bio 20-1 Flashcards
Ecology is the study of
relationship between organisms and their environments
Ecology links what
technology, culture and nature
open system ecosystem
allows transfer of energy and matter
closed system ecosystem
allows transfer of energy, but NOT matter
isolated system ecosystem
doesn’t allow transfer of energy or matter
biosphere
atmosphere where living organisms exist
atmosphere
gas part of the earth (air)
geosphere/lithosphere
solid part of the earth (land)
hydrosphere
solid and liquid water part of the earth (oceans/lakes)
Abiotic
non-living
biotic
living
abiotic components
chemical and physical
chemical abiotic components
nitrogen, phosphorus, water, and carbon
physical abiotic compnents
sun, temp, and wind
biotic components
producers, decomposers, consumers
populations
groups of organisms (same time, same place, same species)
communities
populations that live in the same area at the same time
ecosystems
place capable of supporting life, where scientists study the interactions between living and non-living things
biodiversity
amount and variety of organisms in an ecosystem
dynamic equilibrium
constant change in an ecosystem that doesn’t disturb the entire ecosystem
indicator species
species that provides an early warning that there is something affecting the ecosystem
factors that cause disappearance of specific organisms
loss of habitat, pollution, climate change, and ultra violet radiation
loss of habitat
habitats are destroyed due to human activity
pollution
causes poor air and water quality
climate change
causes abiotic conditions to change
ultra violet radiation
increases amount of mutations because of damage of the ozone layer
first law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed
second law of thermodynamics
nothing can ever be 100% efficient
where does most energy in the biosphere come from
the sun
albedo
amount of energy reflected from a surface
earth is what kind of system
closed
photosythesis
process where producers capture solar energy and convert it into food
cellular respiration
process where consumers break down glucose into CO2 and H2O, releasing usable energy
chemosysthesis
captures the energy stored in chemical bonds and converts it into glucose
producers are also known as
autotrophs
producers make what
their own food
photosynthetic producers (photoautotrophs)
use solar energy to convert carbon into carbohydrates (make food using the sun)
chemosynthetic producers (chemoautotrophs)
uses energy in inorganic compounds to store energy in glucose without sunlight (make food without sunlight)
consumers are also known as
heterotrophs
consumers require energy to
consume other organisms for energy
primary consumers
herbivores (only eat producers/plants)
secondary consumers
carnivores (only eat meat/herbivores and other carnivores)
tertiary consumers
eat consumers
decomposers
break down dead organisms and waste to return the nutrients back into the ecosystem
trophic levels
categories that define how living things gain energy (feeding levels)
what are the trophic levels 1-4
- producers 2. primary consumers 3. secondary consumers 4. tertiary consumers
food chain
shows the pathway on how food and energy is transferred
food web
interlocking food chains that are more complex and realistic
what happens when energy is lost
limits the number of trophic levels that a food web can contain
where does energy go as you move up the food chain
used to digest and metabolize, lost as heat, lost as waste, helps with growth
what percent of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next
10%
ecological pyramids
describes quantitative relationships between trophic levels
pyramid of numbers
based on the # of organisms at each trophic level (more grass, less eagles)
inverted pyramid of numbers
when there are fewer of the lower trophic levels (less grass, more eagles)
pyramid of biomass
dry mass of the organisms at each trophic level
inverted pyramid of biomass
more mass at the lower trophic levels
pyramid of energy
total amount of energy in each trophic level
monocultures/agriculture
ecosystems need to be diverse for stability, but agriculture is when farmers only farm one type of plant which eliminates ecosystems
pesticides
eliminates one species, but has lasting effects on others
biological amplification/magnification
build up of harmful toxin in organisms as the chemicals are transferred through the food chain
water comprises what percent of all plant and animal tissue
more than 50%
precipitation
any form of water that falls from the sky
infiltration
surface water becomes ground water by moving down through the soil
surface run-off
when soil is infiltrated to full capacity, any excess water flows over the land
condensation
water vapor returns to liquid form either by saturation (dew) or in clouds by accumulating large water droplets
percolation
movement of water through the soil
leaching
removal of soluble minerals by percolation
evaporation
water ends up as a vapor in the atmosphere by evaporating from ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans
transpiration
movement of water through a plant and it’s evaporation from leaves, stems and flowers
evaportranspiration
how water vapor ends up in the atmosphere (combined evaporation and transpiration)
biogeochemical cycles
routes that chemical nutrients take through the biosphere
rapid cycling
substances that cycle quickly between nutrient reservoirs
slow cycling
some substances accumulate and are stored for long periods of time in nutrient reservoirs
sulfate reducers
convert suflate to sulfide
sulfur oxidizers
convert sulfide to elemental sulfur and sulfate
acid deposition
precipitation of acidic solutions due to SOx and NOx gases combining with water (acid rain)
volcanic activity and human industries
distribute sulfur into the soil, air, and water
carbon is found in
inorganic forms
