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Biology > Chapter 55 Ecosystems and Restoration and Ecology > Flashcards

Chapter 55 Ecosystems and Restoration and Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Consists of all the organisms living in a community, as well as the abiotic factors with with they interact

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2
Q

What is the range of an ecosystem?

A

It range from a microcosm to a very large area such as an island

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3
Q

What are the two main processes of an ecosystem?

A
  • energy flow
  • chemical cycling
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4
Q

What does energy flow do? What does chemical cycling do?

A
  • Energy flows throughout the ecosystem
  • Chemical/matter cycles within ecosystems
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5
Q

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

A

States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed

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6
Q

How does energy enter an ecosystem?

How does energy exit an ecosystem?

A
  • Enters as solar radiation/sunlight
  • Exits as lost heat
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7
Q

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

A

States that every exchange of energy increases the entropy of the universe

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8
Q

What does the law of conservation of mass state?

A

States that matter cannot be created or destroyed

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9
Q

What does it mean if ecosystems are open systems?

A
  • Absorbs energy and mass, and then release heat and waste products
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10
Q

What are autotrophs?

A

Organisms that build molecules themselves using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as an energy source

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11
Q

What is an example of autotrophs?

A

Plants

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12
Q

What does heterotrophs depend on?

A

Organisms depend on the biosynthetic output of other organisms;

  • do not produce their own food as an energy source
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13
Q

From low of the food chain and high of the food chain, describe who belongs to what

A

autotrophs –> primary producers

herbivores –> primary consumers

carnivores –> secondary consumers

carnivores eat other carnivores –> tertiary consumers

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14
Q

What are detritivores/decomposers?

A

Consumers that derive their energy from detritus

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15
Q

What is detritus?

A

Nonliving organic matter/material

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16
Q

What are some examples of some important detritivores/decomposers? (2)

A
  • prokaryotes
  • fungi
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17
Q

What is primary production?

A

The amount of light energy converted to a chemical energy by autotrophs during a given time period

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18
Q

What are the two autotrophs in the ecosystems?

A
  • autotrophs –> use of photosynthesis
  • chemoautotrophs –> use of chemicals
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19
Q

How much of the solar energy goes to photosynthetic organisms?

A
  • Only such a small fraction
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20
Q

What is gross primary production (GPP)?

A

Total primary production of an ecosystem

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21
Q

What is net primary production (NPP)?

A

GPP minus energy used by primary producers for respiration

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22
Q

How is GPP measured?

A

Measured as the conversion of chemical energy from photosynthesis per unit of time

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23
Q

What is NPP only available to?

A

only to consumers

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24
Q

What is standing crop?

A

The total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs at a given time

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25
Q

Which ecosystems are the most productive ecosystems per unit area? (3)

A
  • tropical rain forests
  • estuaries
  • coral reefs
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26
Q

Which ecosystem is the relatively unproductive per unit area?

A

Marine ecosystems

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27
Q

What is net ecosystem production (NEP)?

A

A measure of the total biomass accumulation during a given period

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28
Q

What is the formula of NEP?

A

GPP minus total respiration of all organisms in an ecosystem

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29
Q

How is NET estimated?

A

Estimated by comparing the net flux of CO2 and O2 in an ecosystem

30
Q

What does the release of O2 indicated?

A

Indicates the storing of CO2

31
Q

In aquatic ecosystems, what controls primary production? (2)

A
  • light
  • nutrients
32
Q

What is a limiting nutrient?

A

The element that must be added for production to increase in an area

33
Q

Which two nutrients usually limit marine production?

A
  • nitrogen
  • phosphorous
34
Q

What is eutrophication?

A

When an aquatic area receives too much nutrients

  • leads to an overgrowth of algae and other microorganisms
35
Q

What does primary production increase with?

A

Increases with moisture

36
Q

What is evapotranspiration?

A

Water transpired by plants and evaporated from a landscape

37
Q

What is the most common limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems?

A

Nitrogen

38
Q

In terrestrial ecosystems, what is the limiting factor of primary production?

A

Soil nutrient

39
Q

What are the various adaptations plants are able to access limiting nutrients from soil? (4)

A
  • Some plants form mutualisms with nitrogen-fixing bacteria
  • Many plants form mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi; these fungi supply plants with phosphorus and other limiting elements
  • Roots have root hairs that increase surface area
  • Many plants release enzymes that increase the availability of limiting nutrients
40
Q

What is secondary production?

A

The amount of chemical energy in food converted to new biomass during a given period of time

41
Q

What is production efficiency?

A

The fraction of energy stored in food that is not used for respiration

42
Q

What is the production efficiency formula?

A

(Net secondary production * 100%) /
(Assimilation of primary production)

43
Q

What is trophic efficiency?

A

Percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next

44
Q

What is the trophic efficiency level range?

A

Usually 10% but has a range of 5% - 20%

45
Q

About how much chemical energy is fixed by photosynthesis?

A

Approximately 0.1% (1/1000) of chemical energy

46
Q

What does each tier represent in a biomass pyramid?

A

Represents the dry mass of all organisms in one trophic level

47
Q

What happens to biomass as you reach higher trophic levels?

A

The biomass sharply decrease

48
Q

What is turnover time?

A

Ratio of standing crop biomass to production

49
Q

What are biogeochemical cycles?

A

Nutrient cycles in ecosystems involving biotic and abiotic components

50
Q

Which gases are in the biogeochemical cycles globally? (4)

A
  • gaseous carbon
  • oxygen
  • sulfur
  • nitrogen
51
Q

What are the less mobile elements in the biogeochemical cycles? (3)

A
  • phosphorous
  • potassium
  • calcium
52
Q

What are the 4 factors that ecologists focus on in studying cycling of water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous?

A
  • Each chemical’s biological importance
  • Forms in which each chemical is available or used by organisms
  • Major reservoirs for each chemical
  • Key processes driving movement of each chemical through its cycle
53
Q

On earth, how is water distributed?

A

97% of it is in the ocean

2% is in glaciers and polar ice caps

1% is in lakes, rivers, and groundwater

54
Q

What processes is water moved by? (5)

A
  • evaporation
  • transpiration
  • condensation
  • precipitation
  • movement thru surface and groundwater
55
Q

What happens in the carbon cycle? (3)

A
  • CO2 is taken up and released through photosynthesis and respiration
  • volcanoes and the burning of fossil fuels contribute CO2 to the atmosphere
  • Organisms such as animals and humans give off carbon dioxide
56
Q

What cycles are apart of biogeochemical cycle?

A
  • water cycle
  • carbon cycle
  • phosphorous cycle
  • nitrogen cycle
57
Q

What are two usable forms of nitrogen?

A

Ammonia (NH4)
Nitrate (NO3-)

58
Q

How does nitrogen convert to a usable form?

A

By becoming fixed via nitrogen fixation by bacteria

59
Q

What is denitrificaiton?

A

Conversion of NO3- (nitrate) to N2 (nitrogen)

60
Q

What is ammonification?

A

Decomposing of nitrogen to ammonia NH4

61
Q

What is nitrification?

A

Decomposition of NH4/ammonia to nitrate (NO3-)

62
Q

What is the rate of decomposition controlled by? (3)

A
  • temperature
  • moisture
  • nutrient availability
63
Q

What affects the rate at which nutrients cycle differently?

A
  • Differing rates of decomposition
64
Q

What does rapid decomposition result in?

A

Results in relatively low levels of nutrients in the soil

65
Q

Decomposition is slow in what kind of muds?

A

Anaerobic muds

66
Q

What is nutrient loss in a forest ecosystem controlled by?

A

Mainly by plants

67
Q

What are 2 key strategies of restoration ecology?

A
  • bioremediation
  • augmentation of ecosystem processes
68
Q

What is bioremediation?

A

Use of organisms to detoxify ecosystems

69
Q

Which organisms are most often used for bioremediation? (3)

A
  • prokaryotes
  • fungi
  • plants
70
Q

What is biological augmentation?

A

The use of organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem

71
Q

What is an example of biological augmentation?

A

nitrogen-fixing plants can increase the available nitrogen in soil

or

the adding of mycorrhizal fungi to help plants access nutrients in the soil

72
Q

What is the long term objective of restoration?

A

Returning the ecosystem to its pre-disturbed state

Biology (34 decks)

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