module 10 Flashcards
ecology
the study of the interactions between living and nonliving things.
population
a group of interbreeding organisms coexisting together
community
a group of populations living and interacting in the same area
ecosystem
an association of living organisms and their physical environment.
Biome
a group of ecosystems classified by climate and plant life.
Primary consumer
a organism that eats producers
secondary consumer
an organism that eats primary consumers
tertiary consumer
an organism that eats secondary consumers.
ecological pyramid
a diagram that shows the biomass of organisms at each trophic level
biomass
a measure of the total dry mass of organisms within a particular region.
transpiration
evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant.
watershed
an ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water.
greenhouse effect
the process by which certain gases (principally water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane) trap heat that would otherwise escape the earth and radiate into space.
when fruits or vegetables are imported into the U.S. from a foriegn region or country, they are always very closely inspected for insects, even though the vast majority of insects are really not harmful. why is the inspection done?
if an insect is not native to the U.S. were carried into the country through foreign fruits and vegetables, it could ruin the balance of the U.S. ecosystem.
what fundamental assumption of macroevolution does mutual-ism seem to contradict?
mutual-ism seems to contradict the idea that organisms always battle for survival.
in the water cycle of an ocean shore ecosystem, more water evaporates from the ocean than falls back into the ocean in the form of rain. why doesn’t the ocean lose water?
the ocean does not lose water because the land gets the excess water, and that excess water flows back into the ocean via surface runoff (or as runoff from a river or stream)
what does the water cycle accomplish besides balancing the water in an ecosystem?
it transports nutrients with an ecosystem and even from one ecosystem to another.
what is the possible consequence if deforestation occurs in a watershed?
.if too many trees and plants are removed from a watershed, to many nutrients will flow into the river,or stream, throwing off the ecosystem.
what is the principle means by which oxygen is taken from the air? what is the principal means by which it is restored to the air?
.oxygen is taken from the air principally by respiration and is restored principally by photosynthesis.
name other ways that oxygen is removed from the air.
Oxygen is also removed from the air by fire, ozone formation, and the rusting of metals and minerals.
name other ways oxygen is replenished into the air.
Oxygen is also replaced by ozone destruction and water vapor destruction.
name ways in which carbon dioxide is removed from the air.
carbon dioxide leaves the air by photosynthesis and by dissolving in the ocean.
name ways in which carbon dioxide is replenished into the air.
Carbon dioxide enters the air via decomposition, fossil fuel burning, fire and respiration.
what human activities worries people who think that global warming is a problem?
fuel burning, because it is a human way of adding carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
is human produced global warming occurring now?
No, all measurable data indicate that any warming that did take place occurred before humans really started burning fuels in earnest.
what is nitrogen fixation? what type of organisms perform it?
nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen gas from the atmosphere is converted into nitrogen-containing molecules that are useful to most of organisms in creation. nitrogen-fixing bacteria perform it.
what two ways does the nitrogen in organisms get put back into the environment?
organisms emit some nitrogen in their wastes , and the rest is turned back into useful forms of nitrogen by the decomposers that feed on their decaying remains.
