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Misconceptions relating to Ecology • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Food webs are interpreted as a simple food chain Organisms higher in a food web eat everything that is lower in the food web The top of the food chain has the most energy as it accumulates up the chain Populations higher on a food web increase in numbers, because they deplete those lower in the web Varying the population of an organism will only affect the others that are directly connected through a food chain In a food web, a change in size in one population will only affect another population if the two populations are directly related as predator and prey Food chains involve predator and prey, but not producers The need and roles of a species are general and typical of species Species coexist in an ecological system because of their compatible needs and behaviours: they “get along.” Some ecosystems are limit-less resources and provide an opportunity for limit-less growth of a population. Populations will increase indefinitely due to limit-less resources or will increase until the limits are reached at which point the population will crash and the organisms become extinct Varying the population of an organism will affect all other organisms to the same degree. Varying the population of an organism may not affect an ecosystem, because some organisms are not important Ecosystems are not a functioning whole, but simply a collection of organisms. Imbalance of species within its local environment or community is always bad. An organism cannot change trophic levels If a population in a food web is disturbed, there will be little or no effect on populations that are not within the linear sequence in the food web More herbivores than carnivores because people keep and breed herbivores Plants do not live in water Energy is not conserved Decomposers release some energy that is cycled back to plants The nitrogen cycle is used to provide energy for the carbon cycle Energy is not lost in trophic transfer Carnivores have more energy or power than herbivores do Plants are dependent on humans, not vice versa Carbon dioxide is a source of energy for plants Total biomass for a trophic level is greatest at the top of the food web because the organisms are larger The carbon cycle consists of photosynthesis and respiration Humans provide food for other organisms Stronger organisms have more energy Bacteria are the source of energy in a food chain Plants cannot defend themselves against herbivores Plants cannot defend themselves against pathogens Most insect herbivores will eat a variety of plant species Except for plant toxins, the quality of food for herbivores is the same as that for carnivores Density- dependent factors are biotic and density –independent factors are abiotic Population is an area where living things occur. Population is the number of people/organisms The relative sizes of prey and predator populations have no bearing on the size of the other Some ecosystems are limitless resources and provide an opportunity for limitless growth of a population There are more herbivores than carnivores because people keep and breed herbivores All factors are limiting except the most abundant one. The most limiting factor is the least abundant one The needs and roles of a species are general and typical of species Traits are passed on by the bigger, stronger organisms that replace the smaller, weaker ones There are more herbivores than carnivores because they have more offspring Carnivores have more energy or power than herbivores do Soil decreases in fertility over time Soil is fertile only if humans intervene The climax community is usually the final stage, long lasting and self-perpetuating Succession involves separate stages leading ultimately to a deterministic climax At succession progress, community is characterised by bigger plants and bigger animals Communities change little over time The number of producers is high to satisfy consumers • • • • “Balance of Nature” refers to populations of predators and prey being smaller in size Carnivores are big and/or ferocious. Herbivores are passive and/or smaller The relative sizes of prey and predator populations have no bearing on the size of the other Each plant or animal is independent and therefore has no effect on or relationship to other organisms