Ecology Chapter One & Two Review Questions
Major deserts on Earth occur at latitudes ____ N and S, due to _________________________ .
30 degrees N and S, due to subsidence
Greenhouse gases are responsible for keeping Earth ____ degrees C __________.
33 degrees C warmer
What must a trait be in order for natural selection to act upon it?
A characteristic that improves survival or reproduction
What is adaptation?
(1) A physiological, morphological, or behavioral trait with an underlying genetic basis that enhances the survival and reproduction of its bearers in their environment
Define Evolution
(1) Change in allele frequencies in a population over time. (2) Descent with modification; the process by which organisms gradually accumulate differences from their ancestors
List 3 major determinants of the chemical environment.
Salinity, acidity, and oxygen
How do ecologists ask and answer questions?
Ecologists ask questions about the natural world in order to understand these conditions
How does ecology differ from environmental science?
Ecology is a branch of Biology. Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field.
The Ferrel cell is driven by the ______ and _____ cells.
Hadley and Polar cells
Outgoing radiation is called....
Long-wave
What causes glacial-interglacial cycles on Earth?
Milankovitch Cycles
What does the scientific method begin with?
Observe nature and ask a well-framed question about those observations.
Define Biosphere
The highest level of biological organization, consisting of all living organisms on Earth plus the environments in which they live; located between the lithosphere and the troposphere
What determines the spatial and temporal scale an ecologist will work in?
The spatial and temporal scales are determined by what is being studied. Ecologists can't study everything. They ignore what is irrelevant.
Why do amphibians serve as good biological indicators?
Their skin is permeable, and they live in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
The atmosphere contains the greenhouse gases...
Water Vapor H2O, Carbon Dioxide CO2, Methane (CH4), and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
What causes lake turnover?
Water temperature and density become uniform with depth. Wind mixing
How does climate differ from weather?
Weather is current conditions while Climate is the long-term averages of cycles (daily, seasonal, yearly, decades history) and trends (temperature, wind, precipitation) of the weather in a location.
Large-scale ____ and ____ circulation patterns establish global patterns of precipitation and temperature.
atmospheric; oceanic
Temperature and air pressure _______ with increasing elevation.
decrease
Areas of upwelling have ________ nutrient availability.
high (a lot of nutrients)
Wind flows from areas of ____ pressure to _____ pressure. This pattern of movement is called the _______________.
high; low; Coriolis Effect
Light-colored surfaces have a _______ albedo and reflect ______ solar radiation.
high; more
Water has a ____ heat capacity than land. This causes maritime cities to have _____ temperatures when compared to cities inland.
higher; warmer
Deforestation leads to ______ albedo, _______ evapotranspiration, and ______ precipitation.
increased; increased; decreased
The tilt of Earth's axis causes ______ variation.
seasonal
At Earth's poles, cold air _______ and creates an area of ____ pressure.
subsides; high
Ocean surface currents are driven by ____ __________ and modified by ________ ________ .
surface winds; land masses
Deep ocean circulation is driven by ____ and ____ .
temperature and salinity (density)
What is ecology?
the scientific study of how organisms affect, and are affected by, other organisms and their environment; or the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
The Hadley cell forms due to the _______ of ______ air .
...uplift of warm air
List these spatial scales from large to small: individual, biosphere, cell, landscape, population, ecosystem, community
1. Biosphere 2. Landscape 3. Ecosystem 4. Community 5. Population 6. Individual 7. Cell
What is the control group, and what purpose does it serve?
A recreated setting in an experiment where it lacks the factor being tested.
Define Population
A group of individuals of the same species that live within a particular area and interact with one another
Define Community
A group of interacting species that occur together at the same place and time
What is adaptive evolution?
A process of evolutionary change in which traits that confer survival or reproductive advantages tend to increase in frequency in a population over time
Define Ecosystem
All the organisms in a given area as well as the physical environment in which they live
Define Landscape
An area that is spatially heterogeneous in one or more features of the environment, such as the number or arrangement of different habitat types; a landscape typically includes multiple ecosystems
Define Producer
An organism that can product its own food by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis; also called a primary producer or autotroph
Define Consumer
An organism that obtains its energy by eating other organisms or their remains
What is the most fundamental component of the physical environment?
Climate
What drives the climate on Earth?
Energy
Conditions in which oxygen concentration are low are referred to as.....
Hypoxic conditions
In an experiment, what is the experimental group?
Part of a controlled experiment in which the setting has the factor being tested.
Incoming radiation from the sun is called...
Shortwave
Where does the energy on Earth come from?
Solar Radiation
Wind and ocean currents result from difference in ______ _________ across Earth's surface.
Solar Radiation
What do ecologists use to analyze the results of their experiments?
Statistical analyses to determine if their results are "significant"
What determines where an organism can live?
The physical environment