Bio 9 Study Guide Chap 6 Self-Sustaining Mechanisms in Ecosystems
1. What does the tale of the Water Hyacinth illustrate? 2. What five principles of sustain ability does he mention?
6.1 Homeostasis.
3.Define Homeostasis. Define what a predator and its prey are. In what ways are predators beneficial to their prey?
4.What does homeostasis mean to an ecosystem? 5. Define "Growth factors".
6. What are some abiotic growth factors? 7. What are some biotic growth factors?
8. Define "Reduction factors". 9. What are some abiotic and biotic reduction factors?
10.What does the author mean by "Environmental resistance"?
11.Define "Resilience". 12. Minor damage to ecosystems can be repaired by what?
13. What happens when human activities push ecosystems too far? 13a. Population control is essential ......
14. What mechanisms keeps natural systems (ecosystems) sustainable? 15. What is meant by "Species diversity"?
16. What is the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem stability?
17. Why does high species diversity result in greater ecosystem stability?
6.2 Natural Succession.
18. What is "Natural succession". What is "primary succession"?
19. What are lichens? 20. What is a "Pioneer community"?
21. Explain the process of primary succession leading to a "Climax community". 22. What is a "Climax community"?
23. How does secondary succession differ from primary succession?
6.3 Evolution.
24.Define "Evolution"? (see glossary) (Remind yourself as to what is the definition of a "species".)
25.What are two outcomes of evolution?
26.Much of the knowledge about evolution comes from "Fossils". What are fossils?
27.What contribution did Darwin and Wallace provide for the idea of evolution?
28.What is "Natural selection"?(key concepts). How does it work?
29. What are “Adaptations”?
30. What are "Genes"? (glossary). 31. What 2 factors can lead to evolution?
32. What is "genetic variation"? 33. What is a Mutation"? (see glossary, & my lecture)
34. What things can cause mutations to occur?
35. When a mutation occurs, what are the 3 possible outcomes for the gene?
36. What are gametes? What are "Germ Cells"?
37. What is genetic variation? How does it affect populations?
38. What 3 ways does the author say genetic variation can come about?
39. Does evolution occur in individuals or populations?(my lecture) 40.What does "Selective advantage" mean?
41. What does "Fitness" mean to a biologist? 42. Define "Species". (see prior lecture notes and glossary)
43. What does "Speciation" mean? Geographic isolation? Reproductive isolation? Allopatric and Sympatric
speciation? 44. What is "Co-evolution"?
6.4 Human Impact on Ecosystems.
45. In general, what are the 2 basic ways humans affect the environment?
46. List some of the abiotic and Biotic factors which can be altered.
47.Why should you be concerned about "African Honeybees"?
48. How many major crops are dependent upon the American (European) honeybee?
49. What other species does the author mention which has caused problems in the U.S.?
50.Why do foreign species of plants and animals proliferate in their new home?
51.What happens when we eliminate predators or introduce new predators into a region?
52.What are "Pathogens"? 53. What happens when we tamper with an ecosystem's abiotic and biotic factors?
54. What does "ecosystem simplification" mean? What is a "monoculture"? What is the problem with them?
55. What is an "EIS"? Of what use is it? All EISs have a fundamental flaw. What is it?
56. What is a "Least Impact Analysis"?