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GEOG-2204 - Human Impact on the Environment > Chapter 3 - Energy Flows & Ecosystems > Flashcards

Chapter 3 - Energy Flows & Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

What are the four spheres considered in the Ecosphere?

A
  • Atmosphere
  • Biosphere
  • Hydrosphere
  • Lithosphere
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2
Q

What is the Capelin Food Chain?

A

Changing the energy available at one part of the food chain causes changes throughout the ecosystem.

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3
Q

Define Energy:

A

The capacity to do work and is measured in
Calories (nutrition).

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4
Q

What is a calorie equal to in joules?

A

4.2 joules

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5
Q

Energy derived from an object’s motion and mass is known as ______________.

A

kinetic energy

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6
Q

What kind of energy is stored and is available for later use?

A

Potential Energy

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7
Q

What kind of energy is most available for use?

A

Low-quality energy

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8
Q

The total energy of all moving atoms is referred to as _______

A

heat

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9
Q

_____ is a low quality energy.

A

heat

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10
Q

Define Temperature:

A

A measure of average speed of molecules or atoms in a substance

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11
Q

What is High-quality energy?

A

It is easy to use and is easily produced.

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12
Q

What do the law of physics describe?

A

The way in which energy transformations take place all over the world.

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13
Q

What is the first law of physics? Define it:

A

Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it merely changes forms.

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14
Q

What is the second law of thermodynamics? Define it:

A

Law of Entropy: When energy is transformed into another form, there is always a decrease in the quality of usable energy.

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15
Q

Why is the second law of thermodynamics important to organisms?

A

Because they must continuously expend energy to maintain themselves, whenever energy is used, some is lost.

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16
Q

What are the three key principal transformations that can take society to a sustainable place?

A
  1. View high energy consumption as undesirable
  2. Reduce energy waste
  3. Switch from non-renewable energy to renewable
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17
Q

True or False: About 30% of the energy received is reflected by the atmosphere back into space

A

True

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18
Q

Less than __% of earths energy forms the basis for our ecological systems.

A

1

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19
Q

What are the green pigments in plants that absorb light energy from the sun?

A

Chlorophylls

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20
Q

Photosynthesis produces ____________.

A

oxygen

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21
Q

Photosynthesis produces high-energy ________ from CO2 and H2O.

A

carbohydrates

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22
Q

_________________: Organisms that capture energy and manufacture matter.

A

Autotrophs

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23
Q

If they are not an autotroph, they are a ___________.

A

Heterotroph

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24
Q

What are the two kinds of Autotrophs?

A
  • Phototrophs
  • Chemoautotrophs
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25
Phototrophs get their energy from __________.
light
26
27
Chemoautotrophs obtain their energy from ____________________________.
chemicals in the environment
28
What system do Phototrophs and Chemoautotrophs play a part in?
Biogeochemical Cycles
29
Besides photosynthesis, ________________ is another essential energy pathway in organisms
cellular respiration
30
What happens in cellular respiration?
Carbohydrates are broken down into inorganic molecules
31
Aerobic organisms must have access to ______________ for cellular respiration to take place.
oxygen
32
*True or false*: Anaerobic organisms (such as some bacteria), can survive even without oxygen
True
33
Each level of the food chain is called a _______________.
trophic level
34
____________ eat producers and are the energy source for _______________.
Herbivores, carnivores
35
True or False: Omnivores can get their energy from multiple trophic levels.
True
36
Primary Consumers =
Eating Plants
37
Secondary Consumers =
Eating Herbivores
38
Tertiary Consumers =
Eating animals that are secondary consumers
39
What are Food Webs?
Network of food chains or feeding relationships
40
What are the six classifications in the food chain?
1. Herbivores 2. Carnivores 3. Omnivores 4. Scavengers 5. Detritivores 6. Decomposers
41
True or False: Not all plants are autotrophs.
True. Carnivorous pitcher plant gain their energy from ingesting the bodies of insects that trapped
42
Why do Decomposers play a key role in the food chain?
By breaking down plant and animal material into products such as carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic forms of phosphorus and nitrogen and other elements.
43
Where do Detrital Food Chains dominate?
Forest and freshwater ecosystems
44
What are the three phase of grazing food chains in marine ecosystems?
1. Producers are photosynthetic phytoplankton 2. Zooplankton graze on the phytoplankton 3. Zooplankton are grazed by whales
45
The Eutrophic zone is _________ deep.
10-200m
46
How does the second law of thermodynamics explain energy flows in trophic levels?
Energy flows from trophic level to trophic level, with a loss of usable energy at each transformation.
47
Define Energy Efficiency:
A portion of energy entering system that is transformed into useful form of energy or work
48
What are Ecological Pyramids?
A visual representations of energy flow, biomass accumulation, and number of individuals at different trophic levels
49
Oceans have ___________ biomass pyramids.
inverted
50
Why are natural food chains inefficient?
Because only 10% of biomass is converted to food for next level
51
True or False: In terms of energy efficiency, it would be better to operate as low on the food chain as possible—as primary consumers or vegetarian
True
52
What is GPP?
Gross Primary Productivity
53
What is the GPP equation?
GPP = NPP + R
54
What is R in the GPP equation?
Cellular Respiration (Subtracted to reveal the net primary productivity (NPP)
55
What are the most productive ecosystems?
Wetlands and tropical rainforests
56
What is NCP?
Net Community Productivity
57
What are the six levels of the ecosphere? [OPCEEB]
1. Organisms 2. Population 3. Community 4. Ecosystem 5. Ecozone 6. Biome
58
Define an Ecosystem:
Collections of communities
59
Define Ecozones:
Groups of Ecosystems
60
What are Biomes?
Grouped ecozones
61
What are the three ecozones in Canada? How many of each?
- Terrestrial (18) - Marine (12) - Fresh Water (1)
62
Why are Abiotic Components important?
They determine how the living or biotic components of ecosystems are distributed.
63
What are the five key abiotic factors?
1. Light 2. Temperature 3. Wind 4. Water 5. Soil
64
What are soils comprised of?
- inorganic materials, - decaying organic matter - water, and - air
65
What do they call the various processes result in different layers forming in the soil?
Soil Horizons
66
A ______________ is the view across these horizons
soil profile
67
________: decomposed organic material
Humus
68
_________: soils that contain a mixture of humus and clay, silt, sand, and gravel
Loams
69
___________ is a main determinant of soil permeability
Texture
70
What are Limiting Factors?
Factors that determine whether an organism can survive in a given ecosystem e.g. rainfall, essential nutrients
71
What is the Dominant Limiting Factor?
The weakest link in the chain of various factors necessary for an organism’s survival (weeding, irrigation, fertilizer)
72
_____________________: the range of conditions that different organisms can tolerate and still survive
Range of Tolerance
73
_____________________: conditions can be tolerated by certain individuals within the population, but are not optimal, so fairly few individuals can exist
Zone of Physiological Stress
74
What is Niche?
Each species needs a specific combination of the physical, chemical, and biological conditions for its growth.
75
What does the Competitive Exclusion Principle say?
No two species can occupy the same niche in the same area.
76
What is the difference Fundamental and Realized Niche?
Fundamental Niche: Potential Range of conditions a species can occupy. Realized Niche: The range actually occupied
77
Explain Resource Partitioning:
Resources are used at different times, or in different ways, by species with overlaps of fundamental niches, possibly reducing competition.
78
______________ Theory: there is a point of compensation between the benefit of obtaining the prey and the costs of doing so, and predator behaviour adjusts to optimize benefits
Optimal Foraging
79
What are the three key biotic relationships?
1. Parasitism (Predator-Prey) 2. Mutualism (Both benefit) 3. Commensalism (Neutral)
80
In Canada there are approximately ___ endemic species of vascular plants, mammals, freshwater fish, and molluscs.
54
81
What forms does energy come in?
- Radiant energy - Chemical energy - Heat - Mechanical - Electrical
82
Most productive communities are found in __________, ____________ and ______________.
Estuaries, Wetlands, rainforests
83
What types of ecosystem productivity explain ecosystem function?
- Primary productivity - Net primary productivity - Net community productivity

GEOG-2204 - Human Impact on the Environment (11 decks)

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