AP Environmental Science > Unit 4 Flashcards > Flashcards

Unit 4 Flashcards

(58 cards)

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1
Q

Sea Otter Case Study

A
  • Live in giant kelp forests on Pacific coast
  • Hunted almost to extinction by early 1900s
  • Partial recovery since listed as endangered in 1977

Reasons to care about sea otters:
- Keystone species
- Ethics
- Tourism dollars

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2
Q

Five Types of Species interactions

A
  • Competition
  • Predation
  • Parasitism
  • Mutualism
  • Commensalism
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3
Q

Competition

A
  • Most common interaction is competition

Interspecific competition
- Competition between different species to use the same limited resources

Resource partitioning
- Occurs when different species evolve specialized traits that allow them to share the same resources
- Species may use only parts of resource
- At different times
In different ways

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4
Q

Interspecific competition

A
  • Competition between different species to use the same limited resources
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5
Q

Resource partitioning

A
  • Occurs when different species evolve specialized traits that allow them to share the same resources
  • Species may use only parts of resource
  • At different times
    In different ways
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6
Q

Predation

A
  • Predator feeds directly on all or part of a member of another species (prey)
  • Strong effect on population sizes and other factors in ecosystems
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7
Q

Methods of Predation

A
  • Walk, swim, or fly
  • Camouflage
  • Chemical warfare
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8
Q

Ways that prey avoid predators

A
  • Camouflage
  • Chemical warfare
  • Warning coloration
  • Mimicry
  • Behavioral strategies
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9
Q

Coevolution

A
  • Changes in the gene pool of one species can cause changes in the gene pool of the other
  • Example: bats and moths
  • Echolocation of bats and sensitive hearing of moths
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10
Q

Predation + Natural Selection

A

Animals with better defenses against predation tend to leave more offspring

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11
Q

Parasitism

A
  • One species (parasite) lives on another organism
  • Parasites harm but rarely kill the host
  • Examples: tapeworms, sea lampreys, fleas, and ticks
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12
Q

Mutualism

A
  • Interaction that benefits both species
  • Nutrition and protective relationship
  • Not cooperation—mutual exploitation
  • Example: clownfish live within sea anemones
  • Gain protection and feed on waste matter left by anemones’ meals
    Clownfish protect anemones from some predators and parasites
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13
Q

Commensalism

A
  • Benefits one species and has little effect on the other
  • Examples:
  • Epiphytes (air plants) attach themselves to trees
  • Birds nest in trees
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14
Q

Ecological succession

A
  • Normally gradual change in structure and species composition in a given system
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15
Q

Primary ecological succession

A
  • Involves gradual establishment of communities in lifeless areas
  • Need to build up fertile soil or aquatic sediments to support plant community
  • Pioneer species such as lichens or mosses
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16
Q

Secondary ecological succession

A
  • Series of terrestrial communities or ecosystems develop in places with soil or sediment
  • Examples: abandoned farmland, burned or cut forests, and flooded land
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17
Q

Factors affecting secondary ecological succession rate

A

Facilitation of area by one species for another
Inhibition hinders growth

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18
Q

Intertia

A

Ability of a living system to survive moderate disturbances

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19
Q

Resilience

A

Ability of a living system to be restored through secondary succession after a moderate disturbance

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20
Q

Population

A

Group of interbreeding individuals of the same species

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21
Q

Population size

A
  • May increase, decrease, or remain the same in response to changing environmental conditions
  • Scientists use sampling techniques to estimate

Variables that govern changes in population size:
- Births, deaths, immigration, and emigration

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22
Q

Population distribution

A
  • Most populations live together in clumps or groups
  • Organisms cluster for resources
  • Protection from predators
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23
Q

Age structure

A
  • Distribution of individuals among various age groups
  • Pre-reproductive, reproductive, and post-reproductive stages
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24
Q

Quadrant Sampling

Study These Flashcards
A

can be used to determine abundance, density, and distribution of species

25
Mark and Recapture Sampling
used to estimate the size of an animal population in a defined area
26
Lincoln Index
mathematical formula to estimate the size of animal populations.
27
Range of Tolerance
Variation in physical and chemical environment under which it can survive
28
Limiting Factors
- Terrestrial ecosystems - Precipitation, temperature, insolation, soil type - Aquatic Ecosystems - Water temperature, depth, clarity, salinity, dissolved oxygen - Population density - Density-dependent factors
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J - Curves (r)
- Some species can reproduce exponentially (r) - Produces J-shaped curve of growth if there are no limiting factors - Reproduce at an early age - Have many offspring each time they reproduce - Short intervals in between reproductive cycles Examples: bacteria and many insect species
30
Environmental Resistance
Sum of all factors that limit population growth
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Carrying Capacity
- Maximum population of a given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely - Overshoot results in population crash
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r-Selected Species
- Species with capacity for a high rate of population growth - Produce many offspring at one time - Do not care for their offspring - May go through irregular and unstable cycles in population sizes - Examples: algae, bacteria, frogs, most insects, and many fish - have J-curves
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k-Selected Species
- Species that reproduce later in life - Have few offspring - Tend to care or nurture offspring - Have long life spans - Can be vulnerable to extinction -Examples: large mammals, whales, humans, birds of prey, and long-lived plants - Have k-curves
35
Survivorship Curves
- Shows the percentages of members of population surviving at different ages - Late loss (K-selected species) (TYPE ONE) - Early loss (r-selected species) (TYPE THREE) - Constant loss (many songbirds) (TYPE TWO)
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Factors impacting rapid rise of human population
- Emergence of agriculture increased food production - Technologies help humans expand into almost all the planet’s climates and habitats - Drop in death rates with improved sanitation and health care
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Top three countries in terms of population
China - 1,425,671,352 people India - 1,425,775,850 people USA - 339,996,563 people
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Rate of human population growth
- Rate of population growth has slowed since 1960 to 1.1% (If this continues, the world’s population will double in 64 years) - World’s population is still growing
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Human population geographically
Human population growth is unevenly distributed geographically 2% added to more-developed countries 98% added to less-developed countries
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Cultural Carrying Capacity
Maximum number of people who could live in reasonable freedom and comfort indefinitely, without decreasing the ability of the earth to sustain future generations
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Population change (equation)
(Births + Immigration) – (Deaths + Emigration)
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Crude birth rate
Number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year
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Crude death rate
Number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population per year
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Total fertility rate
Average number of children born to women in a population
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Replacement-level fertility rate
- Average number of children a couple must bear to replace themselves - Approximately 2.1 - Higher than 2 because some children die before reaching reproductive years
46
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
- Average number of children born to women of childbearing age in a population - Between 1955 and 2012, the global TFR dropped from 5 to 2.5 - To eventually halt population growth, the global TFR must drop to the fertility replacement level of 2.1
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Case Study - The US Population - Third Largest and Growing
- Population is still growing - 76 million in 1900 - 322 million in 2015 - 339 million in 2023 (GROWTH RATE OF .21%) - Drop in TFR in the U.S. - Rate of population growth has slowed - 40% of total U.S. population increase in 2015 came from legal immigration - China surpassed Mexico as largest source of new immigrants
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Factors that affect BIRTH and fertility rates
- Importance of children as part of the labor force - Especially in less-developed countries - Cost of raising and educating children - Availability of pension systems - Urbanization - Educational and employment opportunities for women - Average age at marriage - Availability of reliable birth control methods - Religious beliefs, traditions, and cultural norms
49
Factors that affect DEATH rates
- Indicators of overall health of people in a country - Life expectancy - Infant mortality rate - Number of babies out of every 1,000 who die before their first birthday - Factors that cause high infant mortality - Insufficient food, poor nutrition, and infectious disease
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Migration
- The movement of people into and out of specific geographic areas - - - -- Reasons for migration - Jobs and economic improvement - Religious persecution or ethnic conflict - Political oppression or war - Environmental refugees - (potato famine, global warming - it can be a Tool in war)
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Aging Populations can Decline Rapidly
- Slow decline is generally manageable - Rapid decline leads to economic problems - Proportionally fewer young people working - Labor shortages - Some countries with rapidly declining populations Japan, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Cuba, and Portugal
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How can we slow human population growth?
- Controversy on whether population growth needs to slow - Ways to slow human population growth - Reducing poverty through economic development - Elevating the status of women - Encouraging family planning
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1. Economic Development (Slowing human population growth)
- -----Demographic transition - As countries become industrialized, poverty declines - Populations then tend to grow more slowly - ------Threats to making a demographic transition - Extreme poverty and war - Environmental degradation and resource depletion
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2. Educating and Empowering Women (Slowing human population growth)
Women have fewer children if: - Educated - Able to earn an income - Society does not suppress their rights
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3. Family Planning (Slowing human population growth)
- Family planning benefits - Reduced unintended pregnancies, births, and abortions - Better maternal and child health care Reduced rate of infant mortality - Financial benefits Problems - Lack of access to voluntary contraception - Child marriage customs
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Case Study - Population Growth in India
Population of 1.31 billion in 2015 - (1.425 billion 2023 + 115 million in 7 years) growth rate 2020 = .96%, 2022 = .81% Problems - Poverty, malnutrition, and environmental degradation Causes - Most poor couples want many children - Bias toward having male children - Only 47% of couples use modern birth control methods
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Big Ideas
- The human population is growing rapidly - May soon bump up against environmental limits - Combination of population growth and increasing rate of resource use per person is expanding human ecological footprint - Strains the earth’s natural capital - We can slow human population growth by reducing poverty, elevating the status of women, and encouraging family planning
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Case Study - Slowing population growth in China
- World’s 2nd most populous country - Threat of mass starvation in the 1960s - Government established strict family planning and birth control program in 1978 - Reduced number of children born per woman from 3 to 1.7 - TFR was already declining before 1978 due to increased education and employment opportunities for women - Negative effects of one-child policy - Preference for male children resulted in skewed population: too few females - Average population age increasing at one of the fastest rates ever recorded - By 2030, likely too few young workers to support aging population - 2015: Chinese government replaced one-child policy with two-child policy. If you were an only child, you can have 2 children.
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