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biology 150 exam 2
biogeography and ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| macroevolution | evolution at a scale above a singular species, involves groups of species |
| how can ranges of biotic species change? | includes adaptation to new conditions, dispersal through continuous habitat, long distance dispersal |
| how can ranges of abiotic species change? | climate change, eustatic events (sea level), tectonic events |
| biogeography | the study of geographic distribution of range of organisms |
| ecological biogeography | how ecological processes that occur in short periods of time act on distributional patterns of organisms |
| historical biogeography | how processes that occur over long periods of time influence patterns of geographic distribution, geographic history of speculation |
| dispersal | extension of the geographic range of a species by movement of individuals |
| vicariance | separation of continuously distributed ancestral populations or species into separate populations due to the development of a topographic or ecological barrier |
| extinction | species completely gone |
| extirpation | species gone from portion of former range |
| mass extinction | occurs when more than 30% of a species goes extinct, 5 previous mass extinctions |
| ordovician event | mass extinction event about 440 million years ago of marine life. continents mostly in southern hemisphere, drastic fall in sea level, 49% of genera extinct, crinoids |
| devonian event | mass extinction event about 375 million years ago, 50% of genera extinct, less certain of the causes |
| permian event | mass extinction event about 252 million years ago, about 83% of the genera extinct, largest extinction event, various causes (volcanic, meteoric, anoxic) |
| triassic event | mass extinction event about 200 million years ago, 50% of genera extinct, mostly terrestrial, various causes (volcanoes, meteorite) |
| eretaceous-palogene event | mass extinction about 65 million years ago, dinosaurs, has the most evidence, likely caused by meteorite or worldwide rock layer, paleogene recovery (mammals to birds) |
| ecology | the study of interactions of living organisms with their environment |
| organismal ecology | researchers interested in the adaptations that enable individuals to live in specific habitats (can be morphological, physiological and behavioral) |
| population | a group of interbreeding. organisms that are members of the same species living in the same area at the same time |
| conspecifics | organisms that are all members of the same species |
| biological community | the different species within an area, typically a three dimensional space and the interactions between these species |
| population ecology | focuses on the size and density of individuals in an area and how and why populations change over time |
| biotic | living things |
| abiotic | nonliving things |
| niche | role in the ecosystem |
| competition | more than one species with the same or overlapping niches |
| population density | the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume at a given time |
| carrying capacity | the maximum number of individuals an environment can support, causes leveling off of exponential growth |
| population crash | abrupt decline in population density, can be caused by overshooting carrying capacity |
| demography | the statistical study of population dynamics |
| life tables | tables that detail the life expectancy of individuals within a population |
| population size | the total number of individuals |
| species distribution patterns | show the spatial relationship between members of a population within a habitat at a particular point in time |
| age structure | the proportion of population members at a specific age range |
| life history | describes the series of events over a species' lifetime such as how resources are allocated for growth, maintenance, and reproduction |
| energy budget | a species' balance of energy intake with their use of energy for metabolism, reproduction, parental care, and energy storage |
| fecundity | the potential reproductive capacity of an individual within a population |
| exponential growth | populations with unlimited natural resources grow very rapidly |
| population growth rate | the number of organisms added in each reproductive generation |
| intraspecific competition | competition between population members of the same species |
| density dependent factors | factors in which density of the population at a given time affects growth rates and mortality |
| density independent factors | factors which influence mortality in a population regardless of population density |
| k-selected species | species that have small broods, long life span, slow development, large body size, late reproduction, low reproductive rate, high probability of long-term survival |
| r-selected species | species that have a small body size, early maturity, short life span, large broods, little or no parental cates, probability of long-term survival is low |
| predation | the consumption of prey by its predator |
| herbivory | the consumption of plants by insects and other animals |
| mechanical defenses | defenses that discourage animal predation and herbivory by causing physical pain to the predator or by physically preventing the predator from being able to eat the prey |
| camoflauge | avoiding detection by blending in with the background |
| aposematic coloration | bright colors that warn predators that the animal is not good to eat |
| batesian mimicry | a harmless species imitates a harmful one (through coloration) |
| mullerian mimicry | multiple species share the same warning coloration but all of them actually have defenses |
| emsleyan/mertensian mimcry | a deadly prey mimics a less dangerous one, such as the venomous coral snake mimicking the nonvenomous milk snake |
| competition exclusion principle | states that two species cannot occupy the same niche in a habitat, as it causes competition |
| symbiotic relationships | close interactions between individuals of different species over an extended period of time which impact the abundance |
| commensal relationship | occurs when one species benefits from the interaction while the other is neither benefited nor harmed |
| mutualism | a type of symbiotic relationship where two species benefit from the interaction |
| parasite | an organism that lives in or on another living organism and derives nutrients from it |
| host | the organism in/on which a parasite lives |
| parasitism | a interaction where the parasite benefits and the host is harmed |
| foundation species | species that are considered the base of the community |
| species richness | term used to describe the number of species living in a habitat or biome |
| island biogeography | attempts to explain the relatively high species richness found in certain isolated island chains |
| keystone species | a species whose presence is key to maintaining biodiversity within an ecosystem and to upholding an ecological community's structure (ex: starfish or otter) |
| pioneer species | species that help to further break down the mineral rich lava into soil where other less hardy species will grow and replace them |
| community | an assemblage of species living close enough together for potential interaction |
| species evenness | the relative abundance of species |
| interspecific interactions | relationships between the species of a community; competition, predation, mutualism, and commensalism |
| resource partitioning | the differentiation of niches that enables two similar species to coexist in a community |
| character displacement | morphological differences in sympatric vs. allopatric populations |
| coevolution | reciprocal evolutionary adaptations of two interacting species |
| ecosystem | a community of living organisms and their interactions with their abiotic environment |
| ocean ecosystems | ecosystem that covers 70% of the earths surface, has three basic types |
| freshwater ecosystmes | rarest type of ecosystem, makes up 1.8% of the earth's surface, consists of lakes, rivers, streams, and springs |
| terrestrial ecosystems | ecosystems on land that are grouped into large categories called biomes |
| food chain | a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass: primary producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers |
| trophic level | levels or organizing organisms in an ecosystem based on its role in the food chain |
| primary producers | the bottom of the food chain that consists of photosynthetic organisms |
| primary consumers | organisms that eat primary producers (herbivores) |
| secondary consumers | organisms that consume primary producers |
| tertiary consumers | carnivores that eat other carnivores |
| apex consumers | the organism at the top of the food chain |
| food web | a graphic representation of a holistic, nonlinear web of primary producers, primary consumers, and higher level consumers used to describe ecosystem structure and dynamics |
| ecosystem dynamics | the study of changes in ecosystem structure caused by changes in the environment by internal forces |
| autotrophs | organisms capable of synthesizing their own food |
| biomass | the total mass in a unit area at the time of measurement, of living or previously living organisms within a trophic level |
| trophic level energy transfer | the measure of energy transfer efficiency between two successive trophic levels |
| terrestrial biomes | biomes based on land |
| aquatic biomes | biomes that include freshwater and ocean water biomes |
| energy flow | open system to space |
| chemical matter flow | closed system. found in atmosphere biosphere, hydrosphere, or the geosphere |
| water cycle | water cycling through different processes, evapotransportation |
| carbon cycle | carbon goes back into the atmosphere through decomposition to be available to organisms that need it |
| phosphorous cycle | phosphorous is bound to geosphere, decomposition must occur to be available to organisms that need it |
| nitrogen cycle | nitrogen is made available to plants |
| terrestrial nutrient limitation | nitrogen and phosphorus increase plant abundance above ground when they are both available, without it it causes limitation of nutrients |
| biomes | zones defined by their vegetation type (terrestrial) or aspects of the abiotic environments (aquatic) |
| lotic habits | streams and rivers |
| lentic habitats | ponds and lakes |
| coniferous forests | largest terrestrial biomes |
| biotic interchange | dispersal after adaptation, subsequent competition |
| equilibrium theory of island biogeography | proposes that the lowest number of species on islands was not the result of insufficient time but rather the result of an equilibrium process peculiar to all islands; balance between colonization and extinction |
| urban ecology | studies of urban areas and the outside land |
| constituent fields of biogeography | geology, paleontology, phylogenetics, ecology |
| adaptive radiation | the rapid diversification of a single lineage into many species that inhabitat a variety of environments or niches and differ in morphological and/or physiological traits to exploit the environment |
| community ecology | the study of species interactions |
| ecosystem ecology | cycling of energy and matter, predictive in dynamic systems |
Created by:
ellimyren
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