4 Flashcards
This refers to any process through which atmospheric carbon dioxide gas is converted into a solid compound.
Carbon fixation
The amount of carbon converted by photosynthesis per unit area and time is a measure of
primary productivity
This is the increase in concentration of a substance with increasing position in the food chain.
Biomagnification
The conversion of gaseous N2 into NH3, NO2 or NO3
fixation
The conversion of amino acids in organic matter into NH3,
mineralization
The oxidation of NH3 into NO2 and NO3
nitrification
The reduction of nitrates into gaseous N2.
denitrification
Overproduction- primary productivity
Eutrophication
This is the sum of an area’s organisms, considering the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communities
Biodiversity
These are areas with a high concentration of endemic species, many are experiencing rapid habitat loss
Biodiversity hotspots
These are species restricted to a small region or isolated areas (islands, mountain ranges, deep sea), product of unique habitat, climate features
Endemic species
Two main climatic factors correlated with biodiversity are solar energy and water availability (can be considered together as what?)
Evapotranspiration
This quantifies the idea that, all other factors being equal, a larger geographic area has more species
Species-area curve
This is new species colonizing the island. It increases species richness.
Immigration
This is when the last individual of species disappears from an island. It decreases species richness.
Extinction (extirpation)
This is the combination of genetic, environmental and demographic factors that drive a small population to extinction.
Extinction vortex
These are organisms that have been introduced to new regions where they do not naturally occur,“whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health”
Invasive species
These species are introduced into an ecosystem in which they did not evolve, thus they typically have few natural enemies to limit their spread-
Predator and parasite release
adult eels spawn in ocean waters in the Sargasso Sea and planktonic larvae migrate into freshwater systems where they metamorphose into juveniles and grow into adults.
catadromous
This is the progression of an aquatic ecosystem towards increasing plant biomass through the addition of artificial or natural fertilizers, such as nitrates and phosphates
Eutrophication
Human speed up this process, through the addition of nutrients and increase runoff, which is called what
Cultural eutrophication
Areas, typically in bottom waters, where the water has little or no oxygen
Dead zones
