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.