Biology I

Chapters 2-5

Ecology Unit

 

Chapter 2 Terms

 

ABIOTIC FACTOR                         AUTOTROPH                        BIOSPHERE

BIOTIC FACTOR                             COMMENSALISM               ECOLOGY COMMUNITY

DECOMPOSER                                 ECOSYSTEM

FOOD CHAIN                                   FOOD WEB                           HABITAT

HETEROTROPH                              MUTUALISM                        NICHE           

PARASITISM                                    POPULATION                       SCAVENGER

SYMBIOSIS                                       TROPHIC LEVEL

 

Chapter 3 Terms

 

APHOTIC ZONE                               CLIMAX COMMUNITY                  BIOME

DESERT                                             ESTUARY                                          GRASSSLAND

INTERTIDAL ZONE                         LIMITING FACTOR                        PERMAFROST

PRIMARY SUCCESSION                 PLANKTON                                       PHOTIC ZONE

SUCCESSION                                    TAIGA                                                TUNDRA

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST             TEMPERATE FOREST

 

Chapter 4 Terms

 

AGE STRUCTURE                                                    CARRYING CAPACITY DEMOGRAPHY 

DENSITY-DEPENDENT FACTOR

DENSITY-INDEPENDENT FACTOR                      EMIGRATION

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH                                      IMMIGRATION

 

Chapter 5 Terms

 

ACID PRECIPITATION                   BIODEGRADABLE                          CONSERVATION

ENDANGERED SPECIES                 EXTINCTION                                    FOSSIL FUEL

GREENHOUSE EFFECT                  NATURAL RESOURCE                   GROUND WATER

NONBIODEGRADABLE                  OZONE LAYER                                 PARTICULATE

NON RENEWABLE RESOURCE    POLLUTION                                     PRESERVATION

RENEWABLE RESOURCE              THREATNED SPECIES                    SMOG

 

 

 

Chapter 2 Principles of Ecology

If all mosquitoes were killed, would any negative effects occur?

            --organisms do not survive alone.

 

Natural history: ______________ and studying plants, animals, habitats and identifying

 species.

--goal is to find out as much as possible about living things.

 

Ecology:  scientific study of interactions between ______________ and their

______________.

--evolved from Natural History

 

Biosphere:  portion of Earth that supports ______________

            --from high in the atmosphere to the bottom of the oceans

 

Aquatic:  pertaining to ______________

 

Terrestrial:  pertaining to ______________

 

¨      To study an environment, you must study both the living and non living factors

 

Biotic factor: all the living organisms in the ______________

 

Abiotic factor: the ______________ parts of the environment

            --air, currents, temperature, light

 

Ecologist: a scientist who studies how the non-living factors affect the living ones and how the living individuals interact with others of the same and different species at all levels.

 

LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION OF LIFE

(smallest, most specific)
 
 


ORGANISMS 

ß

POPULATION

ß

COMMUNITIES

ß

ECOSYSTEMS

(largest, widest variety)
 
ß

BIOSPHERE    

 

Organism:  any ______________ thing

 

 

Population: a group of organisms of one species that ______________ and live in the same place at the same ______________.

            --members of the same population are in _____________with each other for food,

 mates, housing

            --some species have adaptations that __________competition within a population

                        i.e.:  caterpillar, pupae, butterfly (food differences)

 

Community: a collection of ______________ populations

            --a change in one population in the community will cause changes in other

populations

¨      For example, as deer mice population increases, hanta virus (carried by these mice and spread through droppings) ______________.

¨      In East Texas, pine tree beetles infect pine trees, and kill off the forest, which causes the loss of ______________ for other animals.

 

Ecosystem: ______________ among populations and their habitat, or abiotic factors

¨      in ecosystems the habitat is the place where an organism ______________

¨      the niche is the _________a specific species plays in the habitat’s community

 

Questions:

 

¨      Are coyotes good for anything?

 

 

¨      What good are worms, other than to use to catch fish?

 

 

¨      Why do we need armadillos?

 

 

Feeding relationships of species reflect an organism’s niche

 

            Autotrophs:  (plants) organisms that use the ______________ energy to make

their own food or energy (AKA producers)

--all organisms rely on autotrophs for nutrients and food, true or false?

 

Heterotrophs:  organisms that depend on consuming other __________to obtain

energy or food (AKA consumers) because they cannot make their own energy

 

            Herbivore:  feeds only on ______________ (deer)

 

            Carnivore:  feeds only on other ______________; meat eaters (Orka)

 

            Omnivore:  feeds on a variety of foods (tenth grader)

            Scavenger:  animal (heterotroph) which consumes only animals already _______

(vulture)

¨      Why do we need scavengers?

 

Decomposer:  autotroph (plant, fungus, bacteria) which absorbs nutrients from

______________ organisms

¨      Why do we need decomposers?

 

Survival Relationships

A.     Predator/Prey:  predator keeps prey population down so they do not over

 populate their ______________

 

B.     Symbiosis:  “living together”

3 Types of Symbiosis

1.      commensalism—one species in the pair ______________ and the

other is not harmed (cow/bird)

2.      mutualism—both species ______________ (green algae/sea tunica)

3.      parasitism—one organism  ______________ the other; the host is the one usually harmed (dog/tick)

 

Matter & Energy in Ecosystems

Both are constantly cycling through stable ecosystems  (Energy cannot be created or destroyed; only its form ______________)

 

A.     Food chains:  a model that shows the movement of ______________ through an ecosystem

Autotroph Þ Heterotroph Þ decomposer Þnutrients for Autotroph

 

B.     Trophic levels:  “feeding steps”

each organisms in the food chain occupies a trophic level in the passage of ______________ and materials

 

C.     Food web: shows all possible feeding ______________ at each trophic level in a community—is more accurate than a food chain, because animals eat more than one thing in their environment.

 

The Water Cycle – H20  -- solid, liquid on earth, gas in atmosphere

1.      plants absorb it through their ______________

animals drink it or get it from food sources

2.      respiration and excretion are how plants and animals lose water back into the ______________

 

The Carbon Cycle

1.      CO2 gas found in atmosphere and ocean

2.      producers absorb it and combine the CO2 with H2O to make ______________

3.      consumers eat ______________ and break down the sugars and respiration releases CO2   back into the environment

 

The Nitrogen Cycle

1.      N2 gas = 78% of the air

2.      lightening and bacteria ______________ atmospheric nitrogen into usable nitrogen containing compounds

3.      plants ______________ ground nitrates

4.      herbivores eat the plants and make _____________using the nitrogen

5.      decay returns nitrogen to the ______________

 

The Phosphorous Cycle

1.      ______________ absorb phosphorous from soil

2.      animals get phosphorous from consuming ______________

3.      decay either:

a.       returns it to soil

b.      washes it into the ocean where it will become rocks (minerals)

 

 

Chapter 3  Communities and Biomes

Changes in the environment affect the communities.  Sometimes these changes are fast (fire, flood) sometimes they are slow (tree canopy growth).

 

Limiting factor: any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction or distribution of ______________       

            i.e.:  lack of water will affect more than one population at a time (grasslands,

 seeds, mice, birds, etc…)

 

Range of tolerance: the ability to ______________ environmental fluctuations (water temperature, growing season length)

 

Succession:  the natural change in environment over ______________

A.     ______________ succession—lava flows, cools, hardens, accumulates soil and new plants

B.     ______________ community—established community that undergoes little or no succession

C.     ______________ succession—what happens to the community after a natural disaster or human action (regrowth, acid rain, deterioration)

 

Climate:  a combination of ______________, sunlight, winds and precipitation

 

 

 

 

 

Biome:  a large group of ecosystems that share the same type of climate \ similar climax communities—there are two main types of biomes, aquatic and terrestrial:

I.                    Aquatic Biome—divided into salt and fresh ______________ biomes

A.     Salt water/Marine Biome—contain the largest amount of living things on Earth, most are very small

1.      Levels of Marine Biomes

a.       photic zone

i.                     shallow

ii.                   ______________ can penetrate (coastal: shores, beaches, mud flats)

iii.                  estuary—coastal body of water partially _____________by land where fresh and salt water mix

iv.                 water level fluctuates

v.                   salinity levels ______________

vi.                 intertidal zone—the strip of ______________ between high and low tides

vii.                photic zone of marine biomes contain the ______________ organisms

viii.              plankton—microscopic organisms that float in photic zone—small creatures which are the basis of the ______________ pyramid for all ocean life

 

b.      aphotic zone

i.                     deeper

ii.                   never receives ______________

iii.                  extreme pressure (100’s of lbs. per square cm)

iv.                 fish and other “creatures of the dark” have extreme ___________that allow them to survive miles under sea

 

B.     Fresh Water Biomes

1.      concentric rings of plants growing around shoreline

2.      ______________ grow in the shallows and they are a very productive place (algae, fish, mosquito larvae, tadpoles)

3.      water temperature varies a few feet from the surface

4.      decay takes place at the bottom of the pond or lake where the temperature is cold and it is ______________

 

II.                Terrestrial Biomes

1.      temperature and ______________ greatly influence communities on land

2.      from North to South pole you will encounter a ______________ of communities; tundra, taiga, woodland, grassland, shrubland, temperate forest, temperate rain forest, desert thorn forest, savanna, thorn scrub, tropical seasonal forest, tropical rain forest

3.      all of the above communities are grouped into 6 major terrestrial Biomes:

Coldest

    ß

    ß     

    ß

______________
 
TUNDRA

TAIGA

TEMPERATE FOREST

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

GRASSLAND

DESERT

 

A.     Tundra

1.      first area that circles North Pole

2.      endless summer days, endless winter nights

3.      temperature never above ______________ for long, so only 1 – 5 inches of top soil ever thaws

4.      permafrost—the layer below the tundra that is permanently ___________

5.      soil lacks ______________

6.      short growing season \ growing season is the ______________ factor for life on the Tundra

7.      organisms of the tundra—grass, dwarf shrubs, cushion plants, mosquitoes, owl, snow fox, caribou, musk-oxen, reindeer

 

B.     Taiga

1.      just south of the Tundra, continues to circle the North Pole

2.      also called Northern ______________ Forest

i.                     pine, fir, hemlock, spruce, some birch and aspen

3.      somewhat warmer and ______________ than tundra, but still harsh \ long severe winters and short mild summers

4.      encompasses Canada, Northern Europe, Asia

5.      no permafrost

6.      soil _________from all of the pine needles decaying and poor in minerals

7.      animals of the Taiga—snow shoe hare, lynx, moose, caribou

 

C.     Desert

1.      driest of the biomes \ arid (dry)

2.      sparse almost non-existent ______________ life

i.                     25 cm of rain per year at most

ii.                   Atacama Desert in Chile—annual rainfall 0, it’s the worlds ______________ place

3.      organisms of the desert--mesquite, cactus, rodents, lizards, tortoises, diamondback rattlesnake, scorpions—(in American deserts, pronghorn antelope, coyote, fox, hawks, owls, roadrunners)

 

D.     Grassland

1.      25 – 75 cm of rain annually

2.      covered with ______________ and similar small plants

3.      experience a dry season

4.      this biome occupies more area than any other ______________ biome

5.      grass dies off each year \ ______________ layer formed

6.      organisms of the grassland—oats, rye, wheat, wildflowers, sunflowers, buffalo and other herd and pack animals, wolves, coyotes, prairie dogs, humans, ferret, fox, birds, insects, etc.

 

E.      Temperate Forest

1.      70 – 150 cm of rain annually

2.      ______________ forests develop (birch, hickory, oak, beech, maple—broadleaf hardwood trees)

3.      animals of the temperate forest—squirrels, mice, rabbits, deer, bears, birds

 

F.      Tropical Rain Forest

1.      most biologically ______________ of the terrestrial biomes

2.      uniformly warm, wet, lush plant growth

3.      occupy ______________ regions

4.      200+ cm of rain annually, some up to 400+cm

5.      ______________ temperatures year round \ humid

6.      jungles of dense, tangled vegetation only by streams, otherwise the canopy is so thick the plants underneath get little ______________ and die off

7.      organisms—ants, termites, fungus, sloth, monkeys, birds, reptiles, amphibians, a variety of tropical plants (insects are the most numerous)

 

Chapter 4 Population Biology

Dynamic:  ever changing

 

Population growth: the change in size of a ______________ over time

 

A.     Carrying capacity:  the number of ______________ that environment can support indefinitely


Exponential growth pattern:

 

growth is slow at first, then takes off quickly the more members it has

 

Exponential growth = population explosion

 

J-shaped curve

 

i.e. Mr. Loomis’ rice trick
 
 

 

 

number of individuals under carrying capacity = population growth

 

number of individuals exceeding carrying capacity = population death until under again

 

S-shaped curve
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


B.      Density-dependent factors

1.      disease, ______________ for food, parasites

2.      i.e. as a population becomes more crowded, disease spreads easily—disease can wipe out entire crops or populations of densely compacted people—black plague, SARS, small pox

 

C.     Density-______________ factors

1.      affect all populations

2.      temperature, food, drought, storm

3.      can wipe out multiple species in an area—the great flood

 

D.     predation

1.      ensures the continued flow of ______________

2.      prey = usually the young, old or ill are caught first, insuring a ______________ over all population of the prey species

E.      Competition for resources

1.      food, water, ______________

2.      density-______________ factor

3.      over crowding causes ______________ on individuals and environment

4.      individual stress causes aggression, decreased parental care, decreased fertility, decreased resistance to ______________

 

How do we predict the future of population growth?

            By looking at ______________ population trends.

 

 

Demography:  the study of population ______________ characteristics

A.     birth rate

B.     death rate

C.     fertility rate—the number of _____________a female produces in her lifetime

D.     age structure—the percentage of a population that is either pre-reproductive, reproductive or past reproduction

E.      migration rate

1.      immigration = ______________ of people into a population

2.      emigration = ______________ of people out of a population

 

Chapter 5 Biological Diversity and Conservation

 

Natural Resource: any part of the natural environment used by humans for their ______________ —soil, crops, water, wildlife, oil, gas, minerals

 

Renewable resource: a natural resource that can be ______________ or recycled by natural process—plants, animals, sunlight, wind

 

Non-renewable resource: a natural resource found only in limited amounts which cannot be ______________ or renewed by natural processes—aluminum, plastic, iron, tin, silver, gold, diamonds, coal, oil

Some resources are recycled so ______________ that they are considered non-renewable—phosphorus, oil

 

Extinction:  disappearance of a species, when the last member ______________

            in the last 20 years, 30% of plants and animals in the US have become extinct

 

 

Threatened species: when a species population is declining rapidly—African elephants

                                                                                                               1970   3+million

1990      only 700,000

  (less than 1/3 left)

Endangered species: when a species population becomes so low that ______________ is possible—manatee, black rhino, Florida panther, California condor

 

When demand ______________ supply resources are depleted—for humans this means starvation and no homes—Mexico City slums, Africa refugee camps

\ cost of items rise—Apartment (2 bedroom) Henderson=500 per month

                                                                          Manhattan=5000 per month

 

Pollution:  the ______________ of any part of the environment by excess waste—air, water, land

 

Air pollution: 

            particulates—particles floating in the air we ______________ —coal, soot, dust

mites, sulfur CO

 

smog—smoke + fog = thick air that is ______________ that hangs over large cities and factories

 

Acid rain: acid precipitation

The ______________ vapor in the atmosphere combines with chemicals (CO2, SO2, N2) to condense and form acid rain, acid snow, acid dew etc.

H2O + CO2 = carbonic acid

H2O + SO2 = sulfuric acid—caused by burning coal

H2O + N2 = nitric acid—caused by car exhausts

 

(Look at p. 142-pH scale)

 

Ozone (O3): sunscreen in the atmosphere, it prevents living things on earth from receiving too much UV radiation and ______________ the sun’s heat extremes

 

Green House Effect: heat retention \increased temperature due to trapped __________

 

Ground water: fresh water found ______________ —aquifers

            easily ruined by pollution of land and other water sources

 

Biodegradable:  waste products that nature can break down and return to ______________ —wood, food, fecal waste, leaves, body remains

 

Non-biodegradable waste: ______________ not easily broken down—pesticides, metals, radioactive residue, plastic

 

Preservation:  the act of keeping an area or organism from harm or destruction—natural wildlife parks and refuges

 

Conservation:  planned ______________ of a natural area or animal to prevent exploitation, destruction or ______________ —Yellowstone Park, to prevent destruction of natural features and meet public recreation needs