What is an energy pyramid?;Transfer of energyy from one trophic level to another ;Biosphere_Ecology What is the 10% law (energy pyramid)?;Only 10% of energy is passed on to the next level. ;Biosphere_Ecology What are decomposers?;Decompsers are things that get energy from all tropic levels, break down organic matter. ;Biosphere_Ecology What is biomass?;The total mass of all the organisms in a tropic level ;Biosphere_Ecology What are the elements of life?;Carbon (all life forms), nitrogen (proteins, nucleic acid), phosphorous (nucleic acid). ;Biosphere_Ecology What are biogeochemical cycles?;Movements of elements of life have biotic components, geographical components, and chemical components. ;Biosphere_Ecology What is eutrophication?;Excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen leads to exponential aquatic plant growth. This depletes dissolved oxygen and prevents sunlight from reahing other plants. As plants and animals die, more oxygen is used up. This creates dead zones. ;Biosphere_Ecology What is a degree of freedom?;Degree of freedom is number of possible outcomes - 1. For example, a dice roll would have 5 degrees of freedom. ;Chi_Square What makes a question testable?;It must have testable (quantifiable) values. Height, weight, length, etc. It should always have an independent variable ;The_Scientific_Method What is an independent variable?;Something that I am going to change (manipulated) ;The_Scientific_Method What is a dependent variable?;Something that I am going to measure ;The_Scientific_Method What are constant variables?;Other variables that must be identified and controlled ;The_Scientific_Method What is a null hypothesis?;The difference that is seen between the two variables is by chance/there is no stairididal difference between the two variables (no relationship) There is no relationship between the amount of fertilizer and length of plants. ;The_Scientific_Method What is an alternate hypothesis;This shows that there is a relationship between the variables and there is a reason behind the difference. Prediction -> if, then, because If more fertilizer is added, then the height of the plant will increase, because fertilizer has more nutrients ;The_Scientific_Method What is a control group?;A tested group not affected by the independent variable, used for comparison ;The_Scientific_Method What is a negative control group?;No change ;The_Scientific_Method What is an experimental/positive control group?;The group that uses the independent variable to test on. ;The_Scientific_Method What is quantitative data?;numeral results, measurable, can perform statistical analysis ;The_Scientific_Method What is qualitative data?;non-numerical results, results can be subjective, cannot statistically analyze. ;The_Scientific_Method What is standard error?;standard error = standard deviation/sqrt(# of samples) ;Experimental_Methods_in_Biology Is the x-axis an independent variable (in line graphs)?;No, the x-axis is a control variable, time. ;Experimental_Methods_in_Biology What is R^2 (scatter plot)?;The R^2 value denotes how much of the variance in your dependent variable is explained by your independent variable. An R^2 value of 1 means 100% of the variance is explained. A high R^2 value indicates a high likelhood that two variables are correlated. ;Experimental_Methods_in_Biology What is a community?;A group of populations of different species living close enough to interact ;Community_Ecology What are interspecific interactions?;Interspecific between two different species ;Community_Ecology What are intraspecific interactions?;Interactions within the same species. ;Community_Ecology What is a niche?;Ecological address of a specie. What you eat, habitat, what are your competitors, etc. ;Community_Ecology What is the competitive exclusion principle?;Two species cannot coexist if they compete for the same resource, the one that competes best will overtake the other species. ;Community_Ecology What is the resource partition principle?;When species co-exist even though they have overlapping niches. ;Community_Ecology What is the fundamental niche?;Original niche for a specie ;Community_Ecology What is the realized niche?;Niche occupied by a specie in case of competition with a stronger specie. ;Community_Ecology What is a keystone species?;A species that has a disproportionate effect on community: predator, mutualist, ecosystem engineer. If a keystone species declines, its decline can have a negative effect on the entire community. ;Community_Ecology What is a food web?;Multiple food chains ;Community_Ecology How is a hypothesis shaped?;A hypothesis is shaped through exploration and discovery - such as reading scientific literature and making observations. Hypotheses are also shaped through interactions with the scientific community and larger society. ;MQB_1 How is a hypothesis tested?;Scientists test hypotheses with controlled experiments ;MQB_1 Is the process of science a prescribed linear path?;While forming and testing hypotheses is central to the process, exploration and discovery, plus interactions with the scientific community and society lead to a multitude of pathways through our described model. ;MQB_1 What is inductive reasoning?;Inductive reasoning is the process of drawing conclusions going from the specific to the general. Often contrasted with deductive reasoning ;MQB_1 What is deductive reasoning?;Deductive reasoning is a logical approach where you progress from general ideas to specific conclusions. Often contrasted with inductive reasoning ;MQB_1 What is ecology?;Ecology is the study of interactions ;Ecology What is biotic/abiotic?;Biotic describes living things, abiotic is non-living things. ;Ecology How do yo know if two organisms are of the same specie?;They can reproduce with each other, interbreed, produce fertile offspring ;Ecology What are individual interactions?;Survival and reproduction, the unit of natural selection ;Ecology What are population interactions?;Population dynamics, the unit of evolution ;Ecology What are community interactions?;Interactions among species ;Ecology What are ecosystem interactions?;Flow of energy and matter ;Ecology What are biosphere interactions?;Global processes ;Ecology What is a population?;A group of individuals of a single species living in same general read ;Population_Ecology What is population density?;\(density = \frac{# individuals}{area}\) ;Population_Ecology What is random dispersal?;Unpredicatable spacing, not as commin in nature ;Population_Ecology What is uniform dispersal?;Usually antagonistic interactions, all organisms are equadistant ;Population_Ecology What is clumped dispersal?;Organisms are clumped together, with large amounts of space between clumps ;Population_Ecology What are survivorship curves?;A graph that indicates the proportion of offspring born to those that actually survive. ;Population_Ecology What are k selected species?;The are large in size. Sexual maturity is later in life. Produce few, large, immature offspring. Offspring receive lots of perantal care. Intraspecific competition is high. ;Population_Ecology What are r selected species?;The opposite of k selection. Organisms are small in size. Early sexual maturity. Produce large numbers of small mature offspring. Little parental care. Intraspecific competition is low. ;Population_Ecology What types of population growth is there?;Exponential and logistical growth ;Population_Ecology What conditions create exponential growth?;Unlimited resources. No predators. No competition ;Population_Ecology What is the formula for exponential population growth?;\(\frac{dN}{dT}=B-D=r_max N\), Change in number over change in time = Births - deaths = Per capita rate of increase x number of individuals.
Represents unrestrained growth, does not account for carrying capacity. ;Population_Ecology What is carrying capacity?;The max number of individuals and environment can support ;Population_Ecology What is the formula for logistic growth?;\(\frac{dN}{dT}=r_max(\frac{K-N}{K})\). Change in number over change in time = per capita rate of increase * the unused portion of carrying capacity. ;Population_Ecology What are limiting factors?;Constraints that prevent a population from reaching maximum growth. Limited space, food, etc ;Population_Ecology What are density-dependent factors?;Any biotic limiting factors. Competition, diseases. ;Population_Ecology What are density-independent factors?;Any abiotic limiting factors. Natural disasters, hurricanes, flood. ;Population_Ecology