New Material Flashcards
More positive redox potential means
Greater electron affinity
What is reduced in photosynthesis
CO2
What is oxidized in photosynthesis
H2O
What does H2O become in photosynthesis
O2
Both light and dark reactions in photosynthesis are
endergonic
3 organisms that participate in the carbon & energy cycles
autotrophs (producers), heterotrophs (consumers), detritivores (decomposers)
Photoautotrophs use energy from __ to __
sunlight; reduce CO2
Chemolithoautotrophs get energy from __
oxidizing inorganic compounds
Heterotrophs obtain __ carbon from their diet
reduced
Detritivores are a special kind of
heterotroph
Detritivores obtain __ from __
reduced carbon; dead organisms
Detritivores release carbon as simpler, more _ compounds
oxidized
Bacteria & fungi
detritivores
Energy in an ecosystem flows one way: from _ to _
sunlight; waste heat
How much energy is retained as you move up the trophic levels
10%
Why is so much energy lost with each trophic level
metabolism
Plankton distribution determines what
nekton populations
A limiting nutrient for plankton distribution
iron
Inefficient transfer of energy limits what 3 things
number of organisms, total biomass, and number of trophic levels
Why are top carnivores smaller than elephants and whales
elephants and whales obtain more energy by feeding low on the food chain
6 elements organisms contain
C, H, O, N, S, P
Unlike energy, no 2nd law of thermo losses or gains are involved with
matter (therefore, elements)
Biogeochemical cycle model
reservoirs, incorporation (how organisms acquire it), return (how organisms get rid of it), reservoirs
Decomposers are important mechanisms for which part of biogeochemical cycles
return
Which elements have largely water & air reservoirs
C, H, O, N
Which elements have sediment reservoirs
S, P
2 ways carbon atoms cycle through the atmosphere
Photosynthesis & respiration
Which 2 atmospheric gases reverse and balance each other out
CO2 and O2