Ecology Flashcards
Photosynthesis
the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy
(producers creating their own energy)
Cellular Respiration
The process of all living organisms creating ATP (usable energy)
(Cells derive energy from glucose)
Photosynthesis Chemical Equation
Carbon Dioxide + Water -> Glucose + Oxygen
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Cellular Respiration Chemical Equation
C6H12O6 + 6O2 –> 6CO2 + 6H2O + Chemical Energy (in ATP)
Glucose + Oxygen –> Carbon Dioxide + Water + Chemical energy (ATP)
Producer
An organism that makes its own food (through photosynthesis) (often at the bottom of the food chain)
Consumer
An organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other plants (producers) and/or animals (other consumers) to get energy (and makes ATP through cellular respiration)
Food Chain
A categorization of animals in any ecosystem, showing energy rising through levels and the trophic levels
Trophic levels
The first level (producers), and upper levels (consumers), it sometimes include decomposers
Food Web
It consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem (shows energy transfer between organisms)
Biogeochemical Cycles
the movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms (biotic), the atmosphere and the Earth’s crust (abiotic)
Ex Nitrogen cycle, water cycle, carbon cycle
Nutrient Cycles
It is a system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms (biotic) and non-living parts (abiotic) of the environment
Water cycle
Movement of water in different phases
Evaporation -> Condensation -> Precipitation -> Collection
Carbon cycle
Carbon dioxide -> Absorbed by plants (photosynthesis) ->Dead/decaying organisms create organic carbon (fossil fuels) -> Factory’s emissions generate carbon dioxide, as well as animal and plant respiration
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen gas (N2) -> Nitrogen fixation (Nitrogen fixing bacteria) into ammonia (NH3) -> NH3 and waste products get converted into Nitrate (NO3) (Nitrification) ->Some NO3 get used in soil (assimilation), some gets converted to nitrogen gas (N2) via denitrification (denitrification bacteria)
Biotic factor
Living organisms within an ecosystem
Abiotic factor
Non-living things within an ecosystem (sunlight, air, carbon etc)
Competition
When two or more organisms rely on the same environmental source
Predation
One organism preying on another (kills and eats it)
Mutualism
A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit
Commensalism
An association between two organisms where one benefits, and the other remains unharmed
Parasitism
An association between two organisms, this relationship harms one and benefits the other
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two dissimilar organisms (this can be mutualistic, communalistic, or parasitic
Carrying capacity
The number (population) of individuals (in a species) an environment can support without significant negative impacts to the given organism and its environment
Tolerance Range
The range in which a species can tolerate (survive) with a given factor
The species will die if there is too much or not enough of the given factor
(Ex Humans survive in a limited temperature range)
Limiting Factor
A factor that limits a species’ population size
(Ex amount of sunlight for plants)
Primary Succession
Colonization of new areas by organisms
(Life forming in lifeless areas)
Secondary Succession
Colonization of a habitat that once supported life but was abandoned due to an ecological disturbance (natural disaster)
Biodiversity
The variety of living things in an ecosystem and the factors between them
Species Richness (Species diversity)
The number of different species in an ecosystem
Chemical Control
The use of pesticides to control the population of invasive and/or unwanted species
Mechanical Control
The use of physical tools (fences, barriers) to control the population of unwanted/invasive species
Biological Control
The addition of a new species to an ecosystem to balance invasive species populations
Acid Precipitation
Acid rain is made up of sulphuric acid or nitric acid
Clear cutting
The removal (cutting) of most trees in an area
Shelterwood Cutting
The cutting of old parts of the forest to allow the natural establishment of seedlings under the cover of remaining trees
Selective Cutting
The cutting of specific (inferior or defective) trees to allow the remaining trees more resources
Natural fertilizers
Fertilizers derived from organic matter
Synthetic Fertilizers
Fertilizers formed from human-made compounds (ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, and potassium sulphate)
No-Tillage
A farming technique (used on sloped terrain) which leaves soil untouched after a harvest to retain nutrients and reduce soil compaction.
Crop rotation
The process of growing different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure
Crop Selection
Farmers select what crop to grow based on climate, geography, market demand, crop rotation, resource availability, and sustainability
Pesticide Resistance
Natural selection causes the more resistant pests to survive and reproduce making the pesticides less effective
Atmosphere
The layers of gases that surround planets (earth), are mostly made up of Nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%)
-helps keep Earth at moderate temperatures
-The ozone layer protects us against UV radiation
Lithosphere (Geosphere)
-Is the outermost shell of the earth (includes everything on earth’s surface ie mountains, beaches, ocean floor etc)
-100 km thick, including the crust and solid top layer of the mantle and everything beneath it (molten rock)
Hydrosphere
-Water covers approx 70% of earth’s surface
-Oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, etc
Biosphere
-Covers everywhere life is found
-Bacteria deep in the earth’s crust, microorganisms floating in the air, animals and plants etc
Ecosystem
A geographic area where plants, animals and other organisms (biotic), as well as weather (chemical) and landscape (physical environment) (abiotic), work together to form a bubble of life
Sustainable ecosystem
One that, over the normal cycle of disturbance events, maintains its characteristic diversity of major functional groups, productivity, and rates of biogeochemical cycling
Radiant energy
Energy that is transmitted without mass (radiation)
Ie Electromagnetic radiation (Eg light, xrays etc)
Light Energy
Visible forms of radiant energy (visible spectrum)
Thermal Energy
An increase in temperature causes atoms/molecules to move faster (energy transferred when heating/cooling)
Ecological Niche
The role or position occupied by a species in an ecosystem
(Ex Anteaters eat ants)
Biome
An area classified according to the species that live in that location
Ex aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra
Oligotrophic
Having a deficiency of plant nutrients that is usually accompanied by an abundance of dissolved oxygen
-A nutrient-poor body of water
Eutrophic
Rich in organic and mineral nutrients and supports an abundant plant life, which in the process of decaying depletes the oxygen supply for animal life
-A nutrient-rich body of water
Watershed (Drainage basin)
An area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater
Equilibrium ecosystem
The ecosystem has a balance between the organisms and their needed resources
Ecological Succession
The process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time
Extirpated
(Local extinction) Extinction of a species in a chosen geographical region
Endangered
A species on the brink of extinction or extirpation
Special concern species
A wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats
Threatened
A species that is likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed
Invasive Species
A species that is introduced that harms its new environment (ecosystem)
Bioremediation
A branch of biotechnology that employs the use of living organisms such as microbes and bacteria to decontaminate affected areas
Agroecosystem
A modified natural ecosystem managed by humans to create food and other agricultural purposes
Monoculture
The practice of growing a single crop on a plot of land
Pest
A destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food, & livestock
Leeching
The process by which components are removed from the soil as water passes through it
Ex Removing pesticides from crops as it rains (this water is now poisonous to the local community)
Broad-Spectrum Pesticide
A pesticide that is effective against many different pest species
Narrow-Spectrum Pesticide
A pesticide only effective against a few pest species
Bioaccumulation
The concentration of a substance, such as a pesticide, in the body of an organism
Bioamplification
The increase in the concentration of a substance (pesticide) as you move up on a food chain (ie higher trophic organisms accumulate more pesticide)
Organic Farming
A system of agriculture that uses non-synthetic pesticides and fertilizers (Ie organic pesticides and fertilizers)
Integrated Pest Management
A strategy to control pests that uses a combination of physical, chemical and biological controls
Genetic diversity
Is the variety among individuals within a species.
Energy flow in an ecosystem
It flows from the sun and abiotic (chemical) components to producers (plants) to consumers to decomposers to chemicals again
Trophic pyramid
The energy available in higher trophic levels is much less than in lower ones
If the 1st trophic level (producers) produces 1000 energy, the 2nd trophic level receives 100 energy and the 3rd 10 energy etc
