Exam 1 Flashcards
____ describes the amount of energy that remains available for plant growth after subtracting the fraction that plants use for respiration
Net Primary Productivity
An interaction where one specie benefits and the other is not affected is termed_____.
Commensalism
An interaction where one species benefits and one is harmed is termed______.
Predation or Parasitism
This tropic level is responsible for processing organic material and returning nutrients to the ecosystem.
Decomposers
What percent of net energy production at one trophic level is passed on to the next level?
10%
Toxins an contaminants can move up the food web and organisms at higher trophic level last can be threatened, even if the pollutant is introduced to the environment in very small quantities through a process know as_______.
Bioaccumulation
An interaction where both species benefit but the relationship may not be essential for either is termed_____.
Mutualism
The most important biogeochemical cycles affecting ecosystem health are the _______.
Nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, and water cycle
When organisms of different species compete for the same resources in the same habitat, one species will commonly be more successful in this competition and exclude the second from the habitat. This is referred to as the ______.
Competitive Exclusion Principal
Because water is virtually incompressable, under water pressure increases in a ______ manner, unlike in the atmosphere where pressure changes in a ______ manner.
Linear/ exponential
_______ are microscopic animals that live in the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water.
Zooplankton
_____ are microscopic plants that live on the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water and are the foundation of the marine food chain.
Phytoplankton
Anthropogenic climate change is defined as:
Climate change due to the increase of greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities
How does the earths natural greenhouse effect work?
Insulating the planet by trapping heat and preventing it from leaving the atmosphere
Beginning in the 1950s, American industrial producers decided to shift towards making products that were designed to only be used for a short time and to be replaced soon after purchase. Which of the following describes this kind of production and use?
Planned Obsolescence
In contrast to planned obsolescence, what is perceived obsolescence?
Marketing: the goods are not designed to fail, but consumers are encouraged to throw things away because they seem old or outdated
What is biomagnification?
When compounds resist microbial decomposition, are passed along the food chain and increase in concentration towards the top
Why are BFRs so toxic to the ecosystem?
They are resistant to biodegradation and accumulate up the food chain
The water table is:
An underground area located at the top of the saturated zone of ground water
True or False: Saltwater intrusion due to groundwater over withdrawal in coastal areas is the only mechanism that causes salination of freshwater.
False
What can happen if groundwater well pumping in coastal areas reduces the water table to below sea level?
Salt water can flow into the aquifer
What is the basic geologic spatial unit that scientists focus on to characterize an area’s water supply and water quality?
Watershed
What is the difference between a point source and a nonpoint source of water pollution?
A point source has a distinct temporal and spatial origin; a nonpoint source is diffuse and has no clear single origin.
True or false: All ecosystems will be harmed by climate change.
False- Some ecosystems could benefit from climate change, at the same time that many are harmed
