Study Guide for Exam One - Ecology | BIOL 2804, Study notes of Ecology and Environment

Download Study Guide for Exam One - Ecology | BIOL 2804 and more Study notes Ecology and Environment in PDF only on Docsity! Study Guide for Exam 1 Ecology, Bio 2804, Professor Barrett Introduction to Ecology (Smith and Smith Chapter 1) • Understand the distinction between ecology and environmentalism. • Explain why ecology is inherently an interdisciplinary science. Provide examples of the links between ecology and other branches of science. Evolution and Natural Selection (Smith and Smith Chapter 2) • Describe the two main conditions for evolution by natural selection, according to Darwin. • Give an example of an adaptation, and describe in detail the process of natural selection that may have led to the evolution of the adaptation. • Describe the differences between stabilizing, disruptive, and directional selection. • Explain what was novel about Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. How did his ideas differ from previous ideas about how evolution happened? • Why was Mendel's work important for our understanding of the process of evolution by natural selection? • Explain the difference between phenotypic plasticity and adaptation, and suggest how you would collect data that would distinguish between them. • List the five conditions necessary for equilibrium gene frequency (i.e., a lack of evolution), according to the Hardy-Weinberg principle. • Describe in detail a real or hypothetical example of either sympatric or allopatric speciation. Plant Adaptations to the Environment (Smith and Smith Chapter 6) • Explain why all of life on Earth ultimately depends on autotrophic organisms. • Explain why the opening of stomata has both benefits and costs for plants. • Describe how water moves from the soil, through plant tissues, into the atmosphere through transpiration. Define and utilize the concept of water potential in your answer. • Draw a graph showing approximately how gross photosynthesis and respiration change with increasing temperature. Label Topt on the graph • Explain how allocation to roots influences net carbon gain by plants. • Describe two plant adaptations to low light. • Describe three plant responses or adaptations to dry conditions. • Explain the difference between the C4 and CAM photosynthetic strategies. • • Describe an example of a link between nutrient availability and plant performance. • Give an example of how global warming could potentially have both positive and negative effects on crop species and agricultural production. Animal Adaptations to the Physical Environment (Smith Chapter 7) • Discuss the different strategies used by herbivores to extract nutrients from a diet rich in cellulose • Describe and explain the differences between the digestive tracts of herbivores and carnivores. • Discuss the distinctions between ectothermy, endothermy, poikilothermy, and homeothermy. • Using an example, explain how poikilotherms exploit microclimates to regulate temperature. • Discuss the tradeoffs between ectothermy and endothermy. In which situations is each strategy beneficial and why? • Give an example of a heterotherm, and describe the strategy used by the animal for temporary poikilothermy. • Describe two animal adaptations for conserving water in arid environments • Discuss the distinctions between torpor, diapause, hibernation, and winter sleep in animals. • Describe the relationship observed between average size of animals and latitude. What possible mechanisms might explain this relationship? • Describe the relationship observed between metabolic rate and biomass among different species animals. What possible mechanisms might explain this relationship? Chapter 9. Properties of Populations • Give an example of how environmental variation affects the distribution and abundance of a population. • Discuss two ways in which an individual in a population may be affected by the density of the population. • Describe and suggest possible causes of two different patterns of dispersion of individuals in a population. • Name three different ways that plants disperse passively. Do they ever disperse actively? • Describe two different methods by which ecologists may determine the density of a population. • Describe three properties of a population that may vary among age classes. • Do human populations exhibit age structure? What traits vary with age? • How does population density affects individuals? How are individuals affected when population density becomes greatly elevated? Or when density is extremely low? Chapter 10. Population Growth • What is a life table? What information is needed to assemble such a table? What type of predictions can you make about populations from the information found in life tables. Be capable of answering questions about population parameters and population projection based upon life tables. • Discuss why plant life tables can be inherently more complex than animal life tables • Illustrate three types of survivorship curves, and give examples for each. What factors cause the three different types to appear in nature? • Discuss two different types of stochastic processes that influence population dynamics. • Discuss three reasons why populations may become extinct. Why has the rate of extinction accelerated in recent years? • Discuss the effects of genetic drift and inbreeding on a small population. • Compare the mortality, survivorship, natality, and fecundity of a plant population with an animal population. Where do the differences lie? • What are some practical applications of life tables and fecundity tables in wildlife management? How might age-specific birth and death data be useful in managing rare or endangered species. Chapter 11. Intraspecific Population Regulation • Do most populations reach a level at which intrinsic population regulatory mechanisms intervene, or are populations usually held at some lower level by extrinsic mechanisms? • What is the difference between exponential growth and logistic growth? Under what ecological conditions does each occur?