Environment/nature IV Flashcards
What are animals (and what animals eat) mostly composed of:
- water
- carbon compounds
What happened when oxygenic photosynthesis began?
Plants began pumping tons oxygen into the atmosphere.
- this led to the creation of the ozone layer.
What happened as a result of the creation of the ozone layer?
- life no longer had to hide from the sun, as it generates not only visible light, but also:
- ultraviolet radiation
- after the creation of the ozone layer, the sun’s deadliest rays got blocked.
What was the “hole” in the ozone layer?
This had nothing to do with global warming.
- it was about rising use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), or aerosol sprays.
What helped eliminate CFC use in the 80s?
President Reagan signing the Montreal Protocol, which banned CFCs.
During which era did the creatures die that we now mine for fossil fuels?
The Carboniferous (later part of the Paleozoic era)
- animals from this era sank down into swamp beds and became peat.
- they cooked in the earth for millions of years.
- as they cooked, they sank deeper underground.
- they then became rocks laden with carbon, or hydrocarbon. Fossils.
Tragedy of the commons
“Individual self-interest can lead to bad outcomes for the group as a whole”.
- that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.
- self-interest leads people to pick up dog shit in their own yard, but not in the public park.
Carbon cycle
Every year:
- 80 billion tons of atmospheric carbon dissolves in seawater.
- 80 billion tons returns to the atmosphere through out gassing.
- about 120 billion tons of carbon is sucked in by plants through photosynthesis.
- about 120 billion tons returns to the atmosphere through: fire, decomposition, and respiration.
(this is crucial because animals and what they eat is mostly composed of: water and carbon compounds)
Matter
The material substance that constitutes:
- the observable universe
At the most fundamental level, what is matter composed of?
Elementary particles called:
- quarks
and
- leptons
Quark
An elementary subatomic particle.
- interacts by means of the strong force.
Strong force
(aka “nuclear force”)
fundamental interaction of nature that acts between subatomic particles of matter.
- it binds quarks together to make protons and neutrons.
How is matter constructed?
Quarks or leptons combine into >
Protons and neutrons and (along with electrons) form >
Atoms of the elements of the periodic table such as >
(H) Hydrogen >
Atoms may further combine into molecules like the water molecule H2O
Subatomic particle
(aka “elementary particles”)
Self-contained units of matter or energy.
- they are the fundamental components of all matter.
Which subatomic particles are the basic atomic building blocks?
- electrons
- protons
- neutrons
- nuclei
Which subatomic particles are the building blocks of protons and neutrons?
Quarks
Which subatomic particle can be both negatively and positively charged?
Muons
- The positively charged muon is called an antiparticle.
- muons in cosmic radiation are extremely penetrating. They can travel thousands of meters below the earth’s surface.
Name some other subatomic particles?
How many are there?
- neutrinos
- taus
- photons
- positrons
- gluons
There are over 200 different types.
How long do subatomic particles exist?
Depends.
- some only exist for a millionth of a second.
Where is the ozone layer?
About 15 miles above the surface of the planet.
Inertia
The ability of an ecosystem to resist change.
Constancy
The ability of a living system (like a population) to preserve its numbers.
Especially in the face of things like:
- plague
- war
- famine
Resilience
An ecosystem’s ability to restore itself after suffering outside disturbance.
Example: if a grassland springs back after a fire
Herbivore
A plant-eating animal.
Food chain
The path that chemical energy takes through an ecosystem.
From:
Sunlight - to >
Producers - to >
Herbivores - to >
Carnivores
(individual food chains connect and branch to form food webs)
Food web
The structure within an ecological community that characterizes how animals within the community acquire nutrition.
- producers turn atmospheric carbon into sustenance.
- herbivores consume producers.
- carnivores consume herbivores.
Energy in an ecosystem flows from…..?
Producers to consumers
The flow or feeding structure in an ecosystem is also called…..?
- Trophic structure.
- each level in the structure is called a trophic level and consists of organisms that are categorized into two groups:
- producers
- consumers
A “food chain” charts the movement of energy from one trophic level to the next.
Food chains in an ecosystem are often related and are grouped into larger structures called food webs.
What are the foundation of all food chains in an ecosystem?
Why?
Producers (plants)
- because they are autotrophs (they make their own food without depending on other organisms).
Consumers
(aka “heterotrophs”)
Organisms that depend on producers to obtain nutrients.
What trophic level immediately follows the producer level?
Primary consumers
these are the herbivores like cows, rabbits, deer, mice
What level follows primary consumers?
Secondary consumers.
these are the carnivores that consume herbivores, like:
- birds
- lions
- wolves
What follows secondary consumers?
Tertiary consumers.
These guys eat secondary consumers.
Examples: cougars, snakes, alligators, owls
What follows tertiary consumers?
Quaternary consumers.
These guys eat eat tertiary consumers and have no known natural predators.
Ex:
- killer whale
- hawk
- eagles
- sharks
Detritivore
(di-try-ti-vore)
A consumer that obtains energy by decomposing organic waste and dead organisms. (certain insects)
They are called decomposers.
Also bacteria and fungi
How do decomposers help the environment?
They help to recycle nutrients in an environment by:
- breaking down organic polymers into smaller units
- this releases nutrients back into the ecosystem.
What happens to energy in a food chain?
It decreases as it rises up the trophic structure.
As animals harvest the energy stored in food through cellular respiration, most of this energy is used to fuel metabolic processes in the organism.
This means much less energy is available for animals at the higher trophic levels.
That’s why producers and herbivores are so common yet tertiary and quaternary consumers are so rare.
Regarding “ecological efficiency”
How do scientists know that the amount of usable energy diminishes as energy travels up the trophic structure?
They’ve done studies with:
- food chain relationships and cellular respiration.
- the studies look at predator/prey relationships
