AP Biology Review: Unit 8 Ecology
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Introduction to AP Bio Penguins and Energy Flow
- AP Bio Penguins is a resource for AP Biology students.
- The resource includes daily reviews on Instagram and a 374-page review guide on the website.
- There are FRQ videos explaining every free response question from 2013 to present.
- Quizzes and games are available for practice, including a game for each topic and the 2013 exam.
- The website also offers review PowerPoints and live streams.
- The current session will focus on energy flow in organisms.
- Organisms need energy to maintain, organize, grow, and reproduce.
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transformed and transferred.
- Energy on Earth comes from the Sun and is converted by photosynthetic materials.
- Chemical energy is used by organisms and eventually released as heat.
Thermodynamics and Trophic Structures
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that energy transfers increase the entropy (disorder) of the system.
- Maintaining order and organization requires energy.
- Endotherms regulate their body temperature through metabolism.
- Endotherms have higher rates of oxygen consumption at lower temperatures to maintain body temperature.
- Ectotherms maintain body temperature through behaviors such as basking in the sun or swimming.
- Autotrophs capture energy from organic or inorganic materials and convert it into usable energy.
- Autotrophs can be photosynthetic or chemosynthetic.
- Heterotrophs obtain energy from consuming other organisms.
- Heterotrophs metabolize carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins for energy.
- Nucleic acids are not used for energy production.
- Energy flows from autotrophs to heterotrophs in trophic structures.
Trophic Structure and Animal Behavior
- Trophic structure: - Primary producers are at the bottom, followed by primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), and tertiary consumers. - Energy decreases as it moves up the trophic levels, following the 10% rule. - Decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into the ground. - Changes in availability of primary producers can lead to a decrease in population at all trophic levels.
- Animal behavior: - Animals need to communicate, find food, find mates, and be aware of dangers. - Visual communication: Fireflies glow to attract mates, peacocks use their tails in courtship rituals, cobras inflate their hoods to scare off other creatures.
Types of Animal Communication
- Elephants use their trunks for long-distance communication.
- Stomping patterns can indicate danger, food, or nearby materials for certain animals.
- Whales use songs to communicate with their females.
- Wolves howl to call other members of their pack.
- Electrical signals are used for communication in some animals.
- Tactile communication includes licking and grooming, as seen in dogs and baboons.
- Horses kick to establish dominance.
- Cats mark objects with their scent by rubbing against them.
- Ants use pheromone trails to communicate.
- Skunks use their smell to ward off predators.
- Animal communication serves various functions such as indicating dominance, finding food, establishing territory, and reproductive success.
- Altruistic behaviors can decrease an individual's fitness but benefit the group.
- Intersexual selection involves one sex choosing a mate based on certain behaviors or traits.
Reproductive Strategies in Animals and Population Ecology
- Animals have various reproductive strategies to attract mates, such as displaying blue feet or lifting wings.
- Frogs use auditory signals, like croaking, to attract mates.
- Pheromones are chemicals released by animals to signal their readiness to mate.
- Intra-sexual selection involves individuals of the same sex competing for mates, often through displays of dominance.
- Evolution can be influenced by sexual selection, as non-random mating can lead to changes in populations.
- Some organisms may exhibit traits that attract mates but also make them more vulnerable to predators.
- Population ecology involves studying the growth and dynamics of populations.
- Exponential growth occurs when a population has unlimited resources and space, leading to unlimited growth.
Population Growth and Carrying Capacity
- Population growth can be represented by a J-shaped curve.
- The rate of increase (R) is calculated as birth rate minus death rate.
- The formula DN/DT represents the change in population size over time.
- Logistic growth occurs when there is a carrying capacity (K) that limits population growth.
- The carrying capacity represents the maximum number of individuals the environment can support.
- Logistic growth is represented by an S-shaped curve.
- As a population approaches its carrying capacity, the rate of growth decreases.
- The formula for logistic growth is R * N * (K - N) / K.
- Logistic growth takes into account both the intrinsic rate of increase (R) and the carrying capacity (K).
- Logistic growth results in a smaller rate of increase compared to exponential growth.
- The carrying capacity determines the maximum population size that can be sustained.
Factors Affecting Population Size and Biodiversity
- Density dependent factors: - Disease transmission increases in densely populated areas. - Predation increases with a higher number of prey. - Competition for limited space occurs when there are too many individuals.
- Density independent factors: - Human activities and natural disasters can limit population size regardless of the number of individuals.
- Species diversity: - Biodiversity is influenced by species richness and evenness. - Species richness refers to the number of different species present. - Species evenness refers to the abundance of each species.
- Equation for measuring biodiversity: - The equation is 1 minus the sum of (individuals of each species/total individuals) squared. - The equation helps determine the diversity of species in an area.
Relationships and Interactions in a Community
- Richness and evenness in a community lead to more biodiversity.
- Different relationships occur in a community, such as predator-prey, herbivore-plant, competition, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism.
- Predator-prey and herbivore-plant relationships involve positive and negative impacts on the organisms involved.
- Competition between individuals in the same niche is negative and can result in one individual changing its niche or competitive exclusion.
- Parasitism involves positive and negative impacts, with parasites being either endoparasites or ectoparasites.
- Mutualism is a plus-plus relationship where both organisms benefit and depend on each other.
- Obligate mutualism means the organisms cannot live without each other, while facultative mutualism does not have this requirement.
- Commensalism is a positive-zero relationship where one organism benefits and the other has no effect.
- Keystone species have a disproportionate impact on the ecosystem and their removal can cause a collapse of the entire ecosystem.
Summary of Review Session Questions
- The zebra mussel is an example of a species that exhibits exponential growth and has unlimited resources.
- The question about Phantom tax is unclear and the user is unsure of its meaning.
- Testosterone oacte reductase is a liver enzyme that regulates testosterone levels in alligators.
- The graph shows that contamination in Lake Apple results in a reduction of testosterone oacte reductase levels in females.
- The data supports the claim that contamination reduces testosterone oacte reductase levels in female alligators.
- Whales defecate at the ocean surface, providing nutrients for algae, which are then eaten by surface-dwelling fish.
- If the whale population decreases, there will be a decrease in nutrients, which may lead to a decrease in the algae population.
Factors Affecting Nutrient Levels and Amphibian Survival
- Decrease in surface nitrogen concentration leads to a reduction in algae growth.
- Reduction in algae population causes a decline in fish population.
- Decrease in defecation can lead to an increase in genetic mutations in remaining individuals.
- Construction of a pond in dry land can promote interbreeding and increase genetic diversity in amphibian populations.
Performing a Chi-Square Test on Banana Experiment Data
- Null hypothesis: The presence of a ripe or unripe banana has no effect on the distribution of fruit flies in the choice chamber.
- Observations after 10 minutes: 45 fruit flies in the ripe banana section, 5 fruit flies in the middle section, and 12 fruit flies in the unripe banana section.
- Expected distribution: 20 fruit flies in each section.
- Calculated Chi-square value: 48.9.
- Comparison to table value: The calculated value is larger than the table value.
- Conclusion: We reject the null hypothesis and conclude that the ripeness of the banana has an effect on the distribution of fruit flies.
Constructing a Food Web in an Aquatic Ecosystem and Predicting the Impact of Controlling Midge Population.
- Use correct terminology: "fail to reject" or "reject" the null hypothesis in statistics.
- Construct a food web based on the table provided, indicating the energy flow between organisms in an aquatic ecosystem.
- Start with the lowest organism, algae, and determine what consumes it.
- The midges have 100% consumption of algae.
- The midges are consumed by stone flies, hail grits, and Candace flies.
- The Candace flies consume both midges and algae.
- The stone flies consume midges and Candace flies.
- The hail grits consume stone flies, midges, and Candace flies.
- Points are awarded for correctly positioning organisms and drawing arrows indicating consumption.
- Predict the impact of spraying fungus to control midge population.
- Determine which organisms rely on midges as a food source.
- Stone flies, Candace flies, and hail grits rely on midges.
Impact of Stone Flies on the Ecosystem
- Stone flies have the highest percent and dependence in the ecosystem.
- Stone flies impact the ecosystem the most compared to H grits and canis flies.
- Stone flies make up 90% of the diet for cuckoo birds, while canis flies make up 30% and H grits make up 10%.
- Stone flies play a crucial role in the ecosystem and their absence would have a significant impact.
Resources and Q&A Information
- Cram sessions on Saturday (YouTube) and Wednesday (with Marco Learning) for review.
- Marco Learning videos available for additional help.
- Absolute Recap with Melie King for live streams and study resources.
- et.com for practice questions and feedback.
- Difference between positive and negative controls in experiments.
Differences between Treatment and Control, Parasitism and Predator-Prey, and FRQ Questions in Biology.
- Treatment vs Control: - Treatment refers to the experimental condition or intervention given to a group or individual. - Control refers to the group or individual that does not receive the treatment and is used as a baseline for comparison. - Positive control is a known condition that is expected to produce a specific result, while negative control is a condition where no treatment is given. - Example: In a transformation experiment, bacteria without the plasmid and antibiotic would be the negative control, while bacteria with the plasmid and antibiotic would be the positive control.
- Parasitism vs Predator-Prey: - Predator-prey relationship involves one organism consuming another for food. - Parasitism involves one organism (parasite) living on or inside another organism (host) and deriving nutrients from it. - Examples: Fleas are ectoparasites that feed on the blood of animals, while tapeworms are endoparasites that live in the intestines and absorb nutrients from the host.
Summary of Biology Exam Tips and Information.
- The third question on the exam is usually an experimental design question, such as analyzing enzymes or genetic traits.
- The fourth question varies and may involve annotating a graph or drawing experimental designs, such as for invasive species or phenetic trees.
- The fifth question often requires annotating a graph or diagram, such as for seagrass or fish experiments.
- The sixth question focuses on data analysis, and past exams have included extracting data from graphs.
- Succession phases involve primary species starting the process, followed by bacteria breaking down primary species and adding nutrients to the soil. Canopy trees then affect the ecosystem.
- Primary succession occurs when there is no soil, while secondary succession happens when there is existing soil after disturbances like fires.
AP Bio Penguins - Energy Flow in Organisms and Animal Behavior
- Organisms need energy for maintenance, growth, and reproduction.
- Energy on Earth comes from the Sun and is converted by photosynthetic materials.
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transformed and transferred.
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that energy transfers increase the entropy of the system.
- Endotherms regulate their body temperature through metabolism.
- Ectotherms maintain body temperature through behaviors like basking in the sun.
- Autotrophs capture energy from organic or inorganic materials and convert it into usable energy.
- Heterotrophs obtain energy from consuming other organisms.
- Energy flows from autotrophs to heterotrophs in trophic structures.
- Trophic structure includes primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.
- Energy decreases as it moves up the trophic levels, following the 10% rule.
- Decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into the ground.
- Changes in availability of primary producers can affect populations at all trophic levels.
- Animals communicate, find food, find mates, and be aware of dangers.
- Visual communication includes glowing, tail displays, hood inflations, and trunk usage.
- Stomping patterns, songs, howling, and electrical signals are also used for communication.
- Tactile communication includes licking, grooming, kicking, and marking objects.
Factors Affecting Population Size and Biodiversity, Keystone Species, and Ecological Interactions
- Density dependent factors include disease transmission, predation, and competition.
- Density independent factors include human activities and natural disasters.
- Species diversity is influenced by species richness and evenness.
- The equation for measuring biodiversity is 1 minus the sum of (individuals of each species/total individuals) squared.
- Different ecological relationships occur in a community, such as predator-prey, herbivore-plant, competition, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism.
- Keystone species have a disproportionate impact on the ecosystem and their removal can cause a collapse of the entire ecosystem.
- The zebra mussel is an example of a species that exhibits exponential growth and has unlimited resources.
- Testosterone oacte reductase is a liver enzyme that regulates testosterone levels in alligators.
- Contamination in Lake Apple reduces testosterone oacte reductase levels in female alligators.
- Whales defecate at the ocean surface, providing nutrients for algae, which are then eaten by surface-dwelling fish.
- Decrease in the whale population can lead to a decrease in nutrients, algae, and fish populations.
- Construction of a pond in dry land can promote interbreeding and increase genetic diversity in amphibian populations.
- The presence of a ripe or unripe banana affects the distribution of fruit flies in the choice chamber.
- Correct terminology in statistics is to "reject" or "fail to reject" the null hypothesis.
Study Resources and Concepts in Biology
- Cram sessions on Saturday (YouTube) and Wednesday (with Marco Learning) for review.
- Marco Learning videos available for additional help.
- Absolute Recap with Melie King for live streams and study resources.
- et.com for practice questions and feedback.
- Difference between positive and negative controls in experiments.
- Treatment vs Control.
- Parasitism vs Predator-Prey.
- FRQ Answers.