Chapter 55 - Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Question 1

ecosystem

Answer 1

All the organism in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them.

Question 2

law of conservation of mass

Answer 2

A physical law stating that matter can change form but cannot be created or destroyed. In a closed system, the mass of the system is constant.

Question 3

primary producers

Answer 3

An autotroph, typ a psynth org.

• Collectively, autotrophs make up the trophic level of an ecosystem that ultimately supports all other levels.
• Incl proks, algae, and plants.

Question 4

primary consumer

Answer 4

An herbivore; an organism that eats plants or other autotrophs.

Question 5

secondary consumer

Answer 5

A carnivore that eats herbivores.

Question 6

tertiary consumer

Answer 6

A carnivore that eats other carnivores.

Question 7

detritivore

Answer 7

A consumer that derives its energy and nutrients from nonliving organic material such as corpses, fallen plant material, and the wastes of living organisms; a decomposer.

• proks/fungi

Question 8

detritus

Answer 8

Dead organic matter (incl waste)

Question 9

primary production

Answer 9

Amount of light energy converted to chem energy (organic compounds) by autotrophs in an ecosystem during a given time period.

• Sets energy budget for entire ecosystem; only source of energy to consumers

Question 10

gross primary production (GPP)

Answer 10

The total primary production of an ecosystem.

• Amount of light energy converted to chem energy by psynth orgs (per unit time)
• Plants use SOME chem energy in respiration, then lost as heat

Question 11

net primary production (NPP)

Answer 11

The gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by the producers for respiration.

• amount of NEW biomass added in given time; energy avail to consumers.
• GPP minus energy used by producers for respiration.

Question 12

net ecosystem production (NEP)

Answer 12

The gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by all autotrophs and heterotrophs

Question 13

limiting nutrient

Answer 13

An element that must be added for production to increase in a particular area.

• Typ N or P

Question 14

eutrophication

Answer 14

A process by wh nutrients (partic N and P) become highly concentrated in body of water → ↑ growth of orgs, e.g. algae or cyanobacteria.

• E.g. fr sewage runoff; loss of fish species

Question 15

secondary production

Answer 15

Amount of chem energy in consumers’ food that is converted to their own new biomass during a given time period.

• Either as new growth or reprod

Question 16

production efficiency

Answer 16

Fraction/% of energy stored in assimilated food that is NOT used for respiration or eliminated as waste.

PE = NSP *100% / Assimilation of primary production

Question 17

trophic efficiency

Answer 17

% of production transferred from one trophic level to the next.

• Typ 5-20%; rule of thumb: 10%.

Question 18

turnover time

Answer 18

The time required to replace the standing crop of a population or group of populations (for example, of phytoplankton), calculated as the ratio of standing crop to production.

*NOT covered

Question 19

biogeochemical cycle

Answer 19

Any of the various chemical cycles, which involve both biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems.

*NOT covered

Question 20

bioremediation

Answer 20

The use of organisms to detoxify and restore polluted and degraded ecosystems.

*NOT covered

Question 21

biological augmentation

Answer 21

An approach to restoration ecology that uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem.

*NOT covered

Question 22

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Answer 22

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

• Domain
• Kingdom
• Phylum
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

Question 23

How does energy enter and leave an ecosystem?

Answer 23

Enters as solar radiation, leaves as heat

Question 24

Water Cycle:

Importance, forms, and reservoirs

Answer 24

Water

• Importance - essential to all orgs
• Forms - primarily liquid
• Reservoirs - oceans (97%), glaciers/ice caps (2%)

Question 25

Water Cycle:

Processes

Answer 25

Water Cycle Processes:

• Evaporation
• Transpiration
• Condensation
• Precipitation
• Movement thru surface/groundwater

Question 26

Carbon Cycle

Answer 26

Carbon Cycle

• Importance - C-based org molecules are essential to all orgs
• Forms - CO2 and org molecules
• Reservoirs - Fossil fuels, soils/sediments, solutes in oceans, plant/animal biomass, atmos
• Processes:
  
  • Psynth and respiration
  • volcanoes and burning of fossil fuels

Question 27

Phosphorous Cycle

Answer 27

Phosphorous Cycle

• Importance - found in NAs, p-lipids, and ATP
• Forms - phosphate (PO₄^3-) is most imp INORG form of P
• Reservoirs - orgs, oceans, sedimentary rocks (fr ocean)
• Processes:
  
  • weathering of rocks
  • leaching into water
  • binding w soil particles
  • incorporated into org material

Question 28

Nitrogen Cycle

Answer 28

Nitrogen Cycle

• Importance - comp of AAs, proteins, NAs
• Forms
  
  • Ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) are used by plants/algae
  • Some bac can use nitrite (NO2-)
  • Gases: N2 and nitrous oxide (N2O)
• Reservoirs - atmos, bound in soils, dissolved in water, stored in living things
• Processes:
  
  • Fixation - converts atmos N2 to forms usable by plants (NH4+ or NO3-)
  • Assimilation - plants absorb ammonium/nitrates fr soil → animals eat plants.
  • Ammonification - conversion of organic N (in detritus) back to ammonium by bac/fungi.
  • Nitrification - bac convert NH4+ to NO3- via oxidation
  • Denitrification - bac convert NO3- back to N2 via reduction

Question 29

T/F: Two species belonging to the same class must belong to the same phylum

Answer 29

True

Two species belonging to the same class must belong to the same phylum

(D, K, P, C,O, F, G, S)

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