Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Terms and Definitions, Quizzes of Biology

Download Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Terms and Definitions and more Quizzes Biology in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 core reserves DEFINITION 1 - natural areas protect from high human use - encompass enough space to preserve ecosystems - minimum critical area required TERM 2 What are the 2 major reasons behind the decline of biodiversity? DEFINITION 2 1. increasingly large portion of Earth's resources goes to human use 2. direct impact of human activities TERM 3 5 ways human activities threaten biodiversity DEFINITION 3 1. Habitat destruction 2. overexploitation 3. pollution 4. global warming 5. introduction of invasive species TERM 4 direct vs indirect ecosystem services DEFINITION 4 direct: - food, plants, and animals - building materials - fiber and fabric material - fuel - medicine plants - oxygen replenishment indirect: - maintain soil fertility - pollination - seed dispersal - waste decomposition - local climate regulation - flood, erosion, pollution, and pest control - wildlife habitat - repository of genes TERM 5 4 fundamental resources of life DEFINITION 5 1. nutrients to construct living tissues 2. energy for metabolic activities 3. liquid water as medium for metabolic activities 4. appropriate temperatures TERM 6 modification of climate because of currents, continents, and mountains DEFINITION 6 - ocean currents are interrupted by continents forming gyres that moderate temperature extremes - mountains modify rainfall TERM 7 Earth's aspects influence on climate DEFINITION 7 - temperature is higher/more uniform at equator and lower/more variable at poles - equatorial sunlight is perpendicular and hits year round; polar sunlight is season and angle spreads over large surface area - tilt on axis causes seasonal variations in range and directness of sunlight - warm air rises; cold, dense air sinks - the warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold TERM 8 modifications of solar energy DEFINITION 8 - absorbed in ozone layer - reflected by dust, water vapor, and clouds - absorbed by greenhouse gases - influenced by latitudes TERM 9 2 dangerous properties of man-made substances that are likely to undergo biological magnification DEFINITION 9 1. not biodegradable (DDT, insecticides) 2. stored in body, particularly in fat, and accumulates over the years TERM 10 basic causes of global warming change DEFINITION 10 - prehistoric life, fossils - deforestation: destroys trees - human activities - greenhouse gases TERM 21 developed vs developing countries DEFINITION 21 developed: evenly distributed population; stabilized developing: high birth rates with decreased death rates and increased life span TERM 22 age structure diagrams DEFINITION 22 - diagrams that show age groups (x-axis) and number/percentage of individuals (y-axix) - expanding, stable, shrinking TERM 23 factors of environmental resistance DEFINITION 23 density independent: -natural disasters, weather, human activity density dependent: -parasitism & predation, intraspecific competition (limited resources) TERM 24 exponential vs logistic growth DEFINITION 24 exponential: G = rN; J-curve; use r to estimate population growth in given time; occurs when individuals invade new habitat logistic: G = rN[(K-N)/K]; S-shaped; K is carrying capacity consequences of exceeding [K]: - damaged environment, population dies out TERM 25 biotic potential vs environmental resistance DEFINITION 25 biotic: max rate of increase factors that affect biotic potential: age at first reproduction, frequency of reproduction, avg # of offspring each time, length of production cycle, death rate resistance: limit set by biotic/abiotic environment TERM 26 3 factors that change population size DEFINITION 26 -births -deaths -migration TERM 27 biotic vs abiotic DEFINITION 27 biotic: living abiotic: non-living (geology, altitude, water availability, temperature, climate) TERM 28 Diatoms DEFINITION 28 - photosynthetic; found in fresh and salt water; produce cell wall of silica - phytoplankton TERM 29 ciliates DEFINITION 29 inhabit fresh and salt water; represent peak of unicellular complexity; possess cilia; include didinium and paramecium TERM 30 dinoflagellates DEFINITION 30 single-celled organisms with two flagella; occurs in large numbers in marine plankton; also found in fresh water; provide hosts with photosynthetic nutrients and removes CO2; bioluminescent; can produce toxins in shellfish TERM 31 What makes a prokaryotic organism pathogenic? DEFINITION 31 -synthesizes toxic substances that cause disease symptoms TERM 32 Where can prokaryotes survive? DEFINITION 32 -hot, color, or mineral tolerant -near boiling environments - hot springs, arctic sea ice, geysers, acidic environments TERM 33 chemosynthesis DEFINITION 33 energy harvesting process in hydrothermal vent communities TERM 34 bioluminescence DEFINITION 34 important adaptation in deep ocean communities and is used to see, attract prey or attract males TERM 35 algae DEFINITION 35 free-swimming, floating organisms in ocean TERM 46 characteristics of ecosystems DEFINITION 46 1. Energy sources 2. energy flow structure 3. feeding chains or complex food webs w/ different organisms in energy flow 4. keystone species 5. feeding levels/trophic levels 6. nested: small inside large 7. defined ecosystems 8. no waste - ecosystems recycle 9. habitats and niches TERM 47 ecology DEFINITION 47 study of interaction among organisms and their home TERM 48 ecosystem DEFINITION 48 all organisms and their non-living environment within a defined area TERM 49 biosphere DEFINITION 49 - global sum of all ecosystems - combination of all geological, physical, and biological planetary processes which work together TERM 50 structure of viruses DEFINITION 50 - non-living - require a host cell to reproduce - contains RNA and DNA surrounded by a protein coat - parasites of living cells - specialized for specific host cell - consist of nucleic acid and protein TERM 51 plasmid DEFINITION 51 small, circular piece of DNA located in cytoplasm of many bacteria; normally doesn't carry genes required for normal functioning of bacterium but many carry genes that assist bacterial survival TERM 52 prion structure DEFINITION 52 - only infectious proteins; no nucleic acid - consists of single protein produced by normal nerve cells that become folded - can induce clean cells to transform into infectious ones - inherited or transmitted TERM 53 structure of viroid DEFINITION 53 - infectious particles - lack protein; consists of short, circular strands of RNA - enters host cell nucleus and directs synthesis of new viroids TERM 54 What is conjugation? DEFINITION 54 DNA transferred from donor to recipient by temporary fusion of cell membranes forming cytoplasmic bridge TERM 55 bacteria structure DEFINITION 55 - reproduce through binary fission - 3 basic shapes: rod, corkscrew, sphere - can produce resistant spores, endospores - antibiotic resistance TERM 56 3 types of metabolism in prokaryotes DEFINITION 56 1. anaerobes: no oxygen 2. aerobic: requires oxygen 3. opportunist: both TERM 57 estuaries DEFINITION 57 salt and freshwater wetlands that support enormous biological productivity and diversity TERM 58 limnetic zone DEFINITION 58 area where plankton and floating plants carry out photosynthesis TERM 59 floodplain DEFINITION 59 flat land with accumulated deposited sediments TERM 60 littoral zone DEFINITION 60 nearshore, shallow zone that's most diverse due to abundant light, surfaces for anchorage, and nutrients from bottom sediments