Intro to Applied Ecol unit 1 (lectures 1-6)
Mississippi River watershed
2/3 of US and very agriculturally rich land, nutrient loading comes from erosion, fertilizer runoff, animal waste, sewage
glaciers, tectonic shifts, river changes, animal activities
4 causes of lake formation
trade winds weaken
ENSO first step
temperature
Earth's ______ has increased since the early 1900s
space and greenhouse gases
Earth's reflected/emitted radiation goes to
periphyton
algae moss that attaches to rocks to avoid fast flow of low-order streams
stomata
allow oxygen to leave and carbon dioxide to enter the leaf, but loose water
redistribute heat
and affect precipitation global air and ocean currents do these two major things
Dust Bowl
area that experienced dust storms and erosion, Montana down to Texas
weather
atmospheric conditions at specific place and time
6-8
average pH of freshwater
soil
biotic and abiotic, habitat, medium fro plant growth, water storage, recycling system
tides
bulge when moon is next to or opposite water's spot on earth
chemical weathering
caused by soil organisms, organic material, water- breaking down of soil
mechanical weathering
caused by water, temperature, and wind- breaking down of soil
tilling drought winds
causes of the Dust Bowl
order over 6
classified as rivers, low gradient, slower, meandering, lots of sediment/turbidity due to silt
CPOM
coarse particulate organic matter, eaten by shredders
lower metabolism
cold temperature leads to a short-term ____ ______
hypolimnion
cold, high density, deep waters
Ecosystem
collection of communities that function as a unit, includes biotic and abiotic
red
color indicates low organic content of soil
dark
color indicates organic matter in soil
blotchy
color indicates water-saturated soils
60 degrees
cool and rainy area due to rising warm air
1/3
crops make up how much of agricultural land
water balance
difference between organism and environment water concentration
crop rotation
different plants planted on the same field over growing seasons
Clean Water Act
doesn't define a wetland well, legally
air
doesn't have water's viscosity so organisms develop different body shapes
atmosphere area
due to the ______ and the ______, polar solar radiation is less intense
drought
during ENSO, get _____ in Australia/Indonesia
Observational (field)
experiment that can only prove correlation
Biotic
factor that consists of other organisms
FPOM
fine particulate organic matter, eaten by collectors
Individual population community
first three levels of hierarchy (smallest)
topography rainfall wind soil structure plant cover
five things that impact the rates of erosion
phytoplankton
floating algae that dominate rivers since water doesn't reach the bottom
lotic
flowing water
temperature and oxygen
follow light profile (mostly)
macro invertebrate
food availability decides what you'll find in these communities
viscosity
force required for an object to more through the liquid
.15
forest's albedo
grazers
found in higher order streams, eat algae fed by nutrients released in the river
collectors
found in low orders because they eat the FPOM broken down by the shredders
shredders
found in low orders because they feed on overhanging/falling leaves
groundwater, floodwater, waterfowl, fishing
four things threatened by loss of wetlands
Lake Erie
freshwater dead zone
why are wetlands destroyed
good farmland, wildlife threatens crops, dam projects, development, excavated for peat
2/3
grazing animals take up how much of agricultural land
gravity
has a greater effect on terrestrial organisms, leads to need for support systems
dissolved oxygen
highest at the surface to to diffusion from air and photosynthesis, low in bottom because bacteria use it up
rivers
hold least amount of freshwater
glaciers and ice
hold most of the world's freshwater
oceans
hold most of the world's water
lakes
hold third most amount of freshwater
groundwater
holds second most amount of freshwater
80%
how much agricultural land has soil erosion
0.1
how much has ocean pH fallen?
less dense
ice floats because it is ___ _____ than liquid water, preventing lakes from freezing through
eastern Pacific
in the ____ ____ during ENSO, the current slows, water warms, upwelling is reduced
acidification
increases solubility of heavy metal ions like aluminium
cropland
is more susceptible to erosion because whole plants are killed and soil is tilled and land is left bare (wind erosion)
more than 10
lakes are typically ___ ___ __ meters in area
thermal stratification
lakes display what trait in the summer?
lake effect
large bodies of water regulate temp and increase precipitation
Gulf of Mexico
largest dead zone in world, used to only develop in the spring, now is permanent and growing, due to Mississippi River
Ecosystem biome biosphere
last three levels of hierarchy (biggest)
intertidal zone
lies between high and low tide water line
logarithmic
light (and thus photosynthesis) declines in this fashion through a body of water
phosphorous
limiting nutrient in freshwater systems
nitrogen
limiting nutrient in marine systems
climate
long term and large scale atmospheric condition patterns
desiccation
loss of water to the environment (readily evaporated through cells unless air is saturated)
eutrophic
lots of nutrients, green and murky water, low DO, high population, low diversity
ogliotrophic
low nutrients, clear water, high DO, low population size, high diversity
salinity
major classification of bodies of water is based on
4 degrees
maximum density of water is at ______
miles of windbreaks
millions of trees were planted to form thousands of ____ _ ______
cool air
moves down
warm air
moves up
Coriolis effect
name for fact that Earth rotates faster at the equator
lentic
non-flowing water
right
northern hemisphere deflects air to the _____
clockwise
northern hemisphere gyres move ______
coral bleaching
not caused by acidification, driven by ocean warming
Soil Erosion Service
now the Natural Resources Conservation Service, established after the Dust Bowl
Quantitative
numbers used to express a relationship
half
of Earth's land surface is used for agriculture
Independent variable
on x axis, cause
Dependent variable
on y axis, effect
Qualitative
only words used to express a relationship
O horizon
organic, top layer of soil
Interacts
other name for biotic factors
5.5
pH of rain, so headwater streams are acidic
8
pH of seawater, due to alkaline ions Na K and Ca
thermocline
part of water that most light stops and water temperature cools and mostly flattens out
Abiotic
physical and chemical conditions like temp, moisture, gas concentration, light intensity
no-till
plant crops directly in the soil without plowing
contour planting
planting crops on a hill's contour
biotic weathering
plants, their roots, animals, fungi, and bacteria all contribute to breaking down of soil
less than 3
ponds are typically ___ ___ __ meters deep
texture
proportion of sand, silt, and clay in a soil
waxy cuticle
reduces water loss but prevents gas exchange
albedo
reflectivity of a surface, scale of 0-1
carbonate ions (CO3)
removed from water to form bicarbonate, taken away from CaCO3 (shell material)
mass migration
result of the Dust Bowl due to livestock and human deaths and destruction of cropland and home
macrophytes
rooted plants found in mid-order streams where flow is slow but turbidity is low
Self correcting
science is _____ ___________ because it searches for proof of falsehood
Observation question hypothesis experimentation
scientific method order
Model
simplified representation of a real system
.85
snow's albedo
texture organic matter structure nutrients pH
soil characteristics (5)
2-20
soil formation takes from ________ thousand years, thus restoration is impossible
precipitation plants evaporation
soil gains water through _____ and loses it through ______ and _______
top down
soil weathering takes place from the ____ _____
left
southern hemisphere deflects air to the ____
counterclockwise
southern hemisphere gyres move _____
headwater
streams of order 1, come from springs, seeps, rain, outlet of lakes, or glacier melt
B horizon
subsoil
buoyancy
supports aquatic organisms
fish
temperature variation decides what you'll find in these communities
structural support
terrestrial organisms have skeletons, chitin, cellulose as forms of _____ ______
more rain
the Southern Hemisphere gets ____ _____ due to more ocean area for air to pick up water
solar radiation
the poles get less intense ______ _______ than the equator
Ecology
the study of the interrelationships between abiotic and biotic factors in the struggle to exist
poles
these exhibit the most seasonal variation due to being tilted towards and away from the sun at different parts of the year
anchovies
these more offshore during ENSO and hurt fisherman
greenhouse gases
these re-emit reflected radiation back at Earth
clouds
these reflect some solar radiation back into space
orders 1-3
these streams are small, straight, swift, have rapids or waterfalls
rotation on its axis
this causes Earth's day and night to be different
axial tilt
this causes Earth's hemispheric seasonal variation
orbit around the sun
this causes Earth's seasonal variation
good of the species
this doesn't exist, can always be explained by individual Darwinian fitness
equatorial region
this exhibits the least seasonal variation because the sun is nearly directly overhead year round
torpedo shape
this in fish helps to minimize "drag" or frictional resistance
windward side
this part of a mountain gets higher precipitation bc air has to rise and drop precipitation
leeward side
this part of a mountain gets lower precipitation bc air has dropped precipitation already
high specific heat
this property of water means it can buffer temperature well
Gulf of Mexico dead zone
this stretches west due to westerlies (winds) and ocean currents
sand
this type of particle doesn't hold nutrients or water well
clay
this type of particle holds nutrients and water better, can flood though
season shade elevation/order
three factors that influence lotic temperature
salinity temperature dessication
three things that coastal/edge of ocean organisms need to be able to tolerate huge changes in
A horizon
top soil
greenhouse gases heat
trees sequester _______ _______ but also absorb more ______
more algae hurts shells
two major effects of ocean acidification
reducing nutrient inputs restoring wetlands
two things that would prevent the formation of dead zones
sand silt clay
types of soil particles (large to small)
Bedrock
unweathered parent material
equator
very rainy area due to rising warm air
30 degrees
warm and dry area due to falling masses of air
epilimnion
warm, low density surface waters
wetland ecosystem services
water purification, nutrient retention, essential habitat (waterfowl, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles), nursery habitat for many commercial fish species
algae
water velocity and depth decide what you'll find in these communities
density
water's _____ leads to fish buoyancy
polarity
water's ______ leads to surface tension and good solvent
sandstone or granite
watersheds dominated by this are acidic and poorly buffered
limestone CaCO3
watersheds dominated by this are basic and well-buffered
C horizon
weathered parent material
west to east
what direction does Earth rotate on its axis?
highest tides
when sun and moon align, when earth is closest to the sun, when the moon is new or full
nutrient loading
when too much of a nutrient gets into an aquatic ecosystem and increases photosynthesis (algae) which die and are eaten by bacteria which use up oxygen creatign apoxia (dead zones)
nutrients
when you hear "sediment" going into water, think ____
tropic of Cancer to Capricorn
where the sun is directly overhead migrates throughout the year from ___ _ ___ _ ____
convergence zone
where warm surface air rises and moves north and south
estuaries
zones where freshwater and saltwater mix