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IB Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Species

A

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

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2
Q

What makes a species?

A
  1. Interbreed and produce FERTILE offspring
  2. Similar physiological and morphological characteristics
  3. Genetically distinct from other species
  4. Common phylogeny (family tree)
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3
Q

Habitat

A

The environment in which a species normally lives, location of an organism

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4
Q

Population

A

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time

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5
Q

Community

A

A group of populations (different species) living and interacting with each other in a given area

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6
Q

Ecosystem

A

Communities (biotic) interacting with the physical (abiotic) environment

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7
Q

Examples of abiotic factors

A

Abiotic- water, air, rocks, temperature, pH, light/sun, humidity/weather.

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8
Q

How do abiotic and biotic interact to form an ecosystem?

A
  1. Abiotic factors influence the type and distribution of species in the ecosystem.
  2. Abiotic factors effect how organisms behave/live (photosynthesis from sun, air (oxygen, carbon dioxide) for photosynthesis and cellular respiration, rocks/water/soil for nutrients.
  3. Biotic factors affect abiotic (geographically by erosion and topsoil, refer to wolves video)
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9
Q

Mesocosms

A

Enclosed environments that allow a small part of a natural environment to be observed under controlled conditions

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10
Q

Ecosystem Sustainability

A

Ecosystem’s ability to maintain a level of biodiversity and productivity that doesn’t consume resources or cause destruction of the ecosystem’s structure

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11
Q

What does an ecosystem need to be sustainable?

A
  1. Continuous source of energy from the sun
  2. Nutrient cycling
  3. Recycling of waste (decomposition)
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12
Q

How does human activity affect ecosystem sustainability?

A

By decreasing biodiversity by

  1. Species displacement (building, deforestation)
  2. Pollution (air and noise)
  3. Introduced species and competition
  4. Resource exploitation (nonrenewable resources)
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13
Q

Autotrophs

A

Organisms that synthesize organic molecules from simple inorganic substances through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Also known as producers.

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14
Q

Heterotrophs

A

Organisms that obtain organic molecules from other organisms

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15
Q

Type of Heteroptroph 1: Consumer

A

Ingest living or recently killed organisms. Include herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores, and scavengers (dead or decaying)

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16
Q

Type of Hetero 2: Detrivores

A

Ingest non-living organic matter (detritus and humus-dead organic matter and decaying leaves/soil)

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17
Q

Type of Hetero 3: Saprotrophs

A

Live on non-living organic matter by secreting digestive enzymes and absorbing externally. Also known as decomposers.

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18
Q

Describe the reliance of autotrophs on inorganic nutrients

A

Inorganic nutrients (like carbon/carbon dioxide and minerals) are necessary for autotrophs to perform photosynthesis. The nutrient cycle provides a source of these nutrients.

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19
Q

Nutrient Cycle

A
  1. Autotrophs obtain nutrients from air, water, and soil and convert it into organic compounds
  2. Consumers ingest organic compounds from producers and each other (food chain)
  3. When consumers die, saprotrophs decompose the remains into the soil
  4. Inorganic nutrients in soil go back to autotrophs
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20
Q

Quadrat Sampling

A

Determines population density and size (random) and distribution (belt transect).

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21
Q

Chi-Squared Test for the association between species in an ecosystem

A

Used to determine the association between the presence of two organisms in an ecosystem. This gives us insight into their interactions.

  1. Place quadrats randomly
  2. Count number of each species
  3. Number of quadrats where both a present/total quads
  4. Perform chi-squared
  5. If less than 0.05, it is a statistically significant and negative association (not in same habitat) if more than p, positive association and in same habitat. No association- occur as frequently apart and together.
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22
Q

Negative and positive association reasons

A

Negative: competitive exclusion, resource partitioning, require different nutrients
Positive: Predator-prey or symbiotic

23
Q

Food chain

A

A sequence showing the feeding relationship and chemical energy flow between organisms

24
Q

Food chain examples

A 
Grassland:
grass-grasshopper-toads-snakes-hawks
River:
algae-mayfly larvae-juvenile trout-kingfisher
Marine:
diatoms-copepods-herring-seals-sharks
25
Q

Food web

A

A diagram that shows how food chains are linked together into more complex feeding relationships (organisms have more than 1 food source and predator and can occupy more than 1 trophic level)

26
Q

Trophic level

A 
The position an organism occupies within a feeding sequence
1- Producer
2- Primary consumer
3- Secondary consumer
4- Tertiary consumer
27
Q

The initial source of energy for all ecosystems

A

Light energy via sun

28
Q

How does chemical energy flow through food chains

A

Feeding

29
Q

Energy flow in food chain

A
  1. Producers use light energy from sun to do photosynthesis and is stored in sugars
  2. Consumers consume producers and the sugars and chemical energy is transferred to them
  3. Consumer uses the organic compound to produce ATP (and release heat energy into the environment)
  4. Continues with next level
30
Q

Energy transfer efficiency

A

Most energy is lost to the organism (used in respiration, released as heat, feces, or unconsumed, excreted, egested). 90% of energy is lost so only 10% is transferred.

31
Q

Energy efficiency depends on

A

How well an organism can capture and use energy (5-2-%). Higher trophic levels store less energy and have less biomass because of that.

32
Q

Biomass

A

Total mass of a group of organisms including carbon compounds and cells/tissues.

33
Q

How/why does biomass diminish

A

Diminishes with loss of CO2, water, waste products, to the environment. Diminishes as trophic levels increase because the energy needed to hunt cannot exceed the energy consumed.

34
Q

Pyramids of energy

A

Always upright because energy is lost along the food chain (only 10% efficient)

35
Q

Pyramid of numbers

A

Upright because higher trophic levels cannot be sustained if there are less prey than predators. Can be distorted if the food source is disproportionately larger in size/biomass compared to predator

36
Q

Pyramid of biomass

A

Upright because biomass diminished along the food chain. Marine ecosystems are opposite because zooplankton are larger than phytoplankton and so they release the biomass at a higher rate.

37
Q

2nd law of thermodynamics

A

The total entropy of an isolated system and surroundings will never decrease. Energy goes from high to low.

  1. Chemical reactions that are exothermic release heat as a byproduct
  2. Heat is lost the ecosystem because cannot be used
  3. Needs continuous reflux of energy from the sun
  4. Total entropy always increases and the amount of usable energy decreases.
38
Q

Nutrient vs energy cycling

A

Energy enters and leaves ecosystem but nutrients must be recycled because there is a limited amount

39
Q

Greenhouse gases

A

Gases that absorb and emit long-wave radiation that trap and hold heat in the atmosphere

40
Q

Examples of GGs

A

CO2, Water vapor, methane, nitrogen oxides. Water vapor and CO2 are most significant because they enter the atmosphere rapidly and are in high abundance. Water leaves quickly while CO2 persists.

41
Q

Factors determining impact of greenhouse gases

A
  1. Ability to absorb long-wave radiation. The higher the ability the higher the warming effect.
  2. Concentration/abundance in atmosphere- determined by the rate of release and persistence.
42
Q

How do greenhouse gases increase temperature and changing weather patterns

A

They trap heat which can lead to more frequent extreme weather conditions such as droughts, rainfall etc. Changes in circulating ocean currents cause increase in El Nino and La Nina events

43
Q

The industrial revolution and climate change

A

New manufacturing processes increase the use of fossil fuels which when burned releases CO2 into the atmosphere.

44
Q

Ocean acidification

A

The increase in the pH level of the ocean caused by rising levels of atmospheric CO2 which increases the concentration of dissolved CO2 in the ocean

45
Q

How the ocean is rising in pH

A

The ocean absorbs 1/3 of the CO2 in the atmosphere. When it is absorbed, the CO2 and water forms carbonic acid which dissociates into hydrogen ions and hydrogen carbonate. Hydrogen ions lower the pH of the ocean. They also combine with free carbonate ions to form more hydrogen carbonate.

46
Q

How ocean acidification effects marine life

A
  1. Less free carbonate ions to form calcium carbonate to form coral reefs and shells of molluscs.
  2. Rising pH also can cause the dissolving of coral reefs and shells.
47
Q

Coral bleaching

A

Higher concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere increase ocean temperature. This causes polyps to release their algae, which turns them white. Eventually, if the temperature continues to increase, they will die as it decreasing the availability of energy in coral.

48
Q

Precautionary principle

A

When human activity causes a significant threat, precautionary measures should be taken even without consensus. The onus for actions falls on those contributions. Global climate is complex, hard to predict and control, difficult to gather evidence, and consequences can be life-threatening, so to meets the principle.

49
Q

Climate change as a global issue

A

Disease spread, melting ice caps, extreme weather, extinction, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, habitat destruction are all worldwide issues.

50
Q

Methane

A

Produced: by methanogens that produce methane as a byproduct in anaerobic conditions
When released into the atmosphere it oxidized to carbon dioxide and water so it increases CO2 in the atmosphere

51
Q

What is the greenhouse effect and how does it work?

A

Solar radiation reaches the surface of the Earth which absorbs SHORT wave solar energy and re-emits it as LONGER wavelengths (heat). This heat is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and is passed back to the surface, warming it up.

52
Q

What do ecosystems need to be sustainable?

A
  1. Continuous source of energy (sun)
  2. Nutrient cycling
  3. Waste removal (toxic waste)
53
Q

What are the carbon sinks?

A
  1. Atmosphere+hydrosphere
  2. Fossil fuels
  3. Carbon compounds in producers
  4. CC in consumers
  5. CC in dead organic matter
54
Q

What are the carbon fluxes

A
  1. Cell respiration
  2. Photosynthesis
  3. Incomplete decomposition
  4. Egestion
  5. Combustion
  6. Feeding
  7. Death

IB Biology (1 decks)

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