Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER - A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Phenotypic mismatch - CORRECT ANSWER - Refers to evolved traits that were once
advantageous but became maladaptive due to changes in the environment
Phenological mismatch - CORRECT ANSWER - Results when the timing of regularly
repeated phases in a species life cycles are no longer advantageous, but maladaptive. (Hint:
temporal)
Ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - The study of interactions between organisms and the
environment
Organismal ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - Studies how an organism's structure,
physiology, and behavior meet environmental challenges
Population ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on factors affecting how many
individuals of a species live in an area
Community ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - Examines how interactions among species
affect community structure and organization
Ecosystem ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - Emphasizes energy flow and chemical
cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem
Landscape ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - Focuses on the factors that generate patterns
of ecosystems in a geographic region
,Climate - CORRECT ANSWER - Long-term prevailing weather conditions for a given
area. Global climate patterns are largely driven by solar inputs
Latitudinal variation in Sunlight - CORRECT ANSWER - Leads to predictable latitudinal
variation in climate
Precipitation - CORRECT ANSWER - Latitudinal variation in sunlight intensity leads to
predictable latitudinal variation in climate
Wind - CORRECT ANSWER - Poles: ~500mph
Equator: >1000mph
Coriolis effect (Deflection) - CORRECT ANSWER - The phenomenon generated by the
rotation of the Earth that the speed of rotation differs at different latitudes
Wind patterns - CORRECT ANSWER - N. Polar, Ferrel, Hadley (Equator)
Climat patterns effected by: - CORRECT ANSWER - 1: Seasonality
2: Bodies of water
3: Mountains (topography)
4: Microclimates
Non-analog communities - CORRECT ANSWER - Mixtures of species that have not
previously occurred on the Earth. This usually occurs because of climate change and the
movement of species to different geographical locations that will better suite their habitat needs.
Terrestrial biomes - CORRECT ANSWER - Characterized by distribution, precipitation,
temperature, plants, animals
, Climograph - CORRECT ANSWER - A graphical representation of basic climatic
parameters average temperature and precipitation at a certain location
Ecotone/Tension zone - CORRECT ANSWER - Transition zone or area or intergradation
between biomes. Wisconsin's tension zone is between the northern and southern floristic
provinces.
Primary production - CORRECT ANSWER - NPP - The production of organic
compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon dioxide autotrophs
Biodiversity - CORRECT ANSWER - The variation of the living world, ranging from
genetic variability within a species to the diversity of different ecosystems or biomes on earth.
Typically refers to species richness, or the number of species.
Gyre - CORRECT ANSWER - A large-scale pattern of water circulation that moves
clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere
Atmospheric cells - CORRECT ANSWER - Air warmed by the intense tropical heat
would rise and flow northward to the poles, it would then cool and return southward to the
equator (Hint: Hadley, Ferrel, Polar)
Synchronization - CORRECT ANSWER - A specified trait that occurs at the same time as
an environmental condition.
Tropical rainforest - CORRECT ANSWER - - Equator
- high B
- high NPP
Desert - CORRECT ANSWER - - 30 N/S of equator
- high B
- low NPP