mocks cramming - topic 2 Flashcards
fundamental niche
describes the full range of conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce.
Limiting Factors
Things that control the population size.
Carrying capacity
A maximum number of species that it can support at a given time.
Producers
the plants that convert energy into matter.
The realized niche
describes the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions.
Consumers
animals that eat plants or other animals.
Decomposers
organisms that breakdown waste into component parts for reuse.
Interactions that happen between the living components (6)
predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, disease and competition.
species definition
a group of organisms with common characteristics that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
Photosynthesis
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
Bioaccumulation:
the increase in the concentration of a pollutant in an organism as it absorbs or it ingests it from its environment.
Biomagnification
the increase in the concentration of the pollutant as it moves up through the food chain. (eg. apex predators have more ddt)
pyramids of numbers vs biomass vs productivity
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)
Biomass:
The mass of living organisms in a given area expressed as dry weight of mass per unit of area or g m–2.
The average planetary albedo:
30 – 35% (0.3-0.35)
Productivity:
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
Gross:
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)
Net:
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)
Gross primary productivity (GPP)
is all the biomass produced by primary producers in a given amount of time (before any of it is used for respiration).
Net primary productivity (NPP) + formula
NPP takes into account respiratory losses (R).
NPP = GPP – R
GSP (gross secondary productivity)
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
NSP (net secondary productivity)
NSP = GSP – R
(in joules?)
Sustainable yield (SY)
the amount of biomass that can be extracted without reducing natural capital of the ecosystem.
Matter cycles
- The hydrological cycle
- The carbon cycle
- The nitrogen cycle - closely tied to Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies.
Nitrogen cycle….
:3
Biomes
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.
The great ocean conveyor belt
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.
tri-cellular model…
im picking and choosing my battles today
The Gulf Stream
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.
Mountains n oceans - air
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.
5 categories of biomes
- 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. - Forest – tropical rainforest, temperate forests and boreal or taiga.
- Grassland – savanna and temperate.
- Desert – hot, coastal and cold.
- Tundra – arctic and alpine.
NPP in relation to equator
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.
Somewhere succession and zonation both appear
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.
succession vs zonation
Succession is a change over TIME; zonation is a SPATIAL change in response to changing conditions.
Zonation
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)
Succession
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.
Systematic sampling
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.
stratified sampling
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.
interactions between species
predation
parasitism
mutualism
competition
disease
herbivory
DDT in terms of bioaccumulation + biomagnification
- 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.
community vs ecosystem
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.
cellular respiration
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
pyramid of numbers pros/cons
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).
pyramid of biomass pros/cons
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.
albedo definition
the reflectivity of a surface
