| Question | Answer |
| Ecology | interdisciplinary study of response of organisms to the environment |
| hypothesis | proposed explanation for observed pattern |
| prediction | specific implication of hypothesis (if/then statement) |
| sampling | subset of larger population being studied, indicative when unbiased |
| sampling methods (3) | haphazard/convenience sampling, random sampling, systematic sampling |
| Experimental Studies | manipulate biotic and abiotic environment |
| Biome | way of characterizing dominant plant life in an area |
| reason for latitudinal climate variation | earth is curved, more direct sun (energy/m^2) at equator |
| Primary factor in seasonal variation | earth's tilt, if completely perpendicular - still mild seasons due to elliptical orbit |
| ITCZ | inter-tropical convergence zone - point where hadley cells come together |
| effect of Ocean Currents | different biomes at same latitudes |
| PET | potential evapotranspiration - potential amount of water that can be lost from a biome (pull on plant to transpire) = 2 x temperature |
| Actual evapotranspiration | cannot transpire more water than available |
| use of thermal performance curves | find tolerance limits, predict response to global climate change |
| Acclimation | short term physiological adjustment that occurs in response to change in environment (not always reversible) |
| adaptation | evolution via natural selection of traits that increase performance (reversible over large time scale) |
| Common Garden Experiment | adaptation vs. acclimation test. if acclimation, differences will not be maintained |
| Heat balance equation | Hnet=Har+Hmet-Hrr +/- Hcond +/- Hconv - He |
| Water Balance Equation | Water balance = Wd + Wf + Wa - We - Ws |
| Factors affecting population size (4) | natality, mortality, immigration, emigration |
| Life history | collection of age or stage specific traits that directly affect reproductive success |
| Important Life History traits (6) | # of reproductive events, # of offspring/event, age at first reproduction, length of stages, investment/offspring, probability of death at each stage |
| Cohort Life Table | follow cohort of individuals from birth to death (accurate but time consuming) |
| Static Life Table | cross-section of population (easier to collect but must assume birth and death rates) |
| Age distribution | proportion of organisms at each age class (large base = rapid growth) |
| lx | proportion of organisms surviving from start to age x, = nx/no |
| Types of survivorship curves (3) | 1 - high early survivorship (mammals), 2 - mortality constant (reptiles) , 3 - high infant mortality (fish) |
| mx | # of female offspring produced per female in each age interval (must replace self) |
| R0 | net reproductive rate (R0=∑lxmx), related to 1 |
| T | Generation time, affects rate of population growth (smaller T = increased r), T=∑lxmxx(age)/R0 |
| r | intrinsic rate of increase, related to 0 (should indicate same as R0), r=lnR0/T |
| Non-overlapping generations | parents and offspring live at different times (geometric growth) |
| overlapping generations | parents and offspring live at same time (exponential growth) |
| Geometric growth model | Nt=N0גּt |
| Exponential Growth model | Nt = N0ert |
| per capita growth rate | dN/dtN |
| population growth rate | dN/dt = rN |
| Logistic growth model | dN/dt =rN (1-N/K), K is carrying capacity |
| density dependant - dN/dt greatest when... | N/K = 1/2 |
| density dependant - dN/dtN decreases as... | N increases - increased competition |
| Metapopulation | collection of spatially distinct subpopulations of the same species connected by dispersal |
| metapopulation growth rate equation | dP/dt = cP(1-P) - eP |
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