Ch3 - The Biosphere Flashcards
What is ecology?
study of interactions among organisms & with environment
What are the 3 ecological methods?
Observing: first step in asking ecological questions - form first step in designing experiments and models
Experimenting: test hypotheses - imitate and manipulate conditions from the natural world
Modeling: gain insight into complex phenomena (effects of global warming) - consist of mathematical formulas based on data
What are the types of ecological interactions? Examples?
- Competition: organisms fight for the same resources
- Intraspecific: occurring within species
- Interspecific: arising between two species - Predation: One organism (predator) feeding on/killing another (prey)
Symbiosis: close & long term interaction between 2+ species
- 3. Mutualism: 2 species benefit from one another
Ex. Flowers depend on insects to pollinate them
- 4. Parasitism: 1 organism lives on/inside ost organism & harms it
- Ectoparasites - Lives on the body
- Endoparasites - lives inside the body
Ex. Mosquitos sucking blood from other animals
- 5. Commensalism: 1 organism benefits while other is unaffected
Ex. Barnacles attach themselves to a whale’s skin to benefit from constant movement of water
What is the main energy source for all life?
Sun
What are autotrophs?
organisms that use energy from environment to fuel all molecules - aka producers - they make their own food
What are the 2 types of autotrophs?
- Photosynthetic/photoautotrophs: producers that use photosynthesis to make energy - use light energy from sun to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates
- Chemosynthetic/chemoautotrophs: producers that use chemosynthesis to make energy - use energy within chemical bonds to produce carbohydrates
What is the balanced equation for photosynthesis?
6CO2 + 6H2O = C6H12O6 + 6O2
Carbon Dioxide + water = Glucose + oxygen
What are heterotrophs?
organisms that acquire energy from other organisms - aka consumers: they consume their food
Types of heterotrophs
Herbivores: obtain energy by eating only plants
Carnivores: eat animals
Omnivores: eat both plants and animals
Scavengers: eat dead matter
Detritivores: feed on bits of plant and animal remains and other dead matter
Decomposers: break down organic matter for energy
How do organisms live without light? What are they called?
Chemosynthesis: when organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
Chemosynthetic autotrophs
Population vs. Community
organisms of the same species in an area vs. organisms of various species in the same area
What is the competitive exclusive principle?
No 2 species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at same time
Aiotic vs. Biotic factors. Examples
Abiotic factors: non living factors that shape ecosystems
Ex. climate, temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, nutrient availability, soil type, sunlight
Biotic factors: entire living cast of characters with which an organism might interact (ecological community)
Ex. birds, trees, mushrooms, bacteria - ecological community
What is a food chain?
series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
What is a food web? Types of food webs?
intertwined food chains, complex interactions of a network of organisms in an environment
Grazing food web: begins with photosynthesis, and producers/ plants
Detrital food web: begins with decomposers and detritivores break down organic wastes and remains of dead organisms, which release mineral salts, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus
What are the 4 trophic levels?
- Primary producers
- Primary consumers
- Secondary consumers
- Tertiary consumers
What is the 10% rule?
About this amount of energy is available within a trophic level for the next trophic level, the rest of the energy is released as heat, or used by the organism
What is an energy pyramid?
only part of the energy that is stored in 1 trophic level is passed onto the next level (always in pyramid form)
What is a biomass pyramid?
amount of potential food available for each trophic level in an ecosystem (biomass: total amount of living tissue within each trophic level)
What is a pyramid of numbers?
based on number of organisms at each trophic level (may not be of the pyramid shape cuz different organisms have different amounts of biomass)
What are biogeochemical cycles?
how elements, chemical compounds & matter are passed from organism to organism
What are the parts of the water cycle?
- Evaporation
- Transpiration
- Condensation
- Precipitation
- Runoff
- Seepage
What are the parts of the carbon cycle?
- Atmosphere to Plants: photosynthesis
- Plants to animals: consumers eat producers/plants that have C
- Ground: After death, organisms bodies decay (decomposers)
- Living things to atmosphere: Cellular respiration
- Fossil fuels to atmosphere: after being burned
- Atmosphere to oceans: ocean/bodies of water soak up C, rain does as well
- Lithosphere -> Hydrosphere: Erosion & Volcanic Activity
How does carbon enter the atmosphere?
Cellular respiration
Human Activity/combustion
From Ocean
Volcanic Activity
Decomposition
