Unit 1 Concepts Flashcards
Starting from the individual to the biosphere, how are the ecological units organized?
They are organized by population: Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, Biosphere.
What are the abiotic and biotic parts of the ecosystem? Give examples.
Biotic or Living: Organic Matter, Living Things, Oysters, Blue Crabs, Jellyfish
Abiotic or Nonliving: Climate, Sunlight, Temperature, Humidity, Soil
What are Decomposers? Examples?
Decomposers break down dead or decaying plants. Examples are worms, mushrooms, bacteria.
What is the role of a decomposer in the Ecosystem? Why are they important?
They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers.
They return nutrients to the ecosystem
What is the role of a decomposer in the Ecosystem? Why are they important?
They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers.
Matter is found in a limited amount on earth and has to be returned to the ecosystem in a usable form whenever an organism dies. Decomposers fill this role. They break down the body of the dead organism and return the matter in it to the ecosystem via several processes and stages.
In the food chain identify producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer.
Producer: Plant
Primary Consumer: Mouse
Secondary Consumer: Snake
Tertiary Consumer: Hawk
What is the primary source of all energy for the ecosystem?
Sunlight
What do the arrows respresent?
Energy Transfer - where the energy is going
What is the Ten Percent Rule?
At every level 10% of the energy is removed.
What is the food web?
the flow of energy in an ecosystem
What are 3 types of ecological pyramids?
Biomass, Energy and Tertiary or Numbers Pyramids
Biomass Pyramid - What Information is Shown?
amount of living organic matter at each trophic level
Advantage: Size is considered
Disadvantage: Have to kill and dry
Energy Pyramid - What Information is Shown?
the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level
If only 10% of energy is passed to the next feeding level, where does the 90% go?? lost in the form of heat and unusable energy!
Tertiary Pyramid or Numbers Pyramid - What Information is Shown?
the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level
Advantage: Easy to count
Disadvantage: Doesn’t take into account size
What does each level represent?
Trophic Level
What changes as you go from one level to the level above it?
10% of energy is lost in the form of heat
What is the role of biogeochemical cycles in the ecosystems? Why is it important?
Cycle chemicals between organisms and the Earth … it moves essential elements to sustain life
Carbon Cycle - What is the process that ADDS carbon to the atmosphere?
Respiration
Carbon Cycle - What is the process that REMOVES carbon to the atmosphere?
Photosynthesis
Competition: Define and Give Example
Hyena wants lions kill
Symbiosis: Define and Give Example
a long-term relationship with significant physical or chemical interactions … for example .. bees and flowers
Mutualism: Define and Give Example
Both species benefit (+/+) … Bees and Flowers
Parasitism: Define and Give Example
One organism benefits at the other’s expense (+/-) … Dog and Flea
Commensalism: Define and Give Example
One organism benefits and the other is unaffected (+/0) … water buffalo and bird
Predation: Define and Give Example
One organism consumes another .. used for population control … rivers in Yellowstone, reintroducing wolves
Niche
the role that a species plays in its environment
Why is there niche partitioning?
allows for animals to coexist rather than competition between species
What is niche partitioning?
cooperative behavior between populations that contributes to their survival.
Competition Exclusion Principle
The competitive exclusion principle says that two species can’t coexist if they occupy exactly the same niche (competing for identical resources)
What is Carrying Capacity
the number of organisms of one species that an environment can support indefinitely
What happens to populations as it approaches carrying capacity.
Population slows down to growing rate to stay consistent
Carrying Capacity Graph
See attached
Density Dependent
The greater the population, the greater effect these factors have. … COVID … disease, competition, predators
density-independent factors
Abiotic / Non-Living Factors … volcanic erruptions, earthquake, tornado,
Ecological Succession: Define
predictable changes that occurs in a community over time
What is a pioneer species?
the first species to populate this area (ex: lichens SLOWLY break down rock to make soil)
Primary Succession
occurs on land where no soil exists (ex: volcanic eruptions)
Secondary Succession
occurs in areas where there has been previous growth (ex: fires, abandoned fields); soil is present, MUCH faster than primary succession
Example of a Pioneer Species … and how it relates to succession
Fungi .. primary … breaks down minerals to form soil for future species
Population Growth - When there an increase in population size?
When there are resources … water, food, energy
Population Growth - What factors cause a decrease in population size?
Limited resources … water, food, energy
Each level in an ecological pyramid represents:
Trophic Level
In the nitrogen cycle the process carried out by bacteria that live on plant roots is called …
Nitrogen Fixation
Nitrogen Cycle - What is the process that returns nitrogen to the atmosphere?
Denitrification
Carbon Cycle - what is the process to add carbon to the atmostpher?
Respiration
What is the role of decomposition?
Recycles matter into the bioegochemical cycles
What is the process to remove carbon from the atmosphere
Photosynthesis
Explain this statement: Energy flows one way but matter is recycled.
Energy is not usable for work once it is converted and used with the cycle. BUT matter must be recycled in order to the cycle to continue in the ecosystem.
