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Biology 110 Lecture (Rubite) > Lesson 3 (Chapter 55, Ecosystems Ecology) > Flashcards

Lesson 3 (Chapter 55, Ecosystems Ecology) Flashcards

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1
Q

all the organisms living in a community, as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact

A

ecosystem

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2
Q

an ecosystem’s dynamics involve these two main processes, regardless of its size

A

energy flow, chemical cycling

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3
Q

scientists who study the transformations of energy and matter within ecosystems

A

ecologists

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4
Q

laws that apply to ecosystems

A

laws of physics, laws of chemistry

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5
Q

states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed

A

first law of thermodynamics

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6
Q

application of first law of thermodynamics in an ecosystem

A

energy enters an ecosystem as solar radiation, is conserved, and is lost from organisms through heat

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7
Q

states that every exchange of energy increases the entropy of the universe

A

second law of thermodynamics

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8
Q

application of second law of thermodynamics in an ecosystem

A

in an ecosystem, energy conversions are not completely efficient, and some energy is always lost as heat

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9
Q

states that matter cannot be created nor destroyed

A

law of conservation of mass

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10
Q

application of law of conservation of mass in an ecosystem

A

chemical elements are continually recycled within ecosystems

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11
Q

systems that absorbing energy and mass and releasing heat and waste products

A

open systems such as ecosystems

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12
Q

organisms that build molecules themselves using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as an energy source

A

autotrophs

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13
Q

organisms that depend on the biosynthetic output of other organisms

A

heterotrophs

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14
Q

also known as primary producers

A

autotrophs

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15
Q

also known as primary consumers

A

herbivores

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16
Q

also known as secondary consumers

A

herbivore-eating carnivores

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17
Q

also known as tertiary consumers

A

carnivore-eating carnivores

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18
Q

also known as decomposers, consumers that derive their energy from detritus

A

detritivores

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19
Q

nonliving organic matter

A

detritus

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20
Q

examples of important detritivores

A

prokaryotes, fungi

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21
Q

process that connects all trophic levels

A

decomposition

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22
Q

amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs during a given time period

A

primary production

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23
Q

the primary producers in a few ecosystems

A

chemoautotrophs

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24
Q

what sets the spending limit for an ecosystem’s energy budget

A

extent of photosynthetic production

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25
Q

what sets the limit of photosynthetic output of ecosystems

A

amount of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface

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26
Q

true or false: only a small fraction of solar energy actually strikes photosynthetic organisms, and even less is of a usable wavelength

A

true

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27
Q

total primary production of an ecosystem

A

gross primary production

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28
Q

formula for gross primary production

A

conversion of chemical energy from photosynthesis per unit time

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29
Q

gross primary production minus energy used by primary producers for respiration

A

net primary production

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30
Q

formula for net primary production

A

gross primary production minus energy used by primary producers for respiration

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31
Q

ways to express net primary production

A

energy per unit area per unit time

biomass added per unit area per unit time

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32
Q

indication of net primary production

A

amount of new biomass added in a given time period

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33
Q

true or false: only net primary production is available to consumers

A

true

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34
Q

the total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs at a given time

A

standing crop

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35
Q

areas that are among the most productive ecosystems per unit area

A

tropical rain forests, estuaries, coral reefs

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36
Q

significance of marine ecosystems

A

relatively unproductive per unit area but contribute much to global net primary production because of their volume

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37
Q

a measure of the total biomass accumulation during a given period

A

net ecosystem production

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38
Q

formula for net ecosystem production

A

gross primary production minus the total respiration of all organisms in an ecosystem

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39
Q

how to estimate net ecosystem production

A

comparing the net flux of CO2 and O2 in an ecosystem

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40
Q

significance of the release of O2 by a system

A

indication that a system is also storing CO2

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41
Q

two factors that control primary production in marine and freshwater ecosystems

A

light, nutrients

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42
Q

factor that affects primary production in the photic zone of an ocean or lake

A

depth of light penetration

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43
Q

the element that must be added for production to increase in an area

A

limiting nutrients

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44
Q

the two nutrients that most often limit marine production

A

nitrogen, phosphorus

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45
Q

limiting nutrient in the phytoplankton growth off the shore of Long Island, New York

A

nitrogen

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46
Q

limiting nutrient in the phytoplankton growth off the shore of the Sargasso Sea in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean

A

iron

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47
Q

contributes to regions of high primary production

A

upwelling of nutrient-rich waters

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48
Q

excessive plant and algal growth

A

eutrophication

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49
Q

cause of eutrophication in some areas

A

sewage runoff

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50
Q

effect of eutrophication

A

loss of most fish species

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51
Q

limiting nutrient of cyanobacterial growth in lakes

A

phosphorus

52
Q

why phosphate-free detergents are used

A

to limit eutrophication of cyanobacteria due to sewage runoff

53
Q

two factors that affect primary production of terrestrial ecosystems on a large scale

A

temperature, moisture

54
Q

true or false: primary production increases with moisture

A

true

55
Q

the water transpired by plants and evaporated from a landscape

A

actual evapotranspiration

56
Q

factors that affect evapotranspiration

A

precipitation, temperature, solar energy

57
Q

true or false: actual evapotranspiration is not related to net primary production

A

false

58
Q

what is often a limiting factor in primary production on a more local scale

A

a soil nutrient

59
Q

the most common limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems

A

nitrogen

60
Q

another common limiting in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in older soils

A

phosphorus

61
Q

examples of adaptations that help plants in accessing limiting nutrients from soil

A

some form mutualisms with nitrogen-fixing bacteria

many form mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi, which supply phosphorus and other limiting elements

have root hairs that increase surface area

many release enzymes that increase the availability of limiting nutrients

62
Q

the amount of chemical energy in food converted to new biomass during a given period of time

A

secondary production

63
Q

the fraction of energy stored in food that is not used for respiration

A

production efficiency

64
Q

formula of production efficiency

A

[net secondary production ÷ assimilation of primary production] × 100

65
Q

production of efficiency of birds and mammals

A

1-3%

66
Q

production of efficiency of fish

A

10%

67
Q

production of efficiency of insects and microorganisms

A

40% or more

68
Q

the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next

A

trophic efficiency

69
Q

usual range of trophic efficiency

A

between 5% to 20%, usually about 10%

70
Q

amount of chemical energy fixed by photosynthesis that reaches a tertiary consumer

A

approximately 0.1%

71
Q

represents the loss of energy with each transfer in a food chain

A

pyramid of net production

72
Q

what does each tier of a biomass pyramid represent

A

the dry mass of all organisms in one trophic level

73
Q

where do most biomass pyramids show a sharp decrease

A

at successively higher trophic levels

74
Q

certain aquatic ecosystems have this kind of biomass pyramid

A

inverted biomass pyramid

75
Q

implication of inverted biomass pyramids

A

primary producers are consumed so quickly that they are outweighed by primary consumers

76
Q

the ratio of the standing crop biomass to production

A

turnover time

77
Q

true or false: dynamics of energy flow in ecosystems have important implications for the human population

A

true

78
Q

what is the problem with eating meat

A

it is a relatively inefficient way of tapping photosynthetic production

79
Q

true or false: worldwide agriculture could feed many more people if humans ate only plant material

A

true

80
Q

true or false: life does not depend on recycling chemical elements

A

false

81
Q

nutrient cycles in ecosystems involving biotic and abiotic components

A

biogeochemical cycles

82
Q

most commonly occurring gases in the atmosphere which cycle globally

A

gaseous carbon, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen

83
Q

less mobile elements available in the ecosystem

A

phosphorus, potassium, calcium

84
Q

difference between terrestrial systems and aquatic systems in terms of nutrient cycling

A

elements cycle locally in terrestrial systems but more broadly when dissolved in aquatic systems

85
Q

includes main reservoirs of elements and processes that transfer elements between reservoirs

A

model of nutrient cycling

86
Q

true or false: all elements cycle between organic and inorganic reservoirs

A

true

87
Q

four factors ecologists focus on when studying cycling of water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus

A

each chemical’s biological importance

forms in which each chemical is available or used by organisms

major reservoirs for each chemical

key processes driving movement of each chemical through its cycle

88
Q

an essential to all organisms

A

water

89
Q

the primary physical phase in which water is used

A

liquid water

90
Q

percentage of the biosphere’s water contained in the oceans

A

97%

91
Q

percentage of the biosphere’s water contained in glaciers and polar ice caps

A

2%

92
Q

percentage of the biosphere’s water contained in lakes, rivers, and groundwater

A

1%

93
Q

cycle depicting the movement of water by the processes of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and movement through surface and groundwater

A

water cycle

94
Q

essential to all organisms

A

carbon-based organic molecules

95
Q

significance of photosynthetic organisms

A

convert CO2 to organic molecules that are used by heterotrophs

96
Q

examples of carbon reservoirs

A

fossil fuels, soils and sediments, solutes in oceans, plant and animal biomass, the atmosphere, sedimentary rocks, volcanoes

97
Q

cycle depicting the movement of CO2 in which it is taken up through photosynthesis and released through respiration

A

carbon cycle

98
Q

a component of amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids

A

nitrogen

99
Q

the main reservoir of nitrogen and its most common form

A

atmosphere, atmospheric nitrogen (N2)

100
Q

forms of nitrogen that can be consumed by plants

A

NH4+, NO3-

101
Q

how N2 gets converted into NH4+ or NO3-

A

nitrogen fixation by bacteria

102
Q

process in which organic nitrogen is decomposed to NH4+

A

ammonification

103
Q

process in which NH4+ is decomposed to NO3-

A

nitrification

104
Q

process in which NO3- is converted back to N2

A

denitrification

105
Q

a major constituent of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and ATP

A

phosphorus

106
Q

the most important inorganic form of phosphorus

A

phosphate ([PO4]3-)

107
Q

largest reservoirs of phosphorus

A

sedimentary rocks of marine origin, the oceans, and organisms

108
Q

process in which phosphate binds with soil particles, localizing its movement

A

phosphorus cycle

109
Q

play a key role in the general pattern of chemical cycling

A

decomposers or detritivores

110
Q

effect of differing rates of decomposition

A

great variation between the rates at which nutrients cycle in different ecosystems

111
Q

factors affecting the rate of decomposition

A

temperature, moisture, nutrient availability

112
Q

effect of rapid decomposition

A

relatively low levels of nutrients in the soil

113
Q

area wherein rapid decomposition occurs

A

tropical rain forest

114
Q

effect of slow decomposition

A

large amounts of undecomposed organic matter

115
Q

areas wherein slow decomposition occurs

A

cold and wet ecosystems, anaerobic muds

116
Q

used to study nutrient cycling in a forest ecosystem since 1963

A

Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

117
Q

findings on water loss in undisturbed site

A

60% of precipitation exits through streams and 40% is lost by evapotranspiration

118
Q

findings on water loss in deforested site

A

net losses of water were 30% - 40% greater compared to the loss in the undisturbed site

119
Q

effect of deforestation on nutrient levels

A

nutrient loss was much greater than in the undisturbed site

120
Q

seeks to initiate or speed up the recovery of degraded ecosystems

A

restoration ecology

121
Q

two key strategies of restoration ecology

A

bioremediation, augmentation of ecosystem processes

122
Q

the use of organisms to detoxify ecosystems

A

bioremediation

123
Q

organisms often used in bioremediation, which can take up or sometimes metabolize toxic molecules

A

prokaryotes, fungi, plants

124
Q

can metabolize uranium and other elements to insoluble forms that are less likely to leach into streams and groundwater

A

Shewanella oneidensis

125
Q

uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem

A

biological augmentation

126
Q

examples of biological augmentation

A

using nitrogen fixing plants to increase available nitrogen in soil

adding mycorrhizal fungi to help plants access nutrients from soil

127
Q

how to successfully conduct restoration projects

A

consider alternative solutions and adjust approaches based on experience

Biology 110 Lecture (Rubite) (3 decks)

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