test 1 ecology Flashcards
species
population whose members can interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring
reproductive isolation
when members of a species are separated by a barrier of some sort and cannot interbreed
autotrophic nutrition
organisms that make their own organic compounds
heterotrophic nutrition
organisms that rely on other organisms as a source of organic compounds (food)
consumers
feed on living organisms by ingestion
types of consumer
primary, secondary tertiary
primary consumer
eats producers (herbivore)
secondary consumer
eats primary consumers (carnivore)
tertiary consumer
eats secondary consumers
detritivores
heterotrophs that eat dead organic matter using internal digestion
saprotrophs
heterotrophs that obtain organic nutrients from dead organisms using external digestion
can organisms have autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition
yes!!
ecosystem organization
ecosystem> community> population> organism
population
group of the same species
community
different species (biotic) interacting with each other
ecosystem
living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) factors interacting in an area
ecosystem imputs
energy flows through the nutrients cycle. imputs are energy and nutrients
how does energy flow through an ecosystem
in one direction (arrows) from the sun or inorganic compounds to producers to consumers
food chain
diagram that shows simple feeding relationships
trophic level
each step in a food chain
all food chains start w
a producer
tropic levels
1: producer
2: primary consumer
3: secondary consumer
4: tertiary consumer
the energy conversions
inorganic to organic, light energy to chemical energy
how do you release energy from food
C6H12O6 + 6O2»_space; 6CO2 + ^H2O + ATP
both photosynthesis and cellular respiration release what
heat energy
in energy transfers solar energy can become
heat energy that is unabsorbed, chemical energy in producers
the chemical energy in producers can be transferred to
chemical energy in detritus and carcasses ( waste and /or uneaten remains), in primary consumers, heat energy
the chemical energy in consumers can come from
producers, other consumers,
the chemical energy in consumers can be transferred to
other consumers, heat energy, detritus and carcasses
decomposers get energy from
chemical energy in detritus and carcasses
decomposers chemical energy can transfereed to
heat energy
why do we need energy
building molecules, digesting large molecules, muscle contraction, active transport
in each step of energy flow
there is a loss of energy
what is the inefficiency of energy transfer
loss of energy between levels of the food chain
energy transfers are usually how efficient
about 10%
energy transformations are never
never 100% efficient
where is some energy stored
in tissues
most of the energy is lost
to the organism- either used in respiration, released as heat, excreted in faeces or unconsumed
how much of available energy is lost between trophic levels
90%
the amount of energy transferred depends on
how efficently organisms can transfer and use energy
what is usual amount of energy transferred
5-20%
primary consumers usually get how much J of sunlight
1 biollionJ
primary consumers usually get how much J of sunlight
100,000 J
secondary consumers usually get how many J of sunlight
100 J
tertiary consumers usually get how many J of sunlight
1 J
biomass
the total mass of a group of organisms measured in carbon compounds in the cells and tissues
carbon compounds
store energy , scientists can measure the amount of energy added to organisms as biomass
biomass decreases with
the loss of carbon dioxide, water, and waste products (ex;urea) to enviroment
energy is _____ between trophic levels
lost between trophic levels
higher trophic levels
store less energy as carbon compounds and have LESS biomass
carbon sink
method of carbon storage
carbon flux
transfers of carbon
inorganic nutrients must be
recycled
inorganic nutrients
carbon, nitrogen, phosporus
autotrophs get nutrients from
air, water, soil, make organic compounds
heterotrops ingest
organic compounds and use them release inorganic byproducts
saprotrophs decompose
the remains of dead organisms and add inorganic materials into the soil
three main components required for sustainability in an ecosystem
energy availability
nutrient availability
recycling of wastes
carbon respiration and photosynthesis
sun» autotroph» oxygen and glucose» heterotroh» cellular respiration» carbon dioxide and water» soil
what is the carbon cycle
biogeochemical cycle whereby carbon is exchanged between the different spheres of the earth
the different spheres of the earth
atmosphere
lithosphere
hydrosphere
biosphere
atmosphere
air
lithosphere
ground
hydrosphere
water/oceans
biosphere
living things
carbon takes what forms
- atmospheric gases
- oceanic carbonates
- organic materials
- non-living remains
main atmospheric gases that carbon takes form in
mostly CO2, also methane CO4
how does carbon take form in oceanic carbonates
includes bicarbonates dissolved in water and calcium carbonate in corals and shells
how does carbon take form in organic material
in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins
how is carbon found in non-living remains
such as detritus and fossil fuels
how does the carbon source of calcium carbonate travel
CO2 in atmosphere, then to the ocean, then to limestone, then to shells
when carbond ioxide dissolves in water
some of it will remain as a dissolved , the remainder will combine with water to form carbonic acid
reaction for CO2 and water
CO2 + H2O»_space; H2CO3
what will carbonic acid do after being formed with water and CO2
dissociate to form hydrogen carbonate ions
reaction fir carbonic acid
H2CO3»_space; HCO3 - + H+
the CO2 reactions and carbonic acids
go both ways (reversible)
autotrophs absorb
they absorb both dissolved carbon dioxide and hydrogen carbonate ions
autotrophs use dissolved carbon dioxide and hydrogen carbonate ions to
produce organic compounds
living animals such as corals and mollusca combine
the hydrogen carbonate ions with calcium to form calcium carbonate that they use for shells
how does the carbon source of methane travel
ruminants» methanogens» methane in the atmosphere
methanogens
microorganisms that make methane (CH4) as a metabolic by-product in anaerobic conditions
conditions for methane cycling include
wetlands (swamps, marshes)
marine sediments (mud of lake)
digestive tract of ruminant animals (cows, sheep, goats)
what happnes to methane in the atmosphere
it is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water
methane levels in the atmosphere
stay relatively low
how does the carbon source of fossil fuels travel
plants/animals»_space;> soil bacteria» fossils»fuels
how do fossil fuels go from plants and animals to soil bacteria
decomposition
how do fossil fuels go from soil bacteria to fossils
fossilation
how do fossils become fuels
extraction
how does peat form
when organic matter is not fully decomposed
when peat forms, organic matter s not fully decomposed because…
of acid / anaerobic conditions in waterlogged soils prevent saprotrophic bacteria from functioning
first step of coal forming
vegetation dies in marshy areas and when decomposed in the absence of oxygen forms peat
second step of coal forming
layers of sediment are deposited above and the pressure and heat removes moisture from the peat
the third step of coal forming
the removal of moisture and gas from the peat concentrates the remaining carbon, forming coal
oil and natural gas form as the result of
the decay of marine organisms on the ocean floor
first step of oil and natural gas forming
aquatic plants and animals die and are buried on the ocean floor by layers of sand and sakt
second step of oil and natural gas forming
layers of sediment are deposited above and the pressure and heat causes compaction of the remains
third step of oil and natural gas forming
the remains become oil and gas, which are forced out of porous rock, to form deposits we drill for
what factors cause atmospheric carbon levels to decrease
photosynthesis, less burning of fossil fuels
what factors cause atmospheric carbon levels to increase
less photosynthesis, more burning of fossil fuels