Environmental - exam 2

ecology

the study of the way organisms interact w each other and their environment

biosphere

the sum of total living things on earth and areas they inhabit

ecosystem

a community of living organisms that live and interact w each other in a specific environment

primary succession

plants establish on a newly created surface w little or no soil

ecosystem structure

the physical traits of an ecosystem

examples of ecosystem structures

vegetation density, plant biomass, tree size

ecological succession

species in one stage being replaced by different species

secondary succession

plants establish on cleared land w pre-existing soils, which contain seeds, carbon, nitrogen, and soil microorganisms

shade tolerance

they evolved to grow well under shade

west

go east or west if a hurricane is coming

community

all populations of organisms that live and interact within a given area

population

the organisms of the same kind found within a specific geographic region

species

a particular type of organism whose members share characteristics and can freely breed w one another to produce fertile offspring

habitat

the natural environment in which organisms live

what makes up a habitat?

soil, range of temp, moisture, availability of light, availability of food and the presence of predators

which tree used to dominate forest composition until being wiped out by a fungus in 1900?

American chestnut

ecological niche

the behavior of a species living under specific environmental conditions

niche of American beaver

keystone species - they create aquatic habitats for other species

limits to dispersal

uneven distribution of where things live - they can live in not optimal environments just under physiological stress

natural selection

the process by which successful traits are passed to the next generation and unsuccessful ones are weeded out

key premises of natural selection

overproduction, variation, struggle for existence, differentially fit

adaptive radiation

there’s an ancestral species that over time reproduce multiple variations

allopatric speciation

formation of new species bc of geographic isolation

sympatric speciation

formation of new species that happens in the same territory

ecological disturbance

discrete short-term event that disrupts ecosystem structure and changes resources, space availability, or the physical environment 

matter

anything that has mass and takes up space

chemistry

the branch of science that study types of matter and their interactions

phases of matter

liquid, solid, gas

element

a chemical substance w a given set of properties

molecule

two or more atoms that are chemically bonded to form a stable unit

compound

a molecule composed of two or more different atoms

isotope

different forms of the same element - they have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons

ionic bond

the give and take of protons and electrons from one atom to another

covalent bond

the sharing of electrons

octet rule

chemical rule that reflects the observation that atoms of main-group elements tend to combine in such a way that each atoms has 8 electrons in its valence shell

organic matter

has carbon

inorganic matter

doesn’t have carbon

law of conservation of matter #1

matter is neither created nor destroyed, it only changes form

law of conservation of matter #2

in closed systems matter cycles

cycle of matter

water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are continuously cycled from the nonliving environment back to living organisms through biochemical cycles

carbon cycle

involves ongoing exchanges between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere 

ways carbon exits the atmosphere

photosynthesis, dissolves in the oceans, fixes in shells or other body parts

ways carbon moves into the atmosphere

energy

a property of objects which can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms…

kinetic energy (in motion)

function of mass and velocity

potential energy (stored)

gravitational and chemical

thermal energy

solar and heat

gravitational energy

pull between masses

chemical energy

stored in molecular bonds

1st law of thermodynamics - conservation of energy

energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another

2nd law of thermodynamics - entropy

whenever energy is converted from one to another, some of the useful energy is lost

entropy

the energy lost when becoming another phase of matter

10% rule

only about 10% of the energy at any trophic level is passed onto the next trophic level

symbiosis

long-lasting relationship between two different species

parasitism

one species benefits while the other suffers

commensalism

one species benefits while the other species is unharmed nor helped

predation

the consumption of one species by another

mutualism

Both species benefit

lotka-volterra model

shows how predator/prey populations change over time

intraspecific competition

between members of the same species

competitive exclusion principle

two species competing for the same resource can’t coexist

interspecific competition

between different species

temporal separation

using the same area or resources at a different time

resource partitioning

dividing resources or areas among different species

character displacement

when the expressed traits of competing species evolve to become more different over time

explorative competition

individuals use up resources and make them unavailable for others

interference competition

individuals directly interact w one another physically or chemically

biomes

large regional assemblages of ecosystems that occur wherever a particular set of climatic and soil conditions prevail

temperature and precipitation

what measures different biomes?

arctic tundra

treeless, covered in lichens and moss, harsh winters, short summers

boreal forest

largest terrestrial biome, deforestation, climate change cause drunken trees

temperate deciduous forest

precipitation varies, human settlements

temperate grassland

periods of reduced rainfall inhibits tree and grass growth which inhibits grazers

desert

hot temperatures, low rainfall which stunts things growth

convergent evolution

the independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages

savanna

tropical grasslands

African savanna

giraffes, elephants, lions

South American savanna

capybaras

temperate rainforest

smallest biome, abundant rain, stable temperature

ecotone

transition area between two biomes or ecosystems

tropical rainforest

hot temperatures, lots of rain, 96% global insect diversity

biodiversity

variety of life across all levels of biological organization or the diversity of genes and species, and ecosystems in a region

species richness

number of different species in an area

species diversity

number of species and their respective sizes

alpha diversity

species diversity within a community

beta diversity

species diversity between communities

extinction

all individuals of a species die

background rate of extinction

constant loss of species due to climate change, evolution of better competitors, etc.

mass extinction events

major events where many species went extinct

evolutionary relicts

survivors of formerly more widespread and diverse evolutionary lineages

examples of evolutionary relicts

magnolia, redwood, and sequoia trees

ecological niche expanded

how an organism responds to distribution of resources and competitors and how in turn it alters those same factors

overproduction

produce more offspring than will survive

variation

not all individuals are the same

struggle for existence

not all will survive bc of limited resources

differentially fit

certain traits give an individual an advantage in certain conditions

what do disturbances create?

heterogeneity in conditions, providing habitats for species w different adaptations