ch 3-6 (ecology) Flashcards
Ecology
the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment ,or surroundings
biosphere
highest/largest level of organizaion containing the combined ortions of the planet in which all life exists , including land, water, and air, or atmosphere; portions of the planet in which life exists
population
a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
community
assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area
ecosystem
A collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place together with their nonliving or physical environment
biome
A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and some more dominant communities
producers/autotrophs
Organism that can capture energy from the sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds
producers make the suns energy avalible for other living things
species
a group of organisms that are able to breed and produce fertile offsprin
consumer/heterothrophs
Organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply
herbivore
Consumers that obtain energy by eating only plants
omnivore
Organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals
carnivore
Organisms that obtain energy by eating animals
detritivore
Organism that feeds on plants and animal remains and other dead matter
decomposer
Organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
what are the levels of orginization (list form lowest/smallest to highest/largest)
species, populations, communities, ecosystem, biomes, & Biosphere
what is the equasion for photosynthesis
carbon dioxide+water—–> carbohydrates+oxygen
6CO2 + 6H2O——-> C6H12O6 + 6O2.
what are the diffrent types of heterotrophs/consumers
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, detrivores, decomposers
what happens to the flow of energy when one organism eats another
That energy moves along a one way path. energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction from the sun or inorganic compound to autotophs and then to various heterotrophs
food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten; they show the one way flow of energy in an ecosystem
food web
A network of complex interactions form by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem
links all the food chains in an ecosystem tgether
trophic level
Each step in a food chain or food web
what makes up the throphic levels
the first level is made up by producers
the second, third or higher levels are made up of consumers
ecological pyramid
A diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each traffic level in a food chain or food web
What are the three different types of ecological pyramids
Energy pyramid, biomass pyramid, pyramid of numbers
biomass
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
limiting nutrient
single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of orgnisims in an ecosystem; Something in organism needs but is in a limited supply and therefore control of the population
algal bloom
an immediate increase in the amount of algea and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient
greenhouse effect
natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth’s atmoaphere by a layer of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases
biotic factor
biological influence on organisms within an ecosystem
abiotic factor
physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
examples amount of water, temp., amount of sunlight, and amount of nitrogen…
habitat
the area where an organism lives,including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it
niche
full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
predation
interction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism
symbiosis
realationship in which two species live closely togrther
mutualism
symbiotic relationship in which both species benifit from the relashionship
commensalisms
Symbiotic relationship in which one member of the Association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed/ isn’t affected
parasitism
Symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) andl consequentially harms it
ecological succession
Gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance
Primary succession
On land, succession that occurs on surfaces were no soil exist and starts with the arrivale of living things such as lichens that do not need soil to survive
Pioneer species
First species to populate an area during primary succession
Secondary succession
Succession following a disturbance that destroys it community without destroying the soil
Renewable resource
resource that can regenerate quickly and that is replaceable; can regenerate at a rate equal to or faster then we use it
nonrenewable resource
Resource that cannot be replenished by natural processes
soil erosion
wearing away of surface soil by water and wind
desetification
In areas with dry climates, a process caused by a combination of poor farming practices, overgrazing, and drought that turns productive land into desert
Deforestation
destruction/Loss of forests
smog
Mixture of chemicals that occurs as a gray – brown haze in the atmosphere
nitrogen fixation
process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
what is biogeochemical cycle? and what are some types are there?
a process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
water cycle, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorous cycle
pollutant
harmful material that can enter the biosphere
acid rain
rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids
biological magnification
increasing concentration of harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a fod chain or web; when polutants increase as you move up a trophic level
invasive species
plants and animals that have migrayed to places where they are not native
when it is introduced it begins to take over
ozone layer
atmosphere layer in which ozone gas is relatively concentrated
global warming
increase in the average temperatures on Earth
climate
average year after year conditions of temp. and precipitation in a particular region
weather
day to da conditions in a particular place at a particular time
energy pyramid
ecological pyramid that shows the relative amount of energy available at each ttophic level. Orgnisms use about 10% of this energy for life processes. the rest is lost as heat
(starting @ 100% at the base only 10% of the enegrgy is transfered to organisms at the next trophic level)
why is only part of the energy that is stored in one thropic level is passed on the next level ?
because organisms use much of the energy they consume for life processes, such as respiration, movment, and rreproduction. and some of the remaining energy is released by heat
biomass pyramid
represents the amount of potential food available for each trophic leve in an ecosystem;represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level.
typically, the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid
Pyramid of numbers
shows the relative number of individual organisms ar each trophic level
what does natrual accuring ozone levels do?
it absorbs a good deal of harmful UV radiation from the sunlight, before it reaches the earth
what happens if ina pyramid the level bellow gets smaller
everything above that level gets smaller, because each consumer depends on the level below for its energy
water cycle
the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, through evaporation, tranpiration, condencation, precipitation
transpiration
evaporation from leaves
what 4 main processes move carbon through its cycle
biological processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition- take up and release carbon
geochemical processes such as erosion and volcanic activity-release carbon dioxide to atmosphere and ocean
mixed Biogeochemical processes, such as the Burial and decomposition of dead organisms and their Conversion under pressure into coal and petroleum- store carbon underground
Human activities, such as my name, cutting and burning forest, and burning fossil fules- release carbon dioxide into atmosphere
carbon cycle
the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels…
how have humans altered the carbon cycle
Human activities, such as my name, cutting and burning forest, and burning fossil fules- release carbon dioxide into atmosphere
nitrogen cycle
the series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition.
what do organisms need nitrogen for
to build proteins
what percent of the atmosphere is nitrogen
78%
phosphorous cycle
a cycle in which phosphorous moves through rocks, water, soil and sediments and organisms
how do organisms get phosphorous
plants get it from the soil and water animals get it from eating the plants
how does phosphorous get into soil/water
manuer, erosion of rocks, artificial fertilizers
how does the greenhouse effect, latitude, and heat transport affect climate
the greenhouse effect traps heat from leaving earth and therfore keeps it warm
differences in the angle of sunlight direct at different latitudes result in the delivery of more heat to the equator than the poles
ocean currents and winds distribute heat to diffrent places.
what are the 3 main climate zones
Polar zones, temperate zones, tropical zones
climax community
the stable group of plants and animals that is the end result of a succession process
photic zone
well lit upper layer of the ocean wear photosynthesis takes place
aphotic zone
below the photic zone and is permanently dark
benthic zone
the ocean floor
what is flowing water
water on its way to the ocean
estuaries
wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea
wetland
an ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year
desertification
a combination of farming, overgrazing, and drought has turned once productive areas into deserts
intertidal zone
also known as the foreshore and seashore, the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide
Organisms that live in this zone are exposed to regular an extreme changes in their surroundings
neritic zone
The neritic zone is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf
open ocean
the ocean lying beyond the continental shelf it is the largest marine zone
salt marshes
Temperate – zone estuaries dominated by salt – tolerant grass is above the low – Tideline, and by sea grasses underwater
detritus
Teeny pieces or organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of the estuaries food web
what are the 2 types of freshwater
Flowing- water ecosystems and standing – water ecosystem
carbon sinks
when carbon gets locked away for a long time
example fossil fules
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
convert atmospheric nitrogen into something that plants can use
sustainable development
a way of using natural resources without depleting them and of providing for human needs without causing longterm environmental harm
what can human activities affect?
the quality and supply of renewable resources such as land, forests, fisheries, air, and freshwater
humus
a material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter that makes soil fertile
overfishing
The harvesting of fish faster than they can be replaced by reproduction
lichen
A symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus a pioneer species
ozone depletion
caused by CFCs, the distruction of the ozone layer that alwos for UV light to enter the atmosphere and damge tisue
