Ch52: Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

1.What is Ecology?

-Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment.

2. Define the following subfields of ecology: Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem,

Biosphere

-Organismal Ecology is the study of an organism's structure, physiology, and behavior towards the
environment that it's in. Population Ecology analyzes factors that aect population size and how and
why it changes through time. Community Ecology studies how interactions between species aect
community structure and organization. Ecosystem Ecology emphasizes energy flow and chemical
cycling between organisms and the environment. Biosphere Ecology researches how the regional
exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the
biosphere.

3. What is the dierence between an abiotic and biotic factor and give examples of each? How

do abiotic factors aect the survival of biotic factors?

-Abiotic factors are no living factors that influence the distribution and abundance of organisms such
as temperature, light, and nutrients. Biotic factors are living factors that influence the organisms such
as all of the other organisms in the environment with them. Abiotic factors can aect the survival of
biotic factors because if the conditions aren't ideal or met for the living, then you will most likely not
find them in that particular area. For example, if animals feed on plants, but the environment is very
dry with little rainfall, then that animal will more than likely be in a dierent place.

4. Explain eutrophication.

-Eutrophication is when nutrients become highly concentrated in water which then results in an
increased growth of organisms such as algae or Cyanobacteria.

Ch53: Population Ecology

5. What is the dierence between a K and r-selection (also know as K and r strategies)?

-K-selection is density-dependent and r-selection is destiny-independent.

6. What is an age structure diagram?

-An age structure diagram is the relative number of individuals of each age in the population and is
usually graphed as pyramids.

7. What is fecundity?

-A measure of the capacity to reproduce ospring.

Ch54: Community Ecology

8. What is competition and niche? Can organisms share a niche?

-Competition is an interaction between individuals of dierent species that compete for a resource
that limits their growth and survival. A niche is the sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic
resources in its environment. Organisms cannot coexist in a community if their niches are similar, but
the niches can be similar but in dierent communities.

9. Explain resource partitioning? How does niche and resource partitioning relate to survival of a
population?

-Resource partitioning is when species divide a niche to avoid competition for resources.

10. Describe predation. How do the predator numbers change if the prey decreases?

-Predation is a form of symbiotic relationship between two organisms of unlike species in which one
of them acts as a predator that captures and feeds on the other organism that is called the prey. If
the number of prey were to decrease so would the number of predators.

11. What are the dierences between cryptic coloration, aposematic coloration, Batesian

mimicry, and Mullerian mimicry

-Cryptic coloration is camouflage, aposematic coloration is a warning, Batesian mimicry is palatable/

harmless species that mimics unpalatable/harmful model, and Mullerian mimicry is 2 or more
unpalatable aposematically colored species that resemble each other.

12. What is herbivory? What adaptations do plants have to counteract herbivory?

-Herbivory is an interaction in which an organism eats parts of a plant or algae. Plants have
adaptations such as spines, chemical toxins, and thorns that help keep herbivores away.

13. Describe the dierences between the 3 symbiotic relationships (mutualism, parasitism, and

commensalism) and give examples.

-Parasitism is an interaction where one organism, a parasite, gets its nourishment from another
organism which is harmed during the process. Mutualism is an interaction where both organisms
benefit from the process. Commensalism is an interaction where one organism benefits while the
other organism is neither helped nor harmed.

14. Define lichen and mycorrhizae. What type of symbiotic relationship are these interactions

an example of?

-A lichen is formed from a mutualism if relationship between a fungus and algae or cyanobacterium.
A mycorrhizae is formed from a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and plant roots.

15. What is a keystone species and what is their role in the community (what is their

importance)?

-A keystone species is a species that has a lot of control on the structure of a community, if a
keystone species is removed then the ecosystem will most likely collapse.

16. How do invasive species impact the balance of an ecosystem?

-The invasive species may face the natural predation and agents of disease that would otherwise
hold their populations at check.

17. Outside of chapter: Explain one of the following introduced diseases and the impact on

native species: dutch elm disease or potato blight

-Potato blights were the cause of the potato famine and only cause problems when wet and cold. It
creates a pathogen that destroys plants with the correct genes, this phytophthora can kill potatoes, a
native species, very quickly just like it did during the potato famine.

18. Describe ecological succession and list the dierences between primary and secondary

succession.

-Ecological succession is the transition in species composition over ecological time. Primary
succession begun in a lifeless are with no soil, or perhaps a volcanic activity or retreating glacier.
Secondary succession is an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves
the soil intact.

Ch55: Ecosystems

19. Define all the parts of the food web.

-Primary producers are the tropic level that supports all other organisms(autotrophs). Primary
consumers are herbivores. Secondary consumers are carnivores. Tertiary consumers are carnivores
or omnivores. Detrivores are special consumers that derive nutrition from non-living organic matter.

20. How are food chains and food webs related?

-Food chains are linear tropic level feeding pathways and food webs are made up of multiple food
chains.

21. If there is a decrease in the producer trophic level, how does that impact the other levels? If

there is a disruption in energy resources such as sunlight, how will it aect the trophic

levels?

-It will result in a decrease of all other levels because if there are less producers then there is less
energy for the other organisms. Same thing for sunlight if there is less sunlight then there is less
energy available for the producers to make energy because they cannot perform photosynthesis

without sunlight.

22. How does limiting nutrients aect primary production in aquatic ecosystems and give an

example?

-A limiting nutrient is an element that must be added for production to increase.

23. Describe or draw the nutrient cycles: carbon, nitrogen, and water

24. What are dead zones, specifically in the Mississippi basin?

-Dead zones are low oxygen areas located in oceans and lakes which is caused by excessive
nutrient pollution. As spring comes around so does more rainfall in the Mississippi basin which
causes more water filled with nutrients runs into the basin. This is caused by sunlight increasing as
well as algae growth increases in this dead zone.

25. Describe biological magnification.

-Biological magnification is the tropic process in which retained substances become more
concentrated at higher levels.