UWRF- Biology 360: Exam 1 Graded A Q&A Complete

Experiment - Answer-test of a hypothesis. It can be observational (observe the system) or manipulative (perturb the system). The experimental method is the scientific method. Hypothesis - Answer-universal proposition that suggests explanations for some observed ecological situation. Model - Answer-verbal or mathematical statement of a hypothesis. Principle - Answer-universal statement that we all accept because they are mostly definitions, or are ecological translations of physical-chemical laws. Scientific Law - Answer-universal statement that is deterministic and so well corroborated that everyone accepts it as part of the scientific background of knowledge. There are _________ in physics, chemistry, and genetics, but none yet in ecology. Theory - Answer-an integrated and hierarchal set of empirical hypotheses that together explain a significant fraction of scientific observations. Ecology is... - Answer-the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms. Functional ecology is... - Answer-how systems work Evolutionary ecology is... - Answer-why natural selection has favored this particular solution Ecological problems can be analyzed using... - Answer-a theoretical approach, laboratory approach, or field approach4 biological disciplines closely related to ecology: - Answer-genetics, evolution, physiology, and behavior Distribution - Answer-where organisms are found Abundance - Answer-how many organisms are found in a given area 3 points of ecology : - Answer-Descriptive- natural history and describes interactions of animals and plants within ecosystems Functional- relationship dynamics, proximate causes and seeks to identify general, common problems within ecosystems Evolutionary- ultimate causes and studies why natural selection has favored particular adaptions Proximate causes - Answer-dynamic responses of populations and communities to immediate factors of the environment Ultimate causes - Answer-why natural selection has favored the particular adaptions we see today Ecosphere/biosphere - Answer-whole earth ecosystem Evolution is... - Answer-the genetic adaption of organisms to the environment Natural selection may act by: - Answer-directional selection, stabilizing selection, or disruptive selection Evolution results from ______ selection, but for most ecological situations, _______ selection is most common. - Answer-directional, stabilizing Natural selection may operate on 4 different levels: - Answer-gametic, individual, kin, or group Individual/Darwinian selection is... - Answer-probably the most important in natureCoevolution - Answer-the evolution of two or more species that interact closely with one another, with each species adapting to changes in the other Individual optimization hypothesis - Answer-That each individual in a population has its own optimal clutch size, so that not all individuals are identical. Lack clutch size - Answer-the clutch size at which productivity is maximal for the population; can vary within a population due to individual optimization hypothesis and genetics Maximum reproduction - Answer-The theory that natural selection will maximize reproductive rate, subject to the constraints imposed by feeding and predator avoidance. Natural selection - Answer-the process in nature by which only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics to succeeding generations while those less adapted tend to die/be eliminated Optimality models - Answer-models that assume natural selection will achieve adaptations that are the best possible for each trait in terms of survival and reproduction. Phenotype - Answer-observable characteristics of an organism