ch.1 ecology + biosphere

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

study of relationship among an ecosystem

Question 2

open system

Answer 2

both energy + matter can be exchanged

Question 3

closed system

Answer 3

only energy can be exchanged, matter cannot

Question 4

atmosphere

Answer 4

layer of gases around planet

Question 5

geosphere

Answer 5

the land part of earth

Question 6

hydrosphere

Answer 6

water on earth, clouds + underground water

Question 7

biosphere

Answer 7

all biomes together

Question 8

major source of energy

Answer 8

sun

Question 9

producer (autotrophs)

Answer 9

convert light energy into stored chemical energy in carbos via phtotsyntesis

Question 10

consumers (heterotrophs)

Answer 10

energy in carbs to power cell via cell resp. / fermentation

Question 11

how is energy lost

Answer 11

through heat

Question 12

main outcomes of sunlight

Answer 12

reflection, absorption, transmission

Question 13

effect of amount of sunlight on earth

Answer 13

change in atomsphere (dust), hydrologic cycle (clouds), surface of earth (albedo)

Question 14

albedo

Answer 14

amount of sunlight an object reflects, as a %, white has high %, black low %

Question 15

what happens to light

Answer 15

light hits earth, low wavelengths reflected into space, can go to space or be reflected by atmosphere

Question 16

composition of atmosphere e

Answer 16

full of matter, gases interact with light, 80% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 1% everything else

Question 17

greenhouse gases

Answer 17

absorb infrared energy and keep earth warm, include CO2, H2O, methane

Question 18

photosynthetic producers

Answer 18

convert CO2, H2O, and light into stored biological energy via photosynthesis

Question 19

chemosynthetic producers

Answer 19

convert energy from chemical bonds into stored biological energy, eg: bacteria in deep-sea vents

Question 20

consumers

Answer 20

eat organic matter made by producers or other organisms

Question 21

primary consumers

Answer 21

first eaters of plants

Question 22

secondary consumers

Answer 22

animals that eat herbivors

Question 23

tertiary consumers

Answer 23

eat other carnivores or secondary consumers

Question 24

decomposers

Answer 24

get energy by eating dead organisms, shedded parts or waste material.

Question 25

why decomposers important

Answer 25

waste product of their eating is inorganic material that can be used by producers, in soil

Question 26

first law of thermodynamics

Answer 26

energy cannot be created or destroyed only transferred

Question 27

second law of thermodynamics

Answer 27

energy conversion not 100% efficient, when converted some lost through sound /heat

Question 28

trophic

Answer 28

food/feeding

Question 29

trophic level

Answer 29

feeding levels within ecosystem

Question 30

what happens to energy we take

Answer 30

waste energy, body tissue from growth, lost to environments as heat (heat produced by cell resp)

Question 31

food chain

Answer 31

show linear pathway where food in transferred to higher level, 3-6 levels, change at one level impacts other levels, law of thermodynamic limits leaves

Question 32

food webs

Answer 32

complex + accurate model that tracks food/E in ecosystem, beneficial for survival

Question 33

biomagnification

Answer 33

the concentration of chemicals increases at higher trophic level s

Question 34

rule of 10

Answer 34

only 10% of E is transferred to consumer so constant energy is need for life,

Question 35

ecological pyramids

Answer 35

diagrams that show how tropic level relates to organism #/ amount of E available, width shows quantity measured

Question 36

pyramid of numbers

Answer 36

organism at higher have less #, width shows # of organism,

Question 37

biomass

Answer 37

dry mass of living or once living organism per unit area, g/m^2

Question 38

pyramid of biomass

Answer 38

approximate amount of energy present in living tissue of organism makes up for different size of species

Question 39

pyramid of energy

Answer 39

eliminates problems with other models, more complicates, shows total amount of energy in each level, most accurate, must be pyramid shaped

Question 40

what affects ecosystems

Answer 40

biodiversity increases stability of food webs/ecosystems, change to one level affects another, change in any component changes ecosystem