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1
Q

What is ecology?

A

The study of interactions between living organisms and their environment

2
Q

What are the 2 types of ecology?

A

Applied and basic

3
Q

What is applied ecology?

A

Managing natural (or domesticated) populations, communities, and ecosystems

4
Q

What is basic ecology?

A

How do organisms interact with the environment and what are the consequences to persistence, biodiversity, and ecosystem function

5
Q

Who developed the idea of inductive reasoning?

A

Aristotle

6
Q

What is the baconian method?

A

The precursor for the scientific method in which observations are made according to the four idols.

7
Q

What are the general ideas of the baconian method?

A

To take observations and to generalize them in order to develop axioms that can be tested

8
Q

What are the 4 idols used in the baconian method/idols of the mind?

A

Idols of the tribe
Idols of the cave
Idols of the marketplace
Idols of the theatre

9
Q

What is “idols of the tribe”?

A

Beliefs that are held because other believe

10
Q

What is “idols of the cave”?

A

Beliefs that are held because of isolation from others

11
Q

What is “idols of the marketplace”?

A

Beliefs that are held because words are created for things that do not exist or because of imprecise language

12
Q

What is “idols of the theatre”?

A

Beliefs that are held because of previously held preferences or biases

13
Q

What are the steps of the scientific method?

A
  1. Make an observation
  2. Generate a hypothesis to explain observation
  3. Design critical experiments to eliminate hypotheses
  4. Interpret results and return to #2
14
Q

What is a null hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis with no effect for treatment

15
Q

What is an alternative hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis that suggests a treatment effect

16
Q

When does a type I error occur?

A

When we fail to reject the null hypothesis when it is actually false

17
Q

When does a type II error occur?

A

When we reject the null hypothesis and it is actually true

18
Q

What is the threshold that is considered acceptable for making a type II error? What is the threshold called?

A

5%

alpha

19
Q

What is the p-value?

A

The probability of making a type II error

20
Q

If the probability of a type II error is lower than the acceptable probability, what do we do with the null hypothesis? What is the difference considered?

A

Reject it

Significant

21
Q

What is the relationship between the amount of energy absorbed and the angle the sun’s rays strike the surface of the earth?

A

The energy is proportional to the angle

22
Q

Where do the rays hit at a 90 degree angle on the southern hemisphere?

A

Tropic of capricorn

23
Q

Where do the rays hit at a 90 degree angle on the northern hemisphere?

A

Tropic of cancer

24
Q

What is the amount of moisture the air can hold a function of?

A

Temperature

25
Q

Does warmer or cooler air have a higher water holding capacity?

A

Warmer air

26
Q

Where is the highest velocity on earth?

A

At the equator

27
Q

What are the areas of air circulation of earth? (in order)

A

Equator
Hadley cell
Ferrel cell
Polar cell

28
Q

What is the driest part of the earth?

A

Between the hadley and ferrel cells

29
Q

On the gulf coast, where is air cooler, land or water? How about California?

A

Land

Water

30
Q

Why is the air cooler on land near the gulf?

A

More rain

31
Q

What changes climate patterns in California? Why?

A

El Nino

Changes oceanic patterns

32
Q

What is an orographic lift?

A

When air is forced up as it passes across up slope parts of terrain features

33
Q

What is adiabatic cooling?

A

The cooling of warm air as it rises

34
Q

What is rain shadow?

A

Areas around mountains where there is little rain

35
Q

What is the Urban Heat Island Effect?

A

The density of asphalt, roofing shingles, etc that absorb solar radiation and emit it in late afternoon have a large influence on local temperature and precipitation patterns

36
Q

What is a resource?

A

Something that is consumed by an organism for growth and reproduction

37
Q

What are conditions?

A

Abiotic features of the environment such as temperature and precipitation

38
Q

What are examples of the access an individual has to suitable conditions?

A

Water and shelter

39
Q

What is an ectotherm?

A

An organism which acquires its heat from the environment

40
Q

What is an endotherm?

A

An organism which produces body heat through metabolism

41
Q

What is a poikilotherm?

A

An organism whose body temperature equals environmental temperature plus some small differential

42
Q

Are most ectotherms poikilothermic or homeothermic?

A

Poikilothermic

43
Q

What is a homeotherm?

A

Organisms that maintain a fairly constant body temperature

44
Q

Are most endotherms poikilothermic or homeothermic?

A

Homeothermic

45
Q

Do poikilotherms regulate body temperature?

A

Yes

46
Q

In homeothermy, where is thermal energy gained and lost from?

A

The environment

47
Q

In order to survive, would do homeotherms need to do?

A

Regulate temperature within a narrow range

48
Q

For temperatures to remain constant, what needs to occur?

A

Heat loss needs to equal heat gain

49
Q

What does the absorption of solar radiation depend on? (3)

A

Latitude and the time of year
Local Conditions
Exposed area

50
Q

What does re-radiating solar energy depend on?

A

The temperature differential with the surrounding area

51
Q

What is conduction a function of?

A

The temperature differential and the surface area exposed to the surface or air

52
Q

What does conduction with the air depend on?

A

Windspeed

53
Q

What does surface area control in terms of thermal balance?

A

How fast an organism can absorb or lose heat

54
Q

How do you calculate surface area of a sphere?

A

A= 4πr^2

55
Q

What does volume measure in terms of thermal balance?

A

The amount of an organism to be heated or cooled

56
Q

How do you calculate volume of a sphere?

A

V= (4πr^3)/3

57
Q

What does the ratio of surface area to volume represent?

A

The balance between constraints on gain and loss of energy with the mass that must be heated or cooled

58
Q

How do you calculate the ration of surface area to volume?

A

A:V= 3/r

59
Q

Why are large ectotherms not normally found?

A

They aren’t capable of getting enough energy due to their size

60
Q

What does endothermy allow at low temperatures?

A

More activity and greater endurance

61
Q

What is an allometric relationship?

A

Relationship between body size and physiological features

62
Q

What is hyperthermia?

A

When temperatures are too high to be regulated by metabolism

63
Q

What is hypothermia

A

When temperatures are too low to be regulated by metabolism

64
Q

Do plants thermoregulate?

A

Yes

65
Q

On a graph, where would you see data points if plants did not thermoregulate?

A

On the line (see slide 28 on Day 4)

66
Q

In animals, how is water balance achieved?

A

Gain water by eating, drinking, and metabolism

Remove water by secretion

67
Q

In plants, how is water balance achieved?

A

Gain water by sunlight, CO2, and water from the roots

Remove water by sugar, O2, and water

68
Q

As radiation increase, what happens to C3 plants?

A

They stop increasing CO2 uptake

69
Q

As radiation increases, what happens to C4 plants?

A

The CO2 uptake continues to increase

70
Q

What is different about CAM photosynthesis?

A

Stomata open at night to help save water

71
Q

What happens to sunlight in water?

A

It is attenuated

72
Q

What are the 3 nutrient resources that are critical for survival and reproduction?

A

Phosphorus
Nitrogen
Carbon

73
Q

How do plants get phosphorus in the P cycle? (5)

A
Groundwater
Plant death
Death excretion
Fertilizer
Weathering
74
Q

What is phosphorus the limiting nutrient for?

A

Aquatic (fresh water) plants

75
Q

How do plants get carbon in the C cycle? (3)

A

Photosynthesis
Decomposition
Cycling in the ocean

76
Q

How do plants get nitrogen in the N cycle? (6)

A
Lightning
Acid rain
Fixation
Mineralization
Fertilizer
Leaching rocks and runoff
77
Q

What does nitrification do?

A

Creates the form of nitrogen that plants can use

78
Q

What is nitrogen the limiting nutrient for?

A

Most terrestrial plants

79
Q

Why is the nitrate concentration in streams higher in clearcut forests?

A

There are no plants to absorb the nitrogen so it runs off to the streams when it rains

80
Q

What is an autotroph?

A

An organism that can convert inorganic substance into usable energy

81
Q

What is a heterotroph?

A

An organism that acquires energy by consuming organic compounds from other organisms

82
Q

What is the largest trophic group by biomass?

A

Heterotrophs–decomposers

83
Q

What are decomposers critical in?

A

The recycling of mineral nutrients in the soil

84
Q

What are parasites?

A

Organisms that obtain their energy from living hosts without killing the host

85
Q

What are macroparasites?

A

Parasites that do not complete entire lifecycle in/on a host

86
Q

What are microparasites?

A

Parasites that do complete entire lifecycle in/on a host

87
Q

What are true predators?

A

Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming prey

88
Q

What are grazers?

A

Organisms that consume parts of prey items or plant material

89
Q

Describe the associative mind (6)

A
Intuition
Creative and fast
Make connections
Sees patterns
Prone to errors
More effective when the mind can wander
90
Q

Describe the rational mind (5)

A
Rationale
Systematic and slow
Deductive reasoning
Deliberate
More effective when the mind is focused on a task
91
Q

What is fitness?

A

A measure of how many offspring that an individual passes on to subsequent generations

92
Q

What is the basis for evolution?

A

Ecology

93
Q

Look at the charts on Day 6 slides 8-1 1. What do the 2 points on the 0 line identify?

A

The temperature that the species thrives in

94
Q

What is the fundamental niche?

A

The resources and conditions in n-dimensions can define the area that a species can persist based on its physiological constraints and needs

95
Q

What is the realized niche?

A

The area of the fundamental niche where species can actually persist

96
Q

What is evolution?

A

The change in allele frequencies over time in a population

97
Q

What is the most common mechanism of evolution?

A

Natural selection

98
Q

What is the central dogma?

A

DNA is transcribed into RNA and RNA is translated into proteins that are responsible for phenotypes

99
Q

What is an algorithm?

A

A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end

100
Q

What are the 3 parts to the natural selection algorithm?

A
  1. There is variation among individuals in a population
  2. Some of that variation is heritable
  3. Some phenotypes allow individuals to survive and reproduce better than other individuals
101
Q

What did Peter and Rosemary Grant study?

A

Beak size in finches

102
Q

What happened during the drought of 1977? Consider seeds and survival of finches

A

Seed abundance decrease and the seed hardness increased as the finches ate the remaining soft seeds. The finches that would survive are the ones that can open the hard seeds

103
Q

What happened to beaks after the drought of 1977?

A

The average size was larger

104
Q

What does la nina do to finch beaks?

A

Increases the depth

105
Q

What does el nino do to finch beaks?

A

Decreases the depth

106
Q

Describe what happened with the Biston betularia during the industrial revolution.

A

Soot covered the white moth, which lead to the white moth being eaten more often than the black moth.

107
Q

What is genetic drift?

A

The loss of genetic variation in a population that occurs by random chance

108
Q

Is a genetic drift more important in small, isolated populations or big populations?

A

Small, isolated populations

109
Q

Describe unitary organisms. (3)

A

Possess determinate growth
Have a distinct adult form
Includes vertebrates and most terrestrial invertebrates

110
Q

Describe modular organisms. (2)

A

Possess indeterminate growth

Most are plants or marine invertebrates

111
Q

What is a genet?

A

All progeny of the original zygote

112
Q

What is a ramet?

A

A modular individual that is part of the same genet

113
Q

What is the life cycle of overlapping generations?

A

Birth (energy spent on growth and development)
First reproduction (energy spent on reproduction and maintenance)
End of reproductive stage (energy spent on maintenance)
End of life

114
Q

What is the life cycle of non-overlapping generations?

A

Birth (energy spent on growth and development)
First reproduction
End of life

115
Q

Why type of life cycle belongs to unitary organisms?

A

Overlapping

116
Q

What are annual organisms?

A

Those that complete their life cycle in a single year

117
Q

What are perennial organisms?

A

Those that live for more than one year

118
Q

What is voltinism?

A

How many generations are completed during each year

119
Q

What are univoltine organisms?

A

Complete a single generation per year

120
Q

What are bivoltine organisms?

A

Complete 2 generations per year

121
Q

What are multivoltine organisms?

A

Complete more than 2 generations per year

122
Q

What are semivoltine organisms?

A

Those that take more than one year to complete one generation

123
Q

What is an iteroparous organism?

A

One that has the potential to reproduce over many years

124
Q

What is an semelparous organism?

A

One that reproduces once

125
Q

What is the birth rate?

A

The number of offspring per individual per unit of time

126
Q

What is the death rate?

A

The number of deaths per individual per unit time

127
Q

What is the intrinsic rate of increase?

A

The average per capita rate of population growth

128
Q

How is the intrinsic rate of increase calculated?

A

birth rate - death rate

129
Q

What does energy allocation depend on?

A

Ecological theatre (environment)

130
Q

How many offspring do semelparous organisms have?

A

Many

131
Q

How big are semelparous organisms?

A

Small

132
Q

How much parental care is involved with semelparous organisms?

A

Very little

133
Q

Are there more young or old semelparous organisms?

A

Young

134
Q

How many offspring do iteroparous organisms have?

A

Few

135
Q

How big are iteroparous organisms?

A

Big

136
Q

How much parental care is involved with iteroparous organisms?

A

Lots

137
Q

Are there more young or old iteroparous organisms?

A

Age is more evenly spread

138
Q

Is the r-selected life history strategy semelparous or iteroparous?

A

Semelparous

139
Q

Is the k-selected life history strategy semelparous or iteroparous?

A

Iteroparous

140
Q

Describe Grime’s Life History Theory.

A

Frequent disturbances favors highly fecund, short-lived species when stress is low.
Low stress and low disturbance favors long lived species