Unit 1 - Ecosystems, Biomes, Cyles Flashcards
Autotroph/producer
Organisms that can make their own food via photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. (Plants/algae other organisms)
Biome
A distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and wildlife
Boreal Forest
A forest biome made up of primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons. Has subarctic biome has a very cold climate, short growing periods dictated by temperature and precipitation. Poor soil nutrients, slow decomp.
Chaparral
Scrubland, biome characterized by hot dry summers, mild, rainy winters. 12 month growing season, but growth is constrained by precipitation, relatively low temperatures in winter. Wild fire is an extremely important for cycling nutrients, plants of this biome are well adapted to both fire and drought.
Climate Diagrams
display monthly temperature and precipitation values, help determine the productivity of a biome
Climatograph
Graphical representation of a location’s basic climate, display 2 variables: monthly average temp and monthly average precipitation.
Commensalism
One species benefits, other isn’t impacted. Positive - neutral interaction
Competition
Most common interaction in an ecosystem, occurs any time there is shared use of a limited resource. Negative-Negative interaction.
Interspecific competition
Between members of different species
Intraspecific competition
Between members of the same species
Consumer
Can’t make its own food must eat other organisms
Carnivor
A consumer that eat other consumers
Secondary consumer
A carnivor that eats primary consumers
Primary consumers
Eats producers (herbivores)
Tertiary consumer
Carnivore that eats secondary consumer (top consumer)
Trophic levels
The successive levels of organisms consuming one another
Food chain
Sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers
Food webs
More complex representation of trophic relation rather than simple food chain
Decomposers
Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem
Detritivore
An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles for decomposers the break down into recyclable matter (bugs and maggots)
Scavenger
An organism that consumes dead animals, example vultures
Desert
A biome where little precipitation occurs, lack/less plants, 3 types of desert: tundra, cold desert, and subtropical desert.
Ecological restoration
An attempt to recreate, initiate, or accelerate the rate at which an ecosystem that has been disrupted.
Fundamental niche
The niche that is potentially occupied by a species
Realized niche
The portion of the fundamental niche that a species actually occupies
Mutualism
Both animals in interaction benefit. ++interaction
Parasitism
One organism benefits from interaction, other suffers. +- interaction. Separate from predation, interaction doesn’t end in death typically
Predation
Predator eats prey, +- interaction where animal dies and becomes energy for other animal
Pyramid of biomass
The total mass of living matter in a specific area. Trophic pyramid is a representation of the distribution of biomass among trophic levels
Pyramid of energy
Calculates how much energy transfers between each level of the food chain
resource partitioning
When different organisms within one ecosystem split or use resources at different times to avoid competition
tropical seasonal forest/savanna
A biome marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons. Soil in biome is fertile due to high decomp rates but the low amount of precipitation constrains plants from using the soil. Grasses and scattered deciduous trees are common
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two species
Temperate deciduous (or seasonal) forests
A biome with warm summers and cold winters, dominated by broad leaf deciduous trees such as beech, maple, oak, and hickory. Warmer summers favor decomp and soil generally contain more nutrients than those of boreal forests.
Temperate grasslands/ cold deserts
A biome characterized by cold harsh winters and hot/dry summers. Most biomass is found in the roots. Growth constrained by temp and precipitation. plants include non-woody plants and grasses well adapted to wildfires and frequent grazing animals.
Temperate Rainforests
a costal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation. Ocean currents moderate temp fluctuations and provide source of water vapor. High precipitation supports growth of very large trees.
Tropical rainforests
A warm and wet biome, with little seasonal temperature variation and high precipitation. Precipitation occurs frequently warm and wet temps with little temperature variation. Contains more biodiversity per hectare than any other terrestrial biome. Contain up to 2/3s of earths terrestrial species.
Tundra
A cold and treeless biome with low-growing vegetation. In winter soil is completely frozen. A tundras growing season is very short usually only about 4 months during summer. Underlying subsoil is a permafrost.
Limnetic zone
A zone of open water in lakes and ponds, where plants don’t emerge
Littoral zone
The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and emergent plants grow
Phytoplankton
Floating algae
Profundal zone
A region of water where sunlight does not reach below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes
Benthic zone
The muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean
Wetlands
Aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation. some of the most productive biomes on earth. Wetlands are crucial for amphibious and avian animals.
Coal reefs
most divers marine biome on earth. Found in warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline. Relatively low in nutrients and food. Coral bleaching a phenomenon in which algae inside corals die due to heat stress causing corals to turn white.
Estuaries
The tidal mouth of a larger river where the tide meets the stream. Salt marshes are associated with estuaries they are high in nutrients and low in salinity. (SALT MARSH NOT ESTUARIES)
Harmful algae bloom
Blooms of algae growth that can produce toxins that disrupt the environment. Caused by excess nutrients (fertilizers)
Intertidal zone
Narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide. Waves that crash onto the shore in this biome can make it a challenge for organisms to hold on and not get washed away.
mangrove swamp
A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coast, and contains salt tolerant trees with roots submerged in water. Help protect the coastlines from erosion and storm damage.
Open oceans
Deep ocean waters located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom.
Photic zone
The upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis
Aphotic zone
the deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis
Chemosynthesis
A process used by some bacteria in the ocean to generate energy without sunlight via hydrogen sulfide and methane.
Ammonification
The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium
Aquifer
A body of permeable rock that contains ground water
Assimilation
The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues
Biochemical cycles
A cycle of matter is the movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the soil.
Biomass
The total mass of all living matter in a specific area.
Biosphere
A world wide sum of all ecosystems and biomes
Carbon cycle
The movement of carbon around the biosphere
Denitrification
The conversion of nitrate to gases nitrous oxide and eventually nitrogen gas. Which is emitted into the atmosphere.
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Eutrophication
A term describing the process in which nutrients accumulates in a body of water causing increased availability of limiting factor causing increase in plant and algae growth
Evaporation
liquid changing to gas
Evapotranspiration
The combined amount of evaporation and into streams and rivers
Atmosphere
A layer of gasses held in place by gravity
Feedback loop
A part of a system in which some portion of the systems pair is used as input for future operations output loop back to input
Gross primary production (GPP)
The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture by producers via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
Net primary productivity (NNP)
The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire
Groundwater
Water present beneath earths surface in the rock and could pores and fissures
Infiltration
The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil
Haber-Bosch process
The primary method in producing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen
Hydronic cycle
Involves the continuous circulation of water in the earth-atmosphere system
Hydrosphere
The sum of earth’s water in the ocean, the ground, and the surface/atmosphere
hypoxia
Insufficient amount of oxygen at the tissue level to maintain homeostasis
Legume plants
Plants that produce beans lintels and peas
Lithosphere
The ridged outer part of earths surface, consisting of the upper mantel and crust
Nitrification
The conversion of ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate happens in the soil through nitrifying bacteria
Nitrogen cycle
The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere
leaching
The transportation of dissolved molecules through soil via ground water
Mineralization
The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter in dead bodies and convert it into inorganic compounds
Nitrogen fixation
a process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia happens via soil or roots
Nutrients cycles
Key nutrients necessary for life regularly cycle through the ecosystem
Phosphorus cycle
The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere
Precipitation
Rain fall/water
Productivity
The rate of generation of biomass in an ecosystem
Recharge zone
Areas where water infiltrates through the permeable rock and sediment, water reaches aquifer and refills it
Runoff
Water that moves across the land surface and into steams and rivers
Sediments
Naturally occurring material that is broken down by erosion and is transported via water or wind
Transpiration
The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis
Water table
An underground boundary between the soil surface and the area where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in the rock
