Biology Midterm Study Guide - Functional Diversity

Plants face a trade-off when opening stomata, balancing CO2 intake for photosynthesis with water loss through transpiration.

Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships between plant roots and fungi. The fungi help plants absorb water and nutrients, while the plant provides the fungi with carbohydrates.

Panting and sweating are mechanisms used by endotherms (warm-blooded animals) to release excess heat when their internal temperature rises above their thermoneutral zone.

The size of a tree ring reflects the amount of growth in a particular year. Smaller rings indicate less growth, potentially due to factors like cone production, which requires energy and resources.

Endotherms can maintain a stable body temperature within a certain range called the thermoneutral zone. This is where they don't need to use extra energy to heat or cool down.

Plants can allocate energy to different parts of themselves depending on environmental conditions. For example, if water or nutrients are scarce, they may allocate energy to grow a larger root system.

Sunlight is essential for photosynthesis, but too much can be harmful. Plants may reduce stomata density to minimize water loss and protect themselves from excess sunlight.

The amount of energy a plant uses for things like reproduction, growing leaves or roots, is called resource allocation. It is influenced by factors such as light, water, and nutrients.

A physiological adjustment a species makes in response to environmental changes, often reversible and not a change in genetic makeup.

A type of adaptation where a prey animal reduces its chance of being detected by a predator, reducing the likelihood of being preyed upon.

A phenomenon where a mountain range blocks moisture from moving over it, creating a drier environment on the leeward side.

The movement of continents over time, responsible for the distribution of landmasses and species.

The concept that large animals can reach sexual maturity later due to the longer time needed to grow, while smaller animals mature faster to invest in reproduction.

A graph that shows the total number of species discovered in a sample as the sampling effort increases.

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain

The process by which populations change over time in response to environmental pressures.

A measure of how many different species are present in a given habitat.

A measure of how evenly distributed the individuals of each species are in a habitat.

A comprehensive measure of biodiversity that considers both the number and relative abundance of species in a habitat.

A large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern driven by uneven heating of the Earth, where warm, moist air rises at the equator and descends at around 30 degrees latitude, creating arid regions.

The number in an RCP (Representative Concentration Pathway) represents the projected increase in radiative forcing, which is a measure of the strength of the greenhouse effect. It is measured in watts per square meter.

The greenhouse effect describes the process where certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the Earth. This process allows for life on Earth, however, increased greenhouse gas concentration can lead to climate change.

Infrared radiation is the type of electromagnetic radiation that is primarily absorbed and re-emitted by greenhouse gases. This process traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect.

CAM plants (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) have evolved a strategy to reduce water loss in arid environments by opening their stomata at night to absorb carbon dioxide and then fixing it during the day. This helps them photosynthesize efficiently while minimizing water loss through transpiration.

Rhodophytes are red algae because they contain a pigment called phycoerythrin, which absorbs primarily blue and green light, reflecting red light.

A net reproductive rate greater than 1 indicates that a population is growing. The intrinsic growth rate (r) is a measure of how quickly a population is growing due to births and deaths, and it is directly related to the net reproductive rate.

The generation time is the average time between the birth of a parent and the birth of their offspring. It is not directly determined by the net reproductive rate.

A net reproductive rate greater than 1 indicates that some individuals are surviving to reach an age class that has positive fecundity (reproductive output).

Species richness refers to the total number of different species present in a community, while species evenness measures the relative abundance of each species. When a community has high species evenness, it means that all species are relatively similar in abundance, contributing to a higher diversity index (D).

The species-area curve describes the relationship between the area of a habitat and the number of species found within that area. A steeper slope indicates a faster increase in the number of species with increasing area.

Ectotherms rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature, so their body temperature fluctuates with the environment. Endotherms maintain a stable internal body temperature through internal metabolic processes, allowing them to stay active in a wider range of environmental temperatures.

The greenhouse effect refers to the natural process where certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the Earth's surface. These gases, like carbon dioxide, act like a blanket, preventing heat from escaping into space.

The principle of allocation states that an organism has a limited amount of energy and resources, and must allocate these resources among different life functions like growth, reproduction, and maintenance. This leads to trade-offs, where investing in one function often comes at the cost of another.

Endotherms use metabolic energy to generate heat, particularly when ambient temperatures are below their thermoneutral zone. This helps them maintain a stable internal body temperature.

The carrying capacity of a population is the maximum number of individuals a particular environment can support given available resources. A species' life history strategy, including the size and number of offspring produced, can be influenced by the carrying capacity.

R0, often called the net reproductive rate, is the average number of offspring produced by an individual in its lifetime. It reflects a population's growth potential, with R0 > 1 indicating population growth.