Ecology Flashcards
What is an ecosystem
All living organisms living in a community as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact
This can range from microcosms to large areas
What are the two main processes that occur in an ecosystem
- Energy flow
- Chemical cycling
What are the 2 laws of thermodynamics and the law of conservation of mass
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transfered or transformed
- Every exchange of energy increases entropy of the universe
- Matter cannot be created or destroyed
Ecosystems are open systems. This means
The system can
1. Absorb energy and mass
2. Release heat and waste
What is primary production
The initial amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs in an ecosystem
(This amount sets the limit of energy available in an ecosystem, which is already limited by the amount of solar radiation that reaches the earths surface)
What is trophic efficiency
The percent of energy transfered from 1 trophic level to the next
(10% Law of Energy Transfer)
An Energy Pyramid (a.k.a. pyramid of net production) represents what
The loss of energy with each transfer in a food chain
Eg. A primary consumer may only receive 10 percent of the energy in a plant that received 10kJ from the sun
What does a biomass pyramid represent
Each tier represents the dry weight of all organisms in each trophic level
What are the six ways water moves through the water cycle
- Land movement
- Percolation - H2O moves down through soil due to gravity
- Evaporation - H2O turns from liquid to vapor (from bodies of water) due to high kinetic/thermal energy
- Transpiration - H2O evaporates out of plants due to high kinetic/thermal energy
- Condensation - H2O goes from vapor to liquid state due to low kinetic/thermal energy
- Precipitation - The act of falling condensation
What are the 5 ways carbon is stored
- Fossil fuels
- Soils and sediments
- Solutes in ocean
- Plant/animal biomass
- Atmosphere
What are the 4 terms for processing nitrogen
- Nitrogen fixation - N2 —》NH4+ or NO3-
- N2 —》NH4+ = ammonification
- NH4+ —》NO3- = nitrification
- NO3- —》N2 = denitrification
How is phosphorus stored in the earth
- Rocks of marine origin
- Oceans
- Decomposed organisms
What 3 factors controle decomposition rates
- Temperature
- Moisture
- Nutrient availability
What factor characterizes terrestrial biomes and aquatic biomes
Terrestrial = vegetation type
Aquatic = physical environment
What is the difference between a climograph and a climatograph
A climatograph is used to compare differences between the same biomes in different regions
Climographs may show patterns in a region
