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Bio Final Even Though She Gave Us No Information, I guess

Terms in this set (124)

Ways of Knowing
Empirical Observation, Emotion, Testimony, Logic and Reason, Faith (lol), Memory
Empirical Observation
The direct observation of that which is being studied in order to understand it- you see it
Falsifiable
Can be disproven
Testable
Hypothesis can be tested using real technology
Characteristics of Science
Guided by natural life
Has to explain by reference to natural law
Its conclusions are tentative
Falsifiable
What makes results publishable?
Intent is to communicate
Peer review required before publication
Cultural cognition of risk hypothesis
Individuals have a tendency to form risk perceptions that match or correlate with their values and beliefs
Lord et al. (1979)
Design: gave examples from reputable scientists with different beliefs then asked if they thought they were real scientists- people answered based on their own pre-established beliefs.
If the people agree with the statement, they will say the scientists are reputable no matter if they actually are or not
Extinction
A term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals.
- rate and pace now at a higher rate than in the past
Major Issues Contributing to Biodiversity Lost
Habitat Loss, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution
Habitat Loss
Wildfires, overfishing, invasive species, natural disasters, pollution, fracking, deforestation, humans
What is DNA?
- A specific set of nucleotides along a strand of DNA which is unique to each individual
- Stored in the form of genes
- Gets passed from parent to offspring.
What is a gene?
The sequence of nucleotides which produce a protein when translated
- where info is held (location)
What is an allele?
Different forms of a gene
Different ones influence different protein functions
- the specific info (recipe)
Hypothesis
A testable prediction
Theory
Has been tested multiple times and has lots of evidence
Evidence of Evolution
-Experimental, observational studies
-Fossil Record
Evolutionary Theory
Charles Darwin- How evolution works and develops over time.
- a change in allele freq over time
- you need multiple alleles for variation
Levels of organization
1. INdividuals
2. Population
3. Community
4. Ecosystem
5. Landscape
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Community
All the different populations that live together in an area
Ecosystem
A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms within their physical environment
Genetic variation
The variety of different types of genes in a species or population.
- comes from Mutation and Recombination
Mutation
Change in a cell's DNA, ranging from changes in a single base pair to deletions of large sections of chromosomes
- always random/natural
- permament dna change
- ultimate source of variation
Silent mutation
No effect, doesn't change protein
Non silent
either good or bad, changes protein
Gene Flow
Direct movement of alleles from one population to another
- not random
- can bring in different alleles and increase variation
- increases genetic variation
Genetic Drift
A random change in allele frequencies that occurs in small populations.
- random
- can cause loss of variation in small populations
Selection
When the rate of passing alleles into next generation depends on phenotype and behavior
- not random
- ex: breeding dogs for what you want
Natural selection
A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.
- direct process
Conditions of natural selection
variation of alleles, heritability, differential reproductive success
Behavioral
Changing behaviors to better survive
ex: kangaroos move to shade and dig in dirt to cool down body temp
Physical environment
The abiotic characteristics of the non-living world.
components: air, substrate, average temps, rain
Biotic components of an ecosystem
producers, consumers, decomposers
- animals, plants, fungi, bacteria
Primary Stages (how organisms cope with environmental stress)
1. Behavioral
2. Physiological
3. Morphological
Physicological
Physical or chemicial event within the body. How the animals change within evolutionary
- ex: Frogs can freeze then unfreeze within themselves
Morphological
Changes in the body shape and other structural features through evolution (adaptations)
- ex: in cold environments, Arctic foxes have smaller ears whereas desert foxes have bigger ears
carbon cycle
The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again
- carbon stored in the atmosphere
- fossil fuels= stored carbon
Climate
Overall weather in an area over a long period of time
- what you expect it to be like outside
Climate system
Solar radiation sent to surface, absorbed by the surface, reflected by the surface
Greenhouses Gasses
Absorbed by surface but not reflected back, absorbed into: atmosphere, land, ocean
- leads to global warming
anthropogenic climate change
alterations to climate resulting from human impact
Definition of Science
Guided by natural law, has to be explanatory by reference to natural law, testable against the empirical world, conclusions are tentative and falsifiable
theory of intelligent design
"The world is too complex to have happened by random chance or natural selection"
- God or aliens
Biomes
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate Forest
Desert
Tundra
Taiga
Grassland
Tropical Rainforest
Forests in which rainfall is abundant and year-round and temperatures are warm or hot year-round
Temperate forest
forest in a temperate region, characterized by trees that drop their leaves annually
Desert
An extremely dry area with little water and little vegetation
Tundra
An extremely cold, dry biome climate region characterized by short, cool summers and bitterly cold winters.
Taiga
Biome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw
Grassland
A biome found in the dry temperate interiors of continents. This biome is characterized by rich soil, moderate rainfall, a hot, dry climate, thick grasses, and herds of grazing animals.
Order of Species Classification (broad to specific)
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Order of the ecosystem
Individuals, Population, Community, Ecosystem
Population
Group of individuals of the same species who live in the same area and interbreed
- can be closed or open
Closed population
a population that has no immigration and emigration with other populations
Open population
populations in which immigration & emigration occur- includes gene flow between populations
Metapopulation
A network of populations that interact together
- causes gene flow
Big scale distribution
Where you find a species
- ex: in what continent, region, state
Niche
Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
Local-Scale distribution
what is the pattern of distribution
Realized niche
the range of abiotic and biotic conditions under which a species actually lives- habitat used by organisms
3 small scale dispersion patterns
1. clumped: often result of patchy resources
2. random: all over, no specific distribution
3. uniform: often caused by competition
Population Growth rate: dependent on four factors
1. Reproduction (growth)
2. Emigration (growth)
3. Death (decline)
4. Immigration (decline)
Open populations include
Reproduction, Emigration, Death, Immigration
Closed populations include
Reproduction and death
Exponential Growth Model
growth model that estimates a population's future size after a period of time based on the intrinsic growth rate and the number of reproducing individuals currently in the population
- resources are not limited
Components of exponential growth model
N= number of individuals
- can also be subscript for the population (N1, N2)
t= time
r= rate of growth
d= Delta (change)
Rates of growth
r=0 - stable population
r>0 - population growing
r<0 - population declining
Rate equation for exponential growth model
dN/dt= rxN
Density independent growth
growth rate does not depend on the number of individuals in the population
- measured by EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
# of individuals for exponential growth model
Nt = No e^rt
- Nt= number of individuals at time
Doubling time for exponential growth model
tdouble= ln(2)/2
Density dependent growth
population growth that is affected, or limited, by population density
- dependent on # of individuals in pop
- LOGISTIC GROWTH (s shape on a graph)
Rate for density dependent growth model
dN/dt= rN(K-N/K)= rN(1-N/K)
-->(1-N/K) is the room for future/more indivudlas
number of individuals for logistic growth model
Nt= K/1+((K-No/No) e^-rt)
Doubling time for logistic growth model
No constant doubling time (bc it includes carrying capacity)
Carrying capacity (K)
Total # of individuals of a particular species which can be supported by the available resources
- the "cap" on a population- can't double
Density dependent factors
A factor that limits a population more as population density increases
- ex: predators, availability of resources, nutrient supply, disease
Population declines when
death rate exceeds reproductive rate
Conditions that leads to population decline
- Reduction to K
- Large catastrophic events
- More immigration
- Exceeds carrying capacity
- Deaths exceeds births
Species interactions
Interactions between different species
7 types of species interactions
- Mutualism
- Competition
- Herbivore (type of predation)
- Symbiotic
- Commensalism
- Parasitic
- Predation
Population Extinction
All members of the population are effectively dead
What makes populations or species vulnerable
1. Graphic Range
2. Abundance
3. Habitat breadth
Graphic range
Distribution of species (large vs small)
Abundance
# of individuals in population/area (common vs rare)
Habitat Breadth
How picky a particular species is about habitat (narrow vs wide)
More at risk of extinction (vulnerable)
Species with small graphic range, rare abundance, and narrow breadth
Calculating extinction probability
Pextinction= (d/b)^No
Species interactions
route by which species interact with each other
How do species interact?
- compete over resources
- interact directly or indirectly
Negative Interactions
parasitism, predation, competition
Positive Interactions
commensalism and mutualism
Competition
the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources
Effects of competition
resource depletion, resource dependency, winners vs losers, separate locations, natural selection, competitive exclusion
Fundamental Niche
The niche species could potentially occupy
- all possible combos of resources/conditions
Realized Niche
Actual resources/conditions used
Predation
An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism
- rarely have specific host
- mostly bigger than their prey
Complete predation
Results in death. Entire individual is consumed by another species
Incomplete predation
Parts of an individual are consumer, doesn't end in death
ex: grazing, herbivory
Predation is a large selection pressure
1. removes genes quickly
2. results in evolution of behavior->to defend against predators
Indirect Interactions
One species causes a change in another with no direct connection A--->C
Direct Interactions
Occur between two species (e.g., competition, predation, facilitation) A->B
Highly Interactive Species
Have huge impact on community
- if they are affected, there is big change in community
- have many solid arrows pointing to them
- very abundant
- if removed, there will likely be a collapse of biodiversity
Types of highly interactive species
Dominant and Keystone
Dominant Species
- the most abundant species present
- often create habitats
- can be important prey species
- important for food and shelter
- ex: alder trees in forest
keystone species
A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem
- has the greatest effect
- presence is so important that when removed, the community changes
- low abundance
Trophic Cascade
A series of changes in the population sizes of organisms at different trophic levels in a food chain, occurring when predators at high trophic levels (top carnivore) indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels (simplified plant life)
- removing top predator
- results in lower diversity and simplified plant community
- must include direct and indirect interactions
- ex: wolf, deer, plants (if you take out wolf, there will be more deer, then less plant life)
Succession
The process by which organisms move into space cleared by a disturbance
- when space becomes available, species fill that space
- driven by disturbances
Two types of succession
primary and secondary
Primary succession
An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed
- occurs after complete removal of biomass from an area
- ex: a newly cut rock face or sand dunes
- pioneer species take over
Pioneer species
First species to populate an area during primary succession
- annual plants, grasses, moss
- increase in nutrients after pioneer species lead to shrubs and trees
Secondary succession
Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil
- BROAD
- shifts in community due to small removals
- ex: tree falling in forest which allows new growth where it was
Disturbance
An event, such as storm, fire, flood, drought, overgrazing or human activity, that changes a community and alters resource availability (abiotic or biotic)
- REMOVAL OF BIOMASS
- ex: pieces of wood hitting rock where mussels live, thus knocking them off and opening space for other species
- DRIVES SUCCESSION
Biomass
The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.
biotic factors
living parts of an ecosystem
- plants and animals
- consumers, producers, decomposers
abiotic factors
Nonliving components of the environment
- wind, air, temperature, sun
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
the hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels
- At low disturbances, there's are no events happening which means no room for succession, one or two species are out-competing others and taking over
- At high disturbances, some species won't be able to cope with the pressure and die off
- Middle=perfect
Edge effect
different conditions that occur along the boundaries of an ecosystem
- act as transition zones
- if you have more edges than actual habitat area, species will do worse
- ex: roads, paved places, trail etc.
Measures of Diversity
2 components: richness and evenness
- variation of species in the ecosystem
- takes into account how many species are present and also how evenly distributed the numbers of each species are.
- Higher richness and evenness= higher diversity
Richness of species
The number of different species in an ecosystem
- total #
- 5 types of trees in an ecosystem
Evenness of species
Relative abundance of different species
- abundance
- ex: if 40 foxes and 1000 dogs, the community is not very even.
Shannon Index
Equation that measures species diversity
- Indicated by H
Pi in shannon index
Evenness: # of individual species/total # of individuals
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