ES 3033 ecology exam 4

mullerin mimicry

two or more unpalatable or dangerous animals develop similar appearances as a shared strategy

what is parasitism?

a symbiotic, intimate, and prolonged association between 2 or more organisms or different species

what is a microparasite?

-small in size

-short generation time

-associated with disease

what is a macroparasite?

-large in size
-longer generation time
-may not complete life cycle in a single host

what is a hemiparasite?

a photosynthetic plant that obtains water and mineral nutrients from host, and is typically "green"

what is a holoparasite?

-a non-photosynthetic plant that derives all nutrition from their host (water, minerals, sugar). typically red, orange, white, or yellow

what is an example of an ectoparasite?

ticks, fleas, lice

what is an example of an endoparasite?

tapeworm and roundworm

direct parasitic transmission

direct contact via fluids or bites

indirect parasitic transmission

transmission through environment or vector

what is a definitive or primary host?

the host where the parasite matures and reproduces

what is an intermediate host?

the host harbors some developmental stages of the parasite

what is an example of some obligate social parasites?

cowbirds, old world cuckoos

what is an example of some facultative social parasites?

ring-necked pheasants

what are some characteristics of facultative social parasites?

-can build their own nests, but sometimes drop their eggs elsewhere

what is a parasitoid?

insects will lay eggs in another insect or arthropod. the eggs will develop in the host, and feed on the host from the inside

what is mycorrhizae?

-a symbiotic relationship where fungus lives partly in the higher plant
-covers plant roots, hyphae gives everything to plant; in exchange, plant will give fungi carbons and sugars

what kind of mycorrhizae is described: hyphae penetrates between cells

ectomycorrhizae

what kind of mycorrhizae is described: hyphae penetrates into cells

endomycorrhizae or arbuscular

how do lichens work?

a symbiotic relationship where cyanobacteria gives up sugars

why did we talk about fungus-farming ants?

the ants will feed and nuture the fungus; therefore, the fungus does not occur without ants

why did we talk about ants and the bull horn acacia?

ants get habitat and food; in exchange, the acacia gets protection

how is "cleaning" a mutualistic relationship?

small cleaning fish will clean larger, predatory fish. cleaning fish get food, predatory fish receive protection from parasites

what are orchids, ball moss, spanish moss, and air plants classified as?

epiphytes

ball moss and spanish moss are actually classified as ______.

bromeliads

cattle egrets and cows have a ______ relationship.

commensalism

exploitative competition

indirect competition where individuals use the same limiting resource, thus depleting the amount available to others

interference competition

-occurs when individuals compete directly for access to a resource they both require

prairie chickens exhibit what kind of competition?

interference
-occurs when the male prairie chickens dance on the lek and make noises via their air sac as females choose their mate

what is allelopathy?

individual plants will release biochemicals (allelochemicals) to influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of another organism

what were some examples of allelopathic relationships among plants?

-the creosote bush and white bursage

true or false: white bursage has the ability to inhibit the growth of a nearby creosote bush

false: it is actually the opposite

what happens when a creosote bush encounters another creosote bush?

they typically grow equally spread out

competitive exclusion

elimination from the habitat of one of two different species with identical needs for resources; efficiency survives

resource partitioning

division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition in an ecological niche

character displacement

sympatric populations of similar species with differences in body structure relative to allopatric populations of the same species

what are populations?

group of individuals of a single species inhabiting a specific area; area is arbitrarily set by investigator

what is natality?

rate of production of new individuals at birth, hatching, germination, or cloning

what is random distribution?

-resources are not depleted
-neutral
-evenly distributed

what is uniform/regular distribution?

-repelling one another; antagonistic, territorial
-resources are depleted
-evenly distributed

what is clumped distribution?

-also called aggregative or contagious
-individuals are attracted to each other, and a patchy resource

what is local, small scale distribution determined by?

interactions between individuals and the physical environment

what are life tables?

age-specific account of mortality and survivorship within a population

what are characteristics of a cohort and dynamic life table?

-all born at the same time
-required means of marking and tracking
-requires repeated surveys
-short-lived or medium-lived

what are characteristics of a time-specific and static life table?

-recording the age of death of a group of individuals; all born at different times
-requires a mean of estimating age at death
-often expressed as numbers/1000 individuals

what are survivorship curves?

graphical display of the lx(survivorship) column vs age/life stage

type I survivorship curve

-juvenile survivorship curve is high and most mortality occurs among older individuals

what is an example of an animal that uses a type I survivorship curve?

large mammals

type II survivorship curve

individuals die at equal rates regardless of age

what is an example of an animal that uses a type II survivorship curve?

birds, reptiles, amphibians

type III survivorship curve

individuals die at high rates as juveniles and then die at lower rates later in life

what is an example of an animal that uses a type III survivorship curve?

insects, fish, plants

what kind of population growth is characterized by these statements?

-continuous growth
-no environmental limitations or resistance
-essential resources are
unlimited, environment is
-cannot occur indefinitely

exponential population growth

what kind of population growth is characterized by these statements?

-limited by "K"
-the greater the population size, the greater the dampening effect of K on the population growth

logistical

exponential population growth equation

dN/dt = rN

logistical population growth equation

what is an inflection point?

the point which separates the accelerating and decelerating points of growth
"k/2"

what is a population crash?

a sharp decline in population size

how did the population crash of the St. Mathew's Island reindeer occur?

large population dying of starvation

what is life history?

lifetime pattern of growth, development, and reproduction

life history characteristics affect and are reflected in ________.

population life tables

expansive age pyramid

-large youthful population
-decreased working age and elderly
-each birth cohort gets larger

which age pyramid can be categorized by rapid population growth, high birth rate, high death rate, low life expectancy, and high dependency ratio

expansive age pyramid

true or false: population growth is proportionate around the world.

FALSE: for example, higher in Asia lower in Oceania, higher in 3rd world, lower in 1st world

what is a dependency ratio?

(# children/elderly) / working age x100

what kind of age pyramid would be expected in a country like Kenya?

expansive age pyramid

stationary age pyramid

-more uniform age classes
-slow growth

what kind of selection would rabbits or rats display?

r selection

what kind of selection would elephants or bears display?

k selection

semelparity

single reproduction

iteroparity

repeated reproduction

what age pyramid can be characterized by low death rates, low birth rates, economically developed, better health care, delayed marriage

stationary age pyramid

what kind of age pyramid would be expected in a country like the United States?

stationary age pyramid

what kind of selection is characterized by rapid development, small size, many offspring, semelparity, short life, temporary/unstable habitat, high disturbance

r selection

constrictive age pyramid

-high life expectancy
-low birth rate
-shrinking population as fertility rate falls below replacement rates
-wealthy nation with access to modern health care
-high dependency ratio

what kind of selection is characterized by slow development, iteroparity, large size, few offspring, long life, stable/constant habitat, low disturbance area

k selection

what kind of age pyramid would be expected in a country like Italy?

constrictive age pyramid

which kind of selection needs high competitive ability, and the population is near carrying capacity?

k selection

disturbance

any mechanism or process that limits plants by destroying biomass

stress

external environmental conditions that limit growth of all or part of the vegetation

ruderal plants

low stress, high disturbance
-grow rapidly
-producing seeds in a short period of time
-large portion of biomass is dedicated to reproduction

stress tolerant plants

high stress, low disturbance
-grow slowly
-conserving carbons
-may emit an unpalatable chemical
-can temporarily exploit favorable conditions

competitive plants

low stress, low disturbance

what are some factors that influence the dramatic increase in human population?

-technological innovation
-improved sanitation
-better medical care
-increased agricultural output

demographic transition model

what is air pollution?

any gas or particulate matter added to the atmosphere that can produce a detrimental environmental effect on living organisms or non-living materials

geogenic air pollution

"natural"

biogenic air pollution

"living"

anthropogenic air pollution

"man-made"

mobile anthropogenic sources of air pollution

trucks, airplanes, cars, boats

stationary anthropogenic sources of air pollution

smoke stacks, factories

evaporative anthropogenic sources of air pollution

volatile organic compounds

agricultural and forestry practices as an anthropogenic source of air pollution

tilling, farming, burning

waste disposal landfills as an anthropogenic source of air pollution

burning methane

point source pollution

any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are emitted

non-point source pollution

pollution which originates from many places or a widespread area

primary pollutant

pollutant directly emitted from an emission source

secondary pollutant

pollutant formed by reactions between primary pollutants or primary pollutants and normal atmospheric components