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General Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biomes

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Termini in questo insieme (28)

  • Darwin's observations leading to natural selection

    1) Individuals within populations vary in their traits.
    2) Species produce more offspring than the environment can support, leading to competition.

  • Inferences from Darwin's observations

    1) Individuals with favorable inherited traits produce more offspring.
    2) This leads to accumulation of favorable traits in populations over generations.

  • Key point about natural selection and evolution

    Natural selection acts on individuals, but populations evolve over generations as adaptive traits become more common.

  • Difference between organismal and population ecology

    Organismal ecology studies evolutionary adaptations of individuals to abiotic factors.
    Population ecology studies factors affecting population density and growth of species groups.

  • Community ecology focus

    Studies interactions between species, such as predation and competition, and their effects on community structure.

  • Ecosystem ecology definition

    Study of interactions between organisms in a community and abiotic factors in their environment, focusing on energy flow and chemical cycling.

  • Abiotic vs biotic factors in ecology

    Abiotic factors are nonliving (temperature, light, water).
    Biotic factors are living components of the environment.

  • Why is solar energy important for ecosystems?

    Solar energy powers photosynthesis, providing organic fuel and building materials for most ecosystems.

  • Adaptations of desert plants and animals

    Mechanisms to conserve water, such as water-storing tissues in plants and behavioral adaptations in animals.

  • Definition of a biome

    A major terrestrial or aquatic life zone characterized by vegetation type or physical environment.

  • Difference between freshwater and marine biomes

    Freshwater biomes have salt concentration less than 1%, marine biomes around 3%.

  • Photic zone in aquatic biomes

    Zone where light is available for photosynthesis, including shallow water near shore and upper layers away from shore.

  • Role of phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems

    Microscopic algae and cyanobacteria that perform photosynthesis and form the base of aquatic food webs.

  • How does climate affect terrestrial biome distribution?

    Temperature and rainfall patterns, influenced by solar energy and Earth's movement, determine biome types.

  • Why is there high rainfall in the tropics?

    Warm air at the equator rises, cools, forms clouds, and causes heavy rainfall due to moisture condensation.

  • Characteristics of tropical rainforests

    Warm year-round, high rainfall, layered vegetation with a closed canopy and diverse habitats.

  • Adaptations of deciduous trees to cold winters

    Loss of leaves reduces water loss when soil water is frozen and unavailable.

  • Definition of the biosphere

    The global ecosystem, sum of all planet’s ecosystems including all life and where it lives.

  • Human impact on freshwater ecosystems

    Pollution from nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, industrial wastes, overuse of groundwater, and drought threaten freshwater habitats.

  • Greenhouse effect explained

    Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere by absorbing and reflecting heat energy, warming Earth.

  • Major source of CO2 from human activities

    Burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas.

  • Effects of climate change on species distribution

    Species ranges shift toward poles or higher elevations as temperatures rise due to global warming.

  • Role of bark beetles in forest ecosystems under climate change

    Warmer temperatures allow beetles to reproduce more, causing outbreaks that kill drought-stressed trees and increase wildfire risk.

  • What is acclimation in organisms?

    A reversible physiological adjustment to environmental changes within an individual’s lifetime.

  • Difference between physiological, anatomical, and behavioral responses to environment

    Physiological: internal adjustments; Anatomical: body structure changes; Behavioral: moving or changing actions.

  • Why are climbing plants common in tropical rainforests?

    They climb to reach sunlight above the dense canopy where light is limited near the ground.

  • Definition of population density

    Number of individuals of a species living in a given area.

  • Definition of population growth

    Rate at which new individuals are added to a population.