APES Midterm

fundamental niche.

The full potential niche of a species

realized niche

An individual that only plays part of its role due to competition or other interactions

resource partitioning

The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species

Character displacement

competing species diverge and develop different characteristics.

Predation

The process by which individuals of one species (the predators) capture, kill, and consume individuals of another (the prey).

pathogens

Parasites that cause disease are called

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

symbiosis

A relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other

herbivory

interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)

keystone species

A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

trophic cascade

If top predators are lost, primary consumers will overconsume producers and alter the entire ecosystem

Introduced species

species moved by humans to new geographic areas, either intentionally or accidentally(non-native species)

invasive species

species that enter new ecosystems and multiplies, harming native species and their habitats

Demography

the application of population ecology to the study of change in human populations

Demographic transition

a model of economic and cultural change

Signs of Pre-industrial stage

High birth rate and High death rate

Signs of Post-industrial stage

Low birth rate and low death rate

Signs of industrial stage

Birth rate decline due to increase of opportunities for women and increase in use of birth control

Signs of transition stage

Death rate declines but Birth rate is still high

topsoil

Mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals that forms the crumbly, topmost layer of soil.

soil

a system consisting of disintegrated rock, organic matter, water, gases, nutrients, and microorganisms.

clay size

particles are the smallest, less than 0.002 mm in diameter.

Sand size

the largest, between 0.05-2 mm in diameter.

silt size

particles fall in-between clay and sand

slash-and-burn agriculture

a farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land

irrigation

The artificial provision of water beyond what is received by precipitation

Waterlogging

A form of soil degradation that occurs when soil remains under water for prolonged periods.

Inorganic fertilizers

Fertilizer produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels

Organic fertilizers

fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals

Land degradation

a deterioration of land that diminishes its productivity and biodiversity and impairs the functioning of its ecosystems

Soil degradation

the deterioration in quality and productivity of soil.

3 ways to make land more vulnerable to erosion

Over cultivating fields, Grazing rangeland with more livestock than it can support, and Clearing forests on steep slopes

Crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.

Terracing

creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface, which reduces soil runoff from the slope.

Intercropping

An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction.

Shelterbelts

rows of trees planted as a windbreak to reduce soil erosion of agricultural land

Why is tilling bad?

Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion

Overgrazing

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

Salinization

over watering the soil dissolves salts from subsoil layers and when the water evaporates it leaves an abundance of salt on top

Monocropping

An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety

Signs of industrial farming

large-scale, intensive production of crops and animals, often involving chemical fertilizers on crops or the routine

Green Revolution

Agricultural revolution that increased production through improved seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation; was the start of industrial agriculter.

pesticide

A chemical intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops.

Aquaculture

Raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages. It reduces fishing pressure on wild stocks. Saves fossil fuels.

Why is are pesticides getter stronger?

Pesticides don't kill all pest and some survive and then breed producing a stronger more resistant pest and needs stronger chemicals.

Cons of aquaculture

density of animals increases disease. Shrimp farming destroys mangroves. Pollution. Lots of fish waste

Why is crop diversity important?

Insurance against monoculture fail. If there are genetic variations then one disease will not kill every plant.

biological control

A method of pest control that involves the use of naturally occurring disease organisms, parasites, or predators to control pests

CAFO

Concentrated animal feeding operation - aka Factory farms

Factors involved in soil formation include

weathering of parent material and the addition of organic material

Leaching

removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downwards

humus

Rich, dark organic material formed by decay of vegetable matter, essential to soil's fertility

Desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Drip irrigation

the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

carbon cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Where is most of the water in the water cycle

In the ocean

Steps of the water cycle

Evaporation, Transpiration, Condensation, Precipitation, Runoff, Infiltration

How do reservoirs affect the water cycle

by holding water evaporation increases

Carbon Cycle Steps

photosynthesis, respiration, exchange, sedimentation and burial, extraction, and combustion

How do humans affect the carbon cycle?

burning fossil fuels takes the carbon in the ground and puts an excess into the atmosphere

nitrogen cycle steps

nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification

How does Nitrogen become usable for living organisms

highly specialized bacteria or human intervention

Nitification

Bacteria take nitrogen and turn it into forms of nitrogen that can be taken up by plants and phytoplankton through assimilation and used to fuel their growth.

phosphorus cycle steps

weathering makes phosphate ions (PO4^-3) available in water/soil for plants to absorb

generalist species

Species with a broad ecological niche. They can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Examples are flies, cockroaches, mice, rats, and human beings.

specialized species

A species closely fitted to a specific niche and able to tolerate little change in that niche.

K-selected species

Species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproductive age. (the mother cares for the baby)

r-selected species

Species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period.( the mother doesn't take care of the baby)

survivorship curve

Graph showing the number of survivors in different age groups for a particular species.

survivorship curve type 1

low death rates during early and middle life and an increase in death rates among older age groups

survivorship curve type 2

the death rate is constant over the organism's life span

survivorship curve type 3

high death rates for the young and lower death rates for survivors

carrying capacity

The maximum population size of a given organism that a given environment can sustain.

resource availability effect on population

more food results in faster growth

age structure diagram

graph of the numbers of males and females within different age groups of a population.

What do age structure diagrams show?

show how a population is distributed among various ages(•Wide base = many young: High reproduction, Rapid population growth

Factors that affect total fertility rate(TFR) in humans

-Medical care reduces infant mortality

How does the human population experience growth and decline

If the births are more then the deaths then the population increases. If the deaths are more then the births the population decreases

demographic transition

change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates

Four stages of demographic transition

preindustrial, transitional, industrial, postindustrial

nonrenewable resources

Oil, natural gas, and coal are collectively called fossil fuels.

renewable resource

any natural resource that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time

concept of sustainability

fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations, while ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being.

Variable measured in an ecological footprint.

The planet's capacity to produce resources and The resources consumed by humans and their waste.

types of plate boundaries

Convergent, Divergent, Transform boundaries

Convergent plate boundaries

where two plates come together, can give rise to different outcomes, their is 3 kinds of crusts involved oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic, and continental-continental.

Divergent plate boundaries

Tectonic plates push apart from one another as magma rises upward to the surface, creating new lithosphere as it cools, two crusts involved are oceanic-oceanic and oceanic-continental.

transform place boundaries

Where two plates meet, they may slip and grind alongside one another.

What geological events happen at transform boundaries

The movement creates friction that generates earthquakes along strike-slip faults

What geological events happen at convergent boundaries

It creates volcanos, mountains, deep trenches, and one plate goes under another creating a subduction zone.

What geological events happen at divergent boundaries

magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth's mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust.

What percent of energy moves up the trophic levels

10 percent moves up

What is the order of the Trophic levels

Producers at the bottom, then primary consumer, the secondary consumers, then tertiary consumers.

How do producers get food

They get food thought sun light and convert it into chemical energy

Competitive exclusion

A species out competes others for resources

species coexistence

no species fully out competes others for resources, living side by side

predation

the act of preying by a predator who kills and eats the prey, one species hunts others

parasitism

the relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits from the other by causing damage to it

Herbivory

Animals that eat plants, they don't kill the plant but just hurt it

symbiosis/mutualism

the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other

community

populations of organisms living in the same area and time.

intraspecific competition

a competition between individuals from the same species

interspecific competition

the competition between individuals of different species.

Character displacement

an evolutionary change that occurs when two similar species inhabit the same environment. Under such conditions, natural selection favors a divergence in the characters--morphology, ecology, behavior, or physiology--of the organisms.

What determines biomes

temperature, precipitation, soil conditions, wind patterns, and ocean currents. Temperature and precipitation tend to exert the greatest influence

Rule of 70

Divide your growth rate by 70 to determine the amount of time it will take for your investment to double.

Maximum sustainable yield

How many animals can be removed from a population without leading to population growth.

Red List

The UN's protection plan of endanger species