Ecology LCs

examples of organisms that follow the latitudinal diversity gradient

birds and bees

In a microbial community, autotrophs generate 1,000 calories per hour of GPP and 500 calories per hour of NPP. Primary consumers convert 60 calories per hour into their own biomass. What is the ecological efficiency in the link between autotrophs and primary consumers in this community? percent 6 percent 10 percent 12 percent 16 percent

12 percent

Tropical seasonal forest/savanna

rain 80-250cm, 20C - dry season - drought and heat adaptations - seasonal migration - burrowing, nocturnal - acacia - shrubs, bushes - grazers, browsers

What are some examples of life history traits that make up an organism's schedule of growth and development, reproduction, and death?

- age at first reproduction - frequency and duration of reproduction - fecundity (how many babies) - survivorship (life expectancy)

major reservoirs of nitrogen

- atmosphere - benthic sediments/rocks - ocean - soils - plant biomass - marine biomass

what can we do to help preserve biodiversity in fragmented habitats?

- cluster fragments together or near mainland and connect to mainland (increase colonization rate) -maintenance of large patches (minimize extinction rate)

what abiotic factors determine the aquatic biomes

- depth (light availability) - pressure - salinity - temperature - O2 content

how do prevailing surface winds and oceanic circulation affect climate in different parts of the world?

- help prevent extreme temperatures by transferring energy

how is carbon linked to both energy and material fluxes through ecosystems?

- in biomass - in photosynthesis and cellular respiration - fuel metabolic processes in ecosystem from oxidation of organic carbon compounds

impacts of rising global temperature

- more intense fluxes of water - Hadley cells expanding poleward (contributes to above) - more extreme weather events - ice fields melting faster and earlier spring snowmelt

what are the assumptions of the logistic model of population growth?

- no immigration/emigration - all individuals contribute equally to population - environment/K is constant

the ocean and climate change

- rising sea levels displace 10% human population - warmer ocean leads to coral bleaching and decreased upwelling - melting polar ice decreases algae in polar marine ecosystem (foundation of food web), reduces habitat for megafauna - ocean acidification

human activities and water cycle

- vegetation removal dries ecosystem - pumping reduces groundwater - sea levels rising leads to salt water intrusion

If N = 1000 in a population, and there are 40 births that year, and 60 deaths, what is the "r" for the population? (Hint: first calculate the per capita birth and death rates, then subtract b - m to get "r".) - 0.2 0.02 - 0.02 1.2

-0.02

In a population of baboons with 50 individuals, 5 babies are born, and 2 die on average each year. What is r for the population? 0.01 0.04 0.06 0.6

0.06

woodland/shrubland

100cm, -10-15C, wet winters, dry summers - shrubs, wildfire adaptations, thicker understory after - heat and drought adaptations - anti-herbivore - burrowers - terrestrial and climbing - seed eating, pollinators - infertile soil: X Nitrogen requirements

boreal forest

20-200cm, below 0C - cold adaptations: migration, hibernation, color changing fur, caching, burrowing - browsers - slow decomposition leads to infertile soil - evergreen trees - anti-herbivore resin

You want to estimate the number of honeybees in your beehive. You capture and mark 20 bees on the first day. On the second day, you capture 20 bees, and 2 of them are marked. How many bees are in your hive? 20 100 200 400

200

You go out and trap desert gerbils. On your first trapping night, you capture 10 gerbils. On your second trapping night, you capture 1000 gerbils, and 5 are marked. How many gerbils do you estimate are in the population? 4000 1000 2000 Only the gerbils know

2000

temperate grassland/desert

30-85cm, 11C seasonal rain - cold and drought adaptations - migration, hibernation - wildfires - terrestrial grazers - seed eater migratory birds - shrubs, small trees (some winter deciduous), grasses

current estimate for concentration of CO2 in atmosphere?

406 ppm

temperate seasonal forest

50-200cm, 5-20C, dry season - deciduous trees - sparse understory - terrestrial and arboreal - cold adaptations: migration, hibernation, caching - warmer regions have needles and wildfire tolerance X: Bar Harbor, Maine

ill effects of nitrogen entering atmosphere

acid rain/smog (biomass/fossil fuel burning/ag) N2O (fertilizers)

According to the theory of island biogeography, if the colonization rate is equal to the extinction rate, the species richness is low. high. increasing. decreasing. at equilibrium.

at equilibrium.

Two competing species usually can coexist when interspecific competition is _______ intraspecific competition. weaker than stronger than equal to

weaker than

Due to the Coriolis effect, winds moving towards the equator are deflected to the north south east west

west

Coriolis effect

wind's velocity is greatest at equator, turning of earth leads to shifting of the wind at equator wind is going from low to high velocity and is shifted left

what processes cause a community to change over time?

extinction/colonization disturbance climate change

niche

habitat an organism requires and its role in the community

You are a species of squirrel that is preyed upon by foxes, which are preyed upon by mountain lions. A new species of squirrel is introduced to your ecosystem. This squirrel eats entirely different plants than you do, but it shares the same fox predator. What do you predict the population of the fox will do over time, in response to this change in the biotic environment? (hint: foxes in this system are food limited). increase decrease stay the same

increase

ocean zones

intertidal, neritic, oceanic, benthic pelagic: whole thing

behavioral imprinting

leaning that occurs in critical period and is inflexible after

Subtropical desert

little rain, 20C - drought and heat adaptations - burrowing, nocturnal - efficient kidneys - succulence, pale leaves - deep tap roots - shrubs, ephemerals - terrestrial animals with jumping - caching

lake zones

littoral, limnetic, benthic, photic/aphotic

tundra

low rain, below freezing - cold adaptations: hibernation and migration - twig browsers - shrubs, cushion plants, herbs

list water reservoirs from largest to smallest

oceans, ice/snow, groundwater, surface freshwater, soil moisture

temperate rain forest

rain above 200cm, 0-15C - wet winters, foggy summers - low species diversity - slow growth rate - lichens, moss, ferns - browsers on seeds, leaves, fruit N Hem: needly S Hem: wide leaves

tropical rain forest

rain above 250cm, temp above 20C - highest species diversity - sparse understory bc too much shade - arboreal animals - lots of resources - epiphytes X: Amazon Forest

In ocean environments, the highest net primary productivity tends to be in coastal zones and upwelling zones, because they receive the most rainfall. receive constant inputs of nutrients. are all in temperate or tropical zones. are shallow and therefore receive the most sunlight. are close to hydrothermal vents, which provide nutrients.

receive constant inputs of nutrients.

how do we study community structure

species composition, species richness, evenness

3 things that drive global climate

sunlight, movement of the plant, atmosphere and ocean circulation

most and least productive terrestrial and marine ecosystems

terrestrial: tropical forest and desert scrub marine: freshwater swamps/marsh and open ocean

Which level of organization must include members from only a single species? Population Community Ecosystem Landscape Abiota

Population

how do we know CO2 levels from distant past?

air trapped in glaciers

Georgii Gause's Paramecium experiment

1. P. caudatum competitively excluded by P. aurelia 2. P. caudatum coexists with P. bursaria at lower population densities for both - P. bursaria occupies a different enough niche because it can feed on bottom of culture flask

why does solar energy input vary with latitude?

1. sunlight spread over larger surface area 2. sunlight passes through more atmosphere at a shallow angle

Which example is a mutualistic interaction? Barnacles obtain safe haven by riding on a whale, while the whale is unaffected. A bacterial species lives inside a plant's roots and provides usable nitrogen to the plant, which in turn provides sugar nutrients to the bacteria. A virus infects a bird, thus reducing the bird's fecundity. A wasp lays its egg inside a caterpillar, and the hatched wasp larva consumes the caterpillar. A bluejay forces sparrows to leave a bird feeder so that it can eat the seeds.

A bacterial species lives inside a plant's roots and provides usable nitrogen to the plant, which in turn provides sugar nutrients to the bacteria.

Which participant would receive an increase in its population growth rate from a given interspecific interaction? A resource in a consumer-resource interaction A consumer in a consumer-resource interaction A competitor in a competition interaction A participant in an amensal relationship None of the above

A consumer in a consumer-resource interaction

Which factor controls population size in a density-independent fashion? Disease Intraspecific Competition Drought Predation

Drought

A cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun. The LARGEST effect of this change would be The elimination of tides Increase in length of night at the equator Decreased temperature at the equator Elimination of seasonal variation.

Elimination of seasonal variation.

3. Which of the following is the major compartment for carbon in Earth's system? Fossil fuels Living biomass Atmospheric CO2 Dissolved CO2 in oceans

Fossil fuels

Identify what is wrong with the following statement: "If the climate in two geographically separate regions is similar, the same type of biome may occur along with the same species of plants and animals." Biomes are not affected by climate. Each continent has its own, unique biomes. Geographically separate biomes share animal and plants with similar adaptations—usually not the same species. Biomes are not geographically separate but instead are continuous. None of the above

Geographically separate biomes share animal and plants with similar adaptations—usually not the same species.

You observe a horned lizard shooting a red liquid from it's eyes! An example of a proximate question you could ask about this behavior is:(Hint: there are 2 correct answers) How does horned lizard vascular (blood vessel) structure allow them to shoot blood from their eyes? What is the function of blood-shooting behavior? How does blood-shooting map onto the horned lizard phylogeny? How does development play a role in this behavior?

How does horned lizard vascular (blood vessel) structure allow them to shoot blood from their eyes? How does development play a role in this behavior?

Which statement is TRUE about island biogeography? Large islands have higher species richness than small islands because the have a slower rate of colonization. Larger islands have higher species richness than small islands because they have a slower rate of extinction. Near islands have higher species richness than far islands because they have a slower rate of extinction. Far islands have higher species richness than close islands because they have a higher rate of colonization.

Larger islands have higher species richness than small islands because they have a slower rate of extinction.

Lizards and guinea pigs both eat the exact same type of kibble. If you're farming for meat, and you want to maximize the production of your farm, which animal is a better choice? (note for the geeky among you: They are also the same size and same surface area : volume ratio) Lizards Guinea pigs

Lizards

Suppose that nearly all healthy individuals of a fish species perform a swimming pattern upon exposure to a chemical. This response is very similar across all individuals of the species, and is exceedingly difficult to prevent via learning. Most likely, this behavior is an example of behavioral imprinting. a fixed action pattern. orienting. a pheromone. an alarm call.

a fixed action pattern.

Rank the following carbon reservoirs from smallest to largest: Soils Ocean Plant Biomass Atmosphere Fossil Fuels Soils - Fossil fuels - ocean - atmsphere - plant biomass Fossil fuels - ocean - soils - atmosphere - plant biomass Plant biomass - atmosphere - soils - ocean - fossil fuels Ocean - plant biomass - fossil fuels - soils - atmosphere

Plant biomass - atmosphere - soils - ocean - fossil fuels

The atmospheric pool of carbon will shrink as a result of which process? Wildfires Volcanic eruptions Plant photosynthesis Organism respiration Fossil fuel combustion

Plant photosynthesis

In a huge (hypothetical) experiment, scientists found that if they watered and fertilized land at 30 degrees north for 50 years, species richness increased dramatically. This observation is consistent with which hypothesis about the latitudinal gradient in species richness? Evolutionary rate hypothesis History hypothesis Species-energy hypothesis Geographic area hypothesis This observation is not consistent with any of these hypotheses.

Species-energy hypothesis

Which statement is an example of climate? The high today for Gainesville, FL will be 66 degrees F. The average temperature in Gainesville during the month of July, calculated between 1981-2010, is 91 degrees F. On January 28, 2014, Pensacola FL received 1.8 inches of snow.

The average temperature in Gainesville during the month of July, calculated between 1981-2010, is 91 degrees F.

You observe a squirrel pick up an acorn, dig a small hole in the ground, and place the acorn inside. Which of these hypotheses for this behavior tests an ultimate, function question? The squirrel has front paws specialized for digging. Related species of squirrels engage in the same nut-burying behavior. The squirrel learned this behavior by watching other squirrels. The squirrel will remember where the acorns were hidden in the winter and will retrieve them for food.

The squirrel will remember where the acorns were hidden in the winter and will retrieve them for food.

If secondary consumers are the highest trophic level in a community, how many trophic levels does that community have (not counting decomposers)? Two Three Four Three if it is an aquatic community, four if it is a terresterial community.

Three

By what process does nitrogen enter the living components of ecosystems? Through fixation by microbes Absorbed as nitrogen gas from the atmosphere By human-made industrial processes By ingestion of plants or other primary producers whose tissues contain protein and other organic molecules that themselves contain nitrogen

Through fixation by microbes

The carbon flux rate from land to the atmosphere is greater than the flux rate from the ocean to the atmosphere. True False

True

global patterns of oceanic circulation

clockwise in N, counterclockwise in S

Gopher tortoises feed on grasses such as wire grass. The tortoise creates burrows in the ground to lay their eggs but the burrows can also be used by other species such as burrowing owls, rabbits, and indigo snakes. The species interaction between gopher tortoises and wire grass can best be described as ___________ and would be depicted as a _______________ line in a diagram while the interaction between the tortoise and the indigo snake would best be described as ________ and would be depicted as a ______________ line on the same diagram. direct, dotted; indirect, solid direct, solid; indirect, dotted indirect, dotted; direct, solid indirect, solid; direct, dotted

direct, solid; indirect, dotted

how does carbon from ocean water become part of the sediment/rock in the ocean?

dissolved carbon dioxide becomes calcium carbonate which reaches sediments and forms limestone