Ecosystems Test Flashcards
What are organic carbon pools in an ecosystem?
Carnivores, herbivores, producers, and soil
What are inorganic carbon pools in an ecosystem?
Atmosphere CO2
What are carbon pools?
Resevoirs of carbon atoms in a particular part of the ecosystem
How do atoms move through the ecosystem?
By being continuously recycled through various cycles (carbon, nitrogen, water)
How does energy move through the ecosystem?
Being eaten, where energy is transferred from producers to consumers via a food chain
Can carbon atoms leave the forest after they have been used by plants or animals?
Yes
After carbon atoms have been used by plants or animals, can they be recycled and used again by plants or animals?
Yes
Can energy leave the forest after it has been used by plants or animals?
Yes
After energy has been used by plants or animals, can it be recycled and used again by plants or animals?
No
What cellular process causes all energy to eventually be lost as heat to the atmosphere?
Cellular respiration
What mode of transportation would release the most CO2 into the atmosphere? And why?
Old car because it is not electric and uses gas as fuel
How does using electricity generated by a natural gas power plant add CO2 to the atmosphere and using electricity generated by solar power would not?
Solar uses the sun, while using natural gas burns it which releases CO2 into the atmosphere
What are some renewable sources?
Hydro, wind, and solar
What are some non-renewable sources?
Natural gas, coal, and nuclear
What is a direct result of increasing CO2 into the atmosphere?
Global temperatures increasing
What is a direct result of increasing global temperatures increase?
Melting land and sea ice
Which of the following is a direct result of melting land ice?
Sea level rise
What form of nitrogen makes up about 70% of the atmosphere?
Atmospheric nitrogen (N2)
What type of organisms take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into a form of nitrogen that plants can absorb and use?
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
What two molecules do all living things need nitrogen for?
Protein and nucleic acids
What type of organisms convert nitrogen to N2 in the atmosphere?
Denitrifying bacteria
