BIOL 2060 Ecology > Final Exam > Flashcards

Final Exam Flashcards

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1
Q

exploitation definition

A

interaction that increases fitness of one species while decreasing fitness of the exploited

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2
Q

ideal grass growth conditions?

A

presence of feces, beginning of summer, light grazing

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3
Q

jefferies / cargill / hik: __ and lamberti / resh: __

A

snow goose grazing, caddisfly larvae on algal population

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4
Q

functions of alkaloids, tannins, and terpenoids? tannins and terpenoids are both __ while all 3 are __

A

lethal w/ atropine, bitter taste / toxic effects, odours that attract pollinators / deter herbivores, phenolics, toxins

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5
Q

herbivory, predation, parisitism, competition, and manipulation are all forms of __

A

exploitation

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6
Q

which relationship was studied heavily due to Hudson Bay Company trapping?

A

lynx-hare relationship

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7
Q

what was elton’s theory and why was it rejected, what were keith’s, krebs, and Paine’s theories / experiments?

A

Sunspot: sun affects plants->herbivores->predators, sun cycles didnt line up, overpopulation results in disease stress starvation, impacts of food and predation on a prey population, sea stars / mussels size as a refuge

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8
Q

what are the factors that influence prey populations?

A

food, consumption, non-consumptive effects

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9
Q

predation satiation is used by populations of __ size, such as cicadas which appear every __ years, depending on __

A

large, 13-17, latitude

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10
Q

difference between batesian and mullerian mimicry?

A

desirable organisms disguising as non-desirable, poisonous species all looking the same to deter predators

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11
Q

describe parsitism

A

live on host tissue, reduce host fitness, generally do not kill host

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12
Q

pathogens are a form of __ that cause __

A

parasite, disease symptoms

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13
Q

difference between facultative and obligate mutualism

A

facultative: not dependent on mutual partner for survival, obligate: dependent

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14
Q

Define the variables in R0=NsBL

A

Basic reproductive number: rate that disease spreads (avg number of new cases caused by one host), number of susceptible hosts, transmission rate, how long one host remains infectious

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15
Q

pathogen starts dying out when a population reaches its __

A

herd immunity threshold

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16
Q

differentiate primary and secondary succession

A

P: succession taking place on a newly exposed site, S: succession taking place on a site which already supported life

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17
Q

Who was responsible for the study on Glacier Bay Primary Succession?

A

Vancouver, Muir, Cooper

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18
Q

Who was responsible for the chronosequence study on plant changes during succession?

A

Reiners, Worley, Lawrence

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19
Q

Which aspects of a community change during succession?

A

All aspects

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20
Q

Organize the different examples of succession in descending order based on duration.

A

Primary Forest Succession, Secondary Forest Succession, Rocky Intertidal Community Succession

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21
Q

Who was responsible for the study on Rocky Intertidal Succession?

A

Sousa

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22
Q

What are some changes to an ecosystem during succession? Is succession the only thing influencing the ecosystem during this time?

A

Increased biomass, primary production, respiration, nutrient retention, No, time alone can also influence an ecosystem unrelated to succession (for example, weathering)

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23
Q

Describe the studies of Chapin, Bormann / Likens, Hedin / Vitousek / Matson, and what conclusion did they all contribute to

A

4 sites of different ages in glacier bay (found changes in soil), felling trees in forest (found increased nutrient loss), examined nutrients across hawaiian chronosequence (found differing patterns of nutrient distribution) Conclusion: Nutrient levels differ in an ecosystem as a result of different stages of succession

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24
Q

Two historical viewpoints of succession and who was behind them?

A

Clements: 1. Succession driven by interactions between species, each wave of species facilitating the next, climax community composition predictable, Gleason: 2. Independent species distributions, climax community unpredictable

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25
Define the 3 models of succession mechanisms and who came up with them
Connell and Slater: Facilitation (only pioneer species w/ particular characteristics can establish, modify environment to make suitable for future species), Tolerance (early colonization not limited to few pioneer species, climax can establish right away, no correlation between early species colonization and facilitation of other species), Inhibition (Any species can colonize are early on, making environment less suitible for any species, long-lived species resistant to damage by physical / biological factors)
26
Define Stability, Resistance, and Resilience
Absence of change due to lack of disturbance, Ability to maintain structure / function in face of potential disturbance, Ability to recover from disturbance
27
Ecological Restoration can take __, which is much __ than succession
years-decades, faster
28
Describe the studies of Dias et al and Shiels / Walker, what common conclusion did they produce?
Forest floor litter addition in an effort to speed up tropical forest recovery (successful), Adding bird perches to landslides to speed up restoration (successful): It is possible to artificially speed up ecological restoration
29
Define a guild and give an example
Group of organisms making a living in the same fashion (plant-eating animals in the swamp)
30
Define the following terms: Richness, Diversity, Relative abundance, dominance, shannon-wiener index, pielou's J
of species in community (most fundamental measurement), combination of # species and relative abundance, % of individuals from one species compared to total # individuals, one / few species substantially more abundant than others, most widely used index of species diversity, measure of species evenness
31
What does a rank-abundance diagram measure? How would a community with greater evenness be displayed on a rank-abundance diagram?
Comparison of richness and abundance between communities, community with greater evenness would have a more gradual slope of rank-abundance curve
32
MacArthur's warbler proved what relating to species diversity?
Species diversity increases with environmental complexity, specifically warbler density increased as vegetation stature increased
33
Describe Tilman's study
Two competing diatom species Asterionella and Cyclotella, found that coexistence / dominance levels differed in different parts of a lake due to the relative ratios of silicate to phosphorus. Asterionella was limited by silica while Cycotella was limited by phosphorus
34
At equilibrium, community stability is maintained by __
opposing forces
35
White and Pickett separated disturbance into two categories, __ and __. Connell stated __ and predicted that __ levels of disturbance resulted in __ diversity.
abiotic and biotic, disturbance is a prevalent factor impacting community diversity, intermediate, increased
36
The intermediate disturbance hypothesis states that species richness is __, low disturbance results in __ while high disturbance results in __
never at equilibrium, dominance of only k-selected species (good competitors), dominance of only r-selected species (good colonizers)
37
What did Sousa study relating to the intermediate disturbance theory?
effects of disturbance on algae / invertebrates in intertidal zone, proved intermediate disturbance hypothesis to be accurate
38
What did Whicker / Detling find?
Prairie dogs are important sources of disturbance, burrowing in grass deprives nutrients of certain areas resulting in new space to colonize
39
Mackey / Currie's study found what?
Intermediate disturbance hypothesis only partially accurate, overall stability of a system depends on combined performances of all species, diversity can be a buffer protecting community against disturbance
40
What did Silvertown and Dodd find?
Park grass experiment: abundances changed while compositions remained consistent
41
the __ tilt of earth's axis leads to __, producing __
23.5 degree, uneven surface heating, predictable latitudinal climate variation
42
the tropics is the area of the earth between __ N and __ S, this region is defined by __
23.5, 23.5, having no dramatic seasonal change
43
define the coriolis effect
pressure gradient force sets air in motion, deflects from its path as a result of earth's rotation, deflects right in the north and left in the south
44
describe the tundra
most lands north of the arctic circle, cold, dry, short summers, dominated by grasses / mosses, large number of native animals, soils have low decomposition rate and permafrost
45
describe human influence in the tundra
historically limited, but more prevalent in recent history due to the presence of things like oil
46
Describe the Taiga / Boreal Forest
50-65 degrees N, dominated by conifers, thin, acidic soils w/ low fertility, animals consumed by humans for thousands of years but low human development until recently
47
Describe the Old Growth Temperate Forest
40 to 50 degrees, moderate temperature, fertile soils, low biodiversity, large biomass, vertically stratified, heavily developed human influences, encouraging forest recovery ability
48
Describe the Temperate Grassland
Globally Widespread, moderate temperatures, experience drought, soils rich in organic matter, dominated by herbaceous vegetation, large herds of herbivores and small mammalian and insect herbivores, most critically endangered biome due to agriculture
49
Mediterranean woodland / shrubland
Between 30 and 40 degrees, cool / moist but hot / dry summer, low-moderate fertility in soil, low biodiversity, large biomass, vertically stratified, drought resistant plants / animals, frequent fire, landscape strongly influenced by humans, sustainable agriculture practices
50
Describe the Desert
30 degrees N and 30 degrees S, lack of water, varying temperature, mostly sand / rock, sparse vegetation, plants adapted to reduce evaporation loss, animal abundance low but diversity high, increased human influence
51
Describe the Tropical Savanna
10-20 degrees of equator, alternating dry / wet seasons, fires are common, soils dense and impermeable, populated by wandering animals / fire-resistant plants, birthplace of humankind, high density of humans / livestock devastating some regions
52
Describe the Tropical Dry Forest
10-25 degrees, dry season 6-7 months, heavy rainfall 5-6 months, rain during warmer months, soils rich in minerals, susceptible to erosion, vegetation influenced by abiotic factors, devastated by dense human settlements / agriculture
53
Describe the Tropical Rain Forest
dominated by trees, specific and complex relationships, many foods / drugs derived from tropical plants, within 10 degrees of equator, warm / wet year round, soils nutrient-poor, acidic, low in organic matter
54
Describe the Mountains
Built by volcanism, crust movement, changes with elevation, soils generally well drained and vulnerable to erosion, isolation leads to unique gene pools, human interactions mixed
55
what powers the hydrological cycle?
wind
56
what percentage of the world is water? what percentage of that is ocean? how much of the world's freshwater is in canda?
71%, 97%, 20%
57
list the oceans with decreasing size, then list the ocean zones with increasing depth
pacific, atlantic, indian, southern, arctic, littoral, neritic, oceanic, benthic, pelagic
58
define thermocline, thermal stratification, and upwelling
separate layers of warm / cold water, layering of water columns by temperature, deep currents rising to water surface
59
salinity levels are lowest where __ > __
precipitation, evaporation
60
__% of solar energy is absorbed in the first __m of water, very little penetrates past __m
80, 10, 600
61
Describe Intertidal zones
supratidal fringe, upper/lower intertidal zones, subtidal zone, light varies between extremes, temp can be freezing or hot, water movement varies from cm to m, amphibious inhabitants
62
Describe Ocean-land transitions
salt marshes and mangrove forests along low coasts, estuaries where rivers flow into c, dominated by herbaceous vegetation, variable light/temp, tidal fluctuations influential from 200km away
63
Describe Rivers and Lakes
benthic / hyporheic / phreatic (saturated) zones, most of world's freshwater, lamprey's / zebra mussels invaded great lakes due to humans and started fucking shit up
64
Describe Peatlands
Bogs and ferns, fed by precipitation, decomposed plant material buildup, well developed mosses / sedges, low decomp. rates, require relatively stable, still waters, mined as fuel source, anaerobic environment, bogs acidic while fens vary in pH
65
Describe Pitcher Plants
Formed from modified leaves, fertilized by bat feces and insect decay caused by complex fungi / bacteria inside plant
66
What are the 3 types of ecological networks? Also, define community assembly rules
Trophic, host-parasitoid, mutualistic, describe processes limiting / promoting species coexistence
67
Why are most food webs considered incomplete?
They focus only on feeding interactions, also larger organisms are over-emphasized, with a lack of detritivore and microbe data
68
What did Winemiller first describe?
Feeding relations among freshwater fish
69
Describe competitive hierarchies. What would be the result if competition is strong and hierarchy is transitive?
Species in community differ in competitive ability, increased competition and decreased diversity
70
What is a Keystone species? What is their effect on species diversity?
A species that has disproportionately strong community influences, increase species diversity due to limiting competition exclusion by keeping prey below K
71
Who carried out the experiment on starfish removal? Describe the study and its findings
Paine removed starfish (keystone species) from an intertidal zone for 2 years, resulted in species diversity decreasing from 15 to 8.
72
How is a keystone species different from a dominant or invasive species?
Only requirement for a keystone species is low biomass and disproportionately high impact on community, dominant species is species with highest abundance in a community, invasive species is non-native organism introduced to an area that may be better competitor / faster reproducer than native species
73
Tell me about the Nile Perch
ohhhh buddy. the nile perch was a menace. invasive species that RANSACKED its community like prime king von, led to the collapse of an ecosystem with 200+ species dying
74
Lets hear about the findings of Power, Bshary, and Christian
Fish can be river keystone species in eel river california, cleaning activity of cleaner fish in coral reefs make cleaner fish keystone species, argentine ants that disperse large shrub seeds can be keystone species
75
definition of primary production
autotroph fixation of energy in ecosystem
76
NPP equation?
NPP = GPP - R where R is energy lost in plant celluar reproduction
77
What did rosenzweig plot?
NPP w/ AET
78
Main limiting factor of primary production is __
soil nutrients
79
what causes dead zones?
too much nutrient supply
80
what determines trophic level?
number of energy transfers from primary producers to that level.
81
what did lindeman study
trophic dynamics, ecological efficiency / trophic-level transfer efficiency
82
What did elton describe?
the first ecological / trophic pyamid
83
laws of thermodynamics ensure that highest free energy amounts are found at __ trophic levels
lowest
84
what is a trophic cascade? who studied it?
consumer effects that trickle down to lower trophic levels, carpenter and kitchell
85
Distinguish macronutrients and micronutrients
essential elements required in large concentrations in an organism, essential elements required only in small concentration
86
__ is essential to energetics, genetics, and structure of living systems, the highest amount is stored in the
P, earth's crust
87
__ is important to structure and functioning of organisms, and its cycle includes mineralization and immobilization
N
88
Nitrogen fixation is an __ process, describe it
energy-demanding, N2 is reduced to ammonia
89
define ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification
N released as ammonium, ammonium converted to nitrate, nitrate covertsed to N2
90
Outline the processes of the N cycle
Nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, denitrification
91
where is the largest storage of C?
rocks like limestone and dolomite, most abundant in atmosphere is CO2
92
Describe the greenhouse effect
Regulates earth's temperature, human activities increase heat-trapping gases in atmosphere leading to global warming
93
3 major groups of emissions responsible for CO2 increases?
fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, cement manufacturing
BIOL 2060 Ecology
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