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Biology HL > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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1
Q

What are species?

A

Group of organisms
- capable of reproducing
- create fertile offsprings

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2
Q

What is a population?

A
  • the same species
  • living in the same area
  • the same time
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3
Q

What is a community?

A
  • all populations in given ecosystem
  • interaction
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4
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A
  • community
  • habitat
  • biotic and abiotic things
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5
Q

What are autotrophs?

A
  • organisms that produce their own energy from sun
  • inorganic → organic
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6
Q

What are heterotrophs?

A
  • organisms that obtain carbon compounds through process of feeding
  • consumers (living things)
  • detritivores (digest inside)
  • saprotrophs (digest externally)
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7
Q

Exceptions to definition of species

A
  • bacteria reproduce asexually
  • hybrid fertility
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8
Q

Exceptions to autotrophs

A
  • mixotrophs
    • Euglena gracilis (autotrophic and detritivore)
  • plants and algae that are parasitic (take from others)
    • no chloroplasts
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9
Q

How is a relationship in an ecosystem depicted?

A
  • food chains
    • producers → primary consumers → secondary producers → …
    • 5 levels
  • food chains intersect = food web
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10
Q

Nutrient cycles

A
  1. Autotrophs produce energy from abiotic environment
  2. Consumers obtain nutrients
  3. Saprotrophs and detritivores return nutrients to abiotic environment
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11
Q

What is self-sustainability?

A
  • ecosystem sustainable over long time
    • no additional nutrients needed (recycling)
    • energy available (constant supply needed – sun)
    • detoxification of waste products (by bacteria)
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12
Q

Mesocosms

A
  • part of ecosystem
    • for experiment
  • all things necessary: light, temp, autotrophs, heterotrophs
  • if saprotrophs don’t consume = excess waste
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13
Q

Why is biodiversity important?

A
  • if one element of food chain dies → rest breaks
  • food webs avoid this
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14
Q

How is energy converted?

A
  • light energy → chemical energy
  • photosynthesis by autotrophs (plants, eukaryotic algae, cyanobacteria)
    • chemical energy used by autotrophs and heterotrophs
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15
Q

What are non-plant photosynthetic organisms?

A
  • cyanobacteria
  • other bacteria
    • purple
  • protists
    • phytoplankton
  • multicellular algae
  • lichens (porosty)
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16
Q

Why are there only 5 levels of food chains?

A

After 5 there is little energy = no benefit of eating

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17
Q

How is light absorbed?

A

100% sunlight → 47% non-bioavailable to plants → 53% left → 30% of photons are lost → 37% absorbed photo energy → 24% lost due to wavelength mismatch

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18
Q

How is energy used?

A

ATP → metabolism → heat / chemical waste (CO2 and water)

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19
Q

How is energy lost during cell respiration and in the food chain?

A
  • energy released during respiration
  • heat is not converted
    • lost energy
  • during cell respiration
    • not only ATP but also heat
In the food chain
- only parts of the organisms are consumed 
     - ex. parts of plant or bones 
- indigestible parts 
     - excreted in feces
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20
Q

What is carbon pool?

A
  • other name: reservoir
  • system which can accumulate or release carbon
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21
Q

What is a flux?

A
  • process of exchange of carbon between two pools
  • the quickest → photosynthesis
22
Q

How does CO2 move in water and in land?

A 
Water
- dissolved gas or H2CO3 
- H2CO3 → H+ + HCO3-
     - pH of water drops 
- autotrophs use this to make carbohydrates 
     - entire surface of leaves 
Land
- plants absorb CO2 
     - through stomata 
- plants use it for photosynthesis 
     - gradient between cells and air/water
23
Q

How is CO2 produced?

A
  • cell respiration
  • non-photosynthetic cells
    • roots in plants
  • animal cells
  • saprotrophs
    • fungi digest dead organic matter
24
Q

What is compensation point?

A

intake of CO2 = output of CO2

25
Q

How is CO2 used in aquatic ecosystems?

A
  • CO2 + H2O → H2CO3 → H+ + HCO3-
  • dissolved or in form of hydrogen carbonate
  • used by autotrophs in water for photosynthesis
    • whole surface area of leaf absorbs
  • excreted by non-photosynthetic cells during respiration
26
Q

How is methane produced?

A
  1. bacteria from organic matter to organic acids, hydrogen, alcohol, CO2
  2. bacteria from organic acids and alcohol to acetate, CO2, hydrogen
  3. archaeans produce methane from CO2, H2, acetate
    • CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O
    • CH3COOH → CH4 + CO2
27
Q

What are methanogenic archaeans?

A
  • methane from CO2, H, acetate
  • anaerobic respiration in wetland, marine sediments, digestive tract of ruminant animals (cows, sheep, goats)
28
Q

What happens to the methane later?

A
  • stays in ground
  • diffuses to atmosphere
29
Q

How does a cow digest cellulose?

A
  • methanogenic archaeans digest anaerobically
  • energy used as fuel
30
Q

What are consequences of methane oxidation?

A
  • CH4 + O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
  • contribution to greenhouse effect
  • not too much methane in atmosphere
31
Q

How is peat formed?

A
  • saprotrophs need oxygen from air spaces in soil
  • water can’t drain out = waterlogged and anaerobic soil
  • saprotrophs can’t survive there → matter is not fully decomposed = acidification (later develops and inhibits saprotrophs)
    • compression
32
Q

How are fossil fuels formed?

A
  • partially decomposed organic matter
  • coal: peat compressed + heat
  • oil and natural gases: mud at the bottom of sea
33
Q

How does combustion occur?

A
  • producing CO2
  • fires (natural or not)
    • combustion of organisms
  • burning fossil fuels
34
Q

What is composed from CaCO3?

A
  • molluscs shells
  • hard corals produce exoskeletons
  • when they die CaCO3 is broken down in acid but stable in rest
    • precipitate
    • limestone
35
Q

What is climate?

A
  • long-term weather patterns.
  • weather — momentary state
  • climate is based on temperatures and precipitation (how weather varies, seasons, etc.)
36
Q

How is climate described?

A

By changes in temperature, wind, pressure, precipitations, sunlight, etc.

37
Q

What are contributors of climate change?

A
  • climate change is a natural process
  • depends on variations in each orbit, changes in solar activity, volcanic activity, latitude, ocean currents, winds, distance from the ocean
    • influenced by greenhouse gases
38
Q

What are components of atmosphere?

A

nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapour

39
Q

Why are greenhouse gases contributing to global warming?

A
  • infrared radiation absorbed
  • 1% of Earth’s atmosphere
40
Q

What are the most significant greenhouse gases?

A

CO2 and water vapour

41
Q

What is greenhouse effect?

A
  • thermal radiation (IR) from planet is absorbed
  • re-radiated in all directions
42
Q

On what does greenhouse impact of gases depend?

A
  • ability to absorb long-wave radiation
  • concentration in the atmosphere
43
Q

Why doesn’t water vapour control global warming?

A
  • water vapour accelerates global warming
    • reabsorption of heat → more vapour
  • cycle starts when CO2 triggers global warming
44
Q

Which gases absorb what?

A
  • 30% of UV radiation by ozone
  • 70% of radiation absorbed at Earth’s surface and converted to heat
  • 80% of IR radiation by greenhouse gases and reemitted
45
Q

How does greenhouse effect work?

A
  • short waves from sun absorbed by Earth
  • reemission with long waves
  • greenhouse gases do that
    • heat in the atmosphere
46
Q

How are levels of CO2 and temperature known?

A

CO2
- ice builds up
- air bubbles are caught
- this way CO2 concentration is analysed

Temp
- ratio of hydrogen isotopes in water

47
Q

What is climate sensitivity?

A
  • measure of how much Earth’s surface will warm up after doubling CO2 in atmosphere from pre-industrial levels
  • between 2.6℃ - 3.9℃ (66% confidence)
48
Q

What are the consequences of increased CO2?

A
  • climate change → global warming / storm severity / sea level rise
  • ocean acidification
49
Q

What happens when an ocean acidifies?

A
  • pH = 8.2 → 7.8
    CO2 + H2O → H2CO3 → HCO3-
    CO32- + Ca2+ → CaCO3
  • ocean acidifies = more H+
    CO32- + H+ → HCO3-
  • shells are thinner, coral dies
50
Q

How is it known that human actions increase CO2 levels?

A
  • counted
  • post-industrial era
  • C-13 to C-12 ratio

Biology HL (14 decks)

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