Biology Flashcards
What is an “Abiotic” factor?
A non-living factor. (Ex: rocks, sunlight, air.)
What is a “Biotic” factor?
A living or once-living factor. (Ex: plants, animals, dead plants and animals.)
What is “Sustainability”?
Meeting the needs of current generation without compromising future generations. The ability of an ecosystem to be resistant.
What is the relationship between “Sustainability” and “Biodiversity”?
Increased biodiversity = Increased sustainability.
What is “Symbiosis”?
The interactions between living things.
What are the three types of “Symbiosis”?
Mutualism - Both creatures benefit.
Commensalism - One benefits, the other is unaffected.
Parasitism - One benefits, the other is harmed.
What is “Predation”?
One organism consumes another.
What is “Competition”?
Organisms compete for resources.
Introspecific: 2 of same species competing.
Interspecific: 2 of different species competing.
What’s the difference between a “Food Chain” and a “Food Web”?
Food chain: simple chain showing energy flow.
Food web: more complex, many interconnecting food chains.
How much energy gets passed on to each trophic level?
10% is passed on. 90% is lost.
What is “Photosynthesis”?
Photosynthesis is how producers make their own energy.
(Sunlight + Water + Carbon Dioxide -> Glucose + Oxygen) (reversible process of “Cellular Respiration”.)
What is “Cellular Respiration”?
Using glucose and energy to make carbon dioxide.
(Glucose + Oxygen -> Water + Carbon Dioxide) (Reversible process of “Photosynthesis”.)
Explain the Predator-Prey relationship.
Predator and prey populations change in response to each other.
High prey - Low predator
High predator - Low prey
How to turn N2(g) into nitrites.
- Lightning
- Soil bacteria
- Bacteria in stems of green plants
What is “Denitrification”?
Bacteria decomposes nitrates into N2(g).
What is “Nitrification”?
- Decomposing dead animals/plants into ammonia.
- Bacteria converts ammonia into nitrates.
- Bacteria converts nitrates into nitrites.
What are the “Levels of Organization” in order?
Organism -> Population -> Community -> Ecosystem.
(Population - group of organisms of same species.)
(Community - multiple different populations interacting in an area)
(Ecosystem - biotic and abiotic interacting)
What is a “Paradigm Shift”?
A significant change in how we view the world. (Ex: climate change, renewable energies.)
What is “Biomagnification”?
Increase in the concentration of toxins as you move up the food chain.
(10 units -> 100 units -> 1000 units -> 10000 units.)
What is “Carrying Capacity”? What trophic level has a higher carrying capacity than tertiary consumers?
- Size of a population that can be supported indefinitely by available resources in the ecosystem.
- Producers have a higher carrying capacity.
What is “Eutrophication”? What is the process of how “Eutrophication” can affect an aquatic ecosystem?
- Build up of nutrients in aquatic ecosystem that lead to increase of producers.
- Fertilizer runs into water -> Algae bloom -> Submerged plants die due to no sunlight -> Bacteria use oxygen during decomposition -> Oxygen levels in water drop too low for species to survive.
