Energy Transfer Flashcards
What is the biosphere?
area of planet where living things are found
What are the 3 components of the biosphere?
Lithosphere - land
Atmosphere - air
Hydrosphere - water
What is abiotic vs biotic?
Abiotic is non living, biotic is living
What are the 2 major processes?
Photosynthesis
Cell respiration
What are autotrophs?
Producers
organisms that create their own food from sunlight or inorganic compounds. (eg. plants)
What is the primary source of energy for the biosphere?
The sun
What are heterotrophs in the biosphere?
Consumers
organisms that cannot produce their own food and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms. They include herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores
What are trophic levels?
Trophic levels refer to the different levels of organisms in a food chain, based on their source of energy.
Producers (1st trophic level)
Primary consumers (herbivores, 2nd trophic level)
Secondary consumers (carnivores, 3rd trophic level)
Tertiary consumers (top predators, 4th trophic level)
What is an energy pyramid?
illustrates the flow of energy through the trophic levels of an ecosystem. energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid, with most energy being lost as heat (around 90%) at each level. Only about 10% of the energy is passed on to the next level.
Why is only 10% of energy passed to the next trophic level?
because energy is lost through heat, respiration, movement, and digestion at each level. The rest is used by the organisms for growth, reproduction, and maintenance.
What are saprophytes?
Decomposers
obtain energy by eating dead material
What are the laws of thermodynamics?
1st - energy cannot be created nor destroyed only converted
2nd - during any energy change there’s always some energy loss (typically heat)
What is a food chain?
A food chain is a simple, linear sequence of organisms where each organism serves as a food source for the next.
What is a food web?
more complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem. It shows how different species are connected through multiple feeding relationships.
What is an inverted pyramid?
organisms at a lower trophic level are fewer than the higher trophic level. Typically when one producer can feed multiple consumers (eg. tree - bird - fungi
What is biomass?
total weight of living matter
What is biomagnification?
the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.
What is a biomass pyramid?
the representation of total living biomass or organic matter present at different trophic levels in an ecosystem
What is energy transfer in Earth’s ecosystems?
Energy transfer in Earth’s ecosystems refers to the movement of energy through different trophic levels (producers, consumers, decomposers) via processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and feeding.
What is the main source of energy for life on Earth?
The sun
What happens to energy at each trophic level?
At each trophic level, energy is transferred from one organism to another. However, only about 10% of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level, while the rest is lost as heat due to metabolic processes. This is known as the 10% rule.
What are the primary biogeochemical cycles?
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Water Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle
Sulfur Cycle
What is the Carbon Cycle?
The Carbon Cycle is the process by which carbon is exchanged between the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, animals, and fossil fuels. It includes processes like photosynthesis (absorbing CO₂), respiration (releasing CO₂), decomposition, and combustion (burning of fossil fuels).
How does photosynthesis relate to the Carbon Cycle?
In photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and convert it into glucose, a form of chemical energy. This removes CO₂ from the atmosphere and incorporates it into living organisms. This process helps regulate the carbon levels in the atmosphere.
What is the Nitrogen Cycle? What are the key processes?
The Nitrogen Cycle describes how nitrogen moves through the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms.
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrification
Assimilation
Ammonification
Denitrification
What is nitrogen fixation?
Nitrogen fixation is the process by which certain bacteria convert nitrogen into forms that plants can use, such as ammonia (NH₃) or nitrate (NO₃⁻). This is essential because most organisms cannot use nitrogen in its gaseous form.
What is assimilation in the nitrogen cycle?
Plants absorb nitrates from the soil to build proteins
What is ammonification in Nitrogen cycle?
Decomposers break down organic matter and release ammonia.
What is Denitrification in nitrogen cycle?
Bacteria convert nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen.
What is the Water Cycle?
The Water Cycle (or Hydrological Cycle) describes the continuous movement of water through the atmosphere, earth, and oceans.
What key processes are included in the hydrologic cycle?
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
Infiltration
Transpiration
What is Evaporation?
Water changes from liquid to vapor and rises into the atmosphere.
What is Condensation?
Water vapor cools and forms clouds.
What is Precipitation?
Water falls back to Earth as rain, snow, etc.
What is Infiltration?
Water soaks into the ground and replenishes groundwater.
What is Transpiration?
Plants release water vapor through their leaves.
What is the Phosphorus Cycle?
The Phosphorus Cycle describes the movement of phosphorus through the soil, water, and living organisms. Phosphorus is an essential element for plant and animal life, particularly in the form of phosphate (PO₄³⁻). Unlike other cycles, phosphorus does not have a gaseous phase and mainly moves through rock weathering, plant absorption, and decomposition.
Why is phosphorus important for life on Earth?
Phosphorus is a key component of DNA, RNA, and ATP, which are vital for cell function, energy transfer, and genetic inheritance. It is also critical for bone and teeth formation in animals.
What is the Sulfur Cycle?
The Sulfur Cycle involves the movement of sulfur through the atmosphere, soil, water, and living organisms. Sulfur is essential for protein synthesis in all living organisms.
What are the key process in the sulfur cycle?
Volcanic activity
Bacterial action
Decomposition
What is volcanic activity in the sulfur cycle?
Releases sulfur compounds into the atmosphere.
What is bacterial action in the sulfur cycle?
Converts sulfur compounds into forms that plants can absorb.
What is decompostion in the sulfur cycle?
Releases sulfur back into the soil.
How does human activity impact the carbon ?
Carbon Cycle: Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes increase the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
How does human activity impact the nitrogen cycles?
Nitrogen Cycle: Human activities like fertilizer use and industrial processes increase the amount of nitrogen compounds in ecosystems, leading to issues like eutrophication (excessive nutrients in water bodies) and air pollution.
How does human activity impact the sulfur cycles?
Acid deposition, when sulfur is combined with water vapour it creates acid which damages all kinds of wildlife and plants
How does human activity impact the phosphorus cycles?
creates an algal bloom which causes aquatic plants to die due to lack of oxygen
What is productivity?
rate at which producers capture and store energy over time
What are variables of productivity?
Number of producers
amount of light/heat available
amount of rainfall
creates plant growth
What is net productivity?
total amount of energy that is transformed into chemical energy by producers
What does the biosphere need for balance?
needs constant input of energy and cycling of nutrients to maintain balance
What are stromatolies?
sedimentary rocks
What is environment?
The environment refers to the surroundings or conditions in which an organism lives, including both abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors
What is a population?
A population is a group of individual organisms of the same species living in a specific area at the same time. They share a common gene pool and interact with each other, often competing for resources like food, space, and mates.
What is a species?
A species is a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring under natural conditions.
What is a community?
A community is a group of different species living and interacting in the same area.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
What is taxonomy?
Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms based on their shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships.
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain shows a linear sequence of energy flow from one organism to another (e.g., plant → herbivore → carnivore).
A food web is a more complex network of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem, showing how multiple species are related in terms of energy flow.
What are the levels of classification in taxonomy?
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
What is a kingdom in taxonomy?
A kingdom is the highest level of classification in biological taxonomy. It groups organisms based on broad characteristics such as cell type, structure, and nutritional methods.
What are the five main kingdoms?
Animalia (animals)
Plantae (plants)
Fungi (fungi)
Protista (protists)
Monera (bacteria)
What is a phylum in taxonomy?
A phylum is the second level of classification, grouping organisms based on major structural similarities and evolutionary characteristics. (eg. in the kingdom Animalia, humans belong to the phylum)
What is a class in taxonomy?
A class is a level of classification below phylum. It groups organisms that share more specific characteristics than those in a phylum. (eg. humans belong to the class Mammalia, which includes all mammals characterized by features like hair and mammary glands)
What is an order in taxonomy?
An order is a level of classification below class. It groups organisms that share even more specific traits and evolutionary history. (eg. in the class Mammalia, humans belong to the order Primates, which includes species like monkeys, apes, and humans.
What is a family in taxonomy?
A family is a group within an order, classifying organisms that are more closely related. Organisms in the same family share specific features and have a closer evolutionary history. (eg. gorillas and chimpanzees)
What is a genus in taxonomy?
A genus is a level of classification that includes one or more species that are closely related and very similar. The genus name is always capitalized and written in italic (or underlined). (eg. humans belong to the genus Homo
What is a species in taxonomy?
A species is the most specific level of classification and represents a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Species share genetic similarity and distinct characteristics. The species name is always lowercase and written in italic (or underlined). (eg. humans are classified as Homo sapiens)
How is an organism’s scientific name written?
The genus is always capitalized.
The species is always lowercase.
