Ecosystems (unit B) Flashcards
what are the levels of orgainization
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
how many things are in a population
its a single group of species
how many things are in a community
2 or more groups of species
what makes an ecosystem
a group with living and non-living speices
what do ecologists study
study communities and interactions between species and how that effects population
what is abiotic
non - living
what is biotic
living
what is a ecotone
transition between two different ecosystems (then has greater biodiversity)
ex inbetween the water and the land
what does terresterial ecosystem stand for
land ecosystem
what does a broad niche mean
can have varity food and be in many different enviorments
what does a narrow niche mean
speices can only live in specific enviorment with specific food
what are the 2 type of competition in a ecosystem called
intrspespecies- competition between same species
interspecies -competition between different species
what is a invasie species
one that tries to out compete food sources
when animals all have different niches theres less..
competition
what is a biome
its a certain enviorment spieces live each biome has different temp, percipitation
ex ) desert, forest
what are some abotic factors that affect population size (terrestrail)
- soil
- availability of water
- sunlight
- tempature
how does soil affect biotic population
quality and amount of soil available will determine the size and health of the plant so biodiversity of whole ecosystem
what is acidic soil from
pineneedles
what is alkaline soil from
limestone
what is avalibility of water dependent on
- Amount and type of precipitation (rain or snow)
- How long it stays in the upper layers of the soil
- How much collects beneath the soil
how does temp affect evaporation rate
higher the temperature, faster the evaporation rate (less water in soil)
lower temp less evaporation
what are the 4 things that population is regulated by
- biotic potential
- limiting factors
- carryying capacity
- limits of tolerance
what is biotic potentials 4 factors
Birth Potential: max offspring per birth (ex. Humans - 1)
Capacity for Survival: # of offspring that reach reproductive age (sea turtles)
Breeding Frequency: # of times species reproduce each year
Length of Reproductive Life: age of sexual maturity and # of years capable of reproduction
what is biotic potential
its maximum potential population can grow if there was NO limits
what are limiting factors
factors preventing populations from reaching their full biotic potential
like food and water or tempature
what is carrying capacity
maximum population size that can be sustained by avalible reasources
describe the littoral zone in a lake
has lots of sunlight and is close to shore and goes out and has plants in this section
describe the limnetic zone in a lake
its farther out in the lake then the littoral zone and has quite a bit of light
describe the profundal zone in a lake
it has no light and is the deep section in a lake, no photosynthisis so no plants
- the only nutrients there is decaying matter which is called detritus thats fallon from the limnetic zone
what is the benthic zone in a lake
its the bottom of the lake like floor and thats where bacteria decomposes
lower o2 level so barley no fish can survive there
what is the shallowest to deepest area in lake
- littoral zone
- limnetic zone
- profundal zone
- benthic zone
what are the 4 things htat affect aquatic ecosystems
- chemical enviorment
- light levels (sunlight)
-temperature - water pressure
what are chemicals 3 jobs
- to make up the aquatic water type either salt or fresh
- the amout of o2 dissolved
- other dissolved minerals like phosphorus and nitrogen that lead to plant growth
what is waters ability to hold oxygen depentent on ? why doesnt all water have the same amout of dissolved oxygen?
because oxygen is dependent on the tempture of the water
the warmer water the mre itll dissolve the colder it is the less soluble it is
what does tempature and sunlight have to do with the water
the more shallow gets more sunlight and is warmer = more dissolved oxygen and allows more photosynthisis
what does water pressure affect
- more pressure in lower areas in the lake and people have more diffulculty moving up and down
traits of lakes in the winter time
- water cools below 4 degrees and is less dense (so layers form because some more density)
- ice and snow on top are like insulators that helps oxygen from dissolving because of cold tempature
-less sun and less photosynthis
what are the 4 layers formed within winter lakes
- ice at the very top
- epilimnion which is the upper layer bellow ice
- thermocline is under epilmnion and between cold and warm water
-hypolimnion is the lowest and coldest around 4 degrees
traits of spring lakes
-melting occurs and that allows the oxygen to pass in the air to the lake
- more winds cause more waves which help dissolving the oxygen (turnover the cold hypolimnion layer becomes same and epilmnion)
traits of summer lakes
- surface ( top) warms higher then 4 degrees and closer to the top is less dense water
- closer to the bottem has denser water
- epilmnion and hypolimnion are same tempature and dont mix and little o2 movment
layers that form in summer lake
epilmnion
thermocline
hypolimnion
what is between any two ecosystems
an ecotone
is density higher higher in warmer or colder wate
in cold water
what is biotic potential def
the maximum number of offsprings that a specie can prodices if thre was no limitations
what are the 4 factors biotic potential is regulated by
- birth potential (max offsprings per birth)
- capacity for survival (number offsprings when reach a reproductive age)
- breeding frequency ( number of times epecies reprodice each year)
- length of reproductive life ( age sexual maturity when you can have children)
what are forrest crutial climates for recycling
water and co2
what are 4 forest practices used
slash and burn- complete clearing forest used for agerculture
clear cutting - removal of all trees in the area
selective cutting - only certiain trees removed
prescribed burns - used controlled fires to put nitrients back into ground
some benifits to fire in forests (terrestrial ecosystem)
pioneer species flourish
increases biodiversity
clears dead wood from the forest floor much faster
kickstarting regeneration
what are the two types of lakes
oliigotrophic (deep cold by mountains)
eutrophic (shallow warmer)
what are traits of a oiltrophic lake
very deep and cold
low nutreint levels that limit population size
clear water from limited types of orgainisms
what are traits of eutrophic lakes
shallow and warmer
larger nutrient supplies
murky water form large amounts photosynthic orgainisms
how do lakes go from low nutrient (oligotrophic) to higher (eutrophic)
by process eutrophocation
low nutrients then eutrophication happpens and water dissolves nutrients that help plant growth then the water becomes eutrophic
Eutrophication
body of water becomes high in dissolved nutrients that start growth
As dead algae decomposes, oxygen is consumed resulting in depletion of dissolved oxygen.
what type of things are thermal energy
electric generators
what type of things are inorganic solids and dissolved minerals
mining, fertilizer
what type of things are inorganic solids and dissolved minerals
mining, fertilizer
what are indicators of water quality
bacteria, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand (bod)
bacteria indicator in water
- presence of coilform shows animal waste in water polluting it
lakes that are colder have lower or higher levels of oxygen
cooler lakes have higher levels o2
higher temperatures have lower o2 levels
what does BOD ( biological o2 demand) measure
it measures the amount of dissolved o2 needed by bacteria to completely break down matter over 5 days
things that increase BOD
1- more organisms and need more oxygen
2- more organic compounds/ waste
3- increase in fertilizers (more plants etc and more things need more o2)
4- increase in algae /plant growth
