Environmental Cycles and Carrying Capacity

Question 1

Precipitation

Answer 1

The action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution

Question 2

Evaporation

Answer 2

Process of turning a liquid into a gaseous form

Question 3

Transpiration

Answer 3

Process of water movement through a plant, evaporation from plants

Question 4

Accumulation

Answer 4

Collection of water in lakes, aquifers and oceans

Question 5

Condensation

Answer 5

Conversion of a gas into fluid

Question 6

Macronutrients

Answer 6

Nutrients used by organisms in large quantities

Question 7

Micronutrients

Answer 7

Nutrients used only in trace quantities

Question 8

Atmosphere Carbon

Answer 8

Enters biosphere via photosynthesis

Major reservoir of carbon

Question 9

Plants Carbon

Answer 9

Take carbon from carbon dioxide and form organic compounds such as glucose, starch, cellulose and carbohydrates

Question 10

Respiration in Plants

Answer 10

Returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Question 11

Nitrogen

Answer 11

78% of the air is nitrogen

Essential to life as it is a key component of amino acids and nucleic acids

Question 12

How do plants and animals receive nitrogen?

Answer 12

process by which free nitrogen is converted into nitrogen compounds (ammonia) which are plant nutrients

Question 13

What is a major reservoir for ammonia?

Answer 13

The Soil

Question 14

Denitrification

Answer 14

Nitrates in the soil are broken down by these organisms and nitrogen is released in the atmosphere

Question 15

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Answer 15

Categorised into six major ecosystems~ tropical rainforest, savannah, grass lands, tundra, desert, temperate forests.
Vegetation is most dominant and visible aspect. Used for classifying ecosystem
The most dominant/tallest vegetation is often used to name ecosystem
Abiotic factors such as biogeography, climate and soil influence the distribution of the vegetation (can also be used to name ecosystem)

Question 16

Aquatic Ecosystem

Answer 16

Classified as either freshwater or marine
Marine: oceans or seas
Freshwater: classified in water movement (e.g moving water river=loctic)(e.g still wetlands= lentic)
Abiotic factors also taken into consideration

Question 17

Populations

Answer 17

Members of a species in one place at one time that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Question 18

Carrying Capacity

Answer 18

Total population of organisms that an ecosystem can support without undergoing environmental degradation
In an area with abundant resources and all members can reproduce, population will increase at exponential rate. ‘J Shaped’
Area has carrying capacity, the population exceeds capacity, it will decline. ‘S Shaped’

Question 19

Density Dependent Factors

Answer 19

The greater the population density, the more individuals die of fail to reproduce.

• Competition: more organisms result in more competition for water or food
• Disease: more organisms will increase the impact and spread of a disease through a population
• Predation: decrease prey numbers

Question 20

Density Independent Factors

Answer 20

Affects all individuals and usually leads to a drastic decline in population due to death or emigration of individuals

• Water Availability: extreme wet/dry period will decrease population size
• Temperature: extreme hot/cold will decrease population size
• Soil Type: richer soil will have a higher carrying capacity
• Natural Disasters: affect individual in a population regardless of population density