FANR 3200 Test #1

Which sequence represents the correct order of levels of biological/ecological organization, from largest to smallest?

Biosphere>ecosystem>community>population>individual

Which statement best describes the control group in the Johnson experiment on the effects of trematode parasites on tadpoles?

Tadpoles were grown in the absence of trematode parasites.

Heat loss due to the exchange of kinetic energy by molecules in direct contact with one another is referred to as...

conduction

If Earth were heated slightly more at the equator, Hadley cells should be become slightly _______ pronounced, and there would likely be slightly _______ rain at around 30°N.

more; less

Suppose Earth's rotation were somewhat faster than it is now. From the standpoint of a fixed viewer on Earth's surface, wind moving south in the Northern Hemisphere would appear to be deflected to the _______ and it would be deflected to a _______ extent than it is now.

west; greater

Some models of climate change suggest that the Gulf Stream may become weaker as global temperature increases. Such a weakening in the Gulf Stream would most likely result in...

cooling in London

Vegetation patterns affect the reflectance of solar radiation. The capacity of a land surface to reflect solar radiation is known as its...

albedo

Re-foresting tropical areas that have been deforested would result in a(n) _______ in the area's albedo and a(n) _______ in the area's evapotranspiration rates that should cause the area to recover from the slightly _______ regional climate that is a result of tropical deforestation.

decrease; increase; drier

If the tilt of Earth's axis were to decrease,

seasonality at the poles would be reduced

The greatest seasonal variation of temperature is most likely to be seen over...

land in the middle of a continent at high latitudes

The side of a mountain range that faces into the prevailing winds is called the _______ side. This usually receives _______ precipitation than the other side of the mountain.

windward; more

On what time scale do Milankovitch cycles occur?

Between 20,000 and 200,000 years

A biome contains sagebrush and many types of cacti, as well as rattlesnakes and jackrabbits. It has a hot, dry climate, and many microbes, including bacteria and archaea, that are adapted to live in extreme conditions. Which of these factors would be used to classify this biome?

sagebrush and cacti

Which statement about boreal forests is false?

trees are predominantly deciduous

What is the most common factor limiting aspen's distribution along the western edge of its range in Canada?

Failure to survive dought

Which of the following is an example of something that could be predicted with information on a species' "climate envelope"?

The range that the species could potentially inhabit

Which statement about ecotypes is true?

both a and b:

-Ecotypes are populations with adaptations to unique environments.

-With sufficient divergence over the course of time, ecotypes can become separate species.

Which statement best explains why tropical plants may lose function at temperatures as high as 10°C, while alpine plants can function at temperatures close to freezing?

The membranes of alpine plants have a higher proportion of unsaturated lipids, making them less sensitive to lower temperatures.

In the summer, leaves of E. farinosa show _______ pubescence than in the winter. The change in pubescence is an example of _______.

greater; acclimatization

Which type of heat transfer is much more common in plants than in animals?

Evaporative heat loss

Suppose a plant is receiving 120 units of heat per minute due to solar radiation, and 20 units of heat per minute due to infrared radiation. Sixty units per minute of solar radiation are reflected back by the leaves, and it emits 50 units of infrared radiation. It also loses 50 units of heat per minute through evapotranspiration. The temperature of the plant is not changing. Based on this information we can conclude that the combination of conduction and convection is resulting in a net _______of heat by the plant, and that its temperature is currently _______ than the ambient temperature.

gain; colder

If the body size of an ectotherm with a semi-spherical body shape were to increase considerably, the surface area-to-volume ratio would _____, and the animal's ability to exchange heat with the environment would _______.

decrease; decrease

How much difference is there between the lower critical temperature of a polar bear cub and the temperature at which its metabolic rate doubles? **chart was included

About 34°C

The salinity of salmon cells is about 0.9%. Salmon living in water with 0.2% salinity would be described as _______ to the environment, and would tend to _______ water and _______ salts.

hyperosmotic; gain; lose

Individual

a single organism

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Commuity

all the populations of various organisms living in an area

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Biosphere

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

Ecology

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment; biotic and abiotic interactions; abundance and distribution of species

Scientific Method

-observe nature, ask a question

-use previous knowledge or intuition, develop a possible answer

-evaluate competing hypotheses through observation, experiments, models

-draw conclusion, pose new question

What caused the decline in amphibians and high incidence of deformities?

parasites and pesticides

What is climate?

The long term average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time; extreme matters

What is the ultimate source of energy that drives the global climate?

Sun

Latent heat flux

heat loss due to evaporation

Sensible heat flux

Energy transfer (heat loss or gain) by convection and conduction

Conduction

kinetic energy is transferred by molecules in direct contact with one another (gradient)

Convection

The transfer of heat by the movement of a air or water currents (velocities)

intertropical convergence zone

An area of Earth that receives the most intense sunlight; where the ascending branches of the two Hadley cells converge.

How much is Earth's axis tilted?

23.5 degrees

Hadley Cell

a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns.

Ferrel Cell

Cell that moves air from 30 degrees to 60 degrees latitude

Coriolis effect

The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents.

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt

a constantly moving system of deep-ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity

Continental climate

greater variation in daily and seasonal temperatures

Maritime climate

little daily and seasonal variation in temperature, and high humidity

Orographic effect

The precipitation that occurs when moist air rises up the side of a mountain

Albedo

amount of solar radiation a surface reflects; light-colored surfaces have highest albedo

boundary layer

the thickness of a zone of turbulent flow near a surface

Surface roughness

increasing surface roughness increases turbulence, lowers velocity, and lowers convective heat loss

Milankovitch cycles

describe regular changes in the shape of Earth's orbit and the tilt of its axis; shape of the orbit varies from circular to more elliptic on a 100,000 year cycle; angle changes about every 41,000 years

Is heat capacity higher on land or water?

water; per unit of solar radiation, water temperature increases less than land temperature

What is the global precipitation pattern?

the tropical regions receive the most rainfall

rain shadow effect

Precipitation falls on the windward side of a mountain range, resulting in lush vegetation & a warm, moist climate on one side, but a desert area on the leeward side.

What defines a biome?

vegetation form

Physiognomy

physical, vegetation form

Forest

dominated by trees with closed canopy (deciduous, evergreen needle leaved, evergreen broadleaved)

Savanna

scattered trees in grassy area

Shrubland

tall shrubs, small trees growing thickly

Grassland

dominated by grasses

Desert

plants are sparse (cacti, succulents)

Convergence

evolution of similar growth forms among distantly related species in response to similar selection pressures

ex. Cacti (Americas) and Euphorbs (Africa)

Climate (Walter) Diagrams

-graphs of average monthly temperature and precipitation at a location

-show the characteristic seasonal climate pattern

-convey seasonal periods of water deficit and abundance

What's the rule of sufficient moisture?

20 mm of monthly precipitation for each 10 degrees Celsius

Tropical Rainforests

- between 10 degrees North and 10 degrees South

-annual precipitation > 2000 mm

-no seasonal changes

-high biomass, high diversity

-broadleaved evergreen and deciduous trees

Tropical Seasonal Forests and Savannas

-North and South of the wet tropics

-wet and dry seasons associated with movement of the ITCZ

-shorter trees, deciduous in dry seasons, more grasses and shrubs

-includes tropical dry forests, thorn woodlands, tropical savannas

Deserts

-in high pressure zones at 30 degrees North and South

-high temperatures, low moisture

-sparse vegetation and animal populations

-low water availability constraints plant abundance and influences form

Temperate Grasslands

-between 30 and 50 degrees latitude

-warm, moist summers and cold, dry winters

-grasses dominate; maintained by frequent fires and large herbivores such as bison

Temperate Shrublands and Woodlands

-Between 30°-40° latitude

-evergreen shrubs and trees

-Mediterranean-type climates-wet winters and hot dry summers

-fire is common and helps maintain

Temperate Deciduous Forest

-30 to 50 degrees on continental edges with enough rainfall for tree growth

-leaves are deciduous in winter

-oaks, maples, and beeches occur everywhere in this biome

-species diversity lower than tropical rainforests

Temperate Evergreen Forests

-30 to 50 degrees N and S coastal, continental, and maritime zones

-lower diversity than tropical and deciduous forests

-leaves tend to be acidic, and soils are nutrient-poor

-high rainfall and mild winters

Boreal Forests

-50 to 65 degrees north

-largest biome, 1/3 of forest land

-long severe winters

-permafrost (soil that remains frozen year round) prevents drainage leading to saturated soils

-trees are conifers

Tundra

-above 65 degrees latitude, mostly in the arctic

-cold temperatures, low precipitation

-short summers with long days

-vegetation: sedges, forbs, grasses, low growing shrubs, lichens and mosses

-widespread permafrost

What is the response of vegetation in response to elevation rather than latitude?

above the treeline in the alpine zone resembles the tundra with higher wind speeds, intense solar radiation, and lower atmospheric partial pressures of O2 and CO2

How do plants and animals deal with environmental variation?

tolerate and avoidance

Stress

anything outside the optimum

Acclimization

short-term changes in physiology that occur in an organism in response to changes in environmental conditions; reversible

Adaptation

long term changes in a population with a genetic basis

How do plants and animals deal with heat stress?

morphologically, physiologically, behaviorally

Morphological

the form or structure of something

Physiological

having to do with an organism's physical processes

Behavioral

learn observable responses

Allen's Rule

mammals living in the cold have shorter faces and limbs than mammals living in warmer areas

Bergmann's Rule

Warm-blooded animals that live in cold areas are bigger than those that live in warm areas

Water Potential

sum of osmotic potential, pressure potential, and matric potential

What physiological traits do animals have that allow them to maintain water and solute balance?

Kidneys, salt glands, respiration, diapause

hyperosmotic

solution with a greater concentration of solute

Isoosmotic

having the same total solute concentration as extracellular fluid

hypoosmotic

lower solute concentration

Endotherm

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

Ectotherm

An animal whose body does not produce much internal heat; must use external sources for warming and cooling

How have organisms adapted to meet their energy needs?

grow, survive, reproduce

Holoparasites

lack chlorophyll and are totally dependent on the host plant for their water and nutrients

Hemiparasites

A parasitic plant that can photosynthesize, but derives water and mineral nutrients from the living body of another plant.

Chemosynthesis

process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates

Two major steps of photosynthesis

light reactions (split water) and carbon reaction (CO2 is fixed to sugar)

C3 photosynthesis

The most common form of photosynthesis in which atmospheric CO2 is used to form 3-phosphoglycerate, a three-carbon sugar.

C4 photosynthesis

The two-step photosynthetic pathway in which CO2 is first fixed in mesophyll cells to form 4-carbon acids, and then the 4-carbon acids are broken down into 3-carbon acids in the bundle sheath cells.

ex. corn, sugarcane, millet

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.

ex. orchids, cactus