chapters 1-2 Flashcards

biosphere/trophic levels

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1
Q

what is the biosphere?

A

the zone that surrounds earth and protects all life. includes all ecosystems.

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2
Q

what are the three components of the biosphere?

A

hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere

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3
Q

what does abiotic mean

A

non-living

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4
Q

what does biotic mean?

A

living

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5
Q

what chemicals make up the atmosphere?

A

oxygen 21%, nitrogen 78%, carbon dioxide 0.004%, argon 0.93%

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6
Q

what are the layers of the atmosphere?

A

troposphere, stratosphere (ozone), mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere

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7
Q

what is it called when the same species occupies one habitat?

A

population

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8
Q

what is it called when populations occupy one habitat?

A

a community

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9
Q

what is it called when a community and its physical/chemical environment live together?

A

an ecosystem

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10
Q

what is biodiversity?

A

the number of species in an ecosystem

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11
Q

what is chemosynthesis?

A

where non-photosynthetic organisms convert inorganic chemicals into organic compounds without the sun

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12
Q

what is a chemoautotroph?

A

an organism that performs chemosynthesis

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13
Q

what is an example of an autotroph?

A

producers

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14
Q

what is an example of a heterotroph?

A

consumers

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15
Q

what is detritus?

A

waste and remains from animals and plants

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16
Q

what is a decomposer?

A

organisms that feed on detritus

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17
Q

what is a food chain?

A

a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another

18
Q

what is a food web?

A

consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem

19
Q

what is a trophic level?

A

category of living things defined by how it gains energy

20
Q

what is an autotroph?

A

an organism that uses the sun’s energy to make its own food

21
Q

what is a heterotroph?

A

an organism that cannot make its food, so it feeds on other organisms

22
Q

what organisms are in the second trophic level?

A

primary consumers

23
Q

what organisms are in the third trophic level?

A

secondary consumers

24
Q

what is an indicator species?

A

a species that is so sensitive to environmental changes that can display the health of a habitat

25
Q

what is the ozone layer?

A

a layer in the atmosphere (stratosphere) that protects earth from the sun’s uv rays

26
Q

what are greenhouse gasses?

A

gasses that warm up the earth’s temperature by reflecting light energy into the atmosphere

27
Q

what kinds of greenhouse gasses are common?

A

carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide

28
Q

what kinds of ecological pyramids are there?

A

numbers, biomass, and energy

29
Q

what is albedo?

A

how reflective a surface is

30
Q

what is a chemotroph?

A

a class of organisms that obtain their energy through the sun and create their own food

31
Q

what is photosynthesis?

A

the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar

32
Q

what is cellular respiration?

A

the process of breaking down glucose and releasing energy

33
Q

what is a monoculture?

A

eliminating all organisms except for one

34
Q

what is the first law of thermodynamics?

A

energy cannot be created or destroyed

35
Q

what is the second law of thermodynamics?

A

energy is lost in the form of heat when energy changes form

36
Q

what does the number triangle represent?

A

the number of organisms at each trophic level (might not look like a pyramid)

37
Q

what does the biomass triangle represent?

A

the measurement of stored energy

38
Q

what does the energy triangle represent?

A

how much energy is lost at each trophic level in kj. (~90% lost at each level)

39
Q

what amount of energy is transferred through each level?

A

10%

40
Q

what is biomagnification?

A

increase in concentration of a substance. usually DDT

41
Q

what is in the first trophic level?

A

producers