Term
How do you find the Net primary productivity? |
|
Definition
Net primary productivity= Gross primary productivity-Respiration by autotrophs NPP=GPP-R |
|
|
Term
State the second law of thermodynamics and explain how it relates to the amount of energy at different levels of a food chain. |
|
Definition
| Second law of thermodynamics states that, when energy is transferred or transformed, part of the energy assumes a form that cannot pass on any further. Now energy transfer or transformation is 100% efficient. This means that there is less energy at higher trophic levels than at lower ones. |
|
|
Term
| Distinguish between assimilation efficiency and production efficiency |
|
Definition
Assimilation efficiency is the ratio of assimilation to ingestion It is the measure of the efficiency with which a consumer extracts energy from food Production efficiency is the ratio of production to assimilation a measure of the efficiency with which a consumer incorporates assimilated energy into secondary production |
|
|
Term
| Through what process do plants avoid losing water all of the nutrients contained in leaves that will be lost in preparation for winter |
|
Definition
| Translocation or retranslocation |
|
|
Term
| Where is the largest amount of carbon contained? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What two forms is nitrogen available to plants? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| what is rock and phosphate deposits a main reservoir of? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Define convergent evolution, and explain how this concept relates to the life forms found in a given biome. |
|
Definition
Convergent evolution is the evolution of similar characteristics in different taxonomic groups living in different areas under similar environmental conditions. This relates to life in biones in that a given biome can occur in separate regions of the world. These regions can have species that are not closely related but do have similar characteristics that have evolved in reponse to the similar conditions of the biome they live in |
|
|
Term
| what is a biome common in mediterranean climates? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Where are buttresses best developed? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| List and describe the four major zones of a lake |
|
Definition
littoral zone: the shallow water shoreline zone where sunlight can reach the bottom and rooted plants can occur Limnetic zone: the open water zone that extends to the depth of light penetration Profundal zone: zone below the depth of light penetration and below the compensation point Benthic zone: the bottom region which is the primary location of decomposition |
|
|
Term
| Where is primary production generally the highest in a stream? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
which of the following functional feeding groups dominates at the highest stream orders and in rivers? Collectors, gougers, grazers, shredders |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What are the tiny, photosynthetic producers of open waters are known as? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
An estuary best described as? |
|
Definition
| Freshwater flowing into and mixing with saltwater at the edge of the sea |
|
|
Term
| Where do mangrove forests generally occur, what kind of environment do mangrove trees live in, and what adaptations do they have to this environment? |
|
Definition
| Mangrove forests occur along coastlines of tropical regions where there is low wave action and the sediments are anoxiv (without oxygen). Adaptations to these conditions include shallow, widely spreading root systems and prop roots to provide stability and specialized root extensions called pneumatophores that take in oxygen. |
|
|
Term
| In which type of freshwater wetland is water flow primarily vertical? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
Which of the following contains the greatest number of known species Algae, crustaceans, coleoptera, fungi |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| During what period did large scale extinctions of dinosaurs and other groups occur (65 to 125 million years ago)? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Describe Swidden agriculture |
|
Definition
| Swidden agriculture is a type of traditional agriculture found primarily in the tropics. It is a system of shifting cultivation in which a plot of forest is cut down and burned to clear land for planting. The burning removes debris, but the plot is then cultivated and crops harvested until soil nutrient decline leads to decline in crop productivity. The plot is then abandoned and another site is cleared and planted. The abandoned site will recover its nutrient status if given enough time. |
|
|
Term
| Where is the risk of ground water contamination by nitrates generally the greatest in the U.S. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What kind of culture is a community consisting of a single crop species |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| List and distinguish among the three types of silvicultural/harvesting approaches discussed in class |
|
Definition
| Clear cutting involves removal of all trees in a forest stand. The stand may be allowed to regenerate naturally or a plantation forest may be established. The seed-tree or shelterwood system involves leaving a small number of trees to provide seed for natural regeneration. Selection cutting involves removal of single trees or groups of trees scattered in the forest producing only small gaps in the forest |
|
|
Term
| What term refers to a species that is found naturally in a single geographic area and nowhere else? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The number of individuals necessary to ensure the long term survival of a species is termed the ____ ____ population |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| List and explain the three major types of arguments in support of maintaining biodiversity |
|
Definition
Economic: Many of the products that we use such as pharmaceuticals, wood, etc come from other organisms Evolutionary/genetics: The extinction of modern day species limits the potential evolution of future species diversity Ethical: humans have no right to drive other organisms with which we share the planet to extinction |
|
|
Term
Which of the following gases in the atmosphere is not an important greenhouse gas? Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water vapor, ozone |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Where are most greenhouse gases produced through clearing of forests for agriculture |
|
Definition
| Latin america and tropical Africa |
|
|
