SCIENCE 11 PT. 2

System

Interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized to achieve a certain function or purpose.

False

Systems are less than the sum of its parts.

Hierarchies

Systems can be embedded in systems, which are embedded in yet other systems; organized into _________.

Physical environment

What is the abiotic factor that links biotic communities to ecosystems?

Ecosystem

Any unit including all the organisms interacting with each other (biotic community) in a given area interacting with the physical environment.

True

The ecosystem is the first unit in the ecological hierarchy that is complete.

community, flow of energy, cycling of materials

What is the triad of factors that form an ecosystem?

population-community

What do you call the structural approach in understanding ecosystems that describes ecosystems as networks of interacting populations?

Abiotic environment

What is seen as the backdrop where biotic interactions occur?

Fails to see the bigger picture

What is the main contention towards the population-community approach?

process-function

What type of approach in understanding ecosystems is termed as functional and treats ecosystems as pathways of matter and energy?

functions and processes

Under the functional approach, these factors are viewed as more fundamental than the organisms performing them.

misses out importance of some species

What is the main contention towards the functional approach in under

food web

What is an example of understanding the ecosystem through population-community?

carbon flow

What is an example of understanding the population through process-function?

keystone species

Type of surrogate species wherein their impact on the community or ecosystem are much larger relative to its abundance, and more influential than expected.

allogenic engineers

Type of ecosystem engineer that modifies the environment by mechanically changing materials from one form to another.

beaver

What is an example of an allogenic engineer?

autogenic engineer

Type of ecosystem engineer that modifies the environment by modifying themselves.

Ecotones

Ecosystem boundaries that bear more biodiversity

Edge

What is the other term for ecosystem boundaries?

cybernetics

Dubbed as the science of control; this is the ability to maintain a constant internal environment.

negative

What type of feedback system is employed when a system deviates from its norm and internal processes act to restore normal conditions?

homeostasis

Organismal balance; control of an organism’s internal conditions within required limits.

homeorhesis

Ecosystem balance; biological and non-biological control of conditions within an ecosystem.

resistance

The ability of an ecosystem to stay steady despite disturbances.

resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to recover after disturbances.

inversely proportional

What is the relation between resilience and resistance?

landscape

A heterogeneous area composed of several ecosystems.

landscape ecology

The study of landscapes, particularly landscape structures and processes

Organizational scale

What is the focus of landscape ecology that is said to be above community and the ecosystem?

landscape matrix

a large area of similar ecosystems or vegetation types in which landscape patches and corridors are embedded

landscape patch

relatively homogenous area that differs from the surrounding matrix

landscape corridor

A strip of environment frequently connecting two or more landscape patches of the similar habitat

Yes

Yes/No. Is the ecosystem of the landscape patch similar to that of the landscape corridor?

Daniel Burnham

Who designed Baguio City as a central business district?

25000 people

How many were the original benefactors of Baguio City as a resort?

Complexity Theory

Differs from other analytical approaches in that it is based upon a conceptual model in which entities exist in a hierarchy of interrelated organizational levels.

Numerosity

Refers to the number of elements in different levels to the hierarchy within the system.

Non-linearity

The interactions and feedback loops over time is characterized by…?

Autonomy and adaptation

Enables self-organization and the process of evolution that shapes complex system on macro scale (ecological memory)

numerosity, non-linearity, connectivity, and autonomy and adaptation

What are the four primary parameters that make up a complex system?

spatial

The distribution defines the _______ extent of a population.

temporal

The time series of different variables describing the dynamics of a system.

scale-free network

Among the four kinds of networks, what is considered as the more complex and ideal habitat network?

Planar

What type of ecosystem network is this?

Random

What type of ecosystem network is this?

Scale-free

What type of ecosystem network is this?

Small world

What type of ecosystem network is this?

restoration

Human intervention that is designed to accelerate the recovery of damaged habitats, or to bring ecosystems back to as close an approximation possible of their pre-disturbance states.

rehabilitation

The act of partially, or more rarely, fully replacing structural or functional characteristics of an ecosystem that have been diminished or lost, or the substitution of alternative qualities or characteristics than those originally present with the provision that they have more social, economic, or ecological value than existed in the disturbed or degraded states.

biodiversity

The variety and extent of differences among and within living things.

genetic biodiversity

Defined as the sum total of information contained in the genes of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms; also includes genetic variation between distinct populations of the same species or variation within a population.

species diversity

Refers to the variety of species, including their abundance, distribution, and functions or interactions within a given spatial context, which can be a geographical region/location/ecosystem.

richness and evenness

What are the two main factors when measuring species diversity?

richness

A measure of the number of different kinds of organisms present in a particular area regardless of scale, such as the number of organisms living in a spoonful of soil, or on a large scale as the whole Earth.

evenness

Compares the similarity of the population size of each of the species present.

Ecosystem diversity

Refers to the distribution and abundance of habitats, biotic communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere.

compositional biodiversity

Describes the type of elements and the number of representatives present at each level (genes, species, and habitat) in an area.

structural biodiversity

Describes the variety of arrangement of these components, i.e. variety of ways in which different habitats, species, or genes are arranged over space and time. Examples are the vertical layering of trees in a forest or the horizontal patchiness of vegetation.

temporal fluctuations

Support different species over different seasons/timescales and have a critical influence on ecosystem dynamics.

estuarine fish

An organism with which has its feeding and breeding patterns depend on water availability or changing water temperature as the tide changes, as well as seasonal flooding events.

functional biodiversity

Refers to the variety of biological processes, functions, or characteristics of a particular ecosystem or area. Thought to be one of the main factors determining the long term stability and resiliency of an ecosystem.

Umbrella species

Requires large areas of habitat that their protection might automatically protect a large number of naturally co-occuring species in several ecosystems and habitats. Monitoring this species and ensuring its continues success also mean the maintenance of high quality habitat for other soecies in the area.

International Union for Conservation of Nature

What does IUCN mean?

IUCN Red List

Where are the umbrella species listed as endangered or threatened listed in?

indicator species

Species that set a benchmark against which comparisons can be made after a period of time whether conservation interventions are applied or not. They are sensitive to certain changes in the environmental factors hence are only found in environments where these factors are optimal.

Flagship species

Popular, charismatic species that serve as symbols and rallying points to stimulate conservation awareness and action. They serve to act as an ambassador, icon, or symbol for a defined habitat, issue, campaign, or environmental cause.

biodiversity hotspot

A place on Earth that is biologically rich (with high endemism) and deeply threatened due to habitat loss by human activity.

1500

How many endemic vascular plants (less than 0.5% of the world’s total) is required for a biodiversity hotspot?

30% or less

What is the percentage of a biodiversity hotspot’s natural vegetation?

ecoregions

The complex pattern of biodiversity distribution, determined by climate, geology, and the planet’s evolutional history; “large units of land of water containing a geographically distinct assemblage of species, natural communities, and environmental conditions.”

biodiversity coldspots

Places on Earth not rich in endemic species; contains high biodiversity and ecosystem service values but low threat values.

conservation

An approach to sustain living systems; the planned management of natural resources, retention of natural balance, diversity, and evolutionary change in the environment.

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

Occurred in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, this event addressed issues relating to sustainability and conservation.