Midterm 1
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What is Ecology?
It is the study of the distribution and abundance of species
What are the four scales ofstudy in Ecology?
Individual level -> Population Level -> Community Level -> Ecosystem Dynamics Level
Define natural history
Natural history is the observation of organisms behaving and interacting with their surroundings
Define total biomass
The mass of living material in an area
What are two categories of reasons for a very high biomass in an area?
Intrinsic property of an ecosystem, or human driven
Name three common ecosystem functions of primary productivity
• Production of organic matter/biomass • Absorption of CO2 • base of food webs
What are the 4 primary ecosystem functions looked at in the slides?
• Water cycling - • Decomposition - • Biogeochemical cycles • Pollination
What are 4 factors that can influence ecological characteristics?
• History/Evolution • Physiological tolerance • Limiting resources • biotic Interactions
What is the law of the minimum?
The limiting factor of a population must be the one an organism must concentrate the most in its tissues relative to environmental conditions.
What are the major properties of terrestrial ecosystems?
• Climate • Water • Nutrients • Substrate
Which way does the Coralis effect move winds?
Clockwise in the N and counter-clockwise in the south
What effects are characterized by land/mountains distributing rain on the a windward side?
Orographic effects
What are the axis on a climate diagram?
On the left side it is temperature, the right side it is precipitation, and it is months along the bottom
When on a climate diagram can we say there is adequate water for plant growth?
the precipitation curve is above the temperature curve (20cm equivalent to 10 degrees)
What are characteristics of boreal ecosystems?
Temperatures range over the year, relatively wet,
What two characteristics may make for poor soil nutrients?
Tropics where nutrients are leeched, or underlying rock is insoluble
What are 3 properties of aquatic/marine ecosystems
• Trophic status • Water properties (salinity, temperature, stratification) • Chemical properties
List the trophic statuses of bodies of water in terms of highest nutrient concentration to lowest
Eutrophic, mesotrophic, ogliotrophic
What are the two most common determinants of lake trophic status?
• Substrate • Human activities such as agriculture (non-point source)
What happens to DO in water of lakes in times of turnover?
They are higher deeper in oligotrophic lakes, and lower deeper in eutrophic lakes due to the oxygen demands of decomposition.
How can we describe DO solubility?
It is higher at colder temperatures.
What is the formula for vertical light intensity?
ln (Irradiation at Z) = ln (irradiation at surface) - k(vertical extinction property of water*depth
What are some significant morphometric factors that influence lake ecology?
Watershed size, euphotic zone (depth of viability), prevailing winds
What are the three patterns of organism distribution?
Random, regular, clumped