Abiotic Factors and Ecological Principles in Biology, Biology: Key Concepts in Life, Evolution, and Ecology, Comprehensive Evolution and Ecology: Key Concepts and Mechanisms

What does Liebig's Law of the Minimum state?

The growth of a plant is dependent on the amount of essential materials available in minimum quantities.

What is the significance of Liebig's Law of the Minimum?

An organism must have essential materials in amounts that approach the critical minimum needed for growth and reproduction.

How did Taylor expand Liebig's Law?

He broadened it to include all physical items affecting growth.

What is Shelford's Law of Tolerance?

The presence and success of an organism depend on the completeness of conditions, with limits of tolerance for various factors.

What are the implications of Shelford's Law of Tolerance?

There are minima and maxima for all physical factors affecting an organism's survival.

What does it mean if a species has a wide limit of tolerance for one factor but narrow for another?

It indicates that the species can thrive under varying conditions for some factors but is sensitive to changes in others.

What are ecotypes?

Different populations of the same species that may vary in limits of tolerance and optimum range geographically.

What is the primary medium for terrestrial organisms?

Air, which is a mixture of gases including nitrogen (79%), oxygen (21%), and carbon dioxide (0.03%).

What unique features does water have that affect organisms?

Water has high specific heat, high latent heat of fusion, and the highest known heat of evaporation.

What is the density of pure water at 4°C?

1

How does pressure change with depth in water?

An increase of 10 meters in water depth increases pressure by 760 mmHg, equivalent to 1 atmosphere.

What happens to enzyme activity under increased pressure?

Enzyme activity changes, and different organisms have varying tolerances to pressure.

What is the largest animal ever to live?

The blue whale, which can weigh up to 110 tons.

How does density of water influence organisms?

Similar densities between water and organisms mean changes in temperature and salinity can significantly affect them.

What is the role of movement through a medium for organisms?

Movement is necessary to obtain food, remove wastes, bring male and female together, distribute progeny, and avoid unfavorable conditions.

What adaptations do organisms have for movement in water?

Adaptations include enlarged spines, appendages, and active vertical swimming.

What is the definition of substratum in ecology?

The surface on which an organism rests, moves, attaches, or borrows.

How do organisms find suitable substrates?

Through statistical chance, as seen with larvae, seeds, and spores.

What is the significance of the intertidal zone?

It represents a transition area between terrestrial and aquatic environments.

How does air circulation compare to water circulation in organisms?

Air circulates easily while water circulation is more difficult, affecting how organisms obtain resources.

What is cyclomorphosis?

A phenomenon where organisms change shape in response to environmental conditions.

What is the impact of viscosity on movement through water?

Water's viscosity creates resistance to movement, affecting how organisms propel themselves.

What is the relationship between organism size and support structures?

As an organism's weight increases, its support structures must also increase, but at a slower rate.

What adaptations do plants have for a sessile existence?

Plants can be sessile because they are anchored in place, unlike terrestrial animals which require movement for survival.

What is the significance of the Mariana Trench in terms of pressure?

At 10,860 meters, the pressure reaches about 1086 atmospheres.

What is thigmotropism?

A growth response in plants to touch, exemplified by pea plants.

What is thigmotaxis?

A movement response to touch, seen in organisms like protozoa and moles.

What are abiotic factors in an ecosystem?

Non-living components such as substratum, energy, and light that affect living organisms.

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

No energy transformation is 100% efficient; entropy increases with each transformation.

What is photoperiodism?

The physiological response of plants to the length of day and night, influencing flowering.

What role does auxin play in plant growth? gfp

Auxin promotes cell elongation, inhibits lateral buds, and stimulates root growth.

What is the significance of the pineal gland?

It synthesizes melatonin, regulating biological rhythms and reproductive functions in animals.

How does light intensity affect aquatic ecosystems?

Light penetrance in water varies based on factors like angle of incidence, turbidity, and depth.

What is the euphotic zone?

The upper layer of a body of water where enough light penetrates for photosynthesis to occur.

What adaptations do fish have for light?

Fish eyes are adapted for varying light conditions, enhancing their ability to see underwater.

What is the role of phytochrome in plants?

Phytochrome is a pigment that helps plants detect light and regulate flowering based on day length.

What is the difference between poikilotherms and homoiotherms?

Poikilotherms are cold-blooded and vary their body temperature, while homoiotherms are warm-blooded and maintain a constant temperature.

What is the function of gibberellins in plants?

Gibberellins promote cell division and growth in plants.

What is the effect of temperature extremes on aquatic life?

Aquatic organisms have minimum and maximum temperature thresholds that affect their survival.

What is the significance of photoperiodism in flowering plants?

It allows plants to time their flowering to coincide with optimal conditions for pollination.

What is the role of abscisic acid in plants?

Abscisic acid regulates dormancy and stress responses in plants.

How does light quality affect plant adaptations?

Different wavelengths of light influence processes like photosynthesis and growth patterns.

What is the relationship between respiration and photosynthesis?

Respiration and photosynthesis are interconnected processes that cycle carbon in ecosystems.

What is detrital food chain?

A food chain that starts with detritus, decomposing organic matter, rather than sunlight.

What adaptations do plants have for light absorption?

Plants have specialized leaf structures to maximize light absorption for photosynthesis.

What are the effects of temperature change on organisms?

Temperature change can trigger behaviors like migration, hibernation, and physiological adaptations.

What is the significance of the dysphotic zone?

The dysphotic zone is where light is insufficient for photosynthesis, affecting the types of organisms that can thrive.

What is the role of cytokinin in plant growth?

Cytokinins promote cell division and growth in plants.

What is the impact of turbidity on light penetration in water?

Higher turbidity reduces light penetration, affecting photosynthetic organisms in aquatic ecosystems.

What is the origin of the word 'science'?

The word science comes from the Latin word for knowledge.

What does science primarily deal with?

Science deals with observable phenomena and evidence from the physical universe.

What are the limitations of science?

Science deals only with observable phenomena, assumes uniformity of the physical universe, and does not deal with certainties, only probabilities.

What percentage of Americans believe that early humans coexisted with dinosaurs?

48% of Americans believe that early humans did not coexist with dinosaurs.

What is the scientific method?

The scientific method involves observation, interpretation, forming hypotheses, making predictions, and experimentation.

What happens to a hypothesis after it has been tested countless times?

It is considered a theory, and if further validated, it may become a law or principle.

What was Louis Pasteur's hypothesis regarding spontaneous generation?

Pasteur hypothesized that living material is derived from living material outside of a sterile environment.

What conclusion did Pasteur reach from his experiments?

Pasteur concluded that no growth appears in broth unless dust is admitted from outside, rejecting the spontaneous generation hypothesis.

What is biology?

Biology is a division of natural science that deals with the study of life.

What are the characteristics of living things?

Living things must assimilate energy, respond to their environment, maintain a constant internal environment, reproduce and grow, possess an inherited information base in DNA, be composed of cells, and evolve from other living things.

What do heterotrophs and autotrophs refer to?

Heterotrophs are organisms that obtain energy from other living things, while autotrophs produce their own energy.

What is ecology?

Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

What is the significance of the biotic/abiotic boundary?

The boundary between living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) is not clear, as non-living components can be incorporated into living systems.

What is abiogenesis?

Abiogenesis refers to the process by which life arises naturally from non-living matter.

What is the role of DNA in living organisms?

DNA encodes the inherited information that allows living organisms to function.

What does it mean for a system to maintain a relatively constant internal environment?

It refers to homeostasis, where living organisms regulate their internal conditions despite external changes.

What is the importance of experimentation in the scientific method?

Experimentation tests hypotheses to either strengthen, modify, or discard them.

What is the difference between direct and indirect observation in science?

Direct observation involves seeing phenomena firsthand, while indirect observation relies on tools or methods to gather data.

Why is the average American's knowledge of science considered uneven?

Surveys indicate significant misconceptions about basic scientific facts, such as the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

What is the significance of the characteristics of living things?

These characteristics define what it means to be alive and distinguish living organisms from non-living matter.

What is the process of hypothesis testing?

Hypothesis testing involves making predictions based on hypotheses and conducting experiments to validate or refute them.

What is meant by the term 'evolved from other living things' in the context of biology?

It means that all living organisms share a common ancestry and have diversified over time through evolutionary processes.

What are the two main categories of factors in an environment?

Abiotic factors (chemical and physical) and biotic factors.

Who coined the term 'Ecology' and in what year?

Ernst Haeckel in 1866.

What does the Greek word 'oikos' mean?

House.

What is the critical test for determining if a study is ecological?

Whether the study looks at relationships between organisms and their environment.

What is the biological hierarchy from simplest to most complex?

Subcell, Cell, Tissue, Organ, Organ Systems, Organisms, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, Biosphere.

What distinguishes biology from other sciences like physics?

Biology focuses on the complexity and diversity of living organisms rather than universal rules.

What is the hierarchical organization of life?

Atoms, Molecules, Organelles, Cells, Tissues, Organs, Organ Systems, Organisms, Populations, Communities, Ecosystems, Biosphere.

What are some fields of study within biology?

Biophysics, Biochemistry, Cytology, Histology, Embryology, Anatomy, Ecology, Zoology, and Botany.

What is biology's chief unifying principle?

Evolution, defined as the gradual modification of populations of living things over time.

What are the requirements for life?

A set of available chemicals (including carbon), suitable temperature, suitable pressure, and an energy source.

What levels of ecological relationships can ecologists study?

Individual organism, Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, Biosphere.

What defines a species?

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

What is a population in ecological terms?

A group of organisms of the same species that interbreed and live in the same area.

What is a community in ecology?

A collection of different populations that live together and function together.

What is an ecosystem?

A collection of organisms that live in a place along with their nonliving environment.

What is a biome?

A group of ecosystems that share the same climate and dominant communities.

What is the biosphere?

The part of the Earth where life exists, including land, water, air, and atmosphere.

What are the three ecological methods of study?

Observing, Experimenting, and Modeling.

What is the purpose of observing in ecological studies?

To determine what species live in an area and how many individuals of each species are present.

What does experimenting in ecology involve?

Testing a hypothesis, such as creating artificial environments in the lab.

What is the purpose of modeling in ecology?

To gain insight into complex phenomena, such as global warming.

How is life organized

Increasing Complexity

evolution

gradual modification of populations of living things over time.

Factor Interaction

A factor other than the minimum may alter the utilization and need for the minimum

Chemosynthesis

How life exists on ocean floor and how life may have started

heat

Minimum can't drop below freezing point

Fresh water 0°C; Marine -2.5°C

úMaximum

Persian Gulf 36°C; tidal pools and shallow fresh water higher

Geysers and volcanoes 100°C

Terrestrial

70°C (-94°F) in Siberia

60°C (140°F) Desert air; 84°C (184°F) Desert soil

Linnaeus

Swedish botanist who proposed the modern system of biological nomenclature (1707-1778)

Jean baptiste de Lamarck

first evolutionist to believe that organisms change over time. Who developed three theories: the theory of need, the theory of use and disuse, the theory of acquired characteristics.