Unit 1 Flashcards
How do abiotic factors impact biotic potential/growth
abiotic factors like sunlight, temperature, water availability, and soil nutrients impact an organism’s ability to survive, reproduce, and thrive within an environment; essentially, the conditions set by abiotic factors determine which species can live in a particular area and how large their population can be, limiting their growth potential if conditions are not suitable.
Where are old-growth forests located in the United States?
tongass national forest in Alaska
What is a biogeochemical cycle?
process by which chemical elements and compounds move through the Earth’s systems, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and living organisms
matter is neither created nor destroyed
Hydrological Cycle
the continuous movement of water on Earth, from the ground to the atmosphere and back again
- precipitation
- infiltration + run-off
- Evaporation + Transpiration
- Condensation
HUMAN IMPACTS:
actions like deforestation, urbanization, agricultural practices, and climate change impact precipitation patterns, increase surface runoff, reduce groundwater recharge, and disrupt water availability across different regions.
Nitrogen Cycle
a process where nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is converted into forms usable by plants and animals, then eventually returns to the atmosphere through various biological processes
- Atmospheric nitrogen gas
- nitrogen fixing bacteria (legumes) make ammonia
- NItrification: ammonia to nitrite to nitrate
- decomposition makes ammonia
- denitrification
HUMAN IMPACTS:
use of nitrogen based fertilizers and burning of fossil fuels have increased amount of available nitrogen in ecosystems, leading to eutrophication, acid rain, and lowered soil health.
Carbon Cycle
process where carbon atoms move between the atmosphere, living organisms, oceans, and soil, constantly being recycled through processes like photosynthesis (plants absorbing carbon dioxide) and respiration (animals releasing carbon dioxide)
- atmospheric storage
- photosynthesis
- decomposition
- respiration
- fossil fuels
- ocean storage: sink
- combustion
HUMAN IMPACT:
combustion, deforestation, and changes in land use lead to increased atmospheric co2 levels and thus climate change and ocean acidification.
Phosphorus Cycle
the process where phosphorus moves from rocks in the Earth’s crust, into living organisms through plants absorbing it from the soil, then back into the environment when those organisms die and decompose
- Rocks: reservoir
- mining (releases phosphate)
- Uptake in plants
- uptake by heterotrophs: consume plants
- Fertilizer
- Runoff
HUMAN IMPACT:
use of phosphate based fertilizers and mining have caused excess phosphorus runoff into water bodies, causing eutrophication
Plants can use both…
nitrate and ammonium
Gross Primary Productivity
rate at which the suns energy is turned into biomass over a given time
- kcal/m^2/yr
- rate of photosynthesis
Net Primary Productivity
rate at which the suns energy is turned into biomass over a given time minus respiration
NPP = GPP- Respiration
Respiration
process by which organisms, including plants and animals, break down glucose (sugar) in the presence of oxygen to produce energy (ATP) for cellular functions, releasing carbon dioxide and water as byproducts
- takes energy
- primary way organisms extract energy from food to power their biological processes
Difference between NPP and GPP in the OPEN OCEAN biome.
- least productive biome on the planet
- huge - 71% of earth
photic zone is deep - total GPP of the ocean is the biggest, PER UNIT GPP is the lowest
Commensalism
one benefits and one is uneffected
Parasitism
one benefits at the expense of another
Mutualism
both benefit
