Biology Final 1

Biome

region characterized by distinct abiotic characteristics and dominant vegitation

Tropical Rainforest

at equator, hot, no seasons, lots of rainfall, constant growing season, lush vegetation

Tropical Savanna

on either side of equator, grasslands, always growing season, seasonal rainfall, wet and dry seasons, variation in temperature

Desert

30 N and 30 S, very dry, can be hot or cold, some have seasons, low precipitation, cacti

Temperate Grassland

true seasons, Kansas, specific growing season in spring and summer, seasonal rainfall, few trees, thick organic layer on soil, farmland

Temperate Forest

seasons, growing seasons, us, changes in temperature, steady rainfall throughout year, true growth

Boreal Forest

northern hemisphere, limited growing season, very cold most of the year, lots of seasonality, not a lot of rain, dry band, acidic soil, coniferous trees

Tundra

extremely short growing season, minimally seasonal, low precipitation, dry, windy, cold, sparse vegetation

Population

individuals of a certain species in a certain area that can interbreed

Ecology Order

ecosystem, community, population, organism

Community

all species in a particular region

Ecosystem

all abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) organisms in a particular region

Abiotic

non-living

Niche

the specific conditions a species can tolerate

Climate

long-term weather conditions

Weather

short-term atmospheric conditions

Rainshadow

land forced to become a desert because mountains block water from covering it

Neritic Zone

area between intertidal zone and continental shelf

Intertidal Zone

area below highest tide and above lowest tide

Benthic

on the bottom

Photic Zone

area of water that light can penetrate (photosynthesis)

Aphotic Zone

area light cannot penetrate

Resource Partitioning

way that species reduce competitive exclusion by allowing them to coexist, roots are different lengths

Competitive Exclusion

two species compete for the same resource, and one is driven to local extinction

Ways to Prevent Competitive Exclusion

resource partitioning, character displacement

Character Displacement

way to prevent competitive exclusion by shifting the range of variation for specific traits, birds with different beaks

Species Richness

number of species in a community

Species Eveness

relative abundance of species in an area

Biosphere

regions of the earth populated by certain organisms

Abundance

total number of a species in an area

Density

amount of each species in an area

Cohort

group of same-aged individuals

Cohort Life Table

estimates survivorship and fecundity of a cohort

Static Life Table

"screenshot" of the specific age at death of individuals in a species

Survivorship Curve

a summary of pattern of survival in a population, three types

Curve Type I

Curve Type II

Curve Type III

Fecundity

reproductive output

Ecological Efficiency

percent of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next

Primary Producer

bottom of food chain, plants

Primary Consumer

second to last in food chain, insects

Secondary Consumer

second from top in food chain, birds and fish

Tertiary Consumer

top of food chain, bears and wolves

Primary Succession

new growth on freshly exposed substrates (moss, liverworts)

Functional Response

increase in animal feeding rate

Numerical Response

change in density of a predator population

Commensalism

one species benefits while the other is unaffected

Mutualism

both species benefit

Competition

neither species benefit

Predation

one species benefits while the other suffers

Parasitism

one species benefits while the other struggles

Keystone Species

species that has a greater influence on an ecosystem than their abundance would predict, wolves

Deuterostome

anus develops first, largest and most morphologically complex

Biomass

mass or weight of living tissue

Secondary Succession

growth following disturbance, fire

Pioneer Species

colonizing species present in early habitats

Climax Community

late community that remains stable until a disturbance

Pentaradial Symmetry

divisible into five equal parts, adult echinoderms

Vertebrae

chordate with a backbone, protects spinal chord and brain, central nervous system

Cranium

skull

Tetrapod

species with four legs

Tetrapod Adaptations

vertebrae column, fins for crawling, nostrils and lugs, modified sensory systems

Amniote

organism that lays shelled, amniotic eggs

Homonid

great apes, large body, long arms, short legs, no tail, distinct walking patters

Anthropoid

human-like primates

Ectotherm

require heat from outside the body

Endotherm

can heat themselves

Major Lineages of Deuterostomes

echinoderms, chordates, hemichordes, xenoturbella

Echinoderm Characteristics

1 bilaterally symmetrical larvae
2 edoskeleton
3 tube feet (ampulla inside and podium outside)
4 mass, suspension, and graze feeding

Chordate Characteristics

1 notochord
2 pharyngeal gill slits
3 dorsal hollow nerve chord
4 post anal tail

Lineages of Chordates

1 Cepholochordates
2 Urochordates
3 Vertebrates

Vertebrate Lineages

1 fish (gnathostomata)
2 amphibians
3 reptiles
4 mammals
5 birds

Agnathans

jawless fish, hagfishes and lamprey, typically parasites

Gnathostomata

jawed fishes

Actinoptergyii

bony fish, ray-finned

Sarcopterygii

bony fish, deemed necessary to evolutionary tree

Amphibians

first tetrapod on land, adults on land, eggs in water, gas exchange on moist skin, lungs, metamorphosis, salamanders

Orders of Amphibians

1 Caudata (tail)
2 Anura (no tail)
3 Gymnophiona (legless, worm-like)

Reptile Lineages

1 Lizards and Snakes
2 Turtles
3 Crocodiles and Alligators
4 Birds

Reptile Characteristics

water-tight skin, lungs, amniotes, ectotherms

Mammal Characteristics

lactation, endotherms, hair, grew during K-T boundary, first were small and nocturnal

Lineages of Mammals

1 Egg-laying Monotremes
2 Marsupials
3 Placental

Anthropoid Characteristics

1 hands and feet that can grasp
2 flattened nails
3 large brains
4 color vision
5 complex social behavior
6 parental care
7 forward-facing eyes

Amniotic Egg

a hard-shelled egg filled with fluid membranes and a yolk that will develop into an embryo

Humans to Primates

humans are a subset of anthropoidal primates

Cause of Climates

earth's tilt and rotation around the sun

Salinity

proportion of solutes dissolved in water

Water Depth

affects sunlight availability

Nutrient Avalability

coastal runoff, ocean upwelling, and lake turnover cause change in nutrients

Lake Turnover

shift of hot and cold water in lakes, winter stratification, spring turnovers, summer stratification, and fall turnovers

Exponential Population Growth

upward curve, continuous population growth in an unlimited environment

Logistic Population Growth

s-shaped, as resources are depleted, population growth rate slows and eventually stops

Carrying Capacity

the maximum amount of individuals an environment can support

Density-Dependent Factors

disease and resource competition

Density Independent Factors

natural disasters and weather

Arms Race

predator and prey are always in competition to out-do one another, the prey evolves to survive and the predators evolve to kill

Top-Down Controls

factors that influence consumers, and go on to have effects that trickle down the food web

Bottom-Up Controls

influences of physical and chemical factors on the primary producers of an ecosystem, usually cause a decrease in all above organisms

Ecological Succession

gradual change in plant and animal communities in an area following a disturbance