Unit 3

a single fish living in the lake's shallow water near the shoreline is an example of a(n) __________. a. organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem

a group of fish of the same species inhabiting the shallow water near the shoreline is an example of a(n) __________. a. organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem

fishes, invertebrates, plants, and microbes inhabiting the shallow water near the shoreline is an example of a(n) __________. a. organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem

the fishes, invertebrates, plants, microbes, rocks, sediments, and water in the lake, and the interactions between them is an example of a(n) __________. a. organism b. population c. community d. ecosystem

_____ are secondary consumers. a. producers b. herbivores c. plants d. cows e. carnivores

Approximately _____% of the energy at one trophic level is passed on to the next highest trophic level. a. 0-5 b. 5-10 c. 10-15 d. 15-20 e. 90-100

10,000 kcal of producer could support approximately _____ kcal of tertiary consumer. a. 1,000 b. 100 c. 10 d. 1 e. 0

In an ecosystem, phytoplankton are _____. a. detritivores b. primary consumers c. tertiary consumers d. producers e. secondary consumers

An earthworm that feeds on the remains of plants and animals is acting as a _____. a. primary consumer b. detritivore c. tertiary consumer d. producer e. secondary consumer

When a human eats a steak, the human is acting as a _____. a. detritivore b. primary consumer c. producer d. tertiary consumer e. secondary consumer

A cow eating grass is an example of a _____. a. secondary consumer b. primary consumer c. detritivore d. producer e. tertiary consumer

A seal that just ate a clam is eaten by a shark. The shark is acting as a _____. a. producer b. detritivore c. secondary consumer d. primary consumer e. tertiary consumer

several organisms entering a population is an example of ______. a. gene flow b. genetic drift c. natural selection

an organism resembling a twig is an example of _____. a. gene flow b. genetic drift c. natural selection

an organism attracting more females because of its appearance is an example of _____. a. gene flow b. genetic drift c. natural selection

some organisms reproducing by chance while others do not is an example of _____. a. gene flow b. genetic drift c. natural selection

a bird has a thick bill & eats large seeds (or hard seeds) is an example of _____. a. gene flow b. genetic drift c. natural selection

the process by which traits that lead to increased reproductive success in a given environment evolve in a given environment through natural selection

a trait that confers greater likelihood that an individual will reproduce

the relative numbers of organisms of each age within a population

natural selection conducted under human direction

the variety of life across all levels of the biological organization

the sum total of all the planet's living organisms & the abiotic portions of the environment with which they interact

the maximum population size that a given environment can sustain

in ecology, an assemblage of populations of organisms that live in the same place at the same time

the scientific study of patterns of species diversity & interactions among species

the evolutionary process by which very unrelated species acquire similar traits as they adapt to selective pressures from similar environments

English naturalist who proposed the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution & as a way to explain the great variety of living things (1809-1882)

a social scientist who studies the population size, density, distribution, age structure, sex ratio, & rates of birth, death, immigration, & emigration of human populations

a limiting factor whose effects on a population increase or decrease depending on the population density

a limiting factor whose effects on a population are constant regardless of population density

the science that deals with the distribution & abundance of organisms, the interactions among them, & the interactions between organisms & their abiotic environments

the study of how the living & nonliving components of ecosystems interact

all organisms & nonliving entities that occur & interact in a particular area at the same time

visitation of natural areas for tourism & recreation

the departure of individuals from a population

native or restricted to a particular geographic region

genetically based change in the appearance, functioning, &/or behavior of organisms across generations, often by the process of natural selection

the increase of a population (or anything) by a fixed percentage each year

the disappearance of an entire species from earth

the remains, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of past geological ages that has been preserved in rock or sediments

the cumulative body of fossils worldwide

a species that can survive in a wide array of habitats or use a wide array of resources

the specific environment in which an organism lives, including biotic & abiotic factors

the process by which organisms choose habitats from among the range of options they encounter

the process by which organisms use habitats from among the range of options they encounter

the arrival of individuals from outside a population

term denoting a species with low biotic potential whose members produce a small number of offspring & take a long time to gestate & raise each of their young, but invest heavily in promoting the survival & growth of these few offspring

a physical, chemical, or biological characteristic of the environment that restrains population growth

a plot that shows how the initial exponential growth of a population is slowed & finally brought to a standstill by limiting factors

the extinction of a large proportion of the world's species in a very short time period due to some extreme & rapid change or catastrophic event

an accidental change in DNA that may range in magnitude from the deletion, substitution, or addition of a single nucleotide to a change affecting entire sets of chromosomes; provide the raw material for evolutionary change

the process by which traits that enhance survival & reproduction are passed on more frequently to future generations of organisms that traits that do not, thus altering the genetic makeup of populations through time

a treelike diagram that represents the history of divergence of species or other taxonomic groups or organisms

a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area

the number of individuals within a population per unit area

the spatial arrangement of organisms within a particular area

the study of the quantitive dynamics of population change & the factors that affect the distribution & abundance of members of a population

the rate of change in a population's size per unit time

the number of individual organisms present at a given time in a population

term denoting a species with high biotic potential whose members produce a large number of offspring in a relatively short time but do not care for their offspring after birth

the rate of change in a population's size resulting from both birth & death rates alone, excluding migration

the proportion of males to females in a population

a species that can survive only in a narrow range of habitats that contain very specific resources

the process by which new species are generated

a population or group of populations of a particular type of organism whose members share certain characteristics & can breed freely with one another & produce fertile offspring

a graph that shows how the likelihood of death for members of a population varies with age

English naturalist who proposed, independent of Charles Darwin, the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution & as a way to explain the great variety of living things

an organism that can use the energy from sunlight to produce its own food

organic material that makes up living organisms; the collective mass of living matter in a given place & time

a major regional complex of similar plant communities

a biome of northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across much of Canada, Alaska, Russia, & Scandinavia

an organism that consumes animals

a biome consisting mostly of densely thickened evergreen shrubs occurring in limited small patches

a phenomenon resulting from competition among species in which competing species evolve characteristics that better adapt them to specialize on the portion of the resource they use

a visual representation of a region's average monthly temperature & precipitation

in the traditional view of ecological succession, a community that remains in place with little modification until disturbance restarts the successional process

process by which two or more species evolve in response to one another

an assemblage of populations of organisms that live in the same place at the same time

a relationship in which multiple organisms seek the same limited resource

an outcome of interspecific competition in which one species excludes another species from resource use entirely

an organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down leaf litter & other nonliving matter into simple constituents that can be taken up & used by plants

the driest biome on Earth

an organism, such as a millipede or soil insect that scavenges the waste products or dead bodies of other community members

an event that affects environmental conditions rapidly & drastically, resulting in changes to the community & ecosystem

efforts to reverse the effects of human disruption of ecological systems & to restore communities to their condition before the disruption

a linear series of feeding relationships

a visual representation of feeding interactions within an ecological community that shows an array of relationships between organisms at different trophic levels

the full niche of a species

an organism that consumes plants

the consumption of plants by animals

the organism in a parasitic relationship that suffers harm while providing the parasite nourishment or some other benefit

competition that takes place among members of two or more different species

competition that takes place among members of the same species

species introduced by human beings from one place to another (whether intentionally or by accident)

a species that spreads widely & rapidly becomes dominant in a community, interfering with the community's normal functioning

a species that has an especially far-reaching effect on a community

a relationship in which all participating organisms benefit from their interaction

an ecological community composed of a novel mixture of organisms, with no current analog or historical precedent

an organism that consumes both plants & animals

the organism in a parasitic relationship that extracts nourishment or some other benefit from the host

a relationship in which one organism, the parasite, depends on another, the host, for nourishment or some other benefit while simultaneously doing the host harm

an insect that parasitizes other insects, generally causing eventual death for the host

a parasite that causes disease in its host

in tundra, underground soil that remains more or less permanently frozen

a fundamental shift in the overall character of an ecological community, generally occurring after some extreme disturbance & after which the community may not return to its original state

microscopic photosynthetic algae, protists, & cyanobacteria that drift near the surface of water bodies & generally form the first trophic level in an aquatic food chain

a species that arrives earliest, beginning the ecological process of succession in a terrestrial or aquatic community

a plant-animal interaction in which one organism transfers pollen from flower to flower, fertilizing ovaries that grow into fruits with seeds

the process in which one species hunts, tracks, captures, & ultimately kills its prey

an organism that hunts, captures, kills, & consumes individuals of another species

an organism that is killed & consumed

an organism that consumes producers & feeds at the second trophic level

a stereotypical series of changes as a ecological community develops over time, beginning with a lifeless substrate

an organism that uses energy from sunlight to produce its own food

a region on one side of a mountain or mountain range that experiences arid climate

the portion of the fundamental niche that is fully used by a species

the ability of an ecological community to change in response to disturbance but later return to its original state

the ability of an ecological community to remain stable in the presence of a disturbance

the process by which species adapt to competition by evolving to use slightly different resources, or to use their shared resources in different ways, thus minimizing interference with one another

the study of the historical conditions of ecological communities as they existed before humans altered them

a biome characterized by grassland interspersed with clusters of acaias & other trees

an organism that consumes primary consumers & feeds at the third trophic level

a stereotypical series of changes as an ecological community develops over time, beginning when some event disrupts or dramatically alters an existing community

an outcome of interspecific competition in which no competing species fully excludes others & the species continue to live side by side

a stereotypical series of changes in the composition & structure of an ecological community through time

a relationship between different species of organisms that live in close physical proximity

a biome consisting of midlatitude forests characterized by broad-leafed trees that lose their leaves each fall & remain dormant during winter

a biome whose vegetation is dominated by grasses & features more extreme temperature differences between winter & summer & less precipitation than temperate deciduous forests

a biome consisting of tall coniferous trees, cooler & less species-rich than tropical rainforest & milder & wetter than temperate deciduous forest

an organism that consumes secondary consumers & feeds at the fourth trophic level

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 indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels by keeping species at intermediate trophic levels in check

rank in the feeding hierarchy of a food chain

a biome that consists of deciduous trees & occurs at tropical & subtropical latitudes where wet & dry seasons each span about half the year

a biome characterized by year-round rain & uniformly warm temperatures

a biome that is nearly as dry as desert but is located at very high latitudes along the northern edges of Russia, Canada, & Scandinavia; extremely cold winters with little daylight & moderately cool summers with lengthy days characterize this landscape of lichens & low, scrubby vegtation

tiny aquatic animals that feed on phytoplankton & generally comprise the second trophic level in an aquatic food chain

two species live in the same area but different habitats

two species have different mating seasons

two species have different mating signals, calls, dances, ect.

two species are anatomically incompatible

two species' gametes (egg/sperm) come together but cannot become zygotes

hybrids form, but fail to finish development

hybrids form & develop, but are sterile (ex: mules)