Environmental science final
casting off a body part when attacked
Autonomy
What is the difference between Batesian and Mullarian mimicry?
Batesian mimicry - a nontoxic organism mimics a toxic organism; Mullerian mimicry - two toxic organisms mocking each other
Name 4 types of speciation & briefly describe each.
Behavioral- different mating/courtship, Mechanical- different reproductive anatomy, Temporal- mate at different times, Geographic- separation by geographic barriers
Natality=
Birth Rate
organisms blends into the environment
Camouflage
List three greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Water Vapor (H2O g)
What is carrying capacity and what happens when a population passes it's carrying capacity?
Carrying capacity is the number of species that that a region can support without environmental degradation. If a population passes the carrying capacity the death rate increases.
one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
Commensalism
A population pyramid
It shows the number of males and females in each age group for a specific population
Exponential growth
J curve
What pressure is placed on a population to change a J curve into an S curve?
Limiting factors
Linear growth
Linear
Describe weather conditions during high pressure and low pressure.
Low pressure causes precipitation and clouds; high pressure causes dry, clear conditions
Name the 3 main gases in the atmosphere & the percentages
Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (0.9%)
Define Nitrogen fixation and Denitrification.
Nitrogen fixation, changing nitrogen from unusable N2 in the atmosphere from lightening to NH3, NO2, or NO3 by bacteria in the soil. Denitrification, bacteria in the soil changing nitrogen (NO3) in the soil back to N2 and releasing into the atmosphere.
Fertility=
Number of offspring produced
. List the ecological order of organisms living in an area of the earth:
Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere
one organism benefits while the other organism is harmed
Parasitism
A group of organisms of the same species found in one area at a given time is a(n)
Population
life expectancy
Predicted length of survival
In an energy pyramid, which level would have the largest number of organisms?
Producers
List how Mangroves benefit the community
Provide shelter for other species; stabilize coastline & reduce erosion; Leaves excrete salt from brackish water.
Logistic growth
S curve
What is the difference between decomposers and scavengers in the food chain?
Scavengers feed on dead animals; decomposers break down dead animals and plants into simpler molecules.
Explain how supply and demand affect cost?
When supply increases, cost usually decreases. When supply decreases and/or demand increases, cost increases.
What season is happening in the Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere when the earth is tilted toward the sun?
Winter and Summer respectively
organisms that eat meat are called
carnivores
counter clockwise causes winds to bend ______ in Southern Hemisphere
clockwise
Taiga
cold, animals hibernate, conifers
Tundra
cold, treeless, ground permanently frozen
Coriolis Effect causes winds to bend ____ in Northern Hemisphere
counter clockwise
Density-dependent Limiting factors
disease, predation, competition
Density independent limiting factors
drought, floods, storms, temperature
Climax Community
final stage of succession; stable community
Pioneer Species
first organism to inhabit barren environment (Lichens)
Savanna
grassland, few trees, little rainfall, tropical climate
Keystone Species
have large impact on a habitat; affect many other species in their habitat (ex. Sea otters)
Organisms that eat only plants are called
herbivores
Chaparral
hot & dry, mild winter, fire & drought common
Dessert
hot/dry days, cold nights, small vegetation, nocturnal animals
Grasslands
large, rolling land, many grasses, few trees, susceptible to fires
K strategists
long gestation periods, few offspring, low offspring mortality
Climatograms
measure temperature and rainfall yearly, can identify a biome.
Alpine
mountainous, cold, small vegetation, animals have insulation
both organism benefit
mutualism
Primary Succession
no soil (volcano eruptions, glacier movement); occurs slowly
organisms that eat both plants and animals are called
omnivores
Indicator Species
quickly respond to environmental changes; indicators of environmental health (ex. Mangrove trees)
Give an example of two abiotic factors.
rainfall, temperature
R strategists
short gestation periods, many offspring, high offspring mortality
Secondary
soil present after fires, flood, tornado; occurs faster
What are the 4 types of ecosystem services?
1. Provisioning - goods humans use directly from the environment. 2. Regulating - the ability of the ecosystem to regulate the air, soil, or water quality. 3. Cultural - non-material benefits people obtain from the environment (recreation) 4. Supporting - Provides the necessities to allow an ecosystem to function. (forest windbreaks, nutrients from trees provide organic matter for other plants, animals).
How much energy is transferred between trophic levels?
10% transferred up each level
deciduous forest
4 seasons, many trees, camouflage
fecundity=
Ability to reproduce
What does the term "environment" include?
All living and non-living things (including humans).
List three molecules converted by nitrogen fixation
Ammonia (NH3), Nitrites (NO2), and Nitrates (NO3)
What competitive exclusion?
Competitive exclusion means two species cannot exist in the same niche and both thrive.
Mortality=
Death rate
What are the 2 types of limiting factors? Give an example of each.
Density-dependent (ex: disease, predation, competition); density-independent (ex: drought, floods, storms, temperature).
Line transect
Example of how to measure a sample of species in an area
How are food webs different from food chains?
Food webs show overlapping food chains (More complex than food chains)
What is the difference in an animal's fundamental niche and realized niche?
Fundamental niche is the niche that an organism can potentially occupied. Realized niche is the part of the fundamental niche that the organism actual occupies due to interactions with other organisms in the area.
Give an example of a feature in each of the earth's spheres.
Geosphere - Land (earth's core, mantle, mountains, sand, metals); Hydrosphere - Water (oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater, glaciers; Atmosphere - Air (oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, ozone, wind); Biosphere - Life (plants, animals, insects, humans)
What makes an issue global?
Global issues: ● Have significant impacts ●Are trans-boundary ● Are persistent ● Are interconnected Ex: World Hunger/pollution
What do you call the place where an organism lives? What is the role an organism plays in the environment?
Habitat / Niche
Describe El Niño conditions.
Reduced/weak trade winds, weaker upwelling on South American coastline, warmer than normal ocean temperatures in Pacific Ocean, warm wet conditions in Chile, drought in Australia, Sea level higher in eastern Pacific than western Pacific.
How do humans impact the nitrogen cycle?
Humans add synthetic fertilizers to the soil which impact the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles by creating algae blooms and excessive nutrients in a lake, or other body of water due to runoff from the land.
Why is nitrogen important to humans?
It is important for amino acids and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA)
What must happen to atmospheric N2 in order for it to be used by plants and animals?
It must be fixed into a usuable form by lightening or bacteria to be taken up by plant roots and eaten by animals
What two cycles are involved with the atmosphere? What cycle is not involved with the atmosphere?
The Nitrogen Cycle and the Carbon Cycle. The Phosphorus Cycle is not involved with the atmosphere since Phosphorus is found in rocks and soil and not in the air.
What is Tragedy of the Commons?
The Tragedy of the Commons is a situation where individuals acting in their own self-interest can harm a shared resource.
Why is Tragedy of the Commons important?
The Tragedy of the Commons is an important concept because it highlights the potential negative consequences of individuals acting in their own self-interest without considering the long-term impact on shared resources.
An autotroph and herbivore are shown in a food chain. Which organism would the arrow point to and what does the arrow show?
The arrow would point to the herbivore. It shows the transfer of energy from the autotroph to the herbivore.
What is an ecological footprint?
The average amount of land, water and ocean required to provide that person with all the resources they consume
What is a barometer used for
To measure air pressure
List the layers of the atmosphere in order from closest to farthest.
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
Define biodiversity
variety and number of different types of species in an area.
Difference between Weather and Climate
weather is daily changes in temperature, precipitation; climate Is weather in an area over a long period of time (averages).
Rainforest
year round warmth, near equator, rainy & dry seasons
What is an ecosystem?
• A natural system consisting of a community of organisms and its physical environment.