Ecology Flashcards
Species, communities and ecosystems, Energy flow, Carbon cycling, Climate change
Describe limitations of the biological species concept
Define “population”
Define species according to the biological species concept
Outline how reproductive isolation can lead to speciation
Define “autotroph” and “heterotroph”
Autotroph:
Heterotroph:
Describe the feeding behaviors of consumers
List three example consumer organisms.
Describe the feeding behaviors of detritivores
List two example detritivore organisms
Give an example of a community of organisms
Describe the feeding behaviors of saprotrophs
List two example saprotroph organisms
Define “species”, “population” and “community”
List the common nutrients needed by organisms
Define “abiotic” and “ecosystem”
Abiotic:
Ecosystem:
Define “nutrient”
Outline how nutrients enter living systems
State that chemical elements can be recycled but energy can not
Outline the generalized flow of nutrients between the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem
Give an example of an unsustainable practice
Define “sustainability”
Outline three requirements of a sustainable ecosystem
Use a dichotomous key to identify the mode of nutrition of an organism
Outline why sampling must be random
Explain methods of random sampling, including the use of a quadrat
State the null and alternative hypothesis of the chi-square test of association
Use a contingency table to complete a chi-square test of association
Calculate a chi-square statistic based on observed and expected values
State the null and alternative hypothesis of statistical tests
Determine if the null hypothesis is supported or rejected given a critical value and a calculated statistic
State the minimum acceptable significance level (p value) in published research
Explain the meaning of a “statistically significant” result, including the probability of chance having a role in the result
Define “mesocosm”
List three example mesocosms
Outline requirements of setting up a mesocosm
State the trend found in the nutritional patterns of plants and algae
Describe the discrepancy in the nutritional pattern of parasitic plants and algae
State how energy in carbon compounds enters most biological communities
List three groups of autotrophs
Outline how light energy is converted to chemical energy
Define “food chain” and “food web”
List three reasons why living organisms need energy for cell activities
Outline the reason why respiration releases heat
State the meaning of the arrow in a food web or chain
State the function of ATP
Draw a food chain, labeling the producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and tertiary consumer
Outline how ATP is formed, referencing exothermic and endothermic reactions
Draw a flow chart to illustrate the energy conversions performed by living organisms
State the reason why heat created by living organisms is eventually lost from the ecosystem
Define “biomass”
Define “trophic level”
State the unit used for communicating the energy in each trophic level of a food chain
Outline three reasons why the amount of energy decreases at higher trophic levels
State the average amount of energy passed through each trophic level of a food chain
State the role of photosynthesis in the carbon cycle
Draw a pyramid of energy given data for an ecosystem
Describe the shape and units of a pyramid of energy
Explain why there is a limited number of organisms in a food chain
State that in diffusion, molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
Outline the process that converts CO2 to hydrogen carbonate ion in water, leading to a reduction of the pH in the water
State that carbon dioxide is a waste product of aerobic cellular respiration
State that carbon dioxide diffuses out of cells into the atmosphere or water
Outline the role of methanogenic archaea in the transformation of organic material into methane
State that methane is oxidized to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Define “peat”
Outline formation of peat
Outline formation of coal
Outline formation of oil and natural gas
Define “combustion”
State the products of a combustion reaction
State sources of fuel for a combustion reaction
State that hard shells, such as in mollusk and coral, are made of calcium carbonate
List seven flux processes in the carbon cycle
State the unit of measure for carbon flux values
Sketch a graph of the annual fluctuation in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration
Explain the annual fluctuation in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in the northern hemisphere
Draw a diagram of the aquatic carbon cycle
Draw a diagram of the terrestrial carbon cycle
Explain why accurate measurements of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere are important
Define “pool” and “flux”
Outline how data on concentration of atmospheric CO2 and methane are collected
State the sources of CO2 and water vapor in the atmosphere
State how long water, methane and CO2 remain in the atmosphere, on average
State the sources of methane and NO gases in the atmosphere
Outline the mechanism by which greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere
State two factors that determine the warming impact of a greenhouse gas
State two variables that determine the concentration of a gas in the atmosphere
Compare the impact of atmospheric methane to CO2
State how long water, methane and CO2 remain in the atmosphere, on average
State that the Earth absorbs short-wave energy from the sun and re-emits longer wavelengths
Compare wavelengths of UV, visible and infrared radiation
Explain the greenhouse effect, with reference to short wave radiation from the sun, long wave radiation from the Earth and the effects of ozone and greenhouse gases
Explain why water vapor, CO2, methane and NO are greenhouse gases
Explain why atmospheric CO2 concentration would logically impact global temperatures
Outline the effect of global temperature on climate, specifically location and frequency of of rain and frequency of severe storms
Outline the impact of the industrial revolution on atmospheric CO2 concentration
State the atmospheric CO2 concentration prior to the industrial revolution
Explain why industrial revolution would increase atmospheric CO2 concentrations
Describe the correlation between atmospheric CO2 concentrations since the industrial revolution and global temperatures
Explain how historical temperature data has been collected
Using ice core data, outline the correlation between atmospheric CO2 concentration and global temperatures
Outline three reasons why there is vigorous debate around the claim that human activities are causing climate change
Outline the effect of atmospheric CO2 concentration on ocean pH
Describe the impact of lower ocean pH on animals that make skeletons from calcium carbonate
Outline ways by which claims can be evaluated for truth
