Ecology
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What 3 things cause a population to increase in size?
Unlimited access to resources (food or space), lack of predators, immigration or increased birth rate
What 5 things cause a population to decrease in size?
Increase in predators, limited access to resources (food or space), emigration or increased death rate, disease, natural disasters (flood or fire)
What are the 7 different biomes (and their characteristics)?
Desert (driest with large ranges in temperature between day and night) Temperature forest (has precipitation spread evenly throughout the year and experiences seasonal changes) Tropical rainforest (has year-round warm temperatures and lots of rain) Aquatic (freshwater or marine - in bodies of water) Tundra (occurs in high latitudes with a cold and dry climate) Taiga (in between temperate forests and tundra) Savanna (tropical and dry, grasslands)
How does age distribution in a population affect a species?
Depending on the generation time, the age of the population could affect the birth rate, if a population only has really young or really old members, the birth rate could fall and the population could decrease in size
What is carrying capacity and how can you identify it on a graph?
The largest population that can be supported and sustained by and in a specific environment On a graph, look for where the population levels off
What 4 things can affect the carrying capacity of a population?
Number of predators or prey, availability of resources, competition, weather and natural disasters
What are the three types of survivorship curves?
Type 1 - organisms that usually give birth to one offspring at a time Type 2 - organisms that have a 50/50 shot of survival Type 3 - organisms that are likely to be eaten as eggs
How might an organism adapt to its environment to keep from being eaten?
Camouflage, conceal itself from a predator by blending in with the environment
How do we measure biodiversity?
Species richness (the number of different species present) and species evenness (the relative abundance of different species - how the number of individuals of different species compares to each other)
What are 8 ecosystem services or benefits of biodiversity?
Purification of air and water, pest control, provides food and fuel, development of medicines, decomposition of waste, income of local economies, agriculture, increased stability in the ecosystem
What are the main 5 causes of biodiversity loss?
Habitat change and loss (the leading cause globally), invasive species, pollution, overharvesting, climate change
What are the consequences of biodiversity loss?
Extinction - when the last individual of a species dies out, Endangered - a species at risk of extinction, Extirpation - the disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not of the entire species globally
What is the difference between primary and secondary ecological succession?
Primary succession begins from rock, then lichen and moss and pioneer species start to break down the rock, once soil begins to form, small insects and plants move in, over time, larger plants and trees establish themselves and more vegetation grows, Secondary successions begins from preexisting soil, plants that were already present begin to grow first and then eventually more vegetation is introduced