chapters 1-2 Flashcards
biosphere/trophic levels
what is the biosphere?
the zone that surrounds earth and protects all life. includes all ecosystems.
what are the three components of the biosphere?
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere
what does abiotic mean
non-living
what does biotic mean?
living
what chemicals make up the atmosphere?
oxygen 21%, nitrogen 78%, carbon dioxide 0.004%, argon 0.93%
what are the layers of the atmosphere?
troposphere, stratosphere (ozone), mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere
what is it called when the same species occupies one habitat?
population
what is it called when populations occupy one habitat?
a community
what is it called when a community and its physical/chemical environment live together?
an ecosystem
what is biodiversity?
the number of species in an ecosystem
what is chemosynthesis?
where non-photosynthetic organisms convert inorganic chemicals into organic compounds without the sun
what is a chemoautotroph?
an organism that performs chemosynthesis
what is an example of an autotroph?
producers
what is an example of a heterotroph?
consumers
what is detritus?
waste and remains from animals and plants
what is a decomposer?
organisms that feed on detritus
what is a food chain?
a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another
what is a food web?
consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem
what is a trophic level?
category of living things defined by how it gains energy
what is an autotroph?
an organism that uses the sun’s energy to make its own food
what is a heterotroph?
an organism that cannot make its food, so it feeds on other organisms
what organisms are in the second trophic level?
primary consumers
what organisms are in the third trophic level?
secondary consumers
what is an indicator species?
a species that is so sensitive to environmental changes that can display the health of a habitat
what is the ozone layer?
a layer in the atmosphere (stratosphere) that protects earth from the sun’s uv rays
what are greenhouse gasses?
gasses that warm up the earth’s temperature by reflecting light energy into the atmosphere
what kinds of greenhouse gasses are common?
carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide
what kinds of ecological pyramids are there?
numbers, biomass, and energy
what is albedo?
how reflective a surface is
what is a chemotroph?
a class of organisms that obtain their energy through the sun and create their own food
what is photosynthesis?
the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar
what is cellular respiration?
the process of breaking down glucose and releasing energy
what is a monoculture?
eliminating all organisms except for one
what is the first law of thermodynamics?
energy cannot be created or destroyed
what is the second law of thermodynamics?
energy is lost in the form of heat when energy changes form
what does the number triangle represent?
the number of organisms at each trophic level (might not look like a pyramid)
what does the biomass triangle represent?
the measurement of stored energy
what does the energy triangle represent?
how much energy is lost at each trophic level in kj. (~90% lost at each level)
what amount of energy is transferred through each level?
10%
what is biomagnification?
increase in concentration of a substance. usually DDT
what is in the first trophic level?
producers
