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Questions and Answers
What best describes a population in ecological terms?
Which of the following is NOT an attribute of ecosystems?
What role does dead wood play in an ecosystem?
What term describes a group of spatially structured individuals interacting via dispersal?
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Which of the following is a function of ecosystems?
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What influences the dynamics of ecosystems over time?
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Which spatial pattern in ecosystems is characterized by a uniform distribution of elements?
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What process do plants utilize to gain carbon?
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What is the primary function of ATP and NADPH in plants?
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Which process is essential for converting sugars into usable energy in plants?
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What is the light compensation point in photosynthesis?
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How does temperature affect photosynthesis and respiration?
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What does an increase in CO2 concentration do to the light saturation point?
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Which plant species is known for exceptional drought resilience due to stomata regulation?
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What is the main factor of soil water potential (SWP)?
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What is the relationship between photosynthesis and plant growth?
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What process occurs simultaneously with the growth of size in trees due to increased individual demand for resources?
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In the young old-growth forest stage, what is NOT a characteristic described?
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What defines the ancient old growth stage of forests?
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What is the term used to describe the interactions for limited resources that affect plant performance?
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What does relative density (RD) range from?
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Which statement about canopy closure is true?
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Which type of competition involves interactions and access to resources being distance dependent?
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What process is mentioned as an important agent of change for stand competition and structure?
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What role does mortality at the seedling/sapling stage play in forest ecosystems?
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Which concept describes species interactions that benefit at least one participant without harming either?
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What is a primary factor that influences the density and distribution of seeds in a forest?
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Which fire adaptation allows trees to have a canopy seed bank?
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What is the term for the long-term characteristics of fires at a specific location?
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Which trait is NOT considered a functional trait that affects plant growth and survival?
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In what kind of environments do ecological facilitation, like nurse logs, commonly occur?
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What is the definition of fire intensity?
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What does morphological plasticity in plants refer to?
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Which statement best differentiates between shade tolerant and shade obligate plants?
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How is Specific Leaf Area (SLA) calculated?
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What does the Leaf Area Index (LAI) measure?
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What does the Beer-Lambert Law explain in relation to forest canopies?
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What is a significant tradeoff for sun leaves in relation to photosynthesis?
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What is the primary difference between weather and climate?
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What primarily influences the variation of leaf morphology within a tree crown?
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Study Notes
Ecology & Ecosystems
- Ecology is the scientific study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment, influencing distribution and abundance.
- A population is a group of interbreeding individuals of the same species living in the same area.
- A metapopulation is a group of populations connected by dispersal.
- A community is an assemblage of different species interacting in the same location.
- An ecosystem encompasses a community and its physical environment, known as the habitat.
- Ecosystem attributes include composition (species present), structure (physical arrangement), and function (processes occurring).
- Ecosystems are dynamic, changing over time due to drivers like disturbance, biotic interactions, physical template, and species attributes.
- Disturbances like wildfire, floods, erosion, and debris flows significantly impact ecosystem structure, composition, and function.
Plant Growth & Photosynthesis
- Plants gain carbon through photosynthesis, using light energy to create sugars (food).
- Photosynthesis involves capturing light energy, converting it into high-energy compounds ATP and NADPH, and using these to fix carbon.
- Most plants use C3 photosynthesis.
- Respiration is the process where plants use sugars to produce energy for work.
- Growth occurs when photosynthesis exceeds respiration, while unsustainable growth results when respiration dominates.
- Temperature, light, and gas exchange (CO2 & H2O) influence photosynthesis.
- Light compensation point is the light level where photosynthesis equals respiration (net 0).
- Light saturation point is the light level where photosynthesis reaches its maximum regardless of further light increase.
Leaf Gas Exchange & Stomata
- Leaf gas exchange is a tradeoff between CO2 uptake for photosynthesis and water loss through transpiration.
- Stomata are pores on leaves that regulate gas exchange.
- Soil water potential (SWP) is a measure of water availability, influenced by matric potential.
- Ponderosa pine has exceptional drought resilience due to efficient stomata regulation, while Western Larch struggles with it.
Forest Light Variation & Adaptation
- Forests have significant light variation, influenced by factors like latitude, season, cloud cover, and canopy density.
- Forests create their own light environments through biomass production and canopy formation.
- Morphological plasticity refers to adaptable leaf changes along light gradients, like leaf inclination, stomatal density, and palisade layer thickness.
- Specific leaf area (SLA) is the ratio of leaf area to leaf dry mass, while leaf mass per area (LMA) is the inverse, both are sensitive to water stress and light environments.
Canopy Structure & Light Response Curves
- Light response curves show the relationship between light intensity and net photosynthesis at the leaf scale.
- Sun leaves have higher photosynthetic rates at high light levels but also higher respiration costs.
- Canopy structure influences the light profile.
- Leaf area index (LAI) is the total leaf area per unit ground area, essential for understanding energy and material exchange.
- The Beer-Lambert law describes light attenuation through a material, applicable to forest canopies.
Climate, Competition, & Mortality
- Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions, while climate is the long-term average weather pattern.
- Climate normals are standardized summaries of climate data over 30-year periods.
- Competition-based mortality occurs as trees grow, leading to increased resource demand, resulting in mortality and size growth.
- Maturation of dominant trees leads to canopy thinning and understory re-establishment.
- Agent-cause mortality is caused by factors like insects, diseases, and disturbances.
Forest Stages & Old-growth
- Young old-growth forests feature large trees, abundant dead wood, multiple canopy layers, and diverse species.
- Old-growth forests are later stages with specific characteristics, including large, old trees of long-lived species, complex stand structure, high stand mortality, and few invasive species.
- Ancient old-growth forests are beyond traditional harvest age and feature high-quality conditions.
Canopy Closure, Competition, & Regeneration
- Canopy closure occurs when the density of large trees reaches a point where the site is mostly occupied.
- Competition for limited resources affects individual plant performance.
- Types of competition include intraspecific (within a species) and interspecific (between species).
- Competition is a spatial process where interactions and resource access depend on distance.
- Relative density (RD) is a measure of stand density, ranging from 0 to 1, used to assess competition levels.
- Mortality at early stages (seedling/sapling) regulates the pool of potential recruits for canopy gaps.
Seedling Dynamics & Facilitation
- Life history stage-based model considers stages from reproductive adults to seedlings, encompassing seed production, dispersal, germination, and seedling density.
- Ecological facilitation, also called probiosis, occurs when one species benefitting another without harm. It can be mutualistic (both benefit) or commensalistic (one benefits, the other is unaffected).
- Nurse logs are decaying trees facilitating the growth of certain species.
Plant Functional Traits & Adaptations
- Plant functional traits are measurable characteristics influencing performance and function.
- Fire adaptations include serotinous cones (canopy seed bank), germination response to fire scarification, fruit and flower production, thick fire-resistant bark, self-trimming limbs, and sprouting from adventitious buds.
Fire Behavior & Regime
- Fire behavior describes the magnitude, direction, and intensity of fire spread.
- Fire intensity measures the rate of energy release along a fire line.
- Fire severity describes the impact of fire on vegetation and soil.
- Fire regime captures long-term fire characteristics (frequency, magnitude) in a given location.
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Description
Test your knowledge on ecology, ecosystems, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. This quiz covers definitions of key terms, ecosystem attributes, and the impact of disturbances on ecological communities. Assess your understanding of population dynamics and plant growth within ecosystems.
