BIOL 101EN Final Exam Unit 1 Study Guide (Fa24) PDF

BIOL 101EN Final Exam Unit 1: Ecology Study Guide Sessions 1 – 2 *This does NOT cover ALL possible topics that can be on the quiz. This is just a GUIDE of what may be...

BIOL 101EN Final Exam Unit 1: Ecology Study Guide Sessions 1 – 2 *This does NOT cover ALL possible topics that can be on the quiz. This is just a GUIDE of what may be important to study or what topics we covered. Remember to review the textbook and class discussions.* Characteristics of Ecology Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors Population Life Population Community Ecosystem Biome Biosphere Ecology Exponential Logistic Growth Carrying Capacity Limiting Factors Population Density Growth (J Curve) (S Curve) Density- Density- Dependent Independent Immigration Emigration Invasive Species Factors Factors Community Competition Symbiosis Mutualism Commensalism Ecology Ecological Parasitism Predation Herbivory Keystone Species Succession Primary Secondary Food Web/ Pioneer Species Climax Community Succession Succession Food Chain Autotroph / Heterotroph / Trophic Levels Detritivore Biomass Pyramid Producer Consumer Biological Biogeochemical Bioaccumulation Biomagnification Bioremediation Augmentation Cycles Climate Climate Change Carbon Source Carbon Sink Extinction Habitat Biodiversity Overexploitation Edge Effects Pollution Destruction Acid Rain Eutrophication Conservation Know the characteristics (properties) of life Know the levels of organization from organism and up - Organism/Individual - Population: group of same species in the same area - Community: group of multiple species (populations) in the same area - Ecosystem: the biotic and abiotic factors in a given area - Biome: groups of similar ecosystems - Biosphere: the Earth Population Dynamics Factors that cause Population increase: - births, immigration (migration into the area), expanding territory, better technology to prevent early death, loss of a predator Factors that cause Population decrease: - deaths, emigration (migration away), loss of resources, sterility (inability to reproduce), introduction of a predator Population size is dependent on Limited Resources (not enough space, food, light, etc) Exponential Growth (J Curve) - Population is expanding exponentially - Out of control growth because resources are unlimited - Ex: humans, bacteria Logistic Growth (S Curve) - Population grows, crashes or declines, then stabilizes around the carrying capacity - Limited resources force the population to stop growing - Carrying Capacity is the maximum population size an environment can sustain based on the current number of resources and predators - Ex: most other wild species Predator-Prey Curves - Graphs that show how predator & prey populations change in relation to each other Be able to read and analyze graphs like those shown above. (What happens when the prey numbers increase? Why? What happens when the predator numbers increase? Why? Etc.) Organismal Interactions Constant interactions lead to competition over resources. Predation - One organism hunts and consumes another for food, usually referring to animals Herbivory - An organism consumes plants for food energy Symbiosis - Two organisms of different species interacting and living in close physical association (often to the benefit of one or both) Three Types of Symbiosis - Mutualism (+,+) - both organisms benefit - Ex: oxpecker bird and rhino, cleaner shrimp, pollinators, human and bacteria - Commensalism (+,0) - one organism benefits, other isn’t harmed or helped (neutral) - Ex: cattle/elephants and birds, barnacles and whales - Parasitism (+,-) - one organism benefits by harming the other - Ex: mistletoe and trees, tapeworm and human, mosquitoes and mammals, cuckoo bird and smaller bird species Succession How ecosystems change and develop over time - Two Types: Primary Succession and Secondary Succession - Pioneer Species: the first species to return to the area and start the succession process. Ex: grass, moss, lichen, algae, bacteria - Climax Community: the end point where the ecosystem achieves stability and has a lot of biodiversity Ex: oak, hickory and pine forests of VA Primary Succession - Begins on bare rock or where there has never been an ecosystem - Occurs after a volcanic eruption or glacial movement - Lichens (pioneer species) turn rock into soil - Can take thousands of years to create a climax community Secondary Succession - Begins on soil or where an ecosystem was recently disrupted - Occurs after a forest fire, deforestation, hurricane, tornado, a crop field is abandoned - Grasses are the pioneer species Energy and Nutrient Cycling The Law of Conservation of Energy and Matter tells us that we cannot create or destroy matter and energy. As a result, if we need more energy or matter, we have to get it from our environment. The ultimate source of all energy on the planet is the sun. Trophic Structure - The role of organisms in the ecosystem based on how they acquire energy - Autotrophs (Producers) – take sunlight energy and convert it into chemical energy for food - Heterotrophs (Consumers) – consume other organisms for energy (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores) - Detritivores – consume detritus (dead or decaying organic material) for energy and often cycle nutrients back into the environment - Often shaped as a pyramid to indicate that you lose energy as you go up in levels. Want more producers since they feed everyone else. - Lose energy from level to level because organisms use the energy for work or they lose it to heat Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification - Pollution can cause accumulation of toxic materials in the environment. - Bioaccumulation – as organisms eat more and more toxins, those toxins accumulate or build up in their bodies - Biomagnification – when an organism higher up on the trophic level eats a plant or animal that has accumulated a lot of toxins, it concentrates the toxins until they can reach harmful levels Biogeochemical Cycling - Nutrients (matter) must be cycled, just like energy - There is an abiotic reservoir of these nutrients. Meaning there is some aspect of the environment where these nutrients accumulate (ex: carbon accumulates in the atmosphere as CO2) - Producers can take the nutrient out of the abiotic reservoir and convert it into a form that other consumers can easily use. - Consumers take in and use the nutrient. They can then excrete it in waste back into the abiotic reservoir (environment) or use it to make up their physical bodies. - When consumers and producers die, their bodies are broken down by detritivores who use the nutrients or they cycle those nutrients back into the abiotic reservoir (environment). - Ex: water cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, phosphorus cycle Biomes Biomes are groups of similar ecosystems Determined by their latitude and climate (terrestrial or land-based) or their salt levels/salinity (aquatic or water-based biomes). Examples include: coral reefs, deserts, chaparral, tropical rainforest, lakes, etc. Biodiversity Important for the health and balance of ecosystems and biomes. Makes them more resilient to environmental changes. Three types of diversity - Genetic Diversity - Ecosystem Diversity - Species Diversity Climate and Climate Change Climate is the overall weather patterns of an area over long periods of time. The rate of climate change is thought to be increasing due to human activity. Climate change causes habitat loss or destruction which is one of the leading drivers of extinctions. Human Impact on the Environment 1) Pollution and Bioremediation 2) Deforestation, Habitat Destruction, Fragmentation and Edge Effects - How is it detrimental to the environment? How does it decrease biodiversity? Can it ever increase biodiversity? 3) Extinction 4) Overexploitation 5) Conservation - How are humans involved in land and animal conservation? Why is conservation of species important? What are the pros and cons of land conservation?