Biology Chap 52

give example of human actions that could expand a species distribution by changing its (a) dispersal or (b) biotic interactions.

(a) human could transplant a species to a new area that it could not previously reach because of a geographic barrier (dispersal change) (b) humans could change a species' biotic interactions eliminating a predator or herbivore species, such as sea urchins, from an area.

nonliving referring to physical and chemical properties of an environment

abiotic

the part of the oceans benthic zone between 2,000 - 6,000 m deep

abyssal zone

the part of an ocean or lake beneath the photic zone, where light does not penetrate sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur

aphotic zone

the bottom surface of an aquatic environment

benthic zone

the communities of organisms living in the benthic zone of an aquatic biome

benthos

any of the world's major ecosystems often classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment

biomes

the entire portion of earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystem

biosphere

pertaining to the living organisms in the environment

biotic

the uppermost layer of vegetation in a terrestrial binome

canopy

a scrubland biome of dense spiny evergreen shrubs found at mid latitudes along coasts where clod ocean currents circulate offshore; characterized by mild rainy winters and long hot dry summers

chaparral

the prevailing weather conditions at a locality

climate

a plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region

climograph

all the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interactions

community

the study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization

community ecology

typically a warm water tropical ecosystem dominated by the hard skeletal structures secreted primarily by the resident cnidarians. Some reefs also exist in cold, deep waters.

coral reef

a dark hot oxygen deficient environment associated with volcanic activity on or near the seafloor. The producers in a vent community are chemoautotrophic

deep sea hydrothermal vent

a terrestrial biome characterized by very low precipitation

deserts

dead organic matter

detritus

the movement of individuals (or gametes) away from their parent location. This movement sometimes expands the geographic range of a population or species

dispersal

a natural or human caused event that changes a biological community and usually removes organisms from it, Disturbances, such as fires and storms, play a pivotal role in structuring many biological communities

disturbance

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

ecology

contrast the term ecology and environmentalism. How does ecology relate to environmentalism?

ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Environmentalism is advocacy for the environment. Ecology provides scientific understanding that can inform decision making about environmental issues.

all the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them

ecosystem

the study of energy flow and the cycling of chemicals among the various biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem

ecosystem ecology

the transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another such as the transition from a forest to a grassland

ecotone

the area where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean

estuary

...

eutrophic

the study of functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere and how the regional exchange of energy and materials affects them

global ecology

A wheat farmer tests four fungicides on small plots and finds that the wheat yield is slightly higher when all four fungicides are used together than when any one fungicide is used alone. From an evolutionary perspective, what would be the likely long term consequence of applying all four fungicides together?

if the fungicides are used together, fungi will likely evolve ressistance to all four much more quickly than if the fungicides are used individually at different times.

water leaving a reservoir behind a dam is often taken from deep layers of reservoir. Would you expect fish found in a river below a damn in summer to be species that prefer colder or warmer water than fish found in an undammed river? explain

in a river below a dam, the fish are more likely to be species that prefer colder water. In summer, the deep layers of a reservoir are colder than the surface layers, so a river below a damn will be colder than an undammed river

why are phytoplankton and not benthic algae or rooted aquatic plants, the dominant photosynthetic organisms of the oceanic pelagic zone?

in the oceanic pelagic zone, the ocean bottom lies below the photic zone, so there is too little light to support benthic algae or rooted plants.

how can an event that occurs on the ecological time scale affect events the occur on an evolutionary time scale?

interactions in ecological time that affect the survival or reproduction of organisms can result in changes to the population's gene pool and ultimately result in a change in the population on an evolutionary time scale.

the shallow zone of the ocean adjacent to land and between the high and low tide lines

intertidal zone

an area containing several different ecosystems linked by exchanges of energy materials and organisms.

landscape

the study of how the spatial arrangement of habitat types affects the distribution and abundance of organisms and ecosystem processes.

landscape ecology

large scale patterns in climate the climate of an entire region

macroclimate

the ocean floor

marine benthic zone

very fine scale patterns of climate such as the specific climatic conditions underneath a log

microclimate

the shallow region of the ocean overlying the continental shelf

neritic zone

a terrestrial biome characterized by long cold winters and dominated by cone bearing trees.

northern coniferous forest

most of the ocean's waters far from shore, constantly mixed by ocean currents

oceanic pelagic zone

a nutrient poor, clear lake with few phytoplankton

oligotrophic lakes

you suspect that deer are restricting the distribution of a tree species by preferentially eating the seedlings of the tree. How might you test that hypothesis?

one test would be to build a fence around a plot of land in an area that has trees of that species, excluding all deer from the plot. You could then compare the abundance of tree seedlings inside and outside the fenced plot over time.

the branch of ecology concerned with the morphological physiological and behavioral ways in which individual organisms meet the challenges posed by their biotic and abiotic environments

organismal ecology

a permanently frozen soil layer.

permafrost

the narrow top layer of an ocean or lake, where light penetrates sufficiently for phtosysynthesis to occur

photic zone

a localized group of individuals of the same species that can interbreed producing fertile offspring

population

the study of populations in relation to their environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution age structure and variations in population size.

population ecology

many organisms living in estuaries experience fresh and salt water conditions each day with the rising and falling of tides. What challenges does this pose for the physiology of the organisms?

rapid changes in salinity can cause salt stress in many organisms

a tropical grassland biome with scattered individual trees and large herbivores and maintained by occasional fires and drought

savanna

a biome located throughout midlatitude regions where there is sufficient moisture to support the growth of large broadleaf deciduous trees

temperate broadleaf forest

a terrestrial biome dominated by grasses and forbs

temperate grassland

Explain how the sun's unequal heating of earth's surface influences global climate patterns.

the sun's unequal heating of Earth's surface produces temperature variations between the warmer tropics and colder polar regions and it influences the movement of air masses and thus the distribution of moisture at different latitudes.

a narrow stratum of rapid temperature change in the ocean and in many temperate zone lakes

thermocline

...

tropical dry forests

a terrestrial biome characterized by high levels of precipitation and high temperatures year round

tropical rain forests

a biome at the extreme limits of plant growth. At the northernmost limits, it is called artic tundra and at high altitudes, where plant forms are limited to low shrubby or matlike vegetation it is called alpine tundra

tundra

the mixing of waters as a result of changing water temperature profiles in a lake

turnover

a habitat that is inundated by water at least some of the time and that supports plants adapted to water saturated soil

wetland