Chapter 53

Question 1

what are the primary producer

Answer 1

autotrophs- can synthesize own food from inorganic sources

Question 2

what do primary producers do to energy

Answer 2

transform energy into chemical energy

Question 3

how do primary producers use chemical energy

Answer 3

1. cellular respiration
2. growth and reprodcution

Question 4

why is net primary productivity important

Answer 4

it is the amount of energy available via primary producers to other organisms

Question 5

how does energy flow

Answer 5

when one organism eats another

Question 6

how is chemical energy lost

Answer 6

as heat, but nutrients continue to cycle

Question 7

how can you tell if an organism is in the same trophic level

Answer 7

if they obtained energy from the same type of source

Question 8

what does a food chain focus on

Answer 8

on one possible pathway of energy flow among trophic levels

Question 9

what pattern is followed in ecosystems pertaining to biomass

Answer 9

total biomass produced each year declines from lower trophic levels up to higher levels

Question 10

what does productivity measure

Answer 10

• rate
• biomass produced by growth and reproduction

Question 11

what does efficiency measure

Answer 11

fraction of biomass transferred from one trophic level to the next

Question 12

the efficiency of biomass transfer from one trophic level to the next is…

Answer 12

10%

Question 13

what happens to the biomass that is not transferred

Answer 13

released as carbon dioxide and wastes

Question 14

why are large mammals more efficient at producing biomass

Answer 14

smaller surface-area-to volume ratio and lose less heat

Question 15

is biomass production more efficient in ectotherms or endotherms

Answer 15

ectotherms because they devote less energy to cellular respiration

Question 16

biomagnification

Answer 16

increase in concentration of heavy molecules as they are passed up a food chain

Question 17

when is biomagnification of pollutants higher

Answer 17

the more trophic levels there are

Question 18

where is productivity higher, land or sea

Answer 18

land because there is more light available for photosynthesis

Question 19

where on land is productivity the highest and lowest

Answer 19

highest: wet tropics
lowest: deserts

Question 20

where in marine environments is productivity the highest

Answer 20

coastlines

Question 21

biogeochemical cycle

Answer 21

path element takes as it moves from abiotic systems through producers, consumers, and decomposers

Question 21

what is in soil organic matter

Answer 21

mixture of partially and completely decomposed detritus

Question 22

what does decomposition convert

Answer 22

organic matter to an inorganic form

Question 23

what three things influence decomposition rate

Answer 23

1. abiotic conditions
2. the quality of the detritus as nutrient source
3. abundance and diversity of detritovores present

Question 24

if nutrients are lost, where are they transported to

Answer 24

from one ecosystem to another

Question 25

what are four major mechanisms to replace nutrients

Answer 25

1. ions released when rocks weather
2. blow in soil particles or arrive in streams
3. carbon added
4. nitrogen added

Question 26

global water cycle

Answer 26

movement of water among abiotic and biotic reservoirs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Question 27

where is there net gain of water

Answer 27

on land

Question 28

groundwater

Answer 28

water that is underground

Question 29

process of the water cycle

Answer 29

• begin with evaporation of water out of ocean
• precipitation of water back into ocean
• net movement of water vapor by wind
• completed by water that moves from land back to ocean

Question 30

where is most groundwater stored

Answer 30

aquifers; layers of rock, sand, or gravel saturated with water

Question 31

when are aquifers closed and open?

Answer 31

closed/contained: rocks that don’t allow liquid to flow overlie them

open/uncontained: can be recharged by water percolating down from surface

Question 32

water table

Answer 32

upper limit of underground layer of soil that is saturated with stored water

Question 33

global nitrogen cycle

Answer 33

movement of nitrogen among biotic and abiotic reservoirs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
- nitrogen fixation
- denitrification
- decay

Question 34

what is eutrophication

Answer 34

overfertilization

Question 35

what are the global biogeochemical cycles

Answer 35

1. water cycle
2. nitrogen cycle
3. phosphorus cycle
4. carbon cycle

Question 36

what is the difference between global warming and global climate change

Answer 36

global warming refers to increase in average temp, while global climate change refers to the sum of all changes in local temp and precipitation

Question 37

what are the causes to global climate change

Answer 37

• greenhouse effect

Question 38

greenhouse effect

Answer 38

selective energy absorption by greenhouse gases in atmosphere that causes a warming effect

Question 39

how does climate change effect the water cycle

Answer 39

• changes where, when, and how much water falls as precipitation occurs
• changes how quickly water evaporates

Question 40

what does reduced soil moisture increase

Answer 40

risk of fires

Question 41

what is positive feedback in climate change

Answer 41

changes due to global warming result in further acceleration of warming

Question 42

what i negative feedback in climate change

Answer 42

changes due to global warming result in increased uptake of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, so global warming should be reduced

Question 43

what are the biological effect of climate change

Answer 43

• geographic range shifts
• phenology shifts: timing of biological events
• evolutionary adaptation
• extinction
• ocean acidification & deoxygenation