Term
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Definition
| the study of the distributions of organisms at varying spatial and temporal scales, as well as the processes that produce these distribution patterns |
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Term
| What is Ecological biogeography? |
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Definition
| Branch of biogeography focusing on how distribution patterns of organisms are related to their environment |
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Term
| What is historical biogeoraphy? |
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Definition
| Branch of biogeography focusing on how spatial patterns of organisms arise over space and through time |
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Term
| What does "ecology" mean? |
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Definition
| science of interactions between life forms and their environment; the science of ecosystems |
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Term
| What are the abiotic components of an ecosystem? |
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Definition
The non-living factors in an ecosystem that
affect the survival of organisms in that ecosystem.
(ex: water, sun, temp) |
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Term
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Definition
| subdivision of the environment according to the needs and preferences of organisms or groups of organisms |
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Term
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Definition
| an assemblage of organisms that live in a particular habitat and interact with one another |
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Term
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Definition
| functional role of organisms in an ecosystem |
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Term
| What are the relative amounts of energy following the organic path? |
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Definition
| Converted into organic compounds in plants (the energy that drives ALL LIFE ON EARTH) - (< 1%) |
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Term
| What are the relative amounts of energy following the heat path? |
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Definition
| Converted to heat by atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces (water cycle, nutrient cycle, atmospheric circulation) - (> 99%) |
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Term
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Definition
Sequence in which energy flows through trophic levels (successive consumers stages - who eats who?)
-Primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, quanternary consumers |
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Term
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Definition
| The feeding position in a food chain such as primary producers, herbivore, primary carnivore, primary producers |
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Term
| What are the differences between a terrestrial and an aquatic food chain? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Manufacture living (organic) tissue from non-living (inorganic) chemicals |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What is the difference between detritus and the grazing food chains? |
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Definition
Grazing chain: above ground
Detritus chain: the decomposers who consume dead organic material (detritus) |
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Term
| What's the concept of an energy pyramid? |
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Definition
| Energy passed from one trophic level to the next (only 10% of energy from each trophic level gets passed onto the next level) |
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Term
| How do terrestrial and marine biomass pyramids differ? |
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Definition
Terrestrial: starts with plants and ends with carnivores (pyramid)
Aquatic: starts with carnivores and ends with plants (upside-down pyramid)
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Term
| How is energy transferred in photosynthesis? |
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Definition
| production of carbohydrate by the union of water with carbon dixoide while absorbing light energy |
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Term
| How is energy transferred in respiration? |
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Definition
| the oxidation of organic compounds by organisms that power bodily functions |
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Term
| What is the equation for photosynthesis? |
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Definition
| CO2 H12 O6 + Oxygen ----> CO2 + H2O + Energy |
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Term
| What is the equation for respiration? |
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Definition
| C6 H12 O6 + Oxygen ---> CO2 + H2O + Energy |
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Term
| What kind of reaction is decomposition? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the difference between net and gross primary productivity? |
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Definition
Gross primary productivity: rate at which energy is stored in organic chemicals by primary producters in photosynthesis
Net primary pdoructivity: rate at which energy is stored in plant tissue
(Gross PP = Respiration + Net PP) |
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Term
| Why is the omnivorous human diet wasteful? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism |
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Term
| What does the term "biogeochemical cycles" mean? |
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Definition
| Total system of pathways by which a paticular type of matter (a give element, compound, or ion) moves through the Earth's ecosystem or biosphere; also called a material cycle or nutrient cycle |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of pool in hte biogeochemical cycle in which the materials are in forms and places easily accessible to life processes |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of pool in a biogeochemical cycle in which materials are largely inaccessible to life |
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Term
| What are examples of active and storage pools in the carbon cycle? |
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Definition
Active pools: life processes
Storage pools: physical processes |
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Term
| What are the two main pathways in the carbon cycle that cycles carbon between the atmosphere and biosphere? |
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Definition
| Carbon dixoide and carbon |
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Term
| What are the organic forms of carbon in the carbon cycle? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the inorganic forms of carbon in the carbon cycle? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is nitrogen fixation, and why is it important? |
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Definition
Chemical process of conversion of gaseous molecular nitrogen of the atmosphere into compounds or ions that can be directly utilized by plants; a process carried out within the nitrogen cycle by certain microorganisms.
Because living thing requires some nitrogen |
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Term
| What are the biological and industrial forms of nitrogen fixation? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A seed, pod, or other edible part of a leguminous plant used as food (clover, alfalfa, soybeans, peas, beans, and peanuts) |
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Term
| What are legumes' role in the nitrogen cycle? |
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Definition
| They help change Nitrogen into useful forms in a process called nitrogen fixation |
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Term
| How are bacteria symbiotic with legumes? |
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Definition
The bacteria live in the plants cells, located on the root, and form nodules. These nodules convert nitrogen gas in the soil to usable energy for the plant. In return the bacteria have a safe place to live and reproduce |
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Term
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Definition
| Process that returns the nitrogen to the atmosphere |
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Term
| How is denitrification accomplished in the nitrogen cycle? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| is the release of a gas that was dissolved, trapped, frozen or absorbed in some material |
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Term
| What are some xerophytic plant adaptations? |
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Definition
| Plants that are adapted to a dry and sometimes hot envrionment (ex: phreatrophytes) |
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Term
| What are some tropophytic plant adaptations? |
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Definition
| Deciduous, shedding their leaves at the onset of the dry season and growing new ones with the arrival of the wet season |
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Term
| What are some hydrophytic plant adaptations? |
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Definition
Water-tolerant; require saturation (Halophytic: salt tolerant)
-Thin cuticle
-Flat leaves and air scats for floating
-"knees" aerial roots
-Aerenchyma tissue: large cells with air spaces
-Adventitious roots (water roots): above soil surface (come out of stems) |
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Term
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Definition
| A soft plant tissue containing air spaces, found esp. in many aquatic plants |
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Term
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Definition
| appening or carried on according to chance rather than design or inherent nature |
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Term
| What are adaptations to temperature for cold and warm blooded animals |
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Definition
Cold blooded: no internal temp regulation, (active during warm; dormant during cold)
Warm blooded: metabolism maintains constant temp (fur, hair, feathers, fat, sweating, panting) |
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Term
| What is a bioclimatic frontier? |
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Definition
| Boundary marking limits of species tolerance to envrionmental factors |
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Term
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Definition
| Form of interaction among plant or animal species in which both draw resources from the same pool |
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Term
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Definition
| Form of negative interaction among animal species in which one species (predator) kills and consumes the other (prey) |
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Term
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Definition
| Form of negative interaction between species in which small species (parasite) feeds on a larger one (host) without necessarily killing it |
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Term
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Definition
| Form of positive interaction between species that is beneficial to one of the species and does not harm the other |
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Term
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Definition
| One benifits, other not affected (ex: barnacles on whales) |
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Term
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Definition
| Both benefit (ex: sea anemone and clown fish) |
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Term
| What is ecological succession? |
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Definition
| Change in species composition, structure or architecture of vegetation through time |
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Term
| What is the difference between primary and secondary succession? |
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Definition
Primary: occurs on sites with no (or very little) vestige of a former community
Secondary: habitat not completely sterile; some members of previous community present |
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Term
| What is a climax community? |
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Definition
| A biological community of plants and animals which, through the process of ecological succession — the development of vegetation in an area over time — has reached a steady state |
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Term
| Know the basics of evolutionary theory |
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Definition
A theory explaining the history and biodiversity of life on earth (decent with modification)
-Darwin |
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Term
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Definition
| Difference between parent and offspring |
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Term
| How does natural selection operate? |
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Definition
| Favorable traits become more common in successive populations variations are inherited (strongest survive) |
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Term
| What are the two key mechanisms for variation? |
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Definition
| Difference between parent and offspring |
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Term
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Definition
| Means by which species are differentated and maintained |
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Term
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Definition
| Conditions change more rapidly than a population's ability to evolve new adaptations |
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Term
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Definition
| Species move from one location to another |
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Term
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Definition
| Major ecological unit with similar plant/animal communities |
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Term
| For the desert biome, know: the associated climate characteristics, some plant/animal adaptations, the distribution of that biome on the map |
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Definition
Climate: dry
Plant:Xerophytic, Ephemeral
Animal:Xerophytic
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Term
For the grassland biome, know: the associated climate characteristics, some plant/animal adaptations, the distribution of that biome on the map
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Definition
Climate:subhumid; dry, long cool winter
Plant:prairie (tall grass) vs steppe (short grass)
Animal:grasshoppers, birds, bison, snakes, badgers, fox
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Term
For the tundra biome, know: the associated climate characteristics, some plant/animal adaptations, the distribution of that biome on the map
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Definition
Climate: Permafrost, low precipitation, low productivity
Plant:treeless, mosses, lichens
Animal:low dicersity of species
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Term
| What is Arroyo, wash, wadi |
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Definition
| River valley's in the desert that from after rain |
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Term
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Definition
| A pore, found in the leaf and stem epidermis that is used for gas exchange. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plants marked by short life cycles, usually six to eight weeks |
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Term
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Definition
| A deep-rooted plant that obtains a significant portion of the water that it needs from the phreatic zone (zone of saturation) or the capillary fringe above the phreatic zone |
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Term
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Definition
Prarrie: tall grass
Steppe: short grass
(all depends on rainfall) |
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Term
| Why do grasslands survive fire and why is fire necessary to preserve grasslands? |
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Definition
| Destroys woody plants, but the grasses are able to survive |
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Term
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Definition
Alpine: high altitudes
Artic: high latitudes |
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Term
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Definition
| Active layer doesn't drain |
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