Lecture 3: Ecosystems Flashcards
Is a natural system consisting of all plants, and microorganisms, which function with all the physical factors of the environment
Ecosystem
A community of living components in conjunction with the non-living components interacting as a system
Ecosystem
Is a system of living things that interact with each other and with the physical world
Ecosystem
is a collection of related ecosystems
Biome
Two major forces that link together biotic and abiotic components
flow of energy through the ecosystem, cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem
Two types of abiotic components
Climatic Factors, Edaphic Factors
Conversion of solar energy into potential energy
Production
process of transfer of material and transformation of energy from one level to another through the process of eating and being eaten
Consumption
A process in which complex compounds are broken into simpler compounds
Decomposition
Major Types of Ecosystem
Aquatic Biome, Terrestrial Biome
Ecosystem found in water bodies
Aquatic Biome
Ecosystems found everywhere apart from water bodies
Terrestrial Biome
Cover about 75% of Earth’s surface
Aquatic Biome
Classification of Aquatic Biomes
Lentic, Lotic, Wetlands, Oceanic Pelagic
Non-flowing aquatic biomes are categorized as
Lentic
Flowing aquatic biomes are categorized as
Lotic
Zones below Oceanic Pelagic
Abyssal Zones
Nutrient poor, water is clear, oxygen rich; little productivity by algae, relatively deep with little surface area
Oligotrophic Lake
Nutrient rich, lost of algal productivity so it’s oxygen poor at times, water is murkier
Eutrophic Lake
Includes marshes, bogs, swamps, seasonal ponds. Among richest biomes with respect to biodiversity and productivity
Wetlands
Place where freshwater stream merges with the ocean
Estuary
Alternately submerged and exposed by daily cycle of tides
Intertidal Zone
Occur in neritic zones of warm, tropical water, dominated by cnidarians
Coral Reefs
Occurs in benthic zone; diverse, unusual organisms; energy comes not from the light but from chemicals released from the magma
Deep-sea vent
Classifications of Terrestrial Biomes
Forest, Tropical Evergreen Forest, Grassland, Desert, Tropical Deciduous Forest, Tundra
abundance of flora is seen and have a large number of organisms living in relatively small areas
Forest
receive an average rainfall of 80 to 400 inches in a year
Tropical Evergreen Forest
found in both temperate and tropical regions of the world. main vegetation is grasses, legumes; very little amount of shrubs and trees
Grassland
seasonally dry with few individual trees; support large number of grazers and predators
Savanna
temperate grassland, completely devoid of trees and large shrubs
Prairies
Occupy around 17% of all land on the planet
Desert
dense bushes and shrubs rule here along with broad levels of trees
Tropical Deciduous Forest
enriches earth just south of the ice-covered polar seas in the northern hemisphere
Tundra
vertical stratification with trees in canopy blocking light to bottom strata
Tropical Forest
dense, spiny, evergreen shrubs, mild rainy winters; long, hot dry summers. periodic fires, some plants require fire for seeds to germinate
Chaparral
Marked by seasonal drought and fires, and grazing by large animals
Temperate Grassland
Mid-latitudes with moderate mounts of moisture, distinct vertical strata
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Largest terrestrial biome on earth
Coniferous Forest
permanent frozen ground
permafrost
has 20% of land surface on earth
Tundra
the study of the processes that affect the distribution and abundance of animal and plant population
population ecology
a subset of individuals of one species that occupies a particular geographic area and, in sexually reproducing species, interbreeds
Population
is the statistical study of populations
Demography
Factors Affecting Population Fluctuation
Density Independent (weather, climate)
Density Dependent (spread of diseases, competition for resources)
regional groups of interconnected populations
Metapopulation
The number of individuals in a population
Population Size
3 factors affecting population size
no. of births, no. of deaths, no. of individuals entering and leaving the popoulation
The number of individuals in a given area
Population Density
the way in which individuals are arranged
Dispersion
increase or decrease in the number of people that reside n a particular geographical area
Population Growth
the movement of individuals into an area
Immigration
the movement of individuals out of an area
Emigration
occurs when the population’s growth slows or stops following a long period of exponential growth
Logistic Growth
Structural Components of the Ecosystem
Biotic and Abiotic
