Ecology Test 1

Ecology

How organisms interact with their environment

Scale

Size of the organism

Home Range

Living area in given day (don’t include migration, Bigger HR, bigger the scale)

Energy Flow

As you go up the food chain, there’s a 90% energy loss

Intra

Between like species

Inter

Between different species

Abiotic

Nonliving (ex. temperature, substrate, pH, salinity, sunlight)

Biotic

Living (ex. animals, plants, bacteria)

Anthropogenic

Human induced (ex. trash, pollution, pipes, boats)

Ecologically dead

Can’t reproduce but consume resources

Goal of organisms

Survive and reproduce viable offspring (fitness)

Adaptaion

How well organisms survive and reproduce in their environment

Niche

abiotic/biotic requirements organisms need and their role in the community

Holistic

A wider view on the ecosystem

Reductionist

Individual organisms

Resource partitioning

animals partition resources to decrease competition because competition wastes energy

Competitive release

remove competitor and see what happens

Latitude

North/South

Longitude

West/East

Elements of Climate

Light, Water, Wind

4 Seasons because…

Earth tilt at 23.5

Precipitations and Clouds

Sun heats ground, produces warm air, air absorbs moisture then condenses and forms clouds and rain

Coriolis effect

Winds from the Northern Hemisphere deflected to the right, and Winds from the Southern hemisphere deflected to the left

Shaded months on climate diagram

Months where temperature was above freezing

Soil composition

Minerals, nutrients, moisture, compaction, organisms

Soil Horizons: O

Organic horizon. upper layer that contains plant litter and other organic material

Soil Horizons: A

Mineral soil mixed with organic material, clay, iron, aluminum, and soluble matter is leached from this horizon

Soil Horizons: B

Depositional horizon. Materials leached from A are deposited to B. form distinct banding patterns

Soil Horizons: C

Weathered parent material. rock fragments

Soil Horizons: R

Bedrock

Biomes: Tropical Rain forest

• 0-10 Degrees N/S of equator

• Warm

• high precipitation

• 25-27 C

• Soil

  • Spongey

  • Not nutrient dense b/c it’s constantly being used up

  • low organics

• Adaptations

  • Myocorrhizae - fungus on plant roots

    • Fungus get shelter and increase water absorption for tree

• Biology

  • Dense canopy blocks ground so no sunlight touching ground

• Anthropogenic influence

  • Deforestation

Biomes: Tropical Dry Forest

• 10-25 Degrees N/S

• 6 months dry/wet

• Temp constant

• Soil

  • better quality

  • we/dry seasons decrease stability and increase run off and erosion

• Biology

  • Plants store water

  • Animals leave (astivate)

Biomes: Savanna

• Origin of human life

• Boarders tropical dry forests