Chapter 3-4 Flashcards
Ecology
the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment.
Biotic
Contains carbon
Abiotic
Does not contain carbon
Biosphere
where all life exists
List and describe the levels of ecology:
Species: A group of organisms that are able to reproduce.
Populations: A group of organisms in a given area at a given time.
Communities: A group of populations in a defined area.
Ecosystem: All living and nonliving factors in an environment.
Biome: Area with a certain climate.
Biosphere: Where all life exists.
What are the three basic approaches scientists use?
Observing: Using all your senses to study an organism.
Experimenting: Testing a hypothesis, can be natural or artificial.
Modeling: Represents an idea or concept.
What is sunlight?
the ultimate source of energy for life on Earth.
Autotrophs
Make their own food.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis: Using light to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into oxygen (O2) and energy-rich carbohydrates.
Chemosynthesis
Use chemical energy to produce carbs.
Heterotrophs
Have to go get their food
Describe the types of consumers: Herbivores Carnivore Omnivores Detritivores Decomposers
Herbivores: Eat plants.
Carnivore: Eat meat.
Omnivores: Eat both plants and meat.
Detritivores: Feed on detritus which are the remains of dead organisms.
Decomposers: Break down dead organic matter.
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs and heterotrophs.
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs and heterotrophs.
Food Chain Ex.
3 organisms
Food Web Ex.
5 organisms
What % of energy is transferred to the next organism?
10%
Energy Pyramid
The largest group on bottom building the pyramid to the smallest group at the top.
Biomass Pyramid
Shows the amount of living tissue.
Pyramid of Numbers
The number of individuals of each species.
Nutrient
Anything needed for life
Carbon Cycle
Mostly goes from Co2 breathed out by animals and brought into plants and O2 breathed in by animals and breathed out by plants.
Carbon
The element of life.
Most carbon is not moving at a given time.
Only recycled when organisms die.
Nitrogen Cycle
Goes from nitrogen fixation > Denitrification > Back to nitrogen fixation.
What % of the earth’s atmosphere does nitrogen make up?
78%
Nitrogen Fixation
Plants converting nitrogen gas into ammonia.
Legumes
Put nitrogen back into the soil. Ex: soybeans.
Denifitrication
Converting nitrates into nitrogen gas.
Phosphorus Cycle
Cycles between rocks, soil, and the ocean.
Limiting Nutrient
Determines how well an ecosystem does.
Algal Bloom
Quick growth because there are enough nutrients in the area.
Weather
Day to day conditions of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place.
Climate
Average year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation.
Greenhouse Effect
The natural situation in which heat is retained by the Earth’s atmosphere.
Polar
Cold areas where the sun’s rays strike Earth at a very low angle.
Temperate
Most affected by changing the angle of the sun, has seasons.
Tropic
Receive direct sunlight so warmer.
What is the tilt of the axis?
23.5 degrees
What drives the currents?
The unequal heating of Earth’s surface drives the winds and ocean currents.
Niche
An animal’s job in the ecosystem
Can two species in the same ecosystem have the same niche?
no
Competition
Fighting for resources
Resources
Anything needed for life
Predation
One organism (predator) captures and kills the other (prey).
Mutualism
Both species benefit.
Parasite
One organism benefits (parasite) and the other is harmed (host).
Commensalism
One organism benefits while the other is not affected at all.
Are ecosystems constantly changing? Why?
Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances > older inhabitants gradually die out and new organisms move in.
Ecological Succession
Series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time.
Primary Succession
It starts with bare rock.
Secondary Succession
It starts with the soil.
Terrestrial
On land
Microclimate
The small area that differs in climate from one around it. mall area that differs in climate from one around it.
Tropical Rain Forest
Hot and humid, rains year-round.
More species than all other biomes combined.
Tropical Dry Forest
Rain is seasonal.
Mostly deciduous trees will lose their leaves during dry seasons.
Tropical Savanna
Seasonal rainfall, less than tropical dry forest but more than a desert.
Usually, a grassland since it is covered in many kinds of grass.
Desert
Less than 25 cm of rainfall per year.
Usually extreme temperature changes from day to night.
Temperate Grassland
Mostly farmland.
Normal seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Temperate Woodland and Shrubland
An area dominated by shrubs known as chaparral.
Constant fire threats.
Temperate Forest
A mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Year-round precipitation.
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
Abundant rainfall from the Pacific Ocean.
Mild temperatures.
Boreal Forest
Also called taiga.
Dense evergreens.
Tundra
Permafrost: Layer of permanently frozen subsoil.
Low precipitation.
