mocks cramming - topic 2

Question 1

fundamental niche

Answer 1

describes the full range of conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce.

Question 2

Limiting Factors

Answer 2

Things that control the population size.

Question 3

Carrying capacity

Answer 3

A maximum number of species that it can support at a given time.

Question 4

Producers

Answer 4

the plants that convert energy into matter.

Question 5

The realized niche

Answer 5

describes the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions.

Question 6

Consumers

Answer 6

animals that eat plants or other animals.

Question 7

Decomposers

Answer 7

organisms that breakdown waste into component parts for reuse.

Question 8

Interactions that happen between the living components (6)

Answer 8

predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, disease and competition.

Question 9

species definition

Answer 9

a group of organisms with common characteristics that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Question 10

Photosynthesis

Answer 10

The light energy is used to combine water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce oxygen (O2) and glucose (C6H12O6). The glucose is stored as plant tissue and thus forms the basis of plant biomass.

word equation:
Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen

Question 11

Bioaccumulation:

Answer 11

the increase in the concentration of a pollutant in an organism as it absorbs or it ingests it from its environment.

Question 12

Biomagnification

Answer 12

the increase in the concentration of the pollutant as it moves up through the food chain. (eg. apex predators have more ddt)

Question 13

pyramids of numbers vs biomass vs productivity

Answer 13

Pyramid of numbers represents the number of individual organisms at each trophic level.

Pyramid of biomass represents the biomass present at each trophic level (gm^-2)

pyramid of productivity: rate at which stock is generated (gm^-2 yr^-1)

Question 14

Biomass:

Answer 14

The mass of living organisms in a given area expressed as dry weight of mass per unit of area or g m–2.

Question 15

The average planetary albedo:

Answer 15

30 – 35% (0.3-0.35)

Question 16

Productivity:

Answer 16

the conversion of energy into biomass in a given time expressed as J m-2 yr-1. The rate of growth of plants and animals in the ecosystem.

• can be net or gross

Question 17

Gross:

Answer 17

refers to the total amount of products made. In ecosystems that would be the total amount of biomass that is made

• can be primary (plants) or secondary (animals)

Question 18

Net:

Answer 18

more meaningful than gross as it is what is left over after losses. Ecosystem losses include respiration and fecal loss

• can be primary (plants) or secondary (animals)

Question 19

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

Answer 19

is all the biomass produced by primary producers in a given amount of time (before any of it is used for respiration).

Question 20

Net primary productivity (NPP) + formula

Answer 20

NPP takes into account respiratory losses (R).

NPP = GPP – R

Question 21

GSP (gross secondary productivity)

Answer 21

represents the total amount of energy or biomass assimilated by consumers. not a very useful value because we don’t actually see it in the ecosystem.

GSP = food eaten – fecal loss

Question 22

NSP (net secondary productivity)

Answer 22

NSP = GSP – R

(in joules?)

Question 23

Sustainable yield (SY)

Answer 23

the amount of biomass that can be extracted without reducing natural capital of the ecosystem.

Question 24

Matter cycles

Answer 24

• The hydrological cycle
• The carbon cycle
• The nitrogen cycle - closely tied to Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies.

Question 25

Nitrogen cycle….

Answer 25

:3

Question 26

Biomes

Answer 26

A collection of ecosystems that are classified according to their predominant vegetation; they share similar climatic conditions and organisms that have adaptations to the environment.

Question 27

The great ocean conveyor belt

Answer 27

moves heat around the planet, moderates global climates and is largely responsible for supplying heat to the polar regions, thus controlling sea ice formation.Surface currents have very clear impacts on climate. Some currents are well known for their impact on climate.

Question 28

tri-cellular model…

Answer 28

im picking and choosing my battles today

Question 29

The Gulf Stream

Answer 29

The Gulf Stream is a warm current that travels from the Gulf of Mexico up the Northwestern coast of Europe. It makes the climate of the area up to 4°C warmer than similar places on the same latitude.

Question 30

Mountains n oceans - air

Answer 30

If a mountain range is long enough, wide enough and high enough it will form a barrier to the passage of air masses.

• The mountain range will force air to rise over it and as air rises it expands and cools.
• Cool air holds less moisture so it condenses to form clouds and it will rain or snow (depending on the height and latitude of the mountain range).
• Once over the mountain range the air flows down the other side and as it does it compresses and warms.

Question 31

5 categories of biomes

Answer 31

1. Aquatic - which are further subdivided into:
   Freshwater: ponds and lakes, streams and rivers and wetlands such as bogs and swamps.
   Marine: deep ocean, coral reefs, estuaries and mangrove swamps.
2. Forest – tropical rainforest, temperate forests and boreal or taiga.
3. Grassland – savanna and temperate.
4. Desert – hot, coastal and cold.
5. Tundra – arctic and alpine.

Question 32

NPP in relation to equator

Answer 32

high near equator - sunlight + good growing conditions

decreases as u move away from equator - At the poles NPP is low due to low levels of sunlight, low temperatures and lack of water – it is frozen most of the year.

Deserts are close to the equator with favourable temperature and sunlight levels but they have low NPP due to water scarcity.

Question 33

Somewhere succession and zonation both appear

Answer 33

In a sand dune succession and zonation are seen together. The area closest to the sea is at the beginning of succession and is largely sand. As you move away from the sea the sand dunes succession has progressed further and you move through areas of grass and in to woodland (the oldest dunes). The physical conditions change as you move away from the sea so zonation also appears.

Question 34

succession vs zonation

Answer 34

Succession is a change over TIME; zonation is a SPATIAL change in response to changing conditions.

Question 35

Zonation

Answer 35

is the change in a vegetation community along an environmental gradient. The change may be caused by changes in altitude, depth of water, tidal level, distance from the shore etc. Zonation changes are spatial and are determined by changes in the abiotic factors.

(eg. up a mountain)

Question 36

Succession

Answer 36

the predictable change in a vegetation community over time. It starts with a pioneer community then the vegetation transitions through various intermediate communities to the final climax community.

Question 37

Systematic sampling

Answer 37

is used where the study area includes an environmental gradient. A transect is used to sample systematically along the environmental gradient. For example, every 10 meters along a line running from seashore inland across a sand dune system.

Question 38

stratified sampling

Answer 38

Divide a habitat into zones which appear different and take samples from each zone. For example, if vegetation cover in an area of heathland is 60% heather and 40% gorse, for a stratified sample take 60% of the samples from within heather and 40% of the samples from within gorse.

Question 39

interactions between species

Answer 39

predation
parasitism
mutualism
competition
disease
herbivory

Question 40

DDT in terms of bioaccumulation + biomagnification

Answer 40

• It is a persistent organic pollutant (POP).
• It is stored in the fat cells of animals.
  Fat-soluble toxins are a problem because they cannot be eliminated through sweating or urination so they stay in the body for a long time.
• It has a half-life of 15 years, which means if 1 Kg of DDT is released into the environment 500 grams of it will still be there after 15 years.
• It results in bioaccumulation and biomagnification.

Question 41

community vs ecosystem

Answer 41

A community is made up of populations of different species or organisms. These are biotic factors such as plants, animals, and bacteria. While an ecosystem is made up of a community, it also includes the abiotic factors in the environment such as the temperature, water, and the landscape of the area.

Question 42

cellular respiration

Answer 42

the process by which organisms break down glucose to release the stored chemical energy for cellular activities.
- occurs in the mitochondria of cells

word equation:
Glucose + Oxygen → Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy

Question 43

pyramid of numbers pros/cons

Answer 43

Advantages
- NON DESTRUCTIVE data collection.
-Good for comparing CHANGES in an ecosystem over TIME.

Disadvantages
- All organisms are included regardless of their SIZE.
- Numbers can be so big that it is hard to represent them ACCURATELY.
- Does not allow for JUVENILES or immature forms of the species (they may look very different).

Question 44

pyramid of biomass pros/cons

Answer 44

Advantages
-Pyramids of biomass overcome the problems of counting seen in pyramids of numbers.

Disadvantages
- When biomass is measured the whole organisms is measured and with animals that means you are measuring body parts that do not actually contribute energy to the feeding processes – skeletons or beaks.
- It is only possible to take samples so that has to be EXTRAPOLATED to the whole area and that mean inaccuracy.
- The methods to obtain the figures are DESTRUCTIVE AND UNETHICAL for consumers.

Question 45

albedo definition

Answer 45

the reflectivity of a surface