test 2

Question 1

Do you think tall trees are the final stage of every biome? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

no, there can be grasslands, tundra, or deserts that are mature because they get enough moisture to support trees.

Question 2

What is density (of species)?

Answer 2

The number of individual plants per unit area = # plants / area

Question 3

What is frequency (of species)

Answer 3

number of individuals of each / number of quadrants

Question 4

Biodiversity

Answer 4

the number of different species in a unit area - example 6 species / 16m^2

Question 5

Positive feedback loop

Answer 5

control system in which sensory information causes the body to increase the rate of change away from homeostasis

Question 6

What is a feedback loop

Answer 6

information that is compared with a set of ideal values and aids in maintaining homeostasis

Question 6

what is a negative feedback loop

Answer 6

control system for homeostasis that adjusts the body’s conditions when the conditions vary from the ideal

Question 7

WIS and WIM

Answer 7

“What I see” statement of observation
“What it Means” statement of interpreting the observation

Question 8

What is a Keystone Species

Answer 8

Sometimes a single species has an especially strong effect on an entire ecosystem. This species is called a keystone species. Whatever happens to this species affects all the other species in that ecosystem. For example, when beavers build a dam across a stream, it turns a terrestrial ecosystem into a freshwater ecosystem.

Question 9

What are some impacts of wildfires

Answer 9

It cycles nutrients back into the soil from plants.
shrubs growing underneath the trees are naturally removed by cyclically occurring fires. without this When a fire does occur, it burns extremely hot and catches the trees on fire this much more dangrouse and bad for forest

Fires clear away the tall trees that block light from the ground. Some trees make seeds that stay closed until there’s a fire, so they can get lots of light and grow quickly.

birds find it easyer to find food when forstes are cleared

Question 10

carrying capacity

Answer 10

number of individuals that the resources of an environment can normally and persistently support

The carrying capacity of an environment can change at any given time. For example, sudden and rapid flooding could reduce the availability of food or shelter in an ecosystem. This change would lower the environment’s carrying capacity, when conditions improve the carying capacity would increase.

Question 11

limiting factors

Answer 11

A factor that has the greatest effect in keeping down the size of a population

There are two categories of limiting factors—density-dependent and density-independent.

Question 12

Density–dependent limiting factors

Answer 12

are factors that are affected by the number of individuals in an area. The larger the population, the greater the effect.

eg:
Competition for recorces
Parasitism and disease
Predation

Question 13

Density–independent limiting factors

Answer 13

are factors that can impact a population regardless of its density. These factors include things such as:
Weather
Natural disasters
Human activity

Question 14

r vs k reproductive strategies

Answer 14

For r-selected species, reproduction results in a large number of offspring that receive little care from parents and exhibit a high mortality rate. For K-selected species, reproduction results in only a few offspring which all receive a higher level of care and have a higher chance of survival.

Question 15

climax comunity

Answer 15

community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment. A climax community is the final stage of succession, remaining relatively unchanged until destroyed by an event such as fire or human interference.
When an ecosystem is in homeostasis, it is in balance with the correct amounts of each population of species.

Question 16

food web

Answer 16

A food web models the complex network of feeding relationships between trophic levels within an ecosystem. A food web represents the flow of energy within and sometimes beyond the ecosystem.

Question 17

food chain

Answer 17

A food chain is a sequence that links species by their feeding relationships. This simple model follows the connection between one producer and a single chain of consumers within an ecosystem.

Question 18

The 10% Rule

Answer 18

The 10% Rule means that when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on

Question 19

energy pyramid

Answer 19

An energy pyramid models the transfer of energy beginning with producers and working up the food chain to the top-level consumer. The pyramid illustrates how available energy is distributed among trophic levels in an ecosystem

Question 20

biomass pyramid

Answer 20

A biomass pyramid compares the biomass at different trophic levels within an ecosystem. It illustrates the mass of producers needed to support primary consumers, the mass of primary consumers required to support secondary consumers, and so on. Biomass is measured as the total mass per unit of area.

Question 21

pyramid of numbers

Answer 21

A pyramid of numbers shows how many individual organisms are present at each trophic level in an ecosystem. This type of pyramid is effective in showing the vast number of producers required to support even a few top-level consumers.

Question 22

The hydrologic cycle

Answer 22

involves the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-Atmosphere system

evaporation, condensation, precipitation, interception, infiltration, percolation, transpiration, runoff, and storage.

Question 23

The carbon cycle

Answer 23

describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere.

1. Carbon enters the atmosphere via carbon dioxide.
2. Carbon dioxide is absorbed and used as energy.
3. Carbon compounds enter the food chain.
4. Carbon reenters the atmosphere via decomposition.
5. The carbon cycle repeats.

Question 24

The nitrogen cycle

Answer 24

is made up of the processes that move nitrogen between the air, soil, animals, humans and plants

nitrogen fixation, nitrogen assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.

Nitrates released by soil bacteria are taken up by plants through assimilation, which converts them into organic compounds such as amino acids and proteins. Nitrogen continues along the cycle as animals eat plant or animal matter. When decomposers break down animal excretions or dead animal and plant matter, nitrogen is returned to the soil as ammonium, in a process called ammonification. Denitrifying bacteria use nitrate as an oxygen source, releasing nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere as a waste product via denitrification.

Question 25

The Phosphorus Cycle

Answer 25

Weathering of phosphate rocks by rain releases phosphate compounds in soil and water. On land, plants can take up phosphate compounds from the soil and consumers gain phosphorus by eating the producers. Decomposers then return phosphorus to the soil and water when they break down the organic matter and wastes of the producers and consumers.

Question 26

energy flow

Answer 26

Primary producers use energy from the sun to produce their own food in the form of glucose, and then primary producers are eaten by primary consumers who are in turn eaten by secondary consumers, and so on, so that energy flows from one trophic level, or level of the food chain, to the next.

Question 27

transects and quadrats

Answer 27

In summary, the main difference between quadrat and transect sampling methods is that quadrat sampling is a stationary method that uses a series of fixed frames to sample organisms in a given area, while transect sampling involves moving along a line or path to survey the distribution and abundance of organisms that intersect the line.

Question 28

Symbiosis

Answer 28

Symbiosis is a close ecological relationship between two or more organisms of different species that live in direct contact with one another. There are three major types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Question 29

mutualism

Answer 29

Mutualism occurs when both species benefit from the relationship.

Question 30

Commensalism

Answer 30

Commensalism is a relationship between two organisms in which one organism receives an ecological benefit from the other, while the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

Question 31

Parasitism

Answer 31

Parasitism is a relationship in which one of the organisms benefits while the other one is harmed. Unlike a predator, which kills and eats its prey, a parasite benefits by keeping its host alive for days or even years.

Question 32

habitat vs niche

Answer 32

A habitat is the place where an organism lives while a niche is that organism’s role within that environment. Habitat focuses on how the environment impacts the organism while niche focuses on how the organism impacts the environment.

Question 33

biomes

Answer 33

Large regions with specific plant and animal communities adapted to particular climates.

Question 34

biomagnification

Answer 34

is the increase in concentration of a substance, e.g a pesticide, in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.

Question 35

human impact eutrophication

Answer 35

Algal blooms affect the overall health of an ecosystem, and in the case of aquatic ecosystems, deplete oxygen through a process called eutrophication. When algae die, decomposers break down their bodies, consuming oxygen in the process. The lack of oxygen harms aquatic organisms, and can even lead to major die-off events.

humans can cause eutrophication through the introduction of exes nitrogen through fertilizers.

Question 36

human impact air pollution

Answer 36

Without human activity, the cycling of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen in the Earth system would be in a relatively steady state. Each year humans add synthetic chemicals and materials to Earth, and many of these chemicals cannot be integrated into normal ecosystem functions. The harmful effect of these pollutants can be immediate or delayed, but these effects may add up over time and can disrupt ecosystem functions.

Question 37

human impact fosil fules

Answer 37

Increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and other green house gasses in the atmosphere has been linked to increasing global temperatures, which has a devastating effect on ecosystems. these are release through burning fossil fuels

Question 38

biodiversity

Answer 38

Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world.

Question 39

Resistance vs resilience

Answer 39

Resistance is an ecosystem’s ability to resist change, and resilience is its ability to recover.

Question 40

homeostasis

Answer 40

the regulation and mantince of constant internal conditions in an organism

Question 41

biotic vs abiotic factors

Answer 41

Biotic factors are living things within an ecosystem; such as plants, animals, and bacteria, while abiotic are non-living components; such as water, soil and atmosphere.

Question 42

Experimental design

Answer 42

is the process of carrying out research in an objective and controlled fashion so that precision is maximized and specific conclusions can be drawn regarding a hypothesis statement.

Question 43

geosphere

Answer 43

The geosphere is all the solid features of Earth’s surface, such as mountains, continents, and the sea floor, as well as everything below Earth’s surface.

Question 44

hydrosphere

Answer 44

The hydrosphere is all of Earth’s water, including water in the form of liquid water, ice, and water vapor.

Question 45

biosphere

Answer 45

The biosphere is the area of Earth where life exists.

Question 46

atmosphere

Answer 46

The atmosphere is all of the air that envelops Earth’s solid and liquid surface.

Question 47

primary vs secondary succession

Answer 47

Explanation: Primary succession occurs in an environment without previous life, or a barren habitat. Secondary succession occurs in an area that had previously been inhabited but experienced a disturbance, such as a wildfire.