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Environmental Science 2000 > Energy and Ecosystems > Flashcards

Energy and Ecosystems Flashcards

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1
Q

describe a system

A

network of interacting components

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2
Q

are most environmental systems open or closed

A

open systems

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3
Q

positive feed-back loop

A

self-reinforcing ; drives the system toward one of the two extremes

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4
Q

negative feedback loop

A

drives the system in the opposite direction ; acts as an inhibitor/self-limiting ; stabilizes the ecosystems

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5
Q

what state are natural systems often in

A

dynamic equilibrium

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6
Q

what can contribute to homeostasis

A

dynamic equilibrium

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7
Q

what are two properties of homeostatic systems

A

resilience and resistance

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8
Q

natural systems often have _____ kind of properties

A

emergent

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9
Q

what approach do most environmental scientists take to study earth’s natural systems

A

holistic ; considers the interconnectedness of various aspects of the environment and society

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10
Q

what do delineations and definitions of systems depend on

A

the question being asked

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11
Q

what are the five main subsystems of Earth

A
  1. biosphere
  2. geosphere
  3. hydrosphere
  4. atmosphere
  5. anthroposphere
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12
Q

geosphere

A

includes the solid Earth

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13
Q

atmosphere

A

envelope of gases that surround the planet

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14
Q

main components of the hydrosphere

A

oceans ; glaciers ; ice caps ; ground water ; surface water bodies

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15
Q

what are the frozen parts of the hydrosphere known as

A

cryosphere

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16
Q

biosphere

A

living and recently deceased/decaying organisms

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17
Q

anthroposphere

A

human activities and impacts and the built environment

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18
Q

what makes up an ecosystem

A

all organisms (biotic) and non-living entities (abiotic)

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19
Q

ecosystems are biotic and abiotic entities that ______

A

occur and interact in a particular habitat at the SAME time

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20
Q

____ flows through an ecosystem

A

energy

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21
Q

___ is recycled in an ecosystem

A

matter

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22
Q

how is energy converted to biomass

A

through primary productivity

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23
Q

true or false
all ecosystems have the same level of primary productivity

A

FALSE

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24
Q

what limits primary production

A

available nutrients

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25
Q

adding what can boost productivity in an ecosystem

A

adding nutrients

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26
Q

is it beneficial to have excess nutrients in an ecosystem

A

NO - excess can alter an ecosystem in ways that can cause severe ecological and economic consequences

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27
Q

what do ecosystems provide us with

A

natural resources and wide variety of services

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27
Q

how do earth systems and processes differ

A

in their characteristic spatial and temporal scales

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27
Q

what can give scientists the ability to study highly complex systems or those with unwieldy temporal/spatial scales

A

studying subsystems and creating models

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28
Q

landscape ecologist POV

A

broad perspective on how landscape structure influences organisms

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29
Q

describe landscapes

A

consists of ecosystem patches spatially arrayed in a mosaic

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30
Q

what tech is assisting landscape ecology in conservation and regional planning

A

remote sensing technology

GIS (graphical information sensing)

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31
Q

four main biogeochemical cycles

A
  1. hydrologic cycle
  2. carbon cycle
  3. nitrogen cycle
  4. phosphorus cycle
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32
Q

what cycle moves water throughout the global environment

A

hydrologic cycle

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33
Q

human impacts on the water cycle

A
  1. Altering earth’s surface and vegetation = increase surface runoff and erosion
  2. Damming rivers to create reservoirs = increase evaporation
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34
Q

how do carbon flux between organisms and the atmosphere happen in carbon cycle

A

photosynthesis and respiration

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35
Q

where is most of the carbon contained

A

in sedimentary rock

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36
Q

where else (besides main reservoir) holds substantial amounts of carbon

A
  1. oceans
  2. soils
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37
Q

human impacts on carbon cycle

A
  1. human activity has moved carbon from long-term deposits (like fossil fuels) to the atmosphere
  2. Removing forests = remove carbon from vegetation reservoirs and release into the air
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38
Q

what are vital nutrients for plant growth

A

nitrogen and phosphorus

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39
Q

what must be done to nitrogen before plants can use it

A

nitrogen gas in the atmosphere must be “fixed” by specialized bacteria or lightning

40
Q

can plants use nitrogen right from the atmosphere

A

NO - it has to be fixed first

41
Q

human impact on nitrogen cycle

A

1.Fixing atmospheric nitrogen with fertilizers = increase flux of nitrogen from the atmosphere to earth’s surface

  1. Destroying wetlands = reducing nitrogen’s return to the air and reducing the amount of nitrogen picked up from nitrogen pollution
42
Q

where is phosphorus the most abundant

A

sedimentary rock ; with substantial amounts in soil and oceans

43
Q

is there appreciable atmospheric pools of phosphorus

A

NO

44
Q

human impact on phosphorus cycle

A

runoff from agricultural land has contributed phosphates to surface water bodies = widespread eutrophication (ecosystems enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth) and hypoxia (lack of oxygen, strangulation) of organisms

45
Q

open vs closed system

A

open ; Systems that receive inputs of both matter and energy and produce outputs of both

closed ; Systems that receive inputs of both matter and energy and produce outputs of energy NOT matter

46
Q

example of negative feedback

A

predation-prey relationships

47
Q

what type of feedback loop is rare in natue

A

positive feedback loop

48
Q

example of positive feedback loop

A

erosion

49
Q

dynamic equilibrium

A

Processes in a system move in opposing directions at equivalent rates resulting in their effects balancing out

50
Q

homeostasis

A

Tendency of a system to maintain constant or stable internal conditions

51
Q

resistance vs resilience

A

resistance ; strength of the system’s tendency to REMAIN CONSTANT ; resistance to disturbance

resilience ; measure of how readily the system will return to its ORIGINAL STATE after being disrupted

52
Q

Emergent properties

A

Characteristics that are not evident in the individual components on their own

53
Q

importance of the geosphere

A

○ Provides physical and chemical foundation for life on earth

○ Source of mineral nutrients and other materials that cycle through Earth system

54
Q

what are the two MAIN gases in our atmosphere

A

nitrogen and oxygen

55
Q

has the atmosphere changed since the formation of earth

A

YES - Chemical composition has changed from the formation of earth till now

56
Q

is an atmosphere unique to earth

A

NO - other planets also have one

57
Q

what are some examples of water NOT part of the hydrosphere/cryosphere

A
  • Atmospheric water (part of the atmosphere)
  • Water in living organisms (part of the biosphere)
  • Water found in rocks and minerals (part of the geosphere)
58
Q

process of motion of energy through an ecosystem

A

Energy arrives as radiation from sun —-> powers the system ——-> transformed (processes include photosynthesis and respiration and decay) ——–> exits as heat

59
Q

what happens to the nutrients when organisms die

A

it REMAINS in the system

60
Q

describe the relationship between energy and matter

A

The flow of energy through a system drives the constant recycling of matter

61
Q

biomass

A

Organic material of which living organisms are formed ; results from photosynthesis

62
Q

Gross primary production (GPP)

A

Conversion of solar energy to the energy of chemical bonds in sugars by autotrophs

63
Q

Net primary production (NPP)

A

Energy that remains after respiration that is used to generate biomass

64
Q

what primary production represents the energy or biomass that is available for consumption by heterotrophs

A

net primary production

65
Q

Secondary production

A

Total biomass that heterotrophs generate by consuming autotrophs

66
Q

High net primary production ecosystems

A

Ecosystems were plants convert solar energy to biomass rapidly (freshwater wetlands, tropical forests…)

67
Q

Low primary production ecosystems

A

○ Tundra
○ Deserts
* Open oceans

68
Q

Nutrients

A

Elements and compounds that organisms consume and require for survival

69
Q

Macronutrients vs Micronutrients

A

macronutrients ; Elements and compounds that organisms need in large amounts

Micronutrients ; Nutrients needed in small amounts

70
Q

describe Limiting factor in an ecosystem

A

If one of these nutrients (mainly nitrogen or phosphorus) is present in less than ideal amounts, it will place a limitation on plant or algal growth

71
Q

Ecotone

A

Transitional zones where two ecosystems meet and interact (sharing elements)

72
Q

patches (referring to ecosystems)

A

ecosystems or areas of habitat for a particular organism

73
Q

Metapopulation

A

If patches of a species are distant enough = organism’s population might become divided into subpopulations each occupying a different patch

74
Q

Remote sensing

A

Technologies that collect information about a target object from a distance (like satellite images)

75
Q

Geographic information system (GIS)

A

Computer software that takes multiple types of spatially referenced data and combines them on a common set of geographical coordinates

76
Q

Biogeochemical cycles

A

Movement of materials and energy through and among these systems

77
Q

Characteristics of systems

A

○ Planetary-scale subsystems that make up earth system

○ Interaction of biotic and abiotic components

Diversity of temporal and spatial scales among natural systems and processes

78
Q

Reservoir (pool)

A

Location where materials in a cycle remain for a period of time before moving to another reservoir

79
Q

Residence time

A

Amount of time a material in a cycle remains in a given pool or reservoir before moving to another reservoir

80
Q

Flux

A

Movement of materials among reservoirs

81
Q

Sources

A

Reservoirs that release more nutrients than they accept

82
Q

Sinks

A

Reservoirs that accept more nutrients than they release (stores)

83
Q

Turnover time

A

The time it would take for all of the atoms of a particular material to be flushed through a reservoir

84
Q

transpiration (water cycle)

A

the released of water vapor by plants through leaves

85
Q

how does water return to earth

A

precipitation

85
Q

how does water return to atmosphere

A

evaporation or transpiration

86
Q

why is carbon (carbon dioxide) pulled out of the atmosphere

A

photosynthesis

87
Q

how is CO2 released into the atmosphere

A
  1. Carbohydrates (like glucose) produced in photosynthesis are used by autotrophs to fuel their own respiration and release some back
88
Q

driving force of climate change

A

Removing CO2 from the atmosphere back to the hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere has not been able to keep pace with the CO2 entering

89
Q

Nitrogen fixation

A

N2 must be fixed (combined) with hydrogen in nature to form ammonia and the water-soluble ions (ammonium) can be used by plants

90
Q

two ways to accomplish nitrogen fixation

A
  1. Intense energy of lightning strikes
  2. Action of specialized bacteria (ex. Cyanobacteria)
91
Q

Nitrification

A

Ammonium ions are converted into nitrite ions and then into nitrate ions

92
Q

importance of decomposers in nitrogen cycle

A

Once the decomposers process the nitrogen compounds, they release ammonium ions = ions are now available to nitrifying bacteria to convert them once again to nitrates and nitrites

93
Q

Dentification

A

○ Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates in soil or water back into gaseous nitrogen

○ Completes cycle by releasing nitrogen back into atmosphere as gas

94
Q

major steps of the nitrogen cycle

A
  1. nitrogen fixation
  2. nitrification
  3. dentification
95
Q

is there extensive amounts of phosphorus available to organisms

A

NO - most is in rocks

96
Q

how is phosphorus a limiting factor to plant growth

A

Very little phosphorus is available to organism = limiting factor for plant growth (plants can only take phosphorus up their roots when its dissolved in water)

97
Q

major steps of the phosphorus cycle

A
  1. phosphorus is mobilized by weathering ; released phosphate ions into water
  2. Phosphate dissolves in lakes/oceans and precipitates into solid form before settling at the bottom and re-entering the geosphere as sediments
  3. Once plants uptake phosphorus by their roots, secondary consumers receive it by consuming the plants and release phosphorus through excretion
  4. Decomposers break down phosphorus-rich organisms and waste to return the phosphorus to the soil
98
Q

Ecosystem ecology

A

study of energy and material flow among biotic AND abiotic components of systems

Environmental Science 2000 (10 decks)

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