Ecology Review I
Terms
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- conservative traits
- traits that are always present in a species
- subduction
- when the Earth's plates collide
- frugivores
- herbivore that eat fruit
- genet
- is one genetic individual, all modules are from the same zygote
- ITCZ
- The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, where convective precipitation occurs due to colliding trade winds
- westerlies
- wind patterns where the wind blows from the southwest to northeast
- population
- individuals of one species in an (arbitrarily defined) area
- omnivore
- composition of food is both from animal and plant sources, they feed on more then one trophic level, diet varies from season to season
- Theory of Natural selection
- 1) No two individuals are exactly alike; 2) Some variation is heritable and offspring tend to resemble their parents 3) All populations are capable of geometric increase; 4) Individual with advantageous traits have more offspring; 5) Natural selection results in adaptation that improve survival/reproduction
- cohort life table
- survivorship of a cohort over time
- conservation ecology
- ecology where one has to maintain biodiversity
- desert
- biome with <30cm of rain a year, either hot or cold, very low productivity
- biomes
- environments that cover a significant amount of area
- predator satiation
- rapid increase in abundance of prey to avoid predation , predators only consume a fraction of the population
- scramble competition
- competition where all individuals are affected equally
- modular organisms
- organisms that have a varying number of modules, branching structure
- Linnaeus
- a man who used the morphological species concept to classify organisms
- allopatric speciation
- speciation occurs with a geograaphic barrier present (eg. two organisms on two opposite sides of a mountain)
- coniferous forests
- biome with colder then deciduous conditions, short growing season, evergreen leaves, conical shape to prevent snow accumulation
- easterlies
- wind patterns where the wind blows from the northwest to southeast
- exponential growth
- type of growth populations exhibit in uncrowded conditions
- poikilotherms
- organisms that have a variable body temperature
- wet forest
- biome near equator with a permanent canopy, vegetation is stratified, high productivity, low nutrients in soil
- ectotherms
- organisms where body temperature is controlled by the environment
- directional selection
- selection favors one extreme of variation to others
- parallel evolution
- evolution where two species follow each other in morphology and stay similar through time
- adaptive radiation
- the evolution of diversely adapted species from a common ancestor upon introduction to new environmental opportunities
- fresh water
- water with salt<1%
- cohort
- all individuals born in a certain time period
- ∝
- the symbol for the competition coefficient and is the effect of one species on another in the Lotka-Volterra model
- phenotype
- the traits possessed by an organism; the result of an interaction between the environment and genes; the physical representation of the genotype
- gyre
- a large whirlpool in the oveans
- benthic zone
- zone in lakes that is the lake bed; can be both photic and aphotic; decomposers
- homeotherms
- organisms with a constant body temperature
- resources
- factors that are consumed (eg. light, water, food, nutrients) that may result in competition
- batesian mimicry
- harmless prey mimics a dangerous one to avoid predation
- niche complementary
- overlapping niches that differ in terms of 1 resource or condition
- photoperiod
- the hours of daylight in a 24h period
- RDZ
- area around the roots of a plant known as a resource depletion zone
- sympatric speciation
- the divergence of the same species within the same geographic area
- interspecific competition
- competition between individuals of different species
- annual
- 1 generation a year
- r selection
-
symbol for selection when N <
- migration
- the movement of populations from areas of little food to areas with an abundance of food
- 23.5°
- the obliquity of the Earth's tilt
- neritic zone
- zone in an ocean which is photic just a little farther from shore; corals are found in this zone
- antarctic circle
- anything below 66.5° south
- temporal isolation
- a type of isolation where the organisms can not breed due to variances in the times that each organism is active or alive
- browsers
- herbivores that eat woody tissue
- gene flow
- the flow of genetic material between different population to maintain their species
- mechanical isolation
- a type of isolation where the organisms can not breed due to physical reproductive incompatibility
- tundra
- biome with cold, dry, windy, permafrost prevent extension of roots; it floods when it rains, low productivity
- unitary organism
- an organism that is predictable, has a fixed number of parts, and is indivisible
- realized niche
- the environmental area an organism occupies in light of competition and other pressures
- polyphagons
- generalist heterotrophs that eat a varied diet
- biological species concept
- a species is a group of individuals that can breed in their natural environment
- artificial selection
- animal or plant breeding where individuals are selected for desirable traits and the rest are killed
- pelagic zone
- zone in an ocean where it is deep, can be photic or aphotic
- field study
- an ecological study where a researcher manipulates factors, this study can be expensive and difficult
- La nina
- west coast of South America(dry) is cold because of cold upwelling; Asia/Australia(wet)
- grazers
- herbivores that eat leafy tissue
- disruptive selection
- selection favors the extremes in variation
- precipitation
- this weather is formed when either of the three conditions occur: (Convective lifting, Orographic lifting, Frontal storms)
- spring equinox
- March 21, 12 hours of daylight
- global ecology
- ecology where one treats the earth and a single ecosystem
- temperate grassland
- biome with deep fertile soil, periodic drought, fire, hot summers, cold winters
- climate
- long term average patterns of weather at a given locality
- chemical defenses
- compounds released by prey to defend themselves from predators
- nectivores
- herbivore that eat(drink) nectar
- chilling
- a temperature condition that breaks seed dormancy
- shade leaf
- a thin leaf with a larger surface to mass ratio
- genotype
- the genetic makeup of an organism; the biochemical representation of the phenotype
- autumn equinox
- September 21, 12 hours of daylight
- wetland
- biome with marshes, swamps, bogs, shallow and photic
- morphological species concept
- a species is based on arbitrary selected physical traits
- reciprocal transplant experiment
- a switch in individuals to test weather phenotypes remain the same
- perennial
- 1 generation is extended over multiple years
- monophagons
- specalist heterotrophs that eat only specific prey or part of prey
- savanna
- biome with tropical grasslands with scattered trees, seasonal rainfall, droughts, fires
- endemic species
- species known only from one area and are usually groups that have poor dispersal abilities
- polyploidy
- presence of an extra set of chromosomes due to accidents in cellular division
- aposematism
- warning coloration to avoid predation
- observational study
- an ecological study where a researcher observers patterns, but does not explain a situation
- clines
- gradual changes in genotype or phenotype over an environmental gradient
- summer solstice
- June 21, 23.5° north, longest day of summer
- mathematical study
- an ecological study where prior knowledge of the system under study is required
- Wallace
- independently arrived at the same conclusion as Darwin
- salt water
- water with salt about 3%
- physical defenses
- thorns, spines, shells, scales that defend prey
- heterotherms
- organisms that are sometimes endothems or ectotherms
- reduced hybrid viability
- a type of isolation where the organisms can breed, but the offspring is sterile
- exploitation competition
- competition where there is no interaction between individuals (eg. sheep and a grazing pasture)
- arctic circle
- anything above 66.5° north
- life history
- the schedule of birth, growth, reproduction and death
- carnivores
- composition of food is of animal tissue
- restoration ecology
- ecology where one has to restore and repair damaged communities
- k
- the symbol for the carrying capacity, the maximum number of individuals that a particular environment can support
- intertidal zone
- zone in oceans where the tide comes up and down
- herbivore
- composition of food is of plant tissue
- estuaries
- biome where rivers meet an ocean, salinity varies with distance from river
- plate tectonics
- theory that the plates of the Earth are moving
- heterotrophs
- need to consume organic Carbon
- interference competition
- competition where there is direct interaction between individuals (eg. a cheetahs aggression over a territorial dispute)
- temperature
- a condition that affects the metabolic reactons within organisms, if too high or low, can cause metabolic imparement
- stomata
- pores in leaves that allow water and carbon dioxide out during the day and close during the night or drought
- competitive exclusion principle
- two species can coexist in a stable environment as a result of different niches, if they share the same niche, one will go extinct
- guild
- groups of similar species exploiting the same resource
- Darwin
- this man discovered natural selection as a mechanism for evolution; made discoveries on a 5 year voyage on the Beagle
- sun leaf
- a thick leaf with more cell layers and more chloroplasts
- stabilizing selection
- selection favors the average variation
- ramet
- independent, asexually produced modules (clones)
- photic zone
- zone where photosynthesis can occur
- lab study
- an ecological study where the experiment is highly simplified and in controlled conditions
- ruminant
- a herbivore that has a specialized digestive system incorporating symbiotic organisms for the digestion of cellulose(eg. cows, sheep)
- character displacement
- natural selection reduces traits in organisms in order to avoid niche overlap
- limnectic zone
- zone in lakes far from shore, shallow, photic,
- aphotic zone
- zone where photosynthesis can not occur
- fundamental niche
- the full environmental area an organism can occupy
- chaparral
- biome near coastal areas with mild wet winters, but hot dry summers fires, drought deciduous
- river
- a water body where the faster the water the higher the [O2], animals are streamlined to cling to the bottom
- assortative mating
- when species prefer to mate with their own morph
- intraspecific competition
- competition between individuals of the same species
- coral reefs
- biome with very high levels of diversity and production, found in the neridic zone of the ocean in tropical locations
- semelparous
- only one breeding occasion
- cryptic coloration
- camouflage to avoid predation
- seed bank
- dormant seed in a soil bank
- contest competition
- competition where some individuals suffer while others are unaffected
- iteroparous
- multiple breeding occasions
- litteral zone
- zone in lakes close to shore, shallow, photic, rooted and floating plants
- spatial isolation
- a type of isolation where the organisms can not breed due to their geographic location
- density dependence
- an increase in crowding that increases the severity of conditions
- winter solstice
- December 21, 23.5° south, shortest day of winter
- conditions
- physical or chemical factors that are not consumed
- EL Niño
- warm water accumulation off west coast of South America(wet); Asia/Australia(dry)
- behavioral isolation
- a type of isolation where the organisms can not breed due to variances in character that prevent reproduction
- k selection
- when N≅k, this type of selection favors better quality offspring
- abyssal zone
- zone in an ocean that is far from shore in the deepest areas
- the Earth
- celestial body with an average temperature of 15°
- transpiration
- water from soil to roots to stems to leaves to air
- dry forest
- biome further from equator, seasonal rainfall, drought deciduous
- the sun
- celestial body with an average temperature of 5800°
- fitness
- the ability to contribute offspring to the next generation
- Malthus
- a man who stated that the human population is capable of doubling every 25 years, but it does not because resources are limited
- hybrid breakdown
- a type of isolation where the organisms can breed, but the resulting offspring are weak or die shortly after death
- phloem feeders
- herbivore that eat(drink) sap
- endotherms
- organisms that internally regulate body temperature
- convergent evolution
- evolution where two species start off different and become similar due to similar environmental demands
- profundal zone
- zone in lakes very deep and aphotic
- ecotypes
- different forms of the same species adapted to a particular environment
- ephemerals
- vegetative phase <8 weeks
- oceanic zone
- zone the photic zone that extends from the neritic zone all the way accross
- gametic isolation
- a type of isolation where the organisms can not breed because gametes are incompatible
- niche
- the sum of the conditions and resources needed by an organism
- temperate deciduous forests
- biome with moderate or high precipitation, seasonal canopy, loss of leaves stops dessication
- mùllerian mimicry
- many harmful prey resemble each other to avoid predation
- natural selection
- can only work on existing heritable variation, (Mutations, Assortment, Crossing Over)
- granivores
- herbivores that eat seeds