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Ecosystems > Definitions > Flashcards

Definitions Flashcards

0
Q

What is endangered?

A

A species facing extirpation, or extinction due to very low numbers in populations

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1
Q

What is extinction?

A

Refers to a species that has died out, and no longer exists in a specific area

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2
Q

What is extirpated?

A

Refers to a species that no longer exists in a specific area

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3
Q

What is threatened?

A

A species that is likely to become endangered if factors reducing its survival aren’t changed

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4
Q

What is special concern?

A

Refers to a species that may become threatened or endangered because of a combination of factors

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5
Q

What is predation?

A

1 individual that feeds off another

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6
Q

What is a competition?

A

Two individuals fighting for the same resources lie, food, space, etc..

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7
Q

What is mutualism?

A

When two organisms interact in a way that benefits the both of them

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8
Q

What is paratism?

A

When two organisms interact in a way that benefits one, and the other is harmed

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9
Q

What is commensalism?

A

Two organisms that interact in a way that benefits one, and the other isn’t harmed, nor benefitted in any way

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10
Q

What is succession?

A

The gradual, and usually predictable changes in the composition of a community. Usually occurs after a disturbance of some sort.

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11
Q

What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

A

Primary succession is a succession that occurs on bed rock, where no life previously existed such as a volcanic eruption.
Secondary succession is a succession that occurs after a natural, or human made disturbance which doesn’t destroy the entire ecosystem, leaving some soil for life to regrow.

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12
Q

What are Earths 4 spheres?

A

Lithosphere-the rocky outer layer of the Earth
Atmosphere-the layer of gases surrounding Earth
Hydrosphere-all of Earths water in solid, liquid and gas state
Biosphere-the zone where life can exists on Earth

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13
Q

What’s the difference between a parasite, and a pest?

A

A parasite is a living thing that lives off of another living thing.
A pest is an animal or organism that causes annoyance or harm to humans.

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14
Q

What’s the difference between biotic and abiotic?

A

Biotic is all living things, and their remains
(ex. dead leaves, snail shell, bird)
Abiotic is non living things with their physical and chemical components in an ecosystem
(ex. temprature, light availability)

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15
Q

What’s a producer and a consumer?

A

A producer, also called an autotroph, produce their own food (self feeders)
A consumer, also called a heterotroph, eat other organisms

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16
Q

What’s the difference between a food web, and a food chain?

A

A food chain is a sequence showing what one organism consumes, and a food web is multiple food chains put into one

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17
Q

What is Photosynthesis?

A

Carbon dioxide + water ➡️ sugar + oxygen

  • a plant absorbs water, carbon dioxide, and energy, in the form of light inside the chlorophyll
  • a sugar is produced, and oxygen is released into the air
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18
Q

What is Respiration?

A

Sugar + oxygen ➡️ carbon dioxide + water

-an animal, or human breaths in oxygen from the air, and breaths out carbon dioxide

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19
Q

Describe the nitrogen cycle

A
  • Nitrogen is added to the soil in two different ways, lightning and from plants called legumes. Legumes absorb the “free” nitrogen from the atmosphere by the nitrogen fixers on its roots. They then turn it into a compound for other plant to use.
  • An animal then consumes the plants with the nitrogen, and that nitrogen is returned to the soil by an animals waste, or when it dies, and decays.
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20
Q

How the carbon cycle works

A

Carbon is added into the atmosphere by a number of human activities, respiration being one. Plants then absorb the carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and when an animal eats the plants and it passes up the food chain.

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21
Q

How the water cycle works

A

The water is heated by energy from the sun, then evaporates into the atmosphere. Then it turns into clouds which is called condensation. When enough water is evaporated, it precipitates/rains and runs off the water, or sinks into the ground called groundwater.

22
Q

What negative impacts does acid rain have on the Earth?

A
  • as rivers and lakes become more acidic, species decline and may even disappear
  • depletes the nutrients needed in the soil, damaging vegetation, causing slower growth
  • can affect people with respiratory problems, such as asthma
  • speeds up corrosion on metal
  • breaks down limestone, concrete, stone
  • *made from sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides**
23
Q

Oil spills

A
  • Oil is highly toxic, slow to break down, and hard to clean up
  • animals in the area are very vulnerable to it because it gets on themselves and when they clean themselves, they ingest it which damages their digestive systems
24
Q

Ways to clean up oil spills

A

Skimming/vacuuming, bioremediation, adding detergents to the oil and burning it/catching it on fire

25
Q

What is plastic?

A
  • Enters water ways and oceans which all gather together in the North Pacific Ocean, making massive mats of plastic
  • causes great damages to ecosystems
  • animals consume it, and others get tangled in it
  • plastic does not break down into small peices, but never goes away
26
Q

What’s bioamplification, and bioaccumulation?

A

Bioamplification is the increase of a substance, such as a pesticide, as it moves up the food chain
Bioaccumulation is the concentration levels of a substance in the body of an organism

27
Q

DDT

A

DDT is a broad spectrum pesticide that is highly toxic and does not break down easily in the Earth. When a tiny organism had DDT bioaccumulated in its body, it increases as it moves up the food chain. The larger organisms consume more as you move up the food chain, so the animal at the top can die from toxic levels of DDT

28
Q

Pesticide resistance

A

Pesticide resistance is when a pesticide can no longer keep pest population under control due to the fact that it’s not killing all the pests. They can pass this resistance onto their offspring, and after generations of this an entire population can become resistant to it meaning farmers use a higher concentration level of pesticides which is not good for the environment

29
Q

Pesticide use (3 types)

A

Altered timing-when farmers choose a better timing for harvesting crop rotations
Crop rotation-not planting the same crops year after year
Baiting pest-baiting the pest to confuse the mating pests

30
Q

Biodiversity

A

The variety of life in a given area
High diversity-rainforest, ocean
Low diversity-tundra, dessert

31
Q

Tolerance range and carrying capacity

A

Tolerance range is the abiotic conditions in which a species can withstand
Carrying capacity is the maximum amount of population an ecosystem can withstand

32
Q

Equilibrium

A

Describes the state of an ecosystem with relatively constant conditions over a period of time, established when abiotic conditions are stable, or when an ecosystem is balanced

33
Q

Invasive species

A

A species in which was intentionally, or accidentally added to an ecosystem and has a negative impact on the Earth and ecosystem

34
Q

Albedo effect

A

When some sunlight is reflected off an object, and some it absorbed. The higher the albedo, the more the object reflects the energy from the sun.
(ex. black shirts has a high albedo, snow has a low albedo)

35
Q

Decomposes

A

Organisms that break down other organisms and return the nutrients and matter back to an ecosystem (ex. fungi, bacteria)

36
Q

Where energy is used

A 
70% of energy makes it to Earth
44% heats the environment 
25% heats water to evaporate 
1% generates air
0.023% generates photosynthesis
37
Q

Mountain Forest Biome

A

Abiotic-temperatures and elevation may vary

Biotic-mammals and large plants

38
Q

Tundra biome

A

Abiotic-low temperatures, short growing season, precipitation 0-25cm/yr, poor soil quality
Biotic-low diversity, moose, lemmings, article foxes

39
Q

Boreal forest

A

Abiotic-no premafrost, warmer than tundra, longer growing seasons, precipitation 40cm/yr
Biotic-carniferous trees, squirrels, wolves

40
Q

Grasslands

A

Abiotic-rich soil, longer growing season, warmer than boreal and tundra, precipitation 25-75cm/yr
Biotic-fescue grasses, grasshoppers, hawks

41
Q

Temperate deciduous forest

A

Abiotic-precipitation 100cm/yr, warmer than boreal, loner growing seasons, fertile soil
Biotic-deciduous trees, black bears, deer, squirrels

42
Q

Ecological niche

A

The function of a species in an ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, how it reacts, etc..

43
Q

Predator-prey relationship

A

An organism that feeds off another organism. The predator, being the one who eats the prey, can eat that organism keeping its populations down until they can widen their choice in hunting habits

44
Q

Forestry practices (3)

A

Clear cutting; cutting all the trees down in a certain area (90% of cutting is done this way in ON)
(+) Trees grow back artificially, or naturally. Most efficient and affordable.
(-) Biggest impact on the environment. Increases soil erosions, and algea growth. Low diversity. Even aged trees. Depletes nutrients from soil.
Shelterwood cutting; only harvesting mature trees in long narrow strips
(+) less an impact on the environment. Only mature trees are harvested. Trees regrow under the shelter of other trees
(-) more costly. Cuts in long narrow strips.
Selective cutting; only harvested certain trees
(+) less an impact on the environment. Not all trees are harvested. Higher diversity
(-) most costly

45
Q

Ecological footprint

A

A measurement of a persons, or a communities footprint left on the earth measured by how much land would be needed to sustain their living style.

46
Q

Difference between populations, community’s, biomes, and ecosystems

A
  • Populations are the same species in a given area
  • Communities are multiple populations in the same area
  • biomes are large areas such as an ocean
  • an ecosystem is living things, and their physical and chemical environments. (The abiotic and biotic factors in a given area)
47
Q

Tropic levels

A

1-producers/autotrophs/self feeders (plants)
2-primary consumers/herbivore (only eats plants)
3-secondary consumers/carnivore/omnivore (eats only meat, or both plants and meat

48
Q

How much energy is passed on through a food chain?

A

10%

49
Q

What’s a habitat?

A

The position of a certain species in a community

50
Q

What human activists affect the carbon cycle?

A
  • deforestation

- digging up fossil fuels & burning them

51
Q

How to reduce your carbon footprint

A
  • carpool
  • use energy efficient electronics
  • plant more trees
52
Q

Locations of the biomes

A

Mountain forest (British Columbia)
Tundra (Highland;artic)
Boreal (mid-lands; covers most of canada)
Grasslands (low lands)
Temperate deciduous forest (southwest Ontario)

Ecosystems (1 decks)

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