Unit 1 Flashcards
Practice PP math equations
What are the levels of organization?
Individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere.
The levels get less specific and more complex as they go.
What is symbiosis?
Close and long-term biological interactions between 2 different biological organisms.
Identify and describe the 3 types of symbiotic relationships.
Mutualism : A symbiotic relationship between 2 species where both receive a benefit resulting in increased chance of survival and reproduction. They are long term relationships where both species have evolved traits tat aid the relationship.
Commensalism : An interaction between 2 species where 1 benefits and the other is unaffected. They are long term relationships where both species have evolved traits tat aid the relationship.
Parasitism : A relationship between 2 species where 1 organism lives on or inside of another and the other organism is called the host. The parasite receives the benefit while the host is harmed but doesn’t always lead to death. NOT PREDATATION!!!!
Describe major land biomes. ( 8 )
Taiga : swampy forest in the north
Temperate rainforest : high rainfall, temperate zones, coastal areas, north and south of the equator
Tropical rainforest : Close to the equator. hot and dense, high rainfall year round, vegetation
Shrubland : Area of vegetation - mainly shrubs
Temperate grassland : Savanna like area with grass and shribs
Savanna : grassy plain in tropical regions
Desert : arid ( dry and hot ) land with no vegetation
Tundra : flat, dry, arctic area
What major conditions are used to describe aquatic environments? ( 9 )
Depth
Light
Temperature
Velocity ( currents )
Salinity
Oxygen
Nutrients
Suspended matter ( silt )
Bottom substrate
What is primary productivity?
The rate at which producers and photosynthesizing.
What is gross primary productivity
The total amount of products created by producers during photosynthesis.
What is net primary productivity?
The resources left over after the plant takes what it needs.
What is the 10% rule?
Organisms lose some energy to the environment as heat so the next organism only receives 10% of the previous upon consumption.
What are feedback loops? ( Positive and negative )
A positive feedback loop is a change in an ecosystem leading to a amplification of the change and an unstable ecosystem.
A negative feedback loop is when a ecosystem can return back to its original state with less instability.
How does the carbon cycle relate to photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
Carbon dioxide gets moved to the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This causes respiration that releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere and begins the cycle again.
What is the importance of nitrogen in living things?
It’s a major component of amino acids ( the building blocks of protein ) and nucleic acids ( the building blocks of DNA ). It’s also a limiting factor making it vital to ecosystems.
Describe the process of nitrogen fixation.
Nitrogen must be fixed into a form that is useful since it starts as a gas in the atmosphere. The bacteria in soil / roots fixes the nitrogen so it turns into ammonium which is usable by plants.
What is eutrophication?
When fertilizer runoff causes the excessive growth of algae resulting in their death. As they decay they use up oxygen lowering DO levels in the water and kills aquatic organisms.
What is the importance of phosphorous in living things?
It makes up the structural framework that hold DNA and RNA together. It’s also a limiting agent for plants.
What is a limiting factor?
Something scarce in an ecosystem but vital to its function.
What is the process of cellular respiration?
The process by which organisms use oxygen to break down food molecules to get chemical energy for cell functions.
What are the steps of the water cycle?
Evaporation : Water is converted from its liquid form to its vapor form.
Transpiration : The evaporation of water into the atmosphere from leaves and plants.
Condensation : The formation of liquid drops from water vapor
Precipitation : When cloud particles become to heavy to remain suspended in the air and they fall to the earth as precipitation - rain
