environmental science ch.4 – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
competition
answer
when multiple organisms seek the same limited resource, there relationship is said to be called competition.
question
intraspecific competition
answer
competitive interactions can take place between members of the same species.
question
interspecific competition
answer
competitive interactions can take place between members or different species.
question
resource partitioning
answer
the species partition, or divide, the resources they use in common by specializing in different ways.
question
predation
answer
the process by which individuals of one species--the predator--hunt ,capture, kill, and consume individuals of another species.
question
parasitism
answer
a relationship in which one organism,---the parasite-- depends on another--the host--for nourishment or some other benefit while doing the host harm.
question
pathogens
answer
parasites that cause disease in their host.
question
coevolution
answer
reciprocal process of adaptation and counter-adaptation
question
evolutionary arms race
answer
host and parasites may become locked in a dual of escalating adaptations.
question
herbivory
answer
animals that feed on tissues of plants. insects that feed on plants are the most common type of herbivore.
question
mutualism
answer
a relationship in which two or more species benefit from interacting with one another.
question
symbiosis
answer
physically close association
question
mycorrhizae
answer
plant roots and some fungi together form symbiotic relationships called mycorrhizae
question
pollination
answer
involves free living organisms that may encounter each other only once.
question
bees
answer
pollinate 3/4 of our crops--soybeans, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, oranges
question
community
answer
an assemblage of populations of organisms living in the same area at the same time.
question
tropic level
answer
as organisms feed on one another, matter and energy move through the community from one trophic level, or rank in the feeding hierarchy, to another.
question
first trophic level
answer
producers, or autotrophs (self-feeders) comprise the first trophic level
question
second trophic level
answer
organisms that consume producers are known as primary consumers and comprise the second trophic level
question
third trophic level
answer
consists of secondary consumers, which prey on primary consumers.
question
higher trophic level
answer
predators that feed at a still higher trophic level are known as tertiary consumers
question
detritivores and decomposers
answer
consume nonliving organic matter
question
detritivores
answer
such as millipedes and soil insects, scavenge the waste products or dead bodies of other community members
question
decomposers
answer
such as fungi and bacteria, break down leaf litter and other nonliving matter into simpler constituents that can be taken up and used by plants
question
general rule of thumb
answer
each trophic level contains about 10% of the energy of the trophic level below it.
question
biomass
answer
the collective mass of living matter
question
food chain
answer
a linear series of feeding relationships
question
food web
answer
a more accurate representation of the feeding relationship in a community.
question
benthic
answer
bottom
question
littoral
answer
nearshore
question
George orwell
answer
"some animals are more equal than others"
question
keystone species
answer
a species that has strong or wide-reaching impact far out of proportion to its abundance
question
trophic cascade
answer
predators at high trophic levels can indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels by keeping species at intermediate trophic levels in check.
question
disturbance
answer
an event that has rapid and drastic impacts on environmental conditions, resulting in the changes to the community and ecosystem.
question
resilience
answer
meaning that it changes in response to a disturbance, but later returns to its original state.
question
primary succession
answer
follows a disturbance so severe that no vegetation or soil life remains from the community that had occupied the site.
question
secondary succession
answer
begins when a disturbance dramatically alters an existing community, but does not destroy all life and organic matter.
question
phase shift/regime shift
answer
sometimes a community will undergo a phase shift in which the character of the community fundamentally changes
question
novel communities
answer
are composed of novel mixtures of plants and animals and have no analog
question
introduced species
answer
species introduced by people
question
invasive species
answer
often thrive in disturbed communities and, in turn disturb them further
question
ballast water
answer
zebra and quagga mussels spread with global trade, inadvertently transported in the ballast water of cargo ships.
question
biocontrol
answer
some organisms are introduced intentionally to control pest
question
eradication
answer
total elimination of a population
question
restoration ecologists
answer
research the historical conditions of ecological communities as they existed before our industrialized civilization altered them
question
biome
answer
is a major regional complex of similar communities
question
temperature and precipitation
answer
exert the greatest influence in the biomes
question
climate diagrams/climategraphs
answer
scientist use these to depict information on temperature and precipitation
question
temperate deciduous
answer
characterized by broad-leafed trees which are deciduous, meaning they loose their leaves each fall and remain dormant during winter.
question
temperate deciduous soils
answer
soils are fertile, but this biome contains far fewer tree species than do tropical rainforests
question
temperate deciduous trees
answer
common trees found in these forest are oaks, beeches, and maples
question
temperate deciduous animals
answer
common animals found in these forests are cider waxwing, white-tail deer, red bellied wood pecker
question
temperate grassland animals
answer
American bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn antelope
question
temperate rainforest tress
answer
cedars, spruces, hemlocks
question
temperate rainforest animals
answer
yellow banana slug, spotted owl, marbled murrelet which are going extint
question
tropical rain forest
answer
year round rain and uniformly warm weather
question
tropical rain forest animals
answer
has more species of insects, birds, amphibians, and other animals than any other biome
question
tropical rain forest soil/plants
answer
tropical rainforest have poor acidic soils that are low in organic matter. nearly all nutrients in this biome are contained in the plants, not the soil
question
tropical dry forest
answer
tropical dry forest that are warm year round but where rainfall is lower overall and highly seasonal give rise to tropical dry forest
