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Biology 201 > Chapter 4 > Flashcards

Chapter 4 Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What are the two components of the ecosystem?

A

Abiotic and biotic

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2
Q

What are interacting organisms referred to as?

A

Communities

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3
Q

What does autotroph mean

A

Self Feeding

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4
Q

What do autotrophs eat

A

Inorganic carbon sources like CO2

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5
Q

What is another name for autotrophs

A

Primary producers

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6
Q

What is required for autotrophs to fix carbon

A

External energy

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7
Q

What does heterotroph mean

A

Other feeding

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8
Q

What do heterotrophs eat

A

Organic carbon sources (other organisms)

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9
Q

What is another name for heterotrophs

A

Secondary producers

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10
Q

What are the two types of secondary producers

A

Consumers and decomposers

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11
Q

What do detritus feed on

A

Organic and inorganic material in the water and soil

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12
Q

4 points on photosynthesis

A
  1. essential for life on earth
  2. every organism relies on this
  3. suns energy fuels chemical reactions
  4. CO2 is transformed into simple sugars
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13
Q

What is decomposition

A

The breakdown of chemical bonds to release energy and convert organic matter to inorganic matter

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14
Q

What are the two types of decomposers

A

Microflora and detritovores

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15
Q

What organisms are microflora

A

Bacteria and fungi

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16
Q

How do microflora digest complex organic molecules

A

By secreting enzymes

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17
Q

Microflora work in…

A

succession to fully decompose matter

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18
Q

What are detritovores responsible for

A

Fragmentation of organic material like small animals

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19
Q

What are the three stages of decomposition

A

Leaching, fragmentation, mineralization

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20
Q

What is leaching

A

Removal of soluble sugars

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21
Q

What is fragmentation

A

Mechanical of chemical breaking apart

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22
Q

What is mineralization

A

When inorganic nutrients are released from the organic material

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23
Q

What decomposers live on plants

A

Microflora

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24
Q

What do plant microflora feed on

A

Exudates (any fluid released from the plant)

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25
Q

How do plants feed decomposers

A

By secreting fluids, sloughing cellular material, and growing old

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26
Q

What are the first class of decomposers in animals

A

Scavangers: eagles, vultures, ravens

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27
Q

What is the second class of decomposers in animals

A

Anthropods

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28
Q

What is the third class of decomposers in animals

A

Bacteria

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29
Q

What influences the decomposition rate

A

Litter quality

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30
Q

What affects litter quality

A

Carbon quantity and chemical bonds

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31
Q

What is good quality litter

A

Contains glucose and small, high energy bonds

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32
Q

What is fair quality litter

A

Contains cellulose and has a complex structure

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33
Q

What is poor quality litter

A

Contains lignin and complex, folded molecules

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34
Q

How does physical environment affect decomposition

A

Higher temperatures create a higher decomposition rate

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35
Q

What is AET

A

Actual Evapotranspiration: the evaporation and transpiration

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36
Q

What happens to dead organic matter in aquatic habitats

A

Drifts to the bottom where it is ingested, digested, and mineralized by bacteria in the benthic layer (anaerobic)

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37
Q

What are bacteria considered in aquatic ecosystems

A

Converters

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38
Q

What eats bacteria in aquatic ecosystems

A

Zooplankton

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39
Q

How is aquatic organic matter decomposed

A

By bacteria which consume the cellular breakdown and exudates of plankton and convert it to biomass

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40
Q

What is energy

A

The ability to do work

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41
Q

What is potential energy

A

Energy that is available for work

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42
Q

What is kinetic energy

A

Energy in motion

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43
Q

Energy is measured in what?

A

Calories

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44
Q

What is the first law of thermodynamics

A

Energy is not created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed

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45
Q

What is it called when energy is unable to do work

A

Entropy

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46
Q

What is the second law of thermodynamics

A

Energy can become unable to do work due to transfer or transformation (only in a closed system)

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47
Q

What kind of system is the earth

A

An open system

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48
Q

What is the ultimate source of energy in ecosystems

A

The sun (PAR)

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49
Q

What do autotrophs do with the sun

A

Convert CO2 to simple sugars

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50
Q

What is energy flow in ecosystems a result of

A

Chemical bonds of organic carbon-based compounds

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51
Q

What is GPP (Gross Primary Production)

A

Energy assimilated by the plant

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52
Q

What is NPP (Net Primary Productivity)

A

Energy remaining after respiration

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53
Q

What do NPP and GPP together measure

A

Productivity

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54
Q

What is stored from the sun in photosynthesis

A

Energy

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55
Q

What is standing crop biomass

A

The accumulate plant biomass after respiration

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56
Q

What is not included in standing crop biomass

A

Material that dies or is consumed by herbivores

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57
Q

What can cause high biomass

A

Old plants

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58
Q

What is biomass influenced by

A

Longevity of plants

59
Q

Does high biomass equal high productivity

A

No

60
Q

What is an example of a productive organism with a low standing crop biomass

A

Phytoplankton

61
Q

What influences primary production

A

Water, temperature, growing season, and AET

62
Q

How does water influence primary productivity

A

Moisture influences the rate of transpiration

63
Q

How does temperature influence primary productivity

A

lower temperatures result in a lower metabolic rate (or high and high)

64
Q

How does AET influence primary productivity

A

There needs to be enough water and a high enough temperature to move water

65
Q

Is primary productivity highly or lowly variable

A

Highly

66
Q

Example of high productivity ecosystems considering primary productivity

A

Ocean coastlines, tropical upwellings, rain forest

67
Q

Example of low productivity ecosystems considering primary productivity

A

Tundras, deserts

68
Q

What are some temporal variations considering primary productivity

A

stand age, annual variation (less water, more herbivores)

69
Q

Three key points of stand age (temporal variation)

A

leaf area is maximum
no longer enough water or nutrients to keep growing
trees keep adding biomass

70
Q

What is NPP used for

A

growth and storage

71
Q

Patterns of primary productivity in annuals

A

NPP dedicated to above ground growth
Flowers (reproduction)
Seeds (overwinter survival)

72
Q

Patterns of primary productivity in perennials

A

NPP dedicated to above ground growth
Flowers (fewer than annuals)
Mostly roots, some seeds (overwinter survival)

73
Q

Patterns of primary productivity in woody plants

A 
Leaves
Flowers
Fruit (reproduction)
Cambium (growing big and tall)
Buds
Roots (overwinter survival)
74
Q

What does a high root to shoot ratio suggest

A

The plant is a good compeditor for water and nutrients (desert, tundra)

75
Q

What does a low root to shoot ration suggest

A

The plant has high productivity (forest)

76
Q

Theoretically, what is available to all herbivores/decomposers

A

NPP

77
Q

Is NPP always available

A

Some NPP is physically unavailable

78
Q

What is not available to decomposers

A

Living tissue

79
Q

How is energy consumed in organisms

A

Passed in urine/feces
Lost as heat
remainder used for maintenance, growth, storage, and reproduction

80
Q

What does secondary production equation look like

A

Sec. Production = Econsumed - Erespiration - Ewastes

81
Q

What is encompassed in secondary productivity

A

Growth, storage, reproduction

82
Q

What is assimilation efficiency

A

the ratio of energy assimilated to energy ingested

83
Q

What does the assimilation efficiency depend on

A

food quality and the efficiency of digestion

84
Q

What is production efficiency

A

the ratio of secondary production to energy assimilated

85
Q

What does production efficiency depend on

A

Respiration rate

86
Q

What is the rough distribution of energy in homeotherms

A

98% to metabolism

70% to assimilation energy

87
Q

What is the rough distribution of energy in poikilotherms

A

66% to metabolism

42% to assimilation energy

88
Q

What are the three levels of producers

A

primary producers, herbivores, and carnivores

89
Q

What are the four kinds of herbivores

A

grazers
browsers
granivores
frugivores

90
Q

What do grazers consume

A

leaf materials

91
Q

What do browsers consume

A

woody materials

92
Q

What do granivores consume

A

seeds

93
Q

What do frugivores consume

A

fruit

94
Q

What do grazers and browsers consume a lot of

A

cellulose and lignin

95
Q

How do browsers and grazers consume food

A

With gut bactera and protozoa

96
Q

How do rabbits and hares digest cellulose and lignin

A

By coprophagy (shit eaters)

97
Q

How do horses digest cellulose and lignin

A

hind gut fermenters

98
Q

What do first order carnivores consume

A

herbivores

99
Q

What do second order carnivores consume

A

first order carnivores

100
Q

Do omnivores feed at one tropic level

A

No, many

101
Q

What are most omnivores

A

invertebrates

102
Q

What are the three major components to a grazing food chain

A

Primary producers
Herbivores
Carnivores

103
Q

What are the three major components to a detrital food chain

A

Detritus
Decomposer herbivores
Carnivores

104
Q

What are the two types of food chains

A

Grazing and detrital

105
Q

Which food chain is the major path for energy flow

A

Detrital

106
Q

What does the grazing food chain provide

A

Input for detrital food chain

107
Q

How are the two food chain connected

A

Through predation

108
Q

What are food webs

A

A series of interconnected food chains

109
Q

How does energy flow through individuals and populations

A

By being ingested , assimilated (respiration, growth,reproduction), or by being turned into waste

110
Q

What are growth and reproduction equivalent to in populations

A

Standing crop biomass and population size

111
Q

What is the general trend of ecological pyramids

A

Fewer individuals the higher the trophic level

112
Q

What does the pyramid of numbers not show

A

Biomass (elephant=mouse)

113
Q

What does a pyramid of biomass show

A

Weight of living material at any one time

114
Q

What is different about pyramids of biomass in aquatic systems and what organism is responsible for the change

A

It’s inverted

Phytoplankton

115
Q

What does a pyramid of energy show

A

Energy fixed and stored at each level

116
Q

What are the four main problems with using pyramids of energy

A

Do not describe detritle chain
Consumers don’t always occupy only one trophic level
Not all energy is able to be transferred
Suggests that energy does not cycle

117
Q

What is the general cycle of a biochemical cycle

A

soil/sediment - plant tissues - animal tissue - released by mineralization

118
Q

What is the major element in energy fixation

A

Carbon

119
Q

Where does all fixed C come from

A

Atmospheric CO2

120
Q

What is the carbon cycle the process of

A

photosynthesis and energy flow

121
Q

Describe the movement of carbon in the carbon cycle

A

CO2 assimilated by plants, becomes glucose
Synthesis and storage of polysaccharides, protein, ad fat
Ingested by herbivores,synthesized
Re digested and re synthesized by carnivores
Decomposers release C stored

122
Q

How do all organisms recycle CO2

A

By respiration

123
Q

What happens to CO2 in an aquatic system

A

It diffuses into the upper layers of the ecosystem

Once dissolved it is used by phytoplankton to make energy rich carbon compounds to pass through aquatic food chain

124
Q

CO2 in <4.3 pH is

A

Dissolved CO2

125
Q

CO2 in 4.3-8.3 pH is

A

Bicarbonate

126
Q

CO2 in >8.3 pH is

A

Carbonate

127
Q

Why does CO2 concentration vary daily

A

Driven by photosynthesis, decline at dawn, increase at dusk

Lowest in canopy, highest at forest floor

128
Q

Why does CO2 concentration vary seasonally

A

CO2 highest in summer, increased heat

129
Q

Why does CO2 concentration vary annually

A

Will vary due to extreme seasonal changes (winter, summer)

Influenced by storage in plants

130
Q

What does the global cycle mainly consist of

A

Sedimentary rock, not cycling

131
Q

Where is most cycling C found

A

In the ocean

132
Q

Where is little cycling C found

A

In the atmosphere

133
Q

Three points about the nitrogen cycle

A

Essential component of protein
Most of atm as N2
Unusable: must be converted

134
Q

What are the two methods of nitrogen fixation

A

High Energy fixation and biological fixation

135
Q

Describe high energy fixation

A

Caused by lightning and cosmic radiation

Forms nitrate

136
Q

Describe biological fixation

A

Turns N2 into 2N, energy expensive, forms ammonia

137
Q

What organisms perform biological fixation

A

mutualistic bacteria, free living bacteria, cyanobacteria, and fungi

138
Q

Who utilizes ammonia

A

Plants

139
Q

Describe the flow of nitrogen in the nitrogen cycle

A

Some unusable N2 is mineralized into ammonia, which is absorbed by plants or enters water/soil
Some undergoes nitrification, which is used by other bacteria and plants
These can undergo denitrification, and become converted to gaseous N by bacteria and fungi, which are facultative anaerobes, and N2 is lost to the atmosphere

140
Q

What are some human impacts of the nitrogen cycle

A

Keep removing N content from soil (leaching, removing plants)
Polluting which adds No2, increasing canopy growth and stem growth so trees don’t prepare for winter
Decreasing root growth

141
Q

Key points of the phosphorus cycle

A

Small amount P in atm
Usually the limiting factor
Mostly in rock
Released by weathering, erosion, weathering
Used by plants (passed through food chain)
Bacteria makes it inorganic

142
Q

What happens to the phosphorus cycle in an aquatic environment

A

It is recycled rapidly and deposited in sediment

Seasonal upwellings make it available for phytoplankton

143
Q

Key points of sulphur cycle

A 
Has a long term sedimentary phase
Most enters cycle as hydrogen sulfide
Oxodizes to sulfur dioxide
Goes to earth in rainwater (sulfuric acid)
Plants take up sulphur
Recycled by decomposers
144
Q

What have humans done with acid deposition and how does it affect the ecosystem

A 
Increased SO2 and NO2, creating dilute solutions of strong acids
Causes acid rain, snow, and fog
Harms fish, releases aluminum ions
halt aquatic nutrient cycles
reduces aquatic bacteria activity levels
leach cations from leaves

Biology 201 (5 decks)

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