Biology ch. 18-20

What two values would you need to know to figure out the human population density of your community?

the number of people and the land area in which they live

What type(s) of terrestrial biomes would you be least likely to find in the 48 contiguous United States?

tropical forest, savanna, tundra, polar ice

What are animal-like plankton called?

zooplankton

What interaction is occurring when there is predation?

+/-, because it is positive for the predator and negative for the prey

What is the benthic realm?

A seafloor or the bottom of a freshwater lake, pond, river, or stream. The benthic realm is occupied by communities of organisms known as benthos.

What is the greenhouse effect? How is the greenhouse effect related to global warming?

Carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere absorb heat energy radiating from Earth and reflect it back toward Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect. As the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere increases, more heat is retained, causing global warming.

If members of a species produce a large number of offspring but provide minimal parental care, then a Type ______ survivorship curve is expected. In contrast, if members of a species produce few offspring and provide them with long-standing care, then a Type _____ survivorship curve is expected.

III, I

What are the differences between intraspecific interactions and interspecific interactions?

Interspecific interactions are interactions between species, while intraspecific interactions are interactions within species.

Local conditions, such as heavy rainfall or the removal of plants, may limit the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, or calcium available to a particular terrestrial ecosystem, but the amount of carbon available to the ecosystem is seldom a problem. Why?

Many nutrients come from the soil, but carbon comes from the air.

According to the pyramid of production, why is eating grain-fed beef a relatively inefficient means of obtaining the energy trapped by photosynthesis?

Only 10% of the energy trapped by photosynthesis is turned into biomass by the plant, and only 10% of that energy is turned into the meat of a grazing animal. Therefore, grain-fed beef provides only about 1% of the energy captured by photosynthesis.

What is biological magnification?

The accumulation of persistent chemicals in the living tissues of consumers in food chains.

Why does the energy available for consumers decrease each level that the "pyramid of production" increases?

The energy is lost as organisms from one trophic level are consumed by organisms from the next level (through heat, etc.)

What survivorship curve would you expect for elephants?

Type 1

What interaction is occurring when there is mutualism? a. +/+ b. +/- c. -/- d. +/0

a. +/+, positive for both species

Movement corridors are: a. strips or clumps of habitat that connect isolated fragments b. landscapes that include several different ecosystems c. edges or boundaries between ecosystems d. buffer zones that protect the long-term viability of protected areas

a. strips or clumps of habitat that connect isolated fragments

What population demographics would you look at to get information on the history of a population's survival or reproductive success and how it relates to environmental factors?

age structure

What human activity is responsible for the greatest amount of deforestation?

agriculture

What is a greenhouse gas?

any of the gases in the atmosphere that absorb heat radiation, including CO2, methane, water vapor, and synthetic chlorofluorocarbons

Why are the top predators in food chains most severely affected by pesticides such as DDT?

because the pesticides become concentrated in their prey

Why is an estuary so productive?

because the water is enriched by nutrients from rivers

What is the use of living organisms to detoxify polluted ecosystems called?

bioremediation

Skyrocketing growth of the human population since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution appears to be mainly a result of: a. migration to thinly settled regions of the globe b. better nutrition boosting the birth rate c. a drop in the death rate due to better nutrition and health care d. the concentration of humans in cities

c. a drop in the death rate due to better nutrition and health care

The concept of trophic structure emphasizes the: a. prevalent form of vegetation b. keystone species concept c. feeding relationships within a community d. species richness of the community

c. feeding relationships within a community

The recent increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration is mainly a result of an increase in a. plant growth b. the absorption of heat radiating from Earth. c. the burning of fossil fuels and wood. d. cellular respiration by the increasing human population

c. the burning of fossil fuels and wood

According to the ecological footprint study produced by the World Wildlife Fund in 2008: a. the carrying capacity of the world is 10 billion b. the current demand on global resources by more developed countries is less than the resources available in those countries c. the ecological footprint of the United States is more than twice the world average d. nations with the largest ecological footprints have the fastest population growth rates

c. the ecological footprint of the United States is more than twice the world average

The amount of greenhouse gas that a person is responsible for producing is called their_____.

carbon footprint

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain is called ______.

carrying capacity

We are on a coastal hillside on a hot, dry summer day among evergreen shrubs that are adapted to fire. We are most likely standing in a _____ biome.

chaparral

What is a group of interacting populations called?

community

The idea that two organisms with niches that are too similar cannot coexist for long without changing is called _____.

competitive exclusion principle

What are some examples of an application of population ecology?

conservation of endangered species, sustainable resource management, invasive species, biological control of pests, integrated pest management

Which of the following describes the effects of a density-dependent limiting factor? a. A forest fire kills all the pine trees in a patch of forest b. Early rainfall triggers the explosion of a locust population c. Drought decimates a wheat crop d. Rabbits multiply, and their food supply begins to dwindle

d. Rabbits multiply, and their food supply begins to dwindle

Which of the following sea creatures might be described as a pelagic animal of the aphotic zone? a. coral reef fish b. giant clam near a deep-sea hydrothermal vent c. intertidal snail d. a deep-sea squid

d. a deep-sea squid

According to the concept of competitive exclusion: a. two species cannot coexist in the same habitat b. extinction or emigration is the only possible result of competitive interactions c. intraspecific competition results in the success of the best-adapted individuals d. two species cannot share the same niche in a community

d. two species cannot share the same niche in a community

What is thought to be a good way to start to control lionfish?

eating them, human predations

All the abiotic and biotic factors in a certain area is called a what?

ecosystem

What growth model have human populations resembled up until recently?

exponential growth

Currently, the number one cause of biodiversity loss is _____.

habitat destruction

What are examples of a density dependent factor?

intraspecific competition, food and nutrient limitations, insufficient space for territories or nests, increase in disease and predation, accumulation of toxins

A _____ is a local grouping of interacting ecosystems with several adjacent habitats.

landscape

What type of growth is it when the growth rate of a population decreases as the size of the population approaches carrying capacity?

logistic population growth

What is the greatest threat to biodiversity?

massive destruction of habitats

In what realm of the ocean would you find the most phytoplankton?

near the surface, pelagic realm, photic zone

The total use of the biotic and abiotic resources in an organism's environment is called its ecological _____.

niche

Which life history pattern is typical of invasive species?

opportunistic

Place these levels of ecological study in order from the least to the most comprehensive: community ecology, ecosystem ecology, organismal ecology, population ecology.

organismal ecology, population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology

What three abiotic factors account for the rarity of trees in arctic tundra?

permafrost, very cold winters, and high winds

What is the term for the zone that makes up the shore and upper levels of a water way?

photic zone

The formation of goose bumps on your skin in cold weather is an example of a/an _______ response, while seasonal migration is an example of a/an ______ response.

physiological; behavioral

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same place at the same time is called a_____.

population

What populations of organisms are most likely to survive climate change via evolutionary adaptation?

populations of organisms that have high genetic variability and short life spans

What is the successional stage that occurs before any soil has even built up in an area?

primary succession

A forest with 25% maple, 25% ash, 25% oak, and 25% hickory has high _____.

relative abundance, diversity

Over a period of many years, grass grows on a sand dune, then shrubs grow, and then eventually trees grow. This is an example of ecological _____.

succession

What abiotic factors are important to an ecosystem?

temperature, light, water, minerals, air, etc.