Chapter 6 Flashcards
What is a Biological Community?
all species living “together” at the same time
What is an Ecosystem?
a biological community and its environment (biotic and abiotic factors)
What is productivity?
the amount of energy (accumulated material) and other biomass in a given area over a given time
- The “economy” of the biosphere
What are primary producers?
(autotrophic) are plants and photosynthesis bacteria - the lowest trophic level
What are Secondary Producers?
(or primary consumers herbivores) feed on plants
What are tertiary producers?
(or secondary consumers carnivores) feed on herbivores
What are Quaternary producers?
(or tertiary consumers; top carnivores) feed at the apex (top) of the food web
What are Omnivores?
animals that feed at various trophic levels
What are Decomposers?
Break down the remains of other organisms into smaller particles called detritus
fungus decomposing plumeria leaves
What are Detritovores?
Feed on detritus (Organic matter produced by the decomposition of organisms)
Sea cucumber consume sediment and digest out the organic materials from reef flats
The term ______________ used to quantify the amount of carbon locked into biomass - the amount fixed by photosynthesis
“production”
What is Gross primary production?
total amount of fixed carbon
What is Net primary production?
the amount left to support other trophic levels (GPP - growth and maintenance respiration by plants)
what plants give to others
What is the most important trophic level of organisms that remove and recycle the dead bodies and waste products of others?
Parasites
Scavengers
Decomposers
What is shown for the energy pyramid?
% energy captured at each level
What is 10% assimilate rule?
Ecological productivity
More primary producers compared to top consumers
- EX: 100,000 primary producers vs 1 top consumer
Consequently, only the most ___________ or ________________ can support top predators
productive; very extensive ecosystems
What is Top down control?
directional regulation within an ecosystem
- where species occupying higher trophic levels exert controlling influences on species at the next lower trophic level
Note: when removing the top predators’ population, it would cause lower levels to rapidly grow out of control and over consume consumers or producers below its level.
What is primary productivity?
the amount of carbon fixed/area/time
Species within an ecosystem can be classified into ___________ according to what they feed on.
Trophic levels
Note: A particular species may feed at more than 1 trophic level
The level of detail vs generalization depends on the purpose of a ________________.
classification
When energy is converted from 1 form to another…..
Some energy is lost as heat/other forms of energy that organisms can’t use; can’t be recycled indefinitely
All living cells been food for energy all the time in….
respiration
Pigmented plant cells (but not colorless ones) can carry out photosynthesis in light.
All organisms require large amounts of……
N+P, in addition to C+ traces of many other elements, in order to survive
Some important nutrients, especially C + N, exist in several ________ + move between these _________ partly as a result of the activities of living organisms.
Pads
Why is “Natural Experiments” important?
Allows scientists to compare situations where scientist can’t do experiments themselves
Species are distributed in different patterns of the Earth based on…….
individual histories
characteristics
responses to human action
Where do Humans fit in the ecological Pyramid?
Hunter-gatherers were omnivores and opportunities predators
- They had a limited resources base of doors to exploit
During human socio-cultural evolution a cumulative series of innovations allowed for improved growing and harvesting of food
Today people eat an astonishing variety of plant and animal foods that are grown in agriculture hunted from the land and ocean
What is special about Palau’s Jellyfish Lake?
Only few organisms can survive
Low mixing and high stratification
Very long residence time of water in lakes (very slow exchange with surrounding sea water)
Environmental gradient
Chemocline - change in the chemicals of the water
What is special about Paula’s Jellyfish in the jellyfish lake?
Symbiotic Jellyfish
Zooxantheline
Daily migrations to follow the sun
Night migrate to middle of lake and dive into the chemocline
- The jellyfish would bob up and down to feed their Zooxantheline in the chemocline area (purple photosynthetic sulfur bacteria), providing nutrients and nitrogen.
What is a Biome?
A geographically extensive ecosystem occurring wherever environmental conditions are suitable for its development
A grouping of ecosystems that are similar in vegetation structure, physiognomy, features of the environment and characteristic of their animal communities
A broad regional type of ecosystems characterized by distinctive climate and soil conditions and a distinctive kind of biological community adapted to those conditions.
What are the two factors that create Biomes?
Temperature (north and south of equator)
Moisture (rainfall)
What are the Major Terrestrial Biomes?
Tundra - vegetation of short stature, occurring at high latitude (arctic) and high altitude (alpine)
Boreal forest - Northern subarctic forest, usually dominated by coniferous trees
Montane (Mountain) Forest - high elevation grasslands and shrublands. Occur between the submontane zone and the subalpine zone
Temperature rainforest - a forest in a temperate climate with ample annual rainfall.
Temperate grassland - cold winters and warm summers with some rain.
Dessert - an arid region characterized by extremely high or low temperatures and has scarce vegetation.
Tropical rainforest - a hot, moist biome where it rains all year long. It is known for its dense canopies of vegetation that form three different layers.
What are Freshwater Biomes?
Lentic - lakes and ponds (nonmoving)
Lotic - rivers and streams (moving)
Wetlands (or mires) - shallow continuously or seasonally wet habitats
- Marsh - a type of wetland, an area of land where water covers ground for long periods of time.
- Swamp - an area of land permanently saturated, or filled, with water.
- Bog -
Wetlands that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material. A freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat.
What are Marine Biomes?
The open ocean - the deep waters and high unproductive - a marine “desert”
Continental self water - moderate depths (up to several hundred meters)
Persistent upwelling - a location in the ocean where cold water go up to the surface constantly.
Estuaries - an area where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean.
Seashores - land along the sea or ocean.
Vegetation changes with _________ because temperatures are lower and precipitation is greater high on a mountainside.
elevation
What is a cloud forest and tropical rain forests?
In which rainfall is abundant more than 200 cm (80 in) per year and temperatures are warm to hot year round
What are tropical savannahs and grasslands?
Dry grasslands, dry year round, a very rainy season (Summer season - June, July, August) to a very dry season
What are temperate Rain forests?
Extremely wet conditions. Condensation in the canopy (leaf drop) is a major form of precipitation in the understory
What are the three major biomes on Guam’s vegetation map?
Limestone forest (north)
Savannah complex and ravine forest (south)
Urban (red)
What is Bottom up control?
The abundance of the lower level of the pyramid (such as primary producers) control the amount of organisms a level above.
Biomass gradually ___________ as you go to the next trophic level.
Decreases
What are nutrients?
Molecules essential for maintenance and growth
Most nutrients are part of a ______________ in which they are connected to different forms.
Nutrient cycle.
Why is nitrogen important for amino acids?
It makes proteins
Note: Nitrogen (N) is an abundant gas in the atmosphere as N2, but it is unavailable.
It is soluble in water => algal bloom => back to the atmosphere
Deal with Lighting
Nitrogen converted into a biological usable form is through…
Nitrogen Fixation/Biological Fixation.
- N2 + C => animo acid
- Protein from nuts and beans
Phosphate is not really
Solubilize
- trapped in rocks => dissolve => ocean => algae => birds => land
How are “dead zones” in the water created?
Massive Algae blooms
Nutrient overloading from fertilizers, human and animal waste
Eutrophication, in which addition Nitrogen and phosphate enter the waters
What is Eutrophication?
The ecosystems response to the addition of artificial/natural substances such as nitrates and phosphates, though fertilizers/sewage, to an aquatic system
Can the jellyfish in Palau’s Jellyfish lake loose their Zooxanthellene like coral?
Yes
