Ecology Flashcards
species
group of organisms that can interbreed + produce fertile offspring
population
group of organisms of same species who live in same are at same time
community
group of populations living and interacting in same area
ecosystem
community and abiotic environment
abiotic
elements like weather, water, geology
environment
surrounding conditions where organism lives
producer
organism that makes own food (mostly using sunlight)
consumer
organism that ingests organic matter that’s alive or recently killed (not already decomposed)
decomposer
organism that breaks down dead organic matter into smaller pieces
saprotroph (and example)
organism that lives on or in non-living matter, secreting digestive enzymes into it and absorbing the product (digest outside of body)
Ex: mushrooms
detritivore (and example)
organisms that ingest non-living matter (already decomposed)
Ex: earthworms
autotroph
organisms that synthesize their organic molecules from simpler inorganic substances (like plants): aka producers (self-feeding)
hetertroph
organisms that obtain organic molecules from other organisms (not photosynthesis): feed on others
what 3 thins are necessary for sustainability
nutrient availability, detoxification of waste products, energy availability (sun)
what is a mesocosm
a small experimental area set up as ecological experiments (often sealed with variables manipulated)
what is a trophic level
an organisms position on the food chain (producers, primary, secondary, tertiary…)
what is an energy pyramid
diagram showing the amount of energy flow through each trophic level
what is carbon fixation
autotrophs (plants) convert CO2 into organic carbon compounds through photosynthesis (aka plants absorb carbon into their biomass)
what is methanogenesis
methane produces in anaerobic conditions (swaps etc) by methanogenic archaeans, then methane can be oxidized into CO2 + water vapor in atmosphere.
what is peat
forms when anaerobic and acidic conditions prevent organic matter from fully decomposing ( can form coal and contain fossils), often in waterlogged soils
what is combustion
a reaction between carbon compounds and O2 to produce CO2 + water, like forest fires and burning of fossil fuels
what is a carbon flux
the transfer of carbon from one pool to another (CO2 goes from cell respiration to atmosphere to photosynthesis)
what is a carbon pool
where carbon gets detained in the cycle (in atmosphere, organic compounds, dead organic matter etc)
what is a greenhouse gas
CO2, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide
- ability to absorb long wave radiation + abundance determine impact
what is the precautionary principle
companies planning to do something first must prove it will not cause harm: puts burden on company polluting
how do greenhouse gasses cause warming of the earth?
- short-wave radiation (~400 nm) comes from sun and strikes earth (20-30% of short length first absorbed by ozone)
- earth absorbs light and re-emits at much longer peak wavelength of ~10,000 nm
- as the longer wavelength radiation goes back, about 75-80% is absorbed by GG’s like water vapor, CO2, and methane
- methane can absorb more radiation/molecule than CO2, but CO2 is much more abundant
- GG’s re-emit radiation is all directions, some go back to earth causing it to warm
- the “greenhouse effect” keeps the earth warm enough for human habitation (it would be -18 degrees without)
what evidence supports human-caused climate change?
- greenhouse gases have been on the rise since industrialization in 1850
- temps have been rising too, but have really taken off since 1950 (hockey stick graph)
- global temps have rise 1.1 degrees C since industrialization
- 7 hottest years on record have occurred since 2015, expected to rise more this century
what is biomagnification
as you go up in the energy pyramid, levels of some toxins increase to dangerous levels (mercury in tuna)
what is limestone
calcium carbonate of coral and mollusks that is fossilized
outline reasons why energy is lost in on energy pyramid
- organisms die before before consumption
- some parts not eaten or passed in feces
- cellular respiration energy transferred out as heat
outline the calculations necessary for a chi-squared test
- expected frequency = row totals x columns total / grand total
- degrees of freedom = (m-1)(n-1) [m is columns, n is rows]
- if chi-squared is LESS than critical, there is NOT association (less than 5%)
- if chi-squared is MORE than critical, there IS association (more than 95%) from sun nutrients, symbiotic
