Ecology Flashcards
What does the biosphere contain?
All life on Earth
What is ecology?
The study of the interactions between organisms and their surroundings.
Levels and examples: Individual: Species: Population: Community: Ecosystem: Biome: Biosphere:
Individual: One single organism- Erica
Species: a group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring- Humans
Population: a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area- family
Community: an assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area- School
Ecosystem: all the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment- Rockford
Biome: a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms- Illinois
Biosphere: the portion of the Earth that contains life; including land, water, atmosphere- The Earth
Biotic
Anything living or once living
Abiotic
Anything non-living
Why are many ecological phenomena difficult to study?
Expenses
What makes a planet living?
It contains both biotic and abiotic features.
What is a primary producer? Another name?
An organism that uses solar or chemical energy to produce food by making inorganic compounds into complex organic molecules. Eaten by other organisms for energy.
Autotroph
Can an organism love without energy from the sun? Explain
Yes, they can use chemical energy
What are consumers? Another name?
Organisms that ingest other organisms as energy. Heterotrophs
Herbivores? Example?
Organisms that obtain nutrients from plants. (Plant eaters) Deer
Carnivores? Ex?
Organisms that obtain nutrients from catching and consuming meat. (Meat eaters) Cats
Omnivores? Ex?
Organisms whose diets include both plants and animals. Bears
Detritivores? Ex?
Organisms that feed on detritus particles. Worms.
Decomposers? Ex?
Organisms that “feed” by chemically breaking down organic matter. Fungi
Scavengers? Ex?
Organisms that consume the carcasses of other animals. Vultures
What role do producers play in establishing Earth as a living planet?
They are the base of the food pyramid and they produce the oxygen we breathe.
How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
It flows through a food chain.
How is a food chain different from a food web?
A food chain implies that each organism only consumes one type of food. A food web is made of many food chains.
Each step in a food chain is called?
A trophic level
What is an ecological pyramid?
A pyramid that shows the relative amount of energy or matter
What are the three types if ecological pyramids?
Energy, biomass, numbers
What does an energy pyramid show?
The relative amount if energy in each trophic level
What does a biomass pyramid show?
The relative amount of living organic matter available to each trophic level
What does a number pyramid show?
The number of individual organisms in each trophic level
10% rule?
Through each tropic level, only 10% of energy from the level before is transferred. The other 90% is given off as heat or used in the body
How does matter cycle through the biosphere?
It is recycled within and between ecosystems. Biogeochemical cycles
What are the four processes that cycle matter through the biosphere?
Biological, chemical and physical, geological, and human activity
Why is human activity a separate category from the other processes
The others occur naturally (don’t trust my answer if you have something better)
What are two primary ways water passes through the water cycle?
Groundwater and runoff into lakes, rivers, etc
How are transpiration and evaporation similar?
Both cause water to be released into the atmosphere
How are transpiration and evaporation different?
Transpiration is a biological process while evaporation is a physical/chemical process
Do water molecules always follow the same steps through the water cycle?
No.
What are the three nutrient cycles?
Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus
Carbon cycle- biological example
In producers, CO2 enters by photosynthesis and exits by cellular respiration
Carbon cycle- geological example
Marine sediments (containing carbon) are turned into rock (carbonate rocks) which release CO2
Carbon cycle- chemical example
CO2 dissolves in rainwater or in the ocean and returns to the atmosphere (evaporation)
Carbon cycle- human activity example
Burning of fossil fuels releases CO2
What is atmospheric nitrogen fixation?
The process where bacteria converts nitrogen gas into ammonia.
How do humans add nitrogen to the biosphere?
Through the manufacture and use of fertilizers
Which parts of the phosphorus cycle are geological processes?
The change of marine sediments into rock, then the washing of phosphates from rock into the ocean.
What is one way human activity affects the phosphorus cycle?
Phosphorus is mined and turned into fertilizer and can run off into rivers, streams, oceans, etc
If a nutrient were in short supply in an ecosystem, how would it affect an organism?
The rate at which primary producers create organic material would be limited
What is a limiting nutrient?
A nutrient whose supply limits productivity is the limiting nutrient
What happens if there is a limitation of nutrients in soil?
If any nutrient is short in supply, the whole system slows down or stops completely (this is why farmers use fertilizers- to add nutrients)
