Lecture 2: Ecology Flashcards
The study of the relationship between an organism and its’ environment
Ecology
Two factors that make up the environment
Biotic Factors and Abiotic Factors
composed of all living organisms inhabiting the Earth
Biotic Factors
Non-living parts of the environment
Abiotic Factors
Levels of Organization (Smallest to Largest)
Organism > Population > Community > Ecosystem > Biosphere
Simplest Levels (Smallest to Largest)
Atom > Molecule > Organelles > Cell > Tissue > Organ > Organ System
They have organized the interactions an organism takes part in into different levels according to complexity.
Ecologists
Different levels according to complexity wherein organisms interact and take part in.
Levels of Organization
An individual living thing that is made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds, grows, and develops
Organism
1st Level of Organization
Organism
Any unicellular or multicellular form exhibiting all of the characteristics of life, an individual.
Organism
2nd Level of Organization
Population
A group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time
Population
3rd Level of Organization
Community
All the populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time
Community
Several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and are interdependent
Community
4th Level of Organization
Ecosystem
Populations of plants and animals that interact with each other in a given area with the abiotic components of that area.
Ecosystem
5th Level of Organization
Biosphere
The portion of Earth that supports life
Biosphere
The role a species plays in a community
Niche
Total way of life
Niche
The place in which an organism lives out its life
Habitat
Is determined by the tolerance limitations of an organism, or a limiting factor
Niche
Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment
Limiting Factor
Examples of Limiting Factors
Amount of [food, water, space], temperature, availability of mates
3 main types of feeding relationships
producer - consumer
predator - prey
parasite - host
all autotrophs, they trap energy from the sun
Producer
autotrophs
plants
all heterotrophs, they ingest food containing the sun’s energy
Consumer
Types of consumers
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers
Eat plants
herbivores
eats meat
carnivores
hunt prey animals for food
predators
feed on carrion, dead animals
scavengers
eat both plant and animals
omnivores
breakdown the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be absorbed
decomposers
two species living together
symbiosis
3 types of symbiosis
commensalism, parasitism, mutualism
one species benefits and the other is neither harmed or helped
Commensalism
a plant that grows on another plant upon which depends for mechanical support but not for nutrients
Epiphytes
Air plant
Xerophyte
one species benefits and the other is harmed
parasitism
both species benefit
mutualism
Each link in a food chain is known as ________
Trophic Level
represent a feeding step in the transfer of energy and matter in an ecosystem
Trophic Level
The amount of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a habitat
biomass
As you move up a food chain, both available energy and biomass ___
decrease
What percentage of energy is transferred to the next trophic level?
10%
Simple model that shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
Food chain
Shows all possible feeding relationships in a community at each trophic level
Food web
Represents a network of interconnected food chains
Food web
Movement of chemical elements in a circular pathway, from organisms to physical environment, back to organisms
Biogeochemical Cyle
What sustains life on earth?
Solar energy, cycling of matter, gravity
What are the biochemical cycles?
Carbon, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Water, Oxygen
All living things are made of ____
Carbon
Carbon is attached to some oxygen in a gas called ______
Carbon Dioxide
plants that die and are buried may turn into _____ made of carbon like coal and oil over millions of years
fossil fuels
How much more carbon dioxide are in the air today than there was about 150 years ago?
30%
The water cycle is also known as
hydrological cycle
physical processes in the water cycle
evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, subsurface flow
The water cycle involves the exchange of ____
Heat
Reshaping of the geological features of earth are done through the processes such as ____ and _____
erosion and sedimentation
Continuous cycle of biological, chemical and geological processes by which nitrogen is circulated in the Earth’s environment
Nitrogen Cycle
Is the most plentiful element in the atmosphere
Nitrogen
What percent of the atmosphere is nitrogen?
78%
Process wherein nitrogen is converted into nitrogen-compounds
Nitrogen Fixation
gaseous compound of nitrogen and hydrogen
Ammonia
makes up nearly 78%-80% of air
Atmospheric Nitrogen (N2)
Factors that can convert nitrogen into usable forms
Lightning, Bacteria
Converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium which can be used to make organic compounds like amino acids
Nitrogen Fixation
Some live in a symbiotic relationship with plants of the legume familyy
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Are essential to maintaining the fertility of semi-aquatic environment like rice paddies
Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria
is a biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere
Phosphorus Cycle
Does not play a significant role in the movement of phosphorus
Atmosphere
Is an essential nutrient for plants and animals in the form of ions PO43- and HPO42-
Phosphorus
It is a part of DNA molecules that store energy and fats of cell membranes
Phosphorus
Is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of oxygen within its three main reservoirs
Oxygen Cycle
The global sum of all ecosystems
Biosphere
the combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet
hydrosphere
Failures in the oxygen cycle within the hydrosphere can result in the development of ____
Hypoxic Zones
Main driving factor of the oxygen cycle
Photosynthesis
Is one of the components that make up proteins and vitamins
Sulfur
SO2
Sulfur Dioxide
H2S
Hydrogen Sulfide
