BIO MIDTERM 1

• evolution occurs at the level of the population
• the following order of levels of biodiversity from one that has the least variation in organismal characteristics to the one that encompasses the most amount of variation is genetic, species, functional group, to ecosystem
• ecosystem services are indirect services provided by biodiversity including pollination of crops and improvement of water quality
• The intertropical convergence zone occurs where the two HADLEY cells meet. In December and January, it is found in the SOUTH of the equator. The latitudinal movement of the intertropical convergence zone is due to the TILTS OF THE EARTH’S AXIS.
• In tropical seasonal forests, deciduous trees drop their leaves during the DRY SEASON. Throughout the year, these forests are HOT
• At 30 degrees north and south of the equator, one often finds deserts due to PATTERNS OF ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION driven by SOLAR RADIATION
• Traits that reduce heat stress in plants include OPEN GROWTH FORM TO INCREASE CONVECTION, LOW SURFACE TO VOLUME RATIO OF LEAVES, ORIENTING LEAVES PARALLEL TO THE SUN’S RAYS.
• One would expect the ratio of root mass to shoot mass of plants living in the nutrient poorer soils to be HIGHER than plants living in nutrient rich soils. The expectation stems from LIEBIG’S LAW OF THE MINIMUM 
• C4 plants are more efficient in their uptake of CO2 through their leaves than C3 plants. This efficiency comes at the expense of REQUIRING 2 EXTRA ATP PER SUGAR MOLECULE. This is an example of TRADE-OFF
• The TUNDRA biome is characterized by low temp, short growing season, and permafrost. At slightly lower latitudes, the BOREAL FOREST biome also has short, but warmer summers and no permafrost. At even lower latitudes, the temperatures in the TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST  biome fluctuate dramatically between hot summers and freezing winters, but precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. 
• A climate is the average pattern of precipitation and temperature of a year taken over a long period of time
• A biome is the world’s major communities that are defined by the vegetation and the adaptations of the organisms to its particular climate
• Latitudinal variation in temperature stems from how much solar energy an area receives as well as the air circulation occurring. Areas found in the equator tend to have warmer temperatures since the sun is hitting that spot directly. But at the north and south poles of the planet, the sun approaches these areas at an angle covering more land, decreasing the amount of solar energy present. Due to this heat in the equator, the air is warm in the equator therefore leading to more precipitation and rainfall.
• The greatest annual precipitation occurs near the equator because warm air tends to move upwards creating precipitation to occur. A biome we can find there would be tropical rainforests.
• Most deserts are found far away from the ocean, typically 30 degrees away from the equator because of the creation of rain shadows
• In places with warm summers and cold winters, leaves tend (deciduous trees) tend to shed their leaves in fall and won’t create leaves in the winter
• Rainfall patterns can also have a big influence on vegetation, when places are in drought or experiencing lots of summers, it can lead to wildfires that can ruin vegetation
• Since we are found in the temperate zones, where the air is moving further away from the equator and closer to the poles, we experience hot and dry summers and wet and cool winters
• The principle of allocation is when you are directing more energy to certain actions therefore unintentionally lessening your ability to other actions
• You might find highest root shoot ratios where there isn’t as much light therefore needing these higher ratios. Biomes that don’t have much light include tundras and the grasslands
• Adaptation is a genetic trait that was changed over a generations
• Acclimation is an individual trait that was changed (and could be reversed)
• Since enzymatic reactions increase with temperature, it also reaches a decline when the temperature is too high since the denaturing of enzymes occur
• surface area in relation to length: L^2
• Body mass relation to length: L^3
• volume to length: L^3
• surface area in relation to mass: L^-1
• metabolic rate: M^3/4
• ecology is the study of organisms interacting amongst themselves and the environment
• evolution are changes in heritable characteristics in population over generations
• adaptation as evolution: natural selection (those with surviving traits suited to the environment survive and reproduce
• adaptation as a trait: development of traits to help the organism survive and reproduce
• ecology is important because it secures health, food security, and ecosystem health
• the importance of evolution stems from securing health, food security, and climate change
• individuals: individual traits determine responses to environmental factors
• population: interacting group of individuals of the same species
• species: group of organisms of the same type with a common ancestor and can interbreed
• community: set of co-occurring interacting species
• ecosystem: interacting systems of species and their abiotic environment (energy flow and biogeochemical cycles)
• abiotic environmental factors: climate and weather, access to H2O, soil type, altitude