Ecology Test 3

weather

weather

combination of factors that occur in a specific place, at a specific time

temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, cloudiness

factors that contribute to the weather

climate

long term average pattern of the weather

sun

shortwave radiation is emitted from the ___

surface

longwave radiation is emitted by _ as heat

latitude

the average global near-surface temperature changes with _

seasonality

annual temperature fluctuation, also known as _, changes with latitude

earth’s curvature

latitudinal differences in temperature are due to the?

direct, concentrated

it is hotter near the equator because the solar radiation is __ and __.

less

It is hotter near the equator because the solar radiation travels a shorter distance through the atmosphere, therefore it has a __ chance of being reflected back away from earth

same, larger, angle

It is cooler towards the poles because the __ amount of solar radiation is spread across a _ surface area because of _

further distance

It is cooler towards the poles because the solar radiation travels __ through the atmosphere, more is reflected back

Earth’s tilt

Seasonal differences in temperature are due to the?

summer

what season is due to the earth tilting directly towards the sun?

spring and fall

what season is due to the earth not tilting away or towards the sun?

winter

what season is due to the earth tilting away from the sun?

thermal energy

differences in _ across latitude is what generates different wind currents?

Coriolis effect

the inertia of the rotating earth causes wind patterns to be much more complicated then if the earth didn’t rotate

heat and carbon dioxide

as decomposition proceeds, what is lost to the atmosphere?

immobilization

the uptake of mineral nutrients by decomposers to be used for their own function is referred to as

moisture

temperature directly affects the amount of __ in air

thermal energy, wind, and ocean currents

what three factors determine the global patterns of precipitation?

ecosystem ecology

focuses on how organisms influence its abiotic environment

complete system

ecosystem ecology views the natural world as what?

photosynthesis

energy is captured and stored by autotrophs via?

heat

some energy is from the system as?

photosynthesis

use of light energy to convert CO2 and H2O into simple sugars

cools, loses

as air rises over a mountain, it __ and tends to __ in the form of precipitation

sugar

what energy is bound and transferred through the system of the plant?

sun and plant

what foundational step ultimately determines energy flow through the system

gross primary productivity

GPP the total rate of photosynthesis

net primary productivity

NPP is the rate of energy sotred

GPP - R

NPP

plant respiration

not all energy is stored, but is used for what?

standing biomass

in terrestrial system: NPP is often measured as the change in ?

standing biomass

simply how much do all plants in an environment weigh (amount of organic matter making up those plants)

NPP

what is the foundation for energy flow throughout the rest of the ecosystem?

length of the growing season

what regulates NPP, also known as photosynthetic period

northern states

winters are longer, less overall NPP

southern states

shorter winters, longer photosynthetic periods

precipitation and temperature

what controls NPP?

cold

what temperature reduces rates of photosynthesis?

stomata

plants have to close their _ to prevent water loss through transpiration

evapotranspiration

the combined effect of water movement through the plant and water evaporation from soil

temperature and moisture

what levels determine rate of evapotransipration?

warm and wet

high rates of evapotranspiration therefore photosynthesis

cold

low rates of evapotranspiration

warm but dry

lowest rates of evapotranspiration

ocean systems

no real effect of latitude

photosynthesis

declines with water depth because of decrease in light

aquatic

what type of autotrophs are limited by both nutrients and lights?

shallower water and nutrients inputs from land

why do costal areas have the highest NPP?

secondary producers

NPP determines the biomass the productivity and biomass of what?

assimilation efficiency

how efficient consumers are in extracting energy for biomass and respiration versus waste

production efficiency

how efficient consumers are in converting food to biomass

endotherms

why are mammals not very efficient in energy flow, a lot of energy is lost via metabolic processes and waste

ectotherms

why are most insects are very efficient in energy flow throughout the system

trophic efficiency

how much energy is transferred and converted into biomass from one tropic level to the next

lost

energy is __ as it flows from herbivores to higher trophic levels

nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium

what other essential nutrients do plants require?

recycled

essential nutrients remain in the ecosystem and are continuously __?

roots

plants absorb their nutrients as a solution in soil by?

direct

higher trophic direct or indirect consumption of tissue?

retranslocation

nutrients are drawn back to the organism

decomposition

where as translocation is cycling within an organism, nutrient cycling throughout the ecosystem is dependent on?

bacteria and fungi

what organisms aid by increasing the rates of decomposition

litterbags

what common ecological approach is used to examine different types of dead material

species

decomposition rates depend on what?

cellulose

makes up plant cell walls, simpler molecule, fewer chemical bonds, faster decomposition

ligin

makes up “woody” parts of plants, many more chemical bonds needed to break, decomposes much slower

slower

more mass remaining means _ decomposition rates

tundra

low decomposition rates, low rates of primary productivity

tropical forests

highest rate of decomposition, high rates of net primary productivity

mineralization

converts nutrients bound in organic molecules to their mineral form and is done by bacteria and fungi

nitrate ammonia

mineral form of nitrogen that plants can directly use

10700

total number of described species of birds

6400

total number of mammal species described

6000

total number of amphibian species described

10000

total number of reptile species described

10000

total number of fish speciess described

391000

total number of plant species described

1 million

total number of insects species described

350000

total number of beetle species described

160000

total number of moth/butterfly species described

115000

total number of bees, ants, and wasps described

10 million

while 1.7 million species have been described, the estimate number of species on earth is?

marmosa adleri

what new species was described in 2021 by Greg Adler?

equator

the largest number of species are found near the what?

latitudinal gradient in biodiversity

the global pattern where ecosystems near the equator of the highest diversity, but decreases as you move toward the poles

cacti

what group of species do not follow the general latitudinal pattern?

factors that allow for higher speciation rates

the first hypothesis that address the origin of the latitudinal gradient focuses on what?

biotic and abiotic interactions

the second hypothesis that addresses the mechanisms reinforce and maintain existing patterns of diversity focuses on what?

potential evapotranspiration

index used to describe amount of evaporation that would occur if provided enough water

index of overall energy

potential evapotranspiration is used as an _ and correlates well with the species richness of plants

idiosyncratic

no predictable relationship between diversity and function. level of function depends on the identity of species in the community (not the numbers)

rivet

each species uniquely contributes to total function, so relationship is linear (more species, more function)

redundancy

some species have overlapping contributions to overall function (addition of overlapping species doesn’t significantly increase overall function)

niche complementarity

coexisting species compete less because they are using different available resources

high intraspecific competition

most individuals of the same species that have the same nutrient requirements and strategies. OR most individuals are of the same species, higher probability that species-specific pathogens build up and reduce productivity

less intraspecific competition

many different species with different nutrient requirements and having different strategies to gain those nutrients. OR most individuals are different species, there is not an opportunity for species- specific diseases to build up and negatively affect the community as much