

Buoyancy

Density of water is _____ than the density of air

greater

smaller organisms tend to have ____ buoyancy

neutral

There is an __________ relationship between density in temp

inverse. Highest density occurs at the lowest temp. This is not a linear relationship however

What does the relationship between density and temp lead to?

Thermal stratification in many moderately deep lakes/ponds in the summer

What property of water contains cohesion and adhesion?

Water is sticky

What does cohesion and adhesion give rise to?

surface tension in water and the neuston

What community is made possible by surface tension and includes duckweed, water striders, snails, and mosquito larvae?

the neuston

What property of water tells us that water has a high specific heat

Specific heat. takes a lot of energy to heat up one g of water

why does water have a high specific heat?

because of polarity. lots of energy is required to break the hydrogen bonds. warming just a few degrees takes a lot of sunlight

Why do areas near large bodies of waters differ in climate from areas near that are not by the water?

Large bodies of water hold heat longer and are more stable. This heat affects the land.

What property of water tells us that water has a high heat of vaporization of 540 cal/gram?

Heat of vaporization

Why does water have a high heat of vaporization?

due to polarity of water

What is a process that we get due to heat of vaporization?

Evaporative cooling which cools the surface of lakes and streams

Why is water a good solvent?

polar molecules are attracted to ions and polar molecules as like attracts like? Water molecules surround any substance that has an electric charge.

What property of water tell us that water has the ability to organize nonpolar molecules? What are the two groups it separates things into?

nonpolar molecules

hydrophilic and hydrophobic

What property of water tells us that water can form ions and acids and bases? What does this relate to?

Water can form ions

It leads to the concept of ph

What is our general formula for pH of H2O?

[H⁺]=[OH^-]=1×10^-7 mol/L

pH is the __________ of a solution

negative log of [H⁺]

is H2O considered to be acidic or basic?

neither. it is neutral

As [H⁺] increases, pH ____

decreases

What is true of aquatic critters and pH?

aquatic critters vary in ability to handle different pH levels. clownfish like very basic and frogs like very acidid

What is the scale of pH?

0-14

you are given 1×10^-6. What is your pH? What is your amount of H⁺? OH^-?

pH=6

H⁺=6

OH^-= 8

The ______________ influences the movement of water between organisms and the environment

concentration gradient

How does water move down a concentration gradient? Is it active or passive?

Osmosis. It is passive

______ of gradient determines water gain vs water loss for an organism

magnitude

What must you consider about an organism to understand the organism’s water relations?

Microclimate

How do terrestrial organisms budget water?

water gain vs water loss controls internal water concentration

What is a common adaptation to water via evaporation loss in organisms?

waterproofing

What is an example of an organism that is uniquely adapted for water conservation?

camels. their fat is stored in their hump and can later be metabolized. Their shape and orientation reduce their rate or heating as well.

water moving between soil to the plants to the atmosphere flows ____ the water potential gradient

down

________ is the captacity of water to do work. what is the symbol?

Water potential
ψ

Pure water was a water potential of ____ and in nautre the ψ is always _______

0

negative

What is the reason for water potential?

cohesion and adhesion

As water evaporates from leaves
(__________), negative
pressure/tension moves ___

transpiration

up

What about a plant can tell us about the water availability in the area?

the extent of the roots as deeper roots in drier area extract deep ground water.

greater comparative root biomass in drier envs

What are some of the ways in which plants might conserve water (name three)

-reduced leaf area 

-waxy cuticle water proofing looses less H2O

-Dropping leaves in response to drought 

What is an example of a plant that has a structured to protect against water loss

a cactus. it has large trunks and arms for water storage. shape and orientation reduce rates of heating.

plat hairs additionally reduce sunlight.

Does water stop moving after equilibrium has been reached?

no it keeps moving at the same consistent rate.

What are the three types of solutions?

isotonic, hypertonic, hypotonic

What type of solution is it if the concentration is equal between the inside and the outside? What does this look like?

Isotonic

normal cell

What type of solution is it if there is a higher concentration outside than there is inside? What does this look like?

hypertonic

balled up cell

What type of solution is it if there is a higher concentration inside than outside? What does it look like?

Hypotonic.

sphere shaped cell

Why is a hypotonic state good for plants?

Their turgidity gives them the ability to expand as much as they’d like to

What is the regulation of internal salt and water concentration?

Osmoregulation

__________ is where body fluid contains the same concentration of water and solute as the external environment. What does this mostly occur in?

isosmotic

marine invertebrates such as sea stars

________ is where body fluids have higher concentration of water and lower concentration of solute than the environment. What is this most common in?

hypoosmotic

marine bony fish

Why do marine bony fish drink water?

Because they loose excess water and need to counter the water loss

What type of cells allow marine bony fishes to rid themselves of salt? 

chloride cells 

_______ is where body fluids have lower water concentration and higher solute than surrounding environment.

What is this typical in?

hyperosmotic organisms

such as freshwater fish.

they have dilute urine due to too much h2o

How do freshwater fish absorb extra salt?

via chloride cells with food

______ use inorganic sources of carbon and energy. there are two types which are ______ and _________

autotrophs

photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs

_____________ are other feeders that gain carbon and energy from organic molecules 

heterotrophs 

_________ are found in five kingdoms

heterotrophs

What are the two components of photosynthesis?

light dependent reactions and light independent/carbon fixation reactions

What is involved with the light dependent reactions in photosynthesis

H2O and O2

What is involved with the carbon fixation reactions of photosynthesis?

CO2 and H2O.