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Bio241- 4A-C
Review questions
62
Biology
Undergraduate 1
12/13/2016

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Term
How is population growth and size influenced?
Definition
Births and immigration increase population size
Deaths and emigration decrease population size.
Term
How can we use per capita growth rate(r)?
Definition
We can use it to predict population size changes.
Term
True or false?In exponential growth per capita growth rate(r) is constant.
Definition
True. # of individuals added to the population at any one time is proportional to the size of the population at the start of the inertval.
Term
List the formulas used for Exponential growth.
Definition
Nt = N0(1 + rmax)t
Term
What factors limit population growth?
Definition
Predation, limited resources, available space, disease, natural disaster.
Term
What does K represent?
Definition
The carrying capacity: the maximum amount of individuals a single environment can sustain. Represents the interplay between the functional requirements of indidviuals for growth and reproduction and environmental resources such as food and space availability.
Term
What is happening at the following stages of the logistic growth graph: (K-N)/K=1, (K-N)/K=0.5,(K-N)/K=0.
Definition
(K-N)/K=1: few parents, lots of resources, gradual increase of population
(K-N)/K=0.5: sharp increase in reproduction, less resources but still enough, stable so far.
(K-N)/K=0: growth rate slows down, competition for resources, population begins to decrease.
Term
What factors keep populations below K?
Definition
Predation and parasitism
Term
When can a population increase Rmax?
Definition
When the pop. is small and there are lots of resources available.
Term
What does the flat bottom of the Logistic growth curve reflect?
Definition
- Few parents, small population(N), High Ro
Term
What does the top flat curve reflect?
Definition
Large population(N), low reproductive rate(Ro).
Term
What does the logisitc growth model of sheep populations suggest?
Definition
That populations react to changes in the environment.
Term
List 5 Density Dependent factors that influence Populatio Growth.
Definition
Predation, limited resources, available space, disease and any biotic factors.
Term
List 2 Density Independent factors that influence Population growth.
Definition
Natural disaster, any abiotic factors(climate change)
Term
In a graph showing the effect of precipitation levels on a population of sparrows: would the graph be showing density dependent or independent changes?
Definition
Density independent. Drought= abiotic.
Term
Define Intraspecific and Interspecific
Definition
Intraspecific: competition between populations of the same species.
Interspecific: Competition between different populations of different species.
Term
True or false? both organisms and ecosystems are open systems.
Definition
True! Both matter and energy cycle through organisms and ecosystems.
Term
What is the difference between primary producers and primary consumers?
Definition
Primary producers: Autotrophs, need energy from the sun. Plants.
Primary consumers: Herbivores. They eat primary producers.
Term
True or false? Nutrients only cycle through biotic systems.
Definition
False!! They cycle through abiotic and biotic. Carbon cycle, phosphorous cycle...
Term
Explain what type of organisms are in the first trophic level and what they do.
Definition
Primary prdoucers: Photosynthetic organisms.
They fix inorganic nutrients(C,N,P,O...) into organic molecules.
Term
Define Primary Productivity
Definition
The rate at which biomass is produced.
Term
Explain the units, what PP tells us and how it's measured.
Definition
Units: Amount of C fixed in a certain area per unit time. (kJ/Km2/year)
Tells us how much energy is captured by an ecosystem.
Using a sample of land. (Spatial and Temporal rate)
Term
What is Gross Primary Productivity?
Definition
Total amount of CO2 fixed into organic molecules per unit time and unit area.
Term
What is Net Primary Productivity? And what does it tell us?
Definition
What the producer makes minus what the producer uses itself. The amount of energy biomass production.
Tells us how much energy is available for the consumers.
Term
Write the process of GPP.
Definition
CO2->GPP->Leaves->Respiration. (CO2 is fixed in leaves and then is respirated)
Term
Show the calculation for NPP
Definition
NPP- GPP-Ra(respiration of autotrophs.
Term
What factors contribute to an ecosystem's PP?
Definition
Temperature: Increase in Temperature= Increase in PP
Precipitation: Increase in Precipitation= Increase in PP. Until there is too much precipitation then it plateaus and decreases.
Term
What factors contribute to terrestial producer's PP?
Definition
Nitrogen is essential for plant growth and chlorophyll content.
Term
What factors contribute to aquatic producer's PP?
Definition
Phosphorous is a limiting nutrient. Increase in phosophorous=Increase in algae and surface plants.
Term
Explain what type of organisms are in the second trophic level and what they do.
Definition
Primary consumers(herbivores): They eat the organic molecules made by the primary producers.
Primary consumers won't be able to eat all producers and won't be able to assimilate everything it eats.
Term
What is Secondary production?
Definition
Secondary production is new biomass production.
Secondary Production= personal growth. Egrowth.
Term
What are Secondary/tertiary.etc Consumers? and what do they do?
Definition
Carnivores: consume organic molecules made by primary consumers. Won't be able to eat all primary consumers and won't be able to assimilate everything it eats
Term
What are Detritivores/Decomposers?
What do they do and how?
Definition
Organisms that consume waste and dead organic matter of primary producers, primary consumers, etc.
They return nutrients(matter) to soil.
Decomposition is mostly through bacteria.
Term
Forces Regulating Trophic Structure: Explain Bottom-up Control.
Definition
Resources abundance regulates trophic structure.
Energy in each trophic level is determined by the energy in the lower trophic level.
Term
Forces Regulating Trophic Structure: Explain Top-Down Control.
Definition
Predation regulates trophic structure
The energy in each trophic level is determined by the energy in the higher trophic levels.
Driven by predators.
Term
What percent of energy is expected to be passed on to the next trophic level?
Definition
Approximately 10%
Term
What is a trophic cascade? Example?
Definition
When a predator is removed from an ecosystem it causes a change in the lower trophic levels.
Removal of hawks->Increase in foxes->Decrease in lemmings->Increase in plants.
Term
What is a keystone species? Example?
Definition
Important part of the community. Small in size but large in impact.
Sea otters eat sea urchins. and sea urchins eat kelp that make cover for fish.
Term
What happens if there are no more keystoners?
Definition
Absence of keystoners changes the ecosystem and its' composition completely.
Term
True or false? Earth is an open system.
Definition
False. In nutrient cycling Earth is a closed system.
Term
What 2 forms do elements cycle through and are they ever lost?
Definition
Biotic and Abiotic forms. They are never "lost" hence the word cycle.
Term
Elements required by organisms are called?
Definition
Nutrients. They're good for you lolololol.
Term
What are the 2 main nutrient cycle pathways?
Definition
N cycle and the P cycle.
Term
What are the 4 nutrient reservoirs? Give a brief description of each.
Definition
Short Term Organic: frequent cycling, living organisms, detritus.
Short Term Inorganic: N(NO3), P(PO4), H2O, O2, CO2
Long Term Organic: Do not cycle: Fossil C=coal, oil..
Long Term Inorganic: Sedimentary rocks, carbonates
Term
What 2 process occur between Long term inorganic and Short Term Inorganic?
Definition
LI->SI= Weathering
SI->LI= Sedimentation
Term
What 2 processes occur between Short Term Organic and Short Term Inorganic?
Definition
SO->SI= Decomposition or Disassimilation
SI->SO= Assimilation
Term
List the 2 types cyles for gaseous and non gaseous nutrients.
Definition
Local:Sedimentary, closed system
Global: Gaseous, open system
Term
What are the Biogeochemical cycles associated with Local and Global cycles?
Definition
Local: P. K, Fe, Ca, Na
Global: C, N, O, S, H
Term
Explain how C is the unit of energy currency in ecosystems.
Definition
Organic compounds of carbon are the form in which energy is transferred between trophic levels.
Term
True or False? C is the most abundant element in organisms.
Definition
True!! Approxiamately 50% dry mass.
Term
How does C cycle itself through ecosystems?
Definition
It moves between organic and inorganic C compounds.
Term
In the short term Carbon cycle: What are the annual oscillations on atmospheric CO2 caused by?
Definition
Assimilation( photosynthesis) and disasimilation(respiration and decomposition)
Term
During the winter time in the northern hemisphere why is there an increase in atmospheric carbon?
Definition
Carbon isn't taken in by plants and carbon is still being released by plant respiration and decomposition
Term
During the winter time in the Southern Hemisphere: what is happening?
Definition
The reverse is seen compared to the northern hemisphere. Places near the equator have less seasonality.
Term
What is happening in the spring time in the northern hemisphere?
Definition
Decrease in Carbon concentration in atmosphere. Increase of photosynthesis by plants.
Term
What is the cause of the continual increase in CO2 in the atmosphere?
Definition
Anthropogenic: change in environment due to human activity.
Term
What is the Keeling Curve?
Definition
Y axis: CO2 concentration
X axis: months of the year.
Term
List the CO2 sources and CO2 sinks.
Definition
CO2 Sources: Fossil fuel burning, deforestation(tropics), deforestation(outside the tropics)
CO2 sinks: Ocean(largest), Land(second largest), atmosphere
Term
What does a decrease of pH in the ocean indicate?
Definition
Ocean acidification.
An increase in bicarbonate formation
There is less carbonate
Carbonate is needed to make shells and coral reef.
Term
What organisms are key to the survival of coral?
Definition
Invertebrates(polyops) and Algae(Zooxanthellae)
Term
How do ecosystems differ?
Definition
Net primary productivity
Efficiency of energy flow
Nutrient availability
Term
Wh
Definition
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