(Ecology topics)
Chapter 50
1. What are some abiotic factors that affect biological communities?
2. Define biome. What aspect of climate explains a great deal of the variation in vegetation around the world?
3. Be able to identify the major biomes of North America and their location on the temperature/precipitation gradient shown in figure 50.3.
4. For each of the following biomes, be able to describe its major climatic and vegetation features, as well as human impacts where applicable. Give examples.
tropical forests
tropical savannas
warm deserts
temperate deciduous forests
temperate coniferous forests
temperate grasslands
tundra
5. For each of the following aquatic biomes, be able to describe its major physical and biological features, as well as human impacts where applicable. Give examples.
lakes
streams/rivers
coral reefs
intertidal zone
coral reef
estuary
intertidal zone
wetlands
6. Define: oligotrophic, eutrophic, photic zone, aphotic zone,
thermocline
Chapter 52
1. Name some characteristics of populations.
2. What is exponential growth? Under what conditions does it occur? How is it related to r?
3. Distinguish between realized r and r max. How is r related to birth rate and death rate? When is r positive? negative? zero?
4. What are the units for r, b and d?
5. How do we calculate the change in N after one time interval? How do we then calculate the new N?
6. How do we calculate the projected population size at some time in the future, based on exponential growth?
7. In exponential growth, what happens to r over time? What happens to delta-N (change in N) over time? Why?
8. What is density independent growth? How does it relate to exponential growth? to r? Give examples of density-indpendent factors that affect population growth.
9. What is happening regarding r, b, and d for declining population?
10. What is logistic growth? Under what conditions does it occur?
11. For logistic growth, what happens to r, b, and d as population size increases?
12. Explain k, and explain the effects of the term k-N/k in the logistic equation.
13. What is density dependent growth? How does it relate to r, b, and d? Give examples of density-dependent factors that affect a population.
14. Explain why a population may overshoot its carrying capacity.
15. Describe the age structure of a human population that is increasing. Also do so for one that is stable, and one that is declining. Explain how the age structure relates to population changes.
16. Describe the demographic transition.
17. Give examples of how the status of women strongly influences birth rates in a society.
18. Go to the following web site and answer these questions.
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbsum?cty=CD
A. Under "Country summary", choose "Chad". In 2008 in Chad, what was the crude birth rate in percent? Note it's given in # per 1000, so you will have to do a little arithmetic.D. Choose "Detailed demographic
data: IDB table access". Then choose "008" in the table. For
years, type in "1970" to "2050" by intervals of "10 yrs".
From the years 1970 to
2000, what was happening to
r (called rate of natural increase)? What was happening to b and d?
E. From the years 2000 to 2050, what is projected to happen to r?
Note the d is projected to decline during this time - how can r decline
if death rate drops?
F. If r were to remain at 2.7% as it was in 2005, would the population
increase, decrease, or stay the same?
G. What was the total population size in 2005. Note the population size
is given in thousands so you'll have to do some arithmetic.
H. Based on 2005 population size, if r were to remain at 2.7%, what
would the population size be in
2025?
19. Go to the following web site and answer these questions.
A. How does the educational status of women affect their fertility
rate
(number of children produced in lifetime)?
B. How is the fertility rate related to age of first marriage? Explain.
20. Go to the following web page and answer the following questions.
A. Summarize the point made about water resources (see figure as
well
as text). What problems concerning fresh water are occuring
world-wide,
and what contributes to these problems?
B. Summarize the points made regarding food resources, particularly
as it relates to distribution of food, and to effects of both
industrial
and subsistence farming on the land.
C. How does the use of energy by different nations compare to their
population? That is, is energy use proportionate to population size?
Chapter 54
1. Outline the movement of energy through an ecosystem, labeling the trophic levels and all components. Define all terms.
2. Explain the concepts of gross primary productivity and net primary productivity, and describe how they relate to photosynthesis and respiraiton.
3. What two ecosystems contribute the most to Earth's NPP? Explain why each is such an important contributor.
4. Explain the concept of secondary productivity, and how assimilation and respiration fit in.
5. Explain why little energy from one trophic level gets passed on to the next level, and why there are limits to the number of trophic levels.
6. Be able to perform calculations regarding GPP, NPP, assimilated energy, and respiration.
7. What general characteristics apply to tertiary consumers and above? Why?
8. Explain where humans fall on the trophic level scheme. Give examples.
9. For those who like the big picture. Summarize
all of Bi211, 212, and 213 in an energy flow diagram, and fill in all
the
details of cell, plant, animal, and microbe function, genetics,
diversity,
and evolution!!!
10. What underlies the basic problem associated with the
tragedy of the commons? Explain how the problem leads to
overexploitation of resources. Give examples of past or
current environmental problems that stem from this type of
conflict. Give an example of a non-biological tragedy of
the commons as well.