A 1&2&3 Flashcards
Why is water the universal solvent? How can it dissolve solutes?
- water is polar(slightly negative oxygen end, slightly positive hydrogen end)
- polarity allows it to form hydrogen bonds
- The charged portion attracts oppositely charged ions and other polar molecules allowing it to dissolve a wide variety of compounds
What are the 3 types of Ecological pyramids?
Feeding relationships throughout the trophic levels can be modelled in 3 ways:
1. Pyramid of numbers
2. Pyramid of Biomass
3. Pyramid of Energy
what does anoxic mean:
no oxygen present
what is the first law of thermodynamics:
energy cannot be created or destroyed it can only change forms
examples of humans increasing the CO2 being releases in carbon cycle:
- mining fossil fuels
– driving cars - heating homes and buildings
- factories
Ecosystem:
All the organisms in an area & the physical environment of an area
What are the two types of cycling:
Rapid and slow
what is detritus:
non-living organic matter (ex. poop)
examples of humans DECREASING the CO2 being taken up in the carbon cycle:
-deforestation
- clearing other vegetation
what are the 3 components of the biosphere:
- atmosphere
- lithosphere
- hydrosphere
Anabolic:
synthesize smaller molecules into larger one
- requires energy
-smaller to larger
when does water vapour turn to liquid in the hydrological cycle?
through condensation NOT precipitation
Carbon Cycle:
-directly linked to the oxygen cycle
-plays a key role in metabolic processes
Is water a polar molecule?
Yes.
- The hydrogen end has a slightly positive charge and the oxygen end has a slightly negative charge
- polarity allows the molecule to have hydrogen bonding
What is water?
The universal solvent(dissolves other things)
- H2)
- Polar(different charges at each end of the molecule)
down falls of Phosphorus:
algae blooms
cellular respiration:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O +ATP
- a process that converts the chemical energy stored in the bonds of glucose into ATP, molecules which serve as our body’s main fuel source
- ATP is “Burned” to power cellular processes. This serves to transform it into usable forms of energy, such as kinetic (to move) and thermal(to keep us warm)
Pyramid of energy:
Energy (kJ or J) contained at each trophic level for a given area at a given time
- ALWAYS PYRAMID SHAPED
Food chain:
linear pathways through which food/energy is transferred
adhesion:
attraction of water molecules to molecules of other substances
- adhesion provides upward force on water which counteracts the pull of gravity
- transpiration
Oxygen cycle:
- Linked to the carbon cycle
- oxygen cycles through cellular respiration and photosynthesis
Producers/autotrophs (‘self-feeder’):
- An organism able to use the sun’s energy to create(synthesize) their food(organic molecules)
- can be done using either photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
productivity:
rate at which an ecosystems producers capture and store energy within organic compounds over a certain length of time
- ** Rate at which ecosystems produce new biomass per year
-net productivity vs total
First consumers:
- herbivores
- organisms that eat plants/autotrophs
- grazing mammals
-mammals that eat fruit and seeds
Density of water:
water cooling= hydrogen bonds losen = lower density
water heating = hydrogen bonds tighten = higher density
whats cyanobacteria:
bacteria that is a photosynthetic microorganisms that lead to an increase in oxygen in the atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago
What is a hydrogen bond?
an attraction between two compounds that already participate in other chemical bonds
Is Earth an open or closed system:
- in terms of MATTER eath is a closed system
- in terms of ENERGY eath is an open system
what are the reserviors/sinks in the biogeochemical cycles:
- atmosphere(air/gases) Carbon and Nitrogen
- Lithosphere (rocks/minerals) Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorus
- Hydrosphere(oceans/lakes/groundwater) Carbon, Nitrogen, phosphorus
- biotic worls(living/dead organisms) Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus
rapid cycling of carbon:
Producer—> consumer and decomposer —> atmosphere
- carbon is released quickly from reservoirs
ex: forest fires, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition
where is the largest amount of energy found in the food chain?
according to the second law of thermodynamics, the largest amount of energy is found within the first trophic level of the food chain
-less and less energy is available to higher trophic
- organisms at the top of the food chain have to consume more and more
- food chains have a limit as there is a limitation of energy available
Ammonification:
Converting organic nitrogen to ammonium by decomposers breaking down organic matter
- litho and hydrosphere only
Nitrogen cycle:
- Nitrogen is a key component of amino acids(proteins)
- makes up ~ 2kg of our body mass
- ~78% of the earths atmosphere
- nitrogen gas is UNUSABLE to plants
issues with algae blooms:
- blocks sunlight
- temperature decreases
- creates anoxic zones
What is energy transformation 2:
cellular respiration
what trophic level are producers:
first
What does increased global temperatures result in?
less CO2 dissolves in oceans
Percentage breakdown of the suns energy that reaches the earth:
-30% is reflected in space, depending on the albedo of a specific region (ex. water has a lower albedo of 25% or less)
-19-20% is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere
- 50% is absorbed by the Earth’s surface(land or water)
-** Less than 1% of all available sunlight is absorbed by photosynthesizers, which are still able to make 150-200 billion tonnes of organic matter each year
second law of thermodynamics:
all chemical and physical processes in a closed system result in waste energy(90% is waste)
- in biological systems, this is usually heat
- no process of energy conversion is 100% effective
What is ecology:
The study of the relationships between living(biotic) and their abiotic(non-living) surroundings(environment)
slow cycling of carbon:
- Cycling through carbon sinks(reservoirs)
ie) fossil fuel deposits, oceans(dissolved CO2), Limestone rock - Carbon is accumulated and is stored in varios reservoirs for long periods of time(unavailable to organsims until released)
- carbon is slowly released from reservoirs
ex: wethering, fossilization, erosion
What are the two categories of living things:
- Producers/autotrophs(self feeding)
- consumers/heterotrophs(other-feeder)
Ice:
- ice is less dense than water so it floats
- ice expands when frozen
-longer hydrogen bonds results in the molecules being further apart - farther apart molecules results in less dense
decomposers or detrivores:
-they eat detritus
- organisms that absorb leftovers or waste matter
- fungi or bacteria
- important because they return organic/inorganic matter to the soil/ air/water
how many years ago did cyanobacteria appear in the ocean?
2.5 billion years ago
Slow cycling:
- substances accumulate and are stored for a long periods of time in nutrient reservoirs
- unable for organisms to use
– fossils
stromatolites:
-fossilized sedimentary rock formed from ancient bacteria.
-some have bands of iron oxides(formed when iron ions combined with dissolved oxygen in oceans)
Biogeochemical cycles:
The cyclical route taken by water and other chemical nutrients through all biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere
whats a difference between cellular respiration, chemosynthesis, and photosynthesis?
cellular respiration is catabolic whereas photosynthesis and chemosynthesis is anabolic
homeostasis:
maintaining a relatively stable equilibrium/balance between elements
What do hydrogen bonds allow water to do?
-allows the hydrogen of one water molecule to have a weak attraction to the oxygen of another
- enables water to dissolve and transport substances
- allows water to remain in a liquid state over a large temperature range (high specific heat capacity)
Phosphorus cycle:
-cycles through the lithosphere
- found in water and soil in the form of phosphates where it is used quickly or stored in rocks
What are three features that biogeochemical cycles have in common?
- They all move through the abiotic and biotic environment by rapid and slow cycling
- they all have nutrient reservoirs
- they all involve transport by water
Hydrological cycle:
-cycling of all phases of water!
- connects ecosystems across the globe
- 97% of water in the biosphere exists in liquid form
- linked to all other cycles, any change in the hydrological cycle will affect other cycles of matter
Consumers/heterotrophs (“other-feeder”):
- obtain their organic food(energy) from other organisms(eating) autotrophs or other heterotrophs)
- the food is used to fuel the process of cellular respiration
how does water dissolve things?
The charged portions of a water molecule attract oppositely charged ions and other polar molecules, enabling water to dissolve a wide variety of molecular and ionic compounds
Biosphere:
all organisms and their non-living environments
- 3 components
catabolic:
Breaks down larger molecules into smaller ones
-releases energy
-larger to smaller
-
What is the Gaia hypothesis:
-biosphere acts like an organism that regulates itself, maintaining environmental conditions within certain limits
- biosphere needs a constant input of energy and the cycling of matter to maintain homeostasis
- life plays a role in maintaining conditions of the biosphere that allows organisms to survive
specific heat capacity:
amount of energy required to change temperature by 1 degree Celcius
- water has a HIGH specific heat capacity
Chemosynthesis:
6CO2 + 3O2 + 18H2S -> C6H12O6 + 12H2O +18S
-process that occurs in light free environments(like the deap sea)
- results in the production of sulfuric acid(instead of oxygen)
Nitrogen fixation:
process of converting N2 gas to ammonium and nitrates
- done by:
1. some bacteria: bacteria on lumpy nodules on roots of legume plants
2. Lightning: nitrogen gas combined with water to form ammonia and nitrates
Whats the difference between nitrification and ammonificaion?
Nitrification USES ammonium, ammonification MAKES ammonium
third consumers:
carnivores
- animals that mainly eat other carnivores
-lions,wolves, polar bears, orcas
Pyramid of Biomass:
- Mass of ALL of the individuals at each trophic level for a given area at a given time (g/m2)
what is uniquely involved with chemosynthesis but not photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
sulfur
Pyramid of numbers:
- Number of individuals at each trophic level for a given area at a given time
(not always pyramid-shaped)
What is the rule of 10:
every time you move up a trophic level in an ecosystem, only 10% of the energy consumed/produced at the the previous level is available for use, 90% is lost as heat
Nitrification:
converting this ammonium into nitrites and nitrates by “nitrifying bacteria”
NH4—> NO2 / NO3
How much of the earth’s energy comes from the sun?
100%
What is a trophic cascade?
This is an ecological phenomenon which is triggered by the addition or removal of a top predator in an ecosystem
- this causes changes in populations throughout the food chain resulting in dramatic shifts in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling
ex: in a 3 level food chain, a DECREASE in carnivores will result in an increase in herbivores and a decrease in producers
cohesion:
attraction of water molecules to one another
- water molecules are polar so are attracted to one another through hydrogen bonds
- responsible for surface tension
Albedo:
The amount of energy reflected by clouds, water, and land
- the more an object reflects, the higher the albedo
photosynthesis:
6CO2+6H2O+solar energy -> C6H12O6
- Process where producers(plants, algae, and some bacteria) convert radiant energy from the sun into chemical energy (glucose)
- chemical energy is stored in the bonds of carbohydrate molecules known as glucose, or sugar, which may then be used to fuel cellular activities
What are the 4 main biogeochemical cycles:
- Hydrological cycle(water)
- Carbon and oxygen cycle(life)
- Nitrogen cycle(nutrient)
- Phosphorus Cycle(nutrient)
Steps of the nitrogen cycle:
Atmoshphere —> N2 gas —> ammonium —> nitrites —> nitrates—-> used by plants
Denitrification:
Nitrites and nitrates being converted back into nitrogen gas by “denitrifying bacteria”
Biomagnification:
A compound(ie. pollutant/ pesticide) increases in concentration in the tissues of organisms as it goes up the food chain/web
ex: the use of DDT after WWII
food web:
a model of food/energy transfer in an ecosystem that shows the connections among food chains
- more accurate
- arrows point in the direction of matter flow
How are the carbon and water cycles connected:
-oceans are a very effective carbon sink
- about a quarter of the excess CO2 produced by humans is absorbed in the oceans
-PROBLEM = CO2 + H2O—> carbonic acid
- increasing H+ ion concentration in oceans = acidifying oceans
which of the biogeochemical cycles can be sustained with photosynthetic organisms alone?
- hydrologic
- carbon/oxygen
Rapid cycling:
-substances move quickly between nutrient reserviors
- ex carbon moving from a producer to a consumer to a decomposer and back to the atmosphere (trees burning)
Important roles of water:
- distributes mineral and nutrients throughout planet
- supports cellular activities(cellular respiration and photosynthesis)
- human body is composed of 60% water
- plants composed of 95% water
What are the processes of energy transformation 1:
- photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
Second consumers:
-carnivores and omnivores
-animals that eat mainly herbivores
one way flow:
- energy does not cycle, it goes one way
Trophic levels:
the feeding levels in an ecosystem through which energy and matter are transferred
- example of a food chain
- the first trophic level=producer(autotrophs)-provides all the chemical energy required to fuel the other trophic
- all remaining trophic levels= consumers
- decomposers may feed at ANY of the trophic levels
what maintains levels of oxygen suitable for life?
Interchange between photosynthetic organisms and consumers maintain levels of suitable for life
Properties of water:
-Density
- Adhesion
- Cohesion
components of acid rain:
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)
