autecology
Ecology at the lowest level of organization involves the individual interacting with the environment
interference competition
preventing access to resources
exploitative competition
depleting resources
field, lab, observational, manipulative
approaches to ecology
biomes
general categories of terrestrial environments; related to particular climate and, to a lesser extent, soil characteristics
9 major biomes
tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, desert, temperate woodland and shrubland, temperate grassland, temperate forest, boreal forest, tundra
temperature, atmospheric circulation, precipitation
large scale patterns of climate variation
Coriolis Effect
deflection of winds clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern hemisphere
Nalini Nadkarni
Researcher: found that much of the nutrients in the rainforest canopies are associated with epiphytes
Gregor Mendel
Researcher: discovered characteristics pass from parent to offspring in form of discrete packets
Dan Jenzen
Researcher: studied extinct megafauna as former seed dispersers in the Costa Rica dry forest
Robert McArthur
Researcher: studied ecology of warbler species in North American forests
Margaret Davis
Researcher: used pollen to track long-term changes in vegitation
Tropical Rainforest
within 10 latitude of equator
Tropical Dry Forest
10-25 latitude
Tropical Savanna
N/S of Dry Forests
Desert
30N and 30S
Mediterranean Woodland and Shrubland
climate cool and moist most of year, but hot and dry in summer
Temperate Grassland
extremely widespread distribution
Temperate Forest
40-50 latitude
Boreal Forest
50-65N latitude
Tundra
North of Arctic Circle 66, 33'N
Mountains
not a specific biome
cooler than surrounding lowlands
important "habitat islands
71%
percent of earth's surface covered by water
97%
percent of the Earth's water found in oceans
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus/calcium
5 elements that make up 93-97% of biomass of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria
Hardy Weinberg Principle
states that in a population, mating at random in the absence of evolutionary forces, allele frequencies will remain constant: (p+q)^2=p^2+2pq+q^2
heterozygous
an individual having two different alleles of a gene at a particular locus
directional selection
In a population of birds, large beak size is selected against and average and small sized beaks are selected for. This is an example of what type of selection?
ecotype
Locally adapted and genetically distinctive populations within a species are referred to as
allele
The alternate form of a gene
osmosis
the net movement of water molecules through a semi=permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration
thermocline
a thin but distinct layer in a large body of water (e.g. an ocean or lake) in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below
metabolic water
refers to water created inside a living organism through oxidizing energy-containing substances in their food
relative humidity
the ratio (times 100) of the water vapor density in air to the saturation water vapor density at a given temperature
Riparian
zone that is the interface between land and river or stream
oligotrophic
has low primary productivity, the result of low nutrient content. These lakes have low algal production, and consequently, often have very clear waters, with high-drinking quality
detritovore
the category of animals that eat non-living organic matter
estilation
a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, that is entered in response to high temperatures and arid conditions
hypoosmotic
an aquatic creature is considered this if its body fluids have higher water concentration and lower salt concentration than its external environment
Batesian Mimicry
a form of mimicry typified by a situation where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species
poikilotherm
a creature whose body temperature varies with environmental temperatures is considered to be this
Thermo Neutral Zone
defined as the range of environmental temperature where an organism's metabolism is steady at resting rate
CAM photosynthesis
limited to succulent plants in arid and semi-arid environments
chemosynthetic
an organism that uses inorganic molecules as a source of carbon and energy
matrix forces
refers to water's tendency to adhere to container walls
shit
what does a coprovore eat?
the Hydrologic Cycle
Evaporation and Transpiration==>Clouds==>Precipitation==>Evaporation and Consumed by organisms and Groundwater and Surface Water==> Rivers, Ponds, Streams==> Ocean
Benthic, Pelagic, Littoral, Neritic, Oceanic
Marine Environments
salinity
amount of dissolved salt in water
25%
oceans contribute this percent of total photosynthesis
Semidiurnal Tides
two low and two high tides daily
Diurnal tides
single low and high tide each day
estuaries
where rivers mix with the sea
limnology
study of freshwater systems
20%
Great Lakes contain this percent of freshwater in the world
eurotrophic
high biological production, but may be depleted of oxygen
natural selection
changes genotypic and phenotypic frequencies in populations
random mating, no mutations, large population size, no immigration, equal fitness between all genotypes
conditions necessary to maintain constant allele frequencies
stabilizing selection
acts to impede changes in a population by acting against extreme phenotypes and favoring average phenotypes
disruptive selection
creates bimodal distributions by favoring two or more extreme phenotypes over the average phenotype in a population
genetic drift
genetic change due to chance
macroclimate
large-scale weather variation
microclimate
small-scale weather variation, usually measured over shorter time period
high specific heat
absorbs heat without greatly changing temperature
latent heat of evaporation
1 g of evaporation cools 580g of water by 1 degree celsius
latent heat fusion
1 g of water gives off 80 cal as it freezes
acclimation
physiological changes in response to different conditions such as temperature
extremophilic
organism thrives in physically extreme conditions
psychrophilic
grows best in cold temps
thermophilic
grows best in hot temps
homeotherms
metabolism keeps body temp relatively constant
ectotherms
rely mainly on external energy sources
endotherms
rely heavily on metabolic energy
water vapor density (WVD)
water vapor per unit volume of air
saturation WVD
quantity of water vapor air can potentially hold (changes with temp)
total atmospheric pressure
pressure exerted by all gases in the air
water vapor pressure
partial pressure due to water vapor
saturation water vapor pressure
pressure exerted by water vapor in air saturated by water
vapor pressure deficit
difference between WVP and SWVP at a particular temp
isoosmotic
body fluids and external fluid are the same concentration
hyperosmotic
body fluids have a lower water concentration and higher salt concentration than external environment
Ex. Serengeti, East Africa
Tropical Savanna
Ex. Amazon, Brazil
Tropical Rainforest
Ex. Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest
Ex. Saharra
Desert
Ex. Mediterranean basin
Mediterranean Woodland and Shrubland
Ex. Prairie and Pacific Grassland of North America
Temperate Grassland
Ex. Eastern Asia
Temperate Forest
Ex. Siberia, Russia
Boreal Forest
Ex.Antarctica
Tundra
Ex. Himalayas
Mountains