ecology Flashcards
primary succession
no soil, no ecosystem [rock > lichens > small plants > grass > shrubs > trees]
secondary succession
has soil, is faster, starts with a disaster such as fire [plants > grass > shrubs > trees]
climax community
a stable group of plants & animals; end of succession
aquatic succession
begins with a body of water such as a pond, then sediments & decaying organisms build-up & create soil, which fills up the bottom of the pond, then eventually, the lake fills completely with soil & a new land ecosystem develops
detritivore
eats dead matter (vulture)
10% rule
only 10% of the energy that an organism has gets passed on to the next level
mutualism
both benefit
commensalism
one benefit, one is unaffected
parasitism
one benefits, one is hurt
predation
one benefits, one dies
competition
compete for the same resources
carbon sink
stored carbon
two carbon sinks
fossils, fossil fuels
____ is the burning of fossil fuels to power factories, power plants, cars, and trucks
combustion
3 disruptions to the carbon cycle
deforestation, burning fossil fuels, additional humans and animals
consequences of extra carbon
greenhouse effect; warming of the earth’s surface & atmosphere; most common greenhouse gases are methane, water vapor, carbon dioxide
nitrogen cycle
The nitrogen cycle converts nitrogen gas to organic substances and back to nitrogen gas. Bacteria and lightning change nitrogen in the air into a usable form. Then plants uptake the nitrogen from the soil; plants are then eaten by animals. When animals die and get decomposed, returning the nitrogen back into the soil. Then some bacteria can change nitrogen in the soil into nitrogen gas to be released back into the air.
ammonification
nitrogen-fixing bacteria are free-living in the soil & convert nitrogen to ammonium
nitrification
a two-step process is done by nitrifying bacteria.
One type of bacteria first converts ammonium to nitrites. The second type of bacteria converts nitrites to nitrates. Nitrates can then be absorbed/used by plants
assimilation
The incorporation of nitrogen into DNA and proteins
denitrifying bacteria
remove fixed nitrogen from the ecosystems and return nitrogen to the atmosphere as N2 to continue the cycle
