AP Biology Unit 7:
Ecology
1
Unit 7 Learning Objectives
1.02
1.06
1.09
1.11
1.12
1.18
1.20
1.22
1.26
1.27
The student is able to justify the scientific claim that organisms share many conserved core
processes and features that evolved and are widely distributed among organisms today.
[See SP 6.1]
The student is able to justify the selection of the kind of data needed to answer scientific
questions about the interaction of populations within communities. [See SP 1.4, 4.1]
The student is able to predict the effects of a change in a component(s) of a biological
system on the functionality of an organism(s). [See SP 6.4]
The student is able to predict the effects of a change in the community’s populations on the
community. [See SP 6.4]
The student is able to predict the effects of a change of matter or energy availability on
communities.[See SP 6.4]
The student is able to refine representations and models to illustrate biocomplexity due to
interactions of the constituent parts.[See SP 1.3]
The student is able to refine scientific models and questions about the effect of complex
biotic and abiotic interactions on all biological systems, from cells and organisms to
populations, communities and ecosystems. [See SP 1.3, 3.2]
The student is able to make scientific claims and predictions about how species diversity
within an ecosystem influences ecosystem stability. [See SP 6.4]
The student is able to predict consequences of human actions on both local and global
ecosystems. [See SP 6.4]
The student is able to justify a scientific claim that free energy is required for living systems
to maintain organization, to grow or to reproduce, but that multiple strategies exist in
different living systems. [See SP 6.1]
2.12
The student is able to analyze data that indicate how organisms exchange information in
response to internal changes and external cues, and which can change behavior. [See SP
5.1]
2.16
The student is able to apply mathematical methods to data from a real or simulated
population to predict what will happen to the population in the future. [See SP 2.2]
The student is able to apply mathematical routines to quantities that describe communities
composed of populations of organisms that interact in complex ways. [See SP 2.2]
The student is able to apply mathematical routines to quantities that describe interactions
among living systems and their environment, which result in the movement of matter and
energy. [See SP 2.2]
2.19
2.20
2.23
The student is able to use data analysis to refine observations and measurements regarding
the effect of population interactions on patterns of species distribution and abundance. [See
SP 5.2]
2.24
The student is able to use data from a real or simulated population(s), based on graphs or
models of types of selection, to predict what will happen to the population in the future.
[See SP 6.4]
2.26
The student is able to predict how changes in free energy availability affect organisms,
populations and ecosystems. [See SP 6.4]
The student is able to analyze data to identify possible patterns and relationships between
a biotic or abiotic factor and a biological system. [SP 5.1]
The student is able to connect concepts in and across domain(s) to predict how
environmental factors affect responses to information and change behavior. [See SP 7.2]
2.28
2.32
2
Unit 7 Learning Objectives
3.10
The student is able to design a plan for collecting data to show that all biological systems
(cells, organisms, populations, communities and ecosystems) are affected by complex biotic
and abiotic interactions. [See SP 4.2, 7.2]
4.01
The student is able to construct explanations of the influence of environmental factors on
the phenotype of an organism. [See SP 6.2]
The student is able to use representations to pose scientific questions about what
mechanisms and structural features allow organisms to capture, store and use free energy.
[See SP 1.4, 3.1]
4.15
4.21
The student is able to use visual representations to analyze situations or solve problems
qualitatively to illustrate how interactions among living systems and with their
environment result in the movement of matter and energy. [See SP 1.4]
4.24
The student is able to explain how the distribution of ecosystems changes over time by
identifying large-scale events that have resulted in these changes in the past. [See SP 6.3]
Unit 7 Science Practices
The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and
solve scientific problems.
1.3
The student can refine representations and models of natural or man-made phenomena
and systems in the domain.
1.4
The student can use representations and models to analyze situations or solve problems
qualitatively and quantitatively.
The student can use mathematics appropriately.
2.2
The student can apply mathematical routines to quantities that describe natural
phenomena.
The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide
investigations within the context of the AP course.
3.1
The student can pose scientific questions.
3.2
The student can refine scientific questions.
The student can plan and implement data collection strategies appropriate to a particular
scientific question.
4.1
The student can justify the selection of the kind of data needed to answer a particular
scientific question.
4.2
The student can design a plan for collecting data to answer a particular scientific question.
The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
5.1
The student can analyze data to identify patterns or relationships.
5.2
The student can refine observations and measurements based on data analysis.
The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.
6.1
The student can justify claims with evidence.
6.2
The student can construct explanations of phenomena based on evidence produced
through scientific practices.
6.3
The student can articulate the reasons that scientific explanations and theories are refined
or replaced.
6.4
The student can make claims and predictions about natural phenomena based on scientific
theories and models.
The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and
representations in and across domains.
7.2
The student can connect concepts in and across domain(s) to generalize or extrapolate in
and/or across enduring understandings and/or big ideas.
3
UNIT 7:
ECOLOGY
Chapter 40:
Population
Ecology &
Distribution of
Organisms
KEY CONCEPTS
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4
VOCABULARY
Biosphere
Landscape
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
Climate
Climograph
Territorial
Cohort
ECOSYSTEMS
Tropical Forest
Savanna
Desert
Chaparral
Temperate grassland
Northern coniferous forest
Temperate broadleaf forest
Tundra
Wetlands
Estuary
Lakes
Streams
Rivers
Intertidal zone
Coral reef
Oceanic pelagic zone
Neritic zone
Marine benthic zone
CONCEPTS
Ecology
Biotic factors
Abiotic factors
Macroclimate
Microclimate
Seasonality
Biome
Disturbance
Dispersal
Population density
Immigration
Emigration
Clumped dispersion
Uniform dispersion
Random dispersion
Demographics
Life table
Survivorship curve
Reproductive table
Exponential growth
Logistic growth
Zero population growth (ZPG)
Carrying capacity
Life history
K-selection
r-selection
Density dependent factors
Density independent factors
Population dynamics
Metapopulation
5
Earth’s climate influences the structure and distribution of terrestrial
biomes.
1. List the 7 levels of ecology, and briefly describe each.
Ecological Level
Brief Description
2. Using the provided diagrams, explain how the seasons are formed and how they affect the
distribution of organisms across the globe.
6
3. Compare and contrast biotic and abiotic factors. Provide 3 examples of each.
4. Explain the distribution of deserts around the globe.
5. Identify each of the biomes on the map below.
6. What is a disturbance? Provide 3 examples.
7
7. Complete the table regarding terrestrial biomes
Biome
Dist.
Temp.
Precip.
(type &
amt.)
Flora
(examples & adaptations)
Fauna
(examples & adaptations )
Human Impact
Tropical
forest
Savanna
Desert
Chaparral
Temperate
grassland
Coniferous
forest
Temperate
broadleaf
forest
Tundra
8
8. Compare and contrast the challenges of living in a desert with the challenges of living in the
rainforest.
9. Differentiate between chaparral, savanna, and temperate grasslands.
10. What adaptations do trees in a coniferous forest typically demonstrate?
11. Why do most broadleaf forests go through a “fall”?
Aquatic biomes are diverse and dynamic systems that cover most of Earth.
12. Complete the diagram demonstrating zones in lakes and oceans.
13. Describe each of the zones in terms of light and organic material.
9
14. Complete the table regarding aquatic biomes.
Biome
Salinity
Organic
level
mats. level
Flora
(examples & adaptations)
Fauna
(examples & adaptations )
Human Impact
Wetlands/Estuaries
Lakes
Streams/Rivers
Intertidal Zone
Coral Reef
Oceanic Pelagic
Marine Benthic
10
Interactions between organisms and the environment limit the distribution
of species.
16. Create a flow chart of factors limiting geographic distribution.
17. Explain the graph and what it means for distribution of seaweed. Are these biotic or abiotic
factors?
18. Complete the table of abiotic factors.
Factor
Brief Description
Result(s)
Temperature
Water
Availability
Oxygen
Availability
Salinity
Sunlight
Soil Type
19. Dynamic biological processes influence population density, dispersion, and demographics.
20. Complete the table on dispersion patterns.
Dispersion
Diagram
Description
Examples/Trends
Pattern
Uniform
Clumped
Random
21. What is a life table, and how do ecologists use them?
11
22. Describe each of the three survivorship curves in the
graph. Briefly explain what each line means.
23. Compare and contrast a life table and a reproductive table.
The exponential and logistic models describe the growth of populations.
24. What is meant by “per capita”?
25. Define each of the variables below.
Variable
Means…
Symbol
∆N
∆t
B
D
b
d
N
r
m
n
dN/dt
rinst
rmax
K
Possible Units
26. Compare and contrast exponential and logistic growth.
12
27. Calculate the population size given the following parameters.
The population begins with 150 individuals and the maximum growth rate is 0.75
Trace the population size for 10 generations.
Population Size
Max. Growth Rate
150
0.75
28. Frequently a logistic curve will first exceed the carrying capacity and then “wobble” around the
carrying capacity for a while. What is actually happening to the population?
Population dynamics are influenced strongly by life history traits and
population density.
29. What are the three main variables in a life history?
30. Compare and contrast K-selection and r-selection.
13
31. List six mechanisms of density dependent population regulation. Briefly describe how each is
density-dependent.
Factor
Why it is density-dependent….
32. Complete the graph and explain what occurs in each quadrant
of the graph.
33. What is a metapopulation?
34. What does the graph of moose and wolf
populations tell us about interdependence?
14
TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: SELF-QUIZ ANSWERS
Now you should be ready to test your knowledge. Place your answers here:
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15
SCIENTIFIC SKILLS EXERCISE
Complete the exercise on page 838 and answer the questions here. Use complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
16
UNIT 7:
ECOLOGY
Chapter 41:
Species
Interactions
KEY CONCEPTS
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VOCABULARY
CONCEPTS
Aposematic coloration
Community
Cryptic coloration
Disturbance
Ectoparasite
Endoparasite
Herbivory
Parasitism
Pathogen
Predation
Vector
Zoonotic pathogen
Batesian mimicry
Biomanipulation
Biomass
Bottom-up model
Character displacement
Commensalism
Competitive exclusion
Dominant species
Ecological succession
Evapotranspiration
Food web
Fundamental niche
Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
Interspecific competition
Invasive species
Keystone species
Müllerian mimicry
Mutualism
Niche
Non-equilibrium model
Primary succession
Relative abundance
Resource partitioning
Secondary succession
Shannon diversity index
Species diversity
Species richness
Species-area curve
Symbiosis
Top-down model
Trophic level
18
Interactions within a community may help, harm, or have no effect on the
species involved.
1. Complete the table on Interspecific interactions.
Interaction
Brief description
Effect on
Organism
A
Effect on
Organism
B
Competition
Predation
Herbivory
Symbiosis
Parasitism
Mutualism
Commensalism
Facilitation
2. Compare and contrast interspecific and intraspecific competition.
3. What is competitive exclusion?
4. Provide three examples of resource partitioning.
5. Can a species’ niche be influenced by interspecific
competition? Explain briefly.
6. Using the diagram to the right, explain character
displacement.
7. Compare and contrast cryptic coloration and aposematic coloration.
19
8. Compare and contrast Batesian and Müllerian mimicry.
9. Compare and contrast endo- and ecto-parasites.
10. Explain how interspecific competition, predation, and mutualism differ in their effects on the
interacting populations of two species.
Diversity and trophic structure characterize biological communities.
11. What are the two components of species diversity?
12. What does the Shannon diversity index indicate? Explain each of the variables in the equation.
13. How are species diversity and biomass correlated?
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14. Describe the problems caused by invasive species. Provide two examples (one terrestrial, one
aquatic), and explain the short-term and long-term effects. KNOW THIS
15. What is a trophic structure?
16. Why is a food web a better representation than a food chain?
17. Compare and contrast a dominant species with a keystone species. KNOW THIS
18. Compare and contrast bottom-up and top-down models.
Disturbance influences species diversity and composition.
19. What is the basic premise of the nonequilibrium model?
21
20. What is the basic premise of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis?
21. Compare and contrast primary and secondary succession.
Biogeographic factors affect community diversity.
22. Complete and explain the graph.
23. What is Evapotranspiration and what factors does it affect?
24. How does species richness relate to area?
Pathogens alter community structure locally and globally.
25. Compare and contrast the roles of pathogens and vectors. How did these play a role in the
plague?
22
TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: SELF-QUIZ ANSWERS
Now you should be ready to test your knowledge. Place your answers here:
1. _________2._________3. _________
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SCIENTIFIC SKILLS EXERCISE
Complete the exercise on page 849 and answer the questions here. Use complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
24
5.
6.
25
UNIT 7:
ECOLOGY
Chapter 42:
Ecosystems and
Energy
KEY CONCEPTS
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VOCABULARY
CONCEPTS
Detritivore
Ecosystem
Limiting nutrient
Primary consumers
Primary producers
Secondary consumers
Tertiary consumers
Biogeochemical cycles
Biological augmentation
Bioremediation
Decomposer
Eutrophication
Gross primary production
Law of conservation of energy
Law of conservation of mass
Net primary production
Primary production
Production efficiency
Trophic efficiency
27
Physical laws govern energy flow and chemical cycling in ecosystems.
1.
Briefly explain the principles behind the
laws of conservation of mass and
conservation of energy.
2.
Complete the flow chart of energy and
matter movement through an ecosystem.
Summarize the picture in FOUR WORDS!
_____________ _____________. _____________ ______________.
3.
Why are there no secondary or tertiary producers?
Energy and other limiting factors control primary production in ecosystems.
4.
How much energy arrives on earth every day? (Use the average.) Calculate using both joules
and calories. Show your work.
5.
At the energy usage level of 2010, how long could the human population survive on one day’s
energy?
6.
What percentage of the light that strikes the Earth on a single day gets used in photosynthesis?
7.
How much organic material is produced each year?
8.
What units is NPP measured in?
9.
Why is NPP a better indication of productivity than
GPP?
10. Complete the graph of precipitation and NPP. Explain
the slope.
28
Energy transfer between trophic levels is typically only 10% efficient.
11. Complete the energy partitioning diagram. Relate this to
the lab we did using caterpillars.
12. What is a trophic level?
13. Complete the idealized trophic pyramid.
14. What is an energetic reason for being vegetarian?
Why aren’t most people vegetarians? (Use science,
not because steak is good!)
15. How can some aquatic ecosystems have a lower mass of producers than consumers and still be
stable? KNOW THIS
16. If an ecosystem absorbs 5 million joules of sunlight each day, how much makes it to the
secondary consumers? Show your work.
17. If an insect eats 250 J of energy and uses 50J for respiration and excretes 150 J, what is the net
secondary production? What is its production efficiency?
Biological and geochemical processes cycle nutrients and water in
ecosystems.
18. Define biogeochemical cycle.
19. How does temperature affect litter decomposition in an ecosystem?
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20. Complete the table below on biogeochemical cycles.
Cycle
Biological
Forms
Importance
Available to
Life
Reservoirs
Key Processes
Water
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Restoration ecologists help return degraded ecosystems to a more natural
state.
21. What is bioremediation?
22. What is biological augmentation?
23. Briefly describe 3 success stories of restoration ecology.
30
TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: SELF-QUIZ ANSWERS
Now you should be ready to test your knowledge. Place your answers here:
1. _________2._________3. _________4. _________5. _________6. __________7. __________8. __________
9.
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31
SCIENTIFIC SKILLS EXERCISE
Complete the exercise on page 871 and answer the questions here. Use complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
32
UNIT 7:
ECOLOGY
Chapter 43:
Global Ecology &
Conservation
Biology
KEY CONCEPTS
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33
VOCABULARY
CONCEPTS
Greenhouse gases
Human population growth
Zoned reserve
Biodiversity hot spot
Biomagnifications
Conservation biology
Critical load
Ecological footprint
Ecosystem services
Edge habitats
Effective population size
Endangered species
Extinction vortex
Fragmented habitats
Genetic diversity
Greenhouse effect
Introduced species
Minimum viable population
Nutrient enrichment
Overharvesting
Protected areas
Sustainable development
Threatened species
34
Human activities threaten Earth’s biodiversity
1.
What are the three levels of biodiversity and how are they connected?
2.
Compare and contrast an endangered and a threatened species. How many of each are there
estimated to be?
3.
How does species and genetic diversity of other organisms affect humans?
4.
What “services” do ecosystems provide?
5.
What are the four main threats to biodiversity? Briefly explain each.
Population conservation focuses on population size, genetic diversity, and
critical habitat.
6.
Explain an extinction vortex.
7.
What is meant by minimum viable population? What does it represent?
8.
What is the effective population size? How does it differ from the actual population size?
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9.
What is the declining population approach?
Landscape and regional conservation help sustain biodiversity.
10. What factors influence landscape structure?
11. Why is conservation a global problem, not just an American problem?
12. What and where are diversity hot spots?
13. What are some ways we can connect fragmented landscapes?
14. Why are zoned reserves so critical?
15. Who should pay for biodiversity preservation in poor countries with high species diversity?
(Opinion here, but think about it!)
36
Earth is changing rapidly as a result of human actions.
16. What is the problem with nutrient enrichment?
17. What is a critical load of nutrients and what happens when it is exceeded?
18. Describe biomagnifications and the California condor.
19. How are medications we take affecting the ecosystem?
20. What is the greenhouse effect?
21. Since water is a larger part of the greenhouse gases than CO2, why don’t we go after water
instead of carbon?
The human population is no longer growing exponentially but is still
increasing rapidly.
22. Compare the graph of human population to graphs of exponential and logistic growth. Which
does it resemble? Why?
23. What evidence exists that the rate of increase is slowing?
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24. Why might it be too late already? (Use math here)
25. What is the carrying capacity of the Earth? Explain your answer.
26. What is an ecological “footprint”?
Sustainable development can improve human lives while conserving
biodiversity.
27. What is sustainability?
28. How does the difference between Costa Rica’s and the Dominican Republic’s response to
biological preservation give us information?
29. What is the future of biodiversity?
38
TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: SELF-QUIZ ANSWERS
Now you should be ready to test your knowledge. Place your answers here:
1. _________2._________3. _________4. _________5. _________6. __________
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39
SIENTIFIC SKILLS EXERCISE
Complete the exercise on page 898 and answer the questions here. Use complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
40