...FAQ: Biodiversity and Ecosystems Question 1: What is meant by succession, and what factors are responsible for succession? Answer 1: Succession is the order in which an ecosystem becomes established. It is the process by which species within a community replace one another in a given ecosystem. Usually, the complexity of the communities increases as they are replaced. Succession is triggered by a disturbance (fire or storm) or newly created open areas (deforestation). Ecological succession has several levels including primary and secondary succession. Primary succession involves pioneer species, which are usually the first ones to colonize open areas. They are hardy species and include things like microbes, mosses, and lichens. Eventually, the pioneer species become replaced by climax species. Climax species only occur after a long period without disturbance. Climax species are usually long-lived and require a stable environment. Question 2: How can natural selection lead to the development of new species? What are the prerequisites and the limitations? Answer 2: Natural selection was first proposed by Charles Darwin in his book Origin of Species. Natural selection is the process by which certain gene combinations give an organism a certain advantage over the others in a population. This trait then becomes selected as the population continues to reproduce. For example, suppose a certain mouse can run faster than any of the other mice in a population. The mouse will have a better...
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...A Acidic solution (p30) Acidity (p30) Atmosphere (p40) Atom (p28) Atomic number (p29) Atomic theory (p29) Abiotic (p42) Aerobic respiration (p43) Adaption (adaptive trait) (p64) Age structure (p101) Artificial selection (p69) B Basic solution (p30) Background extinction (p69) Biosphere (p41) Biotic (p42) Biomass (p45) Biomes (p62) Biogeochemical cycles (p48) Biological capacity (p10) Biological diversity (biodiversity) (p60) Biological evolution (p63) Birth rate (crude birth rate) (p98) C Capital (p7) Carnivores (meat eaters) (p43) Carbon cycle (p50) Carrying capacity (p86) Cell (p31) Cell theory (p31) Chemical bonds (p30) Chemical change (p32) Chemical composition (p32) Chemical equation (p32) Chemical formula (p30) Chemical reaction (p32) Chromosome (p31) Coevolution (p83) Commensalism (p80) Compound (p28) Compromises (p8) Component of sustainability (p7) (p8) Cultural carrying capacity (p96) D Data (p25) Decomposers (p43) Death rate (crude death rate) (p98) Degrade natural capital (p8) Demographic transition (p104) Detritus (p43) Developed countries (p13) Developing countries (p13) E Ecological niche (p71) Ecology (p42) (p6) Ecological deficit (p11) Ecological footprint (p10) Ecological succession (p89) Ecological tipping point (p12) Ecosystem (p6) Endemic species (p69) Energy (p34) Energy efficiency (p35) Energy quality (p34) Electron (p29) Electromagnetic radiation (p34) Element (p28) Environment (p6) Environmental...
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...increased interest in land management techniques. Some experts are proponents of the preservation theory, which sets aside areas of natural resources in their pristine state, without intrusion or interference of man. Other experts favor conservation practices, which seek to find a happy medium between responsible land management and protection of natural resources while permitting humans to enjoy that land in a variety of ways. The desire to preserve areas in their natural state can be driven by a desire to maintain refuges for animals and plants free of human interference and to keep species from the threat of extinction. With the advent of the last twenty years of the housing boom, many natural areas have disappeared. The point of preservationists is that there need to be certain aspects of the natural population that are never disturbed. The disagreement among naturalists arises from the methods of protection versus the actual concept of protection. Some believe conservation of resources provides the best of all worlds. Individuals can, for example, live in a subdivision, but the subdivision would be placed adjacent to natural forests, wetlands, or other natural areas of importance to the environment. Within these wetlands and forests, a responsible construction of paths or observation platforms could permit the public to enjoy the natural areas without negatively impacting them. The contrast in conservation theory versus preservation theory might best be described...
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...Living organisms change as the abiotic and biotic components in their environment change. The process that makes change possible in living things is called natural selection. Scientists use the term adaptive radiation to describe the change from a common ancestor into a number of different species that “radiate out” to inhabit different niches. Ecological succession is the term scientists use to refer to changes that take place over time in the types of organisms that live in an area. Primary succession occurs in an area where no soil exists, such as on bare rock. Pioneer species is the term scientists use to describe the lichens and other plants that are the first organisms to survive and reproduce in an area. The process of primary succession leads to the development of a mature community, which is sometimes called a climax community. Flooding occurs in coastal areas, rivers, and lakes, when the volume of water exceeds the ability of the water body to contain it. Tsunami is the term used to describe a huge, rapidly moving ocean wave and it is usually caused by large earthquakes or underwater volcanic eruptions. Drought is a recurring event in many parts of the world, it usually occurs when there is a below-average amount of precipitation in an area over a period of many months or years. Land use refers to the ways we use the land around us for urban development, agriculture, industry, mining, and forestry. Resource use refers to the ways we obtain and use these materials...
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...Question 1 Most insects use external sources of heat to achieve their operative temperature range. Heinrich's research on the sphinx moth (Manduca sexta) indicates that some insects can thermoregulate by using their flight muscles and: A. using their blood as a coolant. B. decreasing their metabolic rate. C. possessing an internal respiratory system. D. using a countercurrent heat exchange mechanism. Question 2 The thermal stability of aquatic environments is a result of the: A. high specific heat of water. B. low latent heat of vaporization of water. C. low latent heat of fusion of water. D. All of the choices are correct. Question 3 Animals that rely mainly on external sources of energy for regulating body temperature are called: A. epitherms. B. endotherms. C. ectotherms. D. peritherms. Question 4 In general, reptiles are considered to be a/an: A. poikilotherm. B. homeotherm. C. endotherm. D. heterotherm. Question 5 Mammalian and avian aquatic endotherms use all of the following mechanisms to thermoregulate EXCEPT: A. fat. B. internal respiratory systems. C. fur or feathers. D. concurrent heat exchange. Question 6 The water availability for organisms is determined by: A. internal dissolved ion concentrations. B. external dissolved ion concentrations. C. movement of water down its concentration gradient. D. movement of water...
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...of Evolution by Natural Selection Throughout The Blind Watchmaker Richard Dawkins attempts to use computer modeling to explain and defend various aspects of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Where Dawkins’ computer modeling comes into use in a significant way is discussed in Chapter 3 of his book titled, “Accumulating Small Change”. In it, Dawkins takes the reader through explanations of what cumulative selection is and how it builds up biological complexity in a meaningful, and relatively quick, way. He does this with computer modeling and continues on with various other examples of computer models to explain how genes work, what mutation looks like, and how it gets selected. The following is a look at how he uses computer modeling to these ends and what their limits are, essentially, what sort of questions they can answer. Dawkins begins Chapter 3 of The Blind Watchmaker by posing the question of how living things came into existence if not by chance. He explains that it was by a series of “gradual, step-by-step transformations” from entities simple enough to have come about existing by chance transitioning into entities which are incredibly complex and which could not have come to exist by chance alone (Dawkins 43). This transitional process is achieved through “nonrandom survival” and is known as cumulative selection (Dawkins 43). From here we are told about the difference between single-step selection and cumulative selection, that single step...
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...reaction and Krebs cycle 21 4.3 The electron transport chain 23 4.4 Anaerobic respiration 24 5. Energy and Ecosystems 25 5.1 Food chains and Food webs 25 5.2 Energy Transfer between Trophic Levels 26 5.3 Ecological Pyramids 27 5.4 Agricultural Ecosystems 28 5.5 Chemical and Biological Control of Agricultural Pests 29 5.6 Intensive Rearing of Domestic Livestock 31 6. Nutrient Cycles 33 6.1 The carbon cycle 33 6.2 The greenhouse effect and global warming 34 6.3 The Nitrogen Cycle 35 6.4 Use of Natural and Artificial Fertilisers 36 6.5 Environmental consequences of using nitrogen fertilisers 36 7. Ecological Succession 37 Succession 37 7.2 Conservation of Habitats 38 8. Inheritance and Selection 39 8.1 Studying inheritance 39 8.2 Monohybrid Inheritance 40 8.3 Sex Inheritance and Sex Linkage 41 8.4 Co-dominance and Multiple Alleles 42 8.5 Allelic Frequency and Population Genetics 43 8.6 Selection 44 8.7 Speciation 45 1. Populations 1.1 Populations and ecosystems ❖ Ecosystem- It is made up of all the interacting biotic and abiotic features in a specific area ❖ Population- A group of interbreeding organisms of one species in a habitat. ❖ Community- All the populations of...
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...races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as Charles Darwin had perceived in plants and animals in nature. According to the theory, which was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the weak were diminished and their cultures delimited, while the strong grew in power and in cultural influence over the weak. Social Darwinists held that the life of humans in society was a struggle for existence ruled by “survival of the fittest,” a phrase proposed by the British philosopher and scientist Herbert Spencer. The social Darwinists—notably Spencer and Walter Bagehot in England and William Graham Sumner in the United States—believed that the process of natural selection acting on variations in the population would result in the survival of the best competitors and in continuing improvement in the population. Societies, like individuals, were viewed as organisms that evolve in this manner. The theory was used to support laissez-faire capitalism and political conservatism. Class stratification was justified on the basis of “natural” inequalities among individuals, for the control of property was said to be a correlate of superior and inherent moral attributes such as industriousness, temperance, and frugality. Attempts to reform society through state intervention or other means would, therefore, interfere with natural processes; unrestricted competition and defense of the status quo were in accord with biological selection. The poor were the “unfit” and should...
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...Lagos Nigeria 00234 802 300 2328 alextevi@yahoo.com Olutayo Otubanjo, PhD Senior Lecturer (Marketing) Lagos Business School Pan-African University Km 22 Lekki Epe Expressway Ajah, Lagos, Nigeria. 00234 808 608 6816 totubanjo@lbs.edu.ng Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2197664 Abstract Purpose: This paper seeks to create an epistemologically grounded understanding of the causes and process of corporate rebranding via the lens of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Approach: A review of the factors that trigger corporate rebranding, as reported in academic literature, is made. Following the review, a case is made for the absence of an epistemologically grounded understanding of why firms rebrand. Consequently, the theory of evolution by natural selection is brought forward as a platform for the development of a new model that explicates the causes and process of corporate rebranding. Findings: A new model anchored on the theory of evolution by natural selection, and a new definition of corporate rebranding is advanced. Essentially, the model offers epistemologically grounded reasons for ascendancy of corporate rebranding in the environment. Limitations: This is a conceptual paper – meaning that the model suggested in this study is yet to be subjected to a serious empirical exercise Originality: The review of literature indicates the absence of an epistemologically grounded understanding of the causes and process of corporate rebranding in the...
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...James Shin Per 7b/8 Ecology Take Home Test 1) In the given info, there were two groups, an experimental and control group of flowers and sagebrush in a desert landscape that were identical except that the experimental group had a fence enclosed around it. Also, there was a predation relationship between the wildflowers and the kangaroo rats because the kangaroo rats eat wildflowers. Assuming that the fence was limiting the space of the experimental plot, competitive exclusion caused the extinction of the 4 other wild flowers. To begin, there was some interspecific competition, which happens when individuals of different species compete for a resource that limits their survival, between the 5 flower species in the experimental plot because they had their space limited to the fence that they were enclosed in. this competition was a density dependent factor in that the death rate rose when population density in the plot rose. Also, some of the specie’s ecological niches (like what nutrients they needed and how many branches would form) would have had to been the same or else they could coexist together. Then, one of the species of wildflower might have had a reproductive advantage like thorns to repel the kangaroo rats which would have allowed them to prosper and the other species to die out. This is the principle of competitive exclusion. On a tangent, the kangaroo rats would have learned to stay away from the wildflower with thorns by classical conditioning because they...
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...4.3 – Electron transport chain 15 Section 4.4 – Anaerobic respiration 16 Section 5.1 – Food chains and food webs 17 Section 5.2 – Energy transfer between trophic levels 18 Section 5.3 – Ecological pyramids 19 Section 5.4 – Agricultural ecosystems 20 Section 5.5 – Chemical and biological control of agricultural pests 21 Section 5.6 – Intensive rearing of domestic livestock 22 Section 6.1 – The carbon cycle 23 Section 6.2 - The greenhouse effect and global warming 24 Section 6.3 – The nitrogen cycle 25 Section 6.4 – Use of natural and artificial fertilisers 26 Section 6.5 – Environmental consequences of using fertilisers 27 Section 7.1 – Populations and Ecosystems 28 Section 7.2 – Conservation of habitats 29 Section 8.1 – Studying inheritance 30 Section 8.2 – Monohybrid inheritance 31 Section 8.3 – sex inheritance and sex linkage 32 Section 8.4 + 8.5 – Co – dominance and multiple alleles + hardy Weinberg 33 Section 8.6 – Selection 34 Section 8.7 – Speciation 35 Section 1.1 – Populations and ecosystems Ecology The study of inter-relationships between organisms and their environment Abiotic – non...
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...BROCK UNIVERSITY Final Examination Course: ERSC 1F90 Date of Examination: April 21, 2011 Time of Examination: 19:00-22:00 Number of Pages: 7 Number of Students: 468 Examination Time: 3 hours Instructor: Hess No examination aids other than those specified on the examination script are permitted. NO TEXTING!!! Use or possession of unauthorized materials or use of any device other than those specified will automatically result in the award of a ZERO GRADE for this examination. This means you should not have your mobile device out for ANY REASON!!! 1. 2. Answer ALL questions on the provided SCANTRON sheet. Please use a pencil. Turn in the question sheet AND SCANTRON sheet at the end of the examination. ######### Name ________________________ -P~.d. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. as + 1. The positive feedback mechanism in which a population falls below a threshold level, mutations proliferate due to reduced genetic diversity, and the population is further reduced is called: A) inbreeding depression B) toxic genetics C) environmental resistance D) dieback 2. About how much solar radiation is reflected back by the atmosphere of our planet? A) 25% B) 85% C)3% D) 5% 3. The correct order for layers of the atmosphere, from the top to the ground surface, is as follows: A) thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere B) troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere C)...
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...particular species. Community: all the population of the different species. Bioremediation: the use of organisms (micro or plants), to break down chemical pollutants in water or soil to reverse/lessen environmental damage. Decomposition: breaking down of organic wastes and dead organisms. Biodegradation: action of living things such as bacteria to break down dead organic matter. Decomposer: change wastes and dead organisms into usable nutrients. Detrivores: consumers that obtain their energy by eating bodies of small dead animals, plant matter, and animal wastes. Herbivores: primary consumers that eat plants. Carnivores: secondary consumers that eat primary consumers. Omnivores: consumers that eat both plant and animal. Natural selection: the process that makes change possible in living things. Predator/prey cycle: predator-prey interactions in which one organism eat all or part of...
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...ADOPTION OF HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE (A CASE STUDY OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE) CHARLES MAUTI BUS-1-7364-2/2011 A RESEARCH PROPOSAL CARRIED OUT AT THE KENYA METHODIST UNIVERSITY AS A PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HUMAN RESOURCE OPTION) JANUARY 2016 CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION This chapter gives the background of the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, and research questions, significance of the study, limitations of the study and scope of study. 1.1 Background to the Study Before the introduction of the HRIS too often, personnel files were not well kept. Storage rooms were often overcrowded and security was inadequate. Indexing procedures were not always in place and file tracking systems were often lacking. Many times the HR personnel in public service had no means of finding who had a file at any particular time, and files could not be retrieved without a major search being launched. This Human Resource information is key to making effective strategic decisions. Therefore, the use of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) has been advocated as an opportunity for human resource (HR) professionals to contribute to organizational strategy. According to Lengnick-Hall, Mark & Moritz (2003) HRIS is a system used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve and distribute pertinent information about an organization’s human resources...
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...What is the most significant set of theories that explain the evolutionary history of our natural world and ongoing environmental change? The origin of life and earth is still one of the greatest mysteries scientists have yet to solve. Modern day science and technology allow us to make theoretically correct assumptions about the past. According to research, it is evident that the earth’s environment and life have been evolving since the beginning of time, which is still evident today as ecosystems and environments continue to change. Three theories that help explain the evolutionary history of our natural world and ongoing environmental change include natural selection, neutral theory of molecular evolution, and the transition into the Anthropocene epoch. Natural selection theory argues that life forms evolve in response to the changes in the environment. Neutral theory of molecular change argues that changes occur in organisms at a constant rate over time without the influence of the environment. Anthropocene is a relatively new term that suggests we have transitioned from the Holocene era to the Anthropocene, which is characterized human dominated activity. These theories are presented in various works, but this paper will focus on Life and the Evolution of Earth’s Atmosphere by Stephen J. Mojzsis, The Anthropocene: a new epoch of geological time? by Jan Zalasiewicz, Mark Williams, Alan Haywood, and Michael Ellis, and The Modern Molecular Clock by Lindell Bromham and David...
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