5062007
Description
Flashcards by Ashley Hay, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Ashley Hay
over 9 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| primary succession | ecological succession occurring on surfaces initially devoid of soil (starts w/ algae, mosses, & lichens) |
| secondary succession | succession of plant life that occurs in areas that were disturbed but didn't lose their soil (starts w/ grasses + wildflowers) |
| theory of island biogeography | dual importance of habitat size and distance in determining species richness bigger habitats = more species less distance = more species |
| species richness | number of species in a given area |
| species evenness | relative proportion of individuals within the different species in a given area |
| microevolution | evolution below the species level |
| macroevolution | evolution that gives rise to new species, genera, families, classes, or phyla |
| mutation | random change in genetic code produced by a mistake in the copying process |
| recombination | genetic process by which one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome during reproductive cell division |
| artificial selection | humans determine which individuals breed, typically w/ a preconceived set of traits in mind (ex: dogs) |
| tundra | simple food chain, cold, treeless, short growing season, short plants (shrubs, moss, etc.) |
| boreal forest (aka coniferous aka taiga) | cold winters, low precipitation, poor soil, evergreen trees |
| temperate rainforest | moderate temperature, high precipitation, coastal, large trees |
| temperate (seasonal) forest (aka deciduous) | warm summer / cold winter, long growing season, good soil, broadleaf trees |
| temperate grassland / cold desert | cold/harsh winter, hot/dry summer, fires common, grasses |
| woodland / shrubland | mild/rainy winter, hot/dry summer, plants are drought + fire resistant (ex: sage) |
| tropical seasonal forest (aka savanna) | warm temperatures, distinct wet/dry seasons, grasses and grazing animals, open landscape, fertile soil |
| desert | hot temperature, dry, sparse vegetation, succulents common |
| nitrogen fixation | converts nitrogen gas in atmosphere into nitrogen that producers can use biotic: bacteria = N2 -> NH3 -> NH4+ abiotic: lightning, fires & fossil fuels: N2 -> NO3- |
| transpiration | release of water from photosynthesis |
| evapotranspiration | combined amount of evaporation and transpiration - measure of water through ecosystem |
| fossil fuels | solid: coal liquid: petroleum (oil) gas: natural gas from carbon cycle, when burnt makes CO2 |
| 10% rule | energy is conserved at about 10% when passing from prey to predator (in other words, only 10% passes from each level on the pyramid) |
| photosynthesis | process where producers use solar energy to convert CO2 and water into glucose sunlight + C02 + H2O ---> O2 + glucose |
| cellular respiration | process where cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds O2 + glucose ---> CO2 + H2O + energy |
| aerobic and anaerobic respiration | aerobic: cells convert glucose and O2 into energy, CO2, and H2O anaerobic: same as the above, but without oxygen (ex: some bacteria in the mud) |
| detritivores | organisms that specialize in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles (ex: dung beetles) |
| GPP (gross primary productivity) | the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time |
| NPP (net primary productivity) | the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire NPP = GPP - respiration |
| ecological efficiency | the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one energy level to another |
| gene flow | the process where individuals move from one population to another and thereby alter the genetic composition of both populations |
| genetic drift | a change in the genetic variation among individuals in a population |
| bottleneck effect | a reduction in the genetic diversity of a population b/c of the reduction in size |
| founder effect | a change in the genetic composition of a population as a result of descending from a small number of colonizing individuals |
| keystone species | a species that plays a far more important role in its community than its relative abundance would suggest (ex: sea otters) |
| fundamental niche | a suite of abiotic conditions under which a species can survive, grow, and reproduce |
| realized niche | the range of abiotic and biotic conditions under which a species actually lives |
| niche generalist vs. specialist | generalist: a species that can live under a wide range of abiotic or biotic conditions specialist: a species that is specialized to a specific habitat or to feed on a small group of species |
| mass extinction | a large extinction of species in a relatively short period of time (there have been 5, but most scientists suggest we are currently living in the 6th) |
| ammonification | fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium (NH4+) **part of the nitrogen cycle |
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