UNIT 3 Flashcards by Becca Hodder

______= a network of relationships among parts, elements, or components that interact with and influence one another
- exchange of energy, matter and information

System

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______systems receives inputs of energy and matter produces outputs of both

Open

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______ systems receives input and produce outputs of energy but not matter

Closed

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If a system’s own output serves also as an input to
That same system , we have a _______

Feedback loop

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The feedback loop requires a ____ loop in which a increases b and then b increases a and so on

Repeating

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A _________: a increasing b, is not enough to make it a feedback loop

One way influence

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The 2 types of feedback loops

Neg and pos

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___ feedback loop:
- output attenuates the input
- output of system moves the system in the other direction
- output weakens the input in the next cycle
Results in the stabilizing of the system

Neg

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______ feedback loop:
- output amplifies the input
- output strengthens the input in the next cycle
Results in driving the system further from starting point

Pos

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_______ a system maintains constant or stable internal condition

Homeostasis

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_______ = system processes move in opposing directions at equivalent rates, balancing their effects (= nonet change)

Dynamic equilibrium

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_______ - the ability of the system’s tendency to
resist the change (i.e., tendency to remain constant)

Resistance

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______; is a measure of how readily the system will return to its original state once it has been disturbed

Resilience

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_______ = system characteristics not evident in the components alone
- “The whole is more than the sum of the parts”
- “A pie is more than the sum of its ingredients”

Emergent properties

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all organisms and nonliving entities
that occur and interact in a particular area at the
same time:
- Abiotic + biotic components
- Energy flows and matter cycles among these
components

Ecosystem

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study of interaction of organisms with their abiotic environment

Ecology

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_____ entering the system is processed and
transformed
_____ is recycled within ecosystem, resulting in
outputs such as water flow and waste products

Energy
Matter

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rank in the feeding hierarchy

Tropic levels

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3 types of organisms in trophies levels

1- consumers
2- producers
3- detritivores / decomposes

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1.______- The first tropic level
Autotrophs and chemoautotrophs

Producers

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_______
Second and third tropic levels
organisms that consume other living organisms
Herbivores and carnivores

Consumers

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____ consume plants and other primary producers

Herbivores

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______ = second tropic level, secondary producers

Primary consumers

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_____ consume meat

Carnivores

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______= third tropic level Organisms that prey on primary consumers

Secondary consumers

______= fourth tropic level - predators at highest tropic level Consume secondary consumers Also carnivores

Tertiary consumers

____= consumers that eat both plants and animals

Omnivores

3. ______ - organisms that consume non living organic matter - enrich soils and recycle nutrients found in dead organisms

Detritivores and decomposers

________= scavenge waste products or dead bodies

Detritivores

______= break down leaf litter and other non-living material Enhance topsoil ad recycle nutrients

Decomposers

MOST energy we get we use to keep living – with the used energy dumped as _____

Heat

assimilation of energy into a trophic level.

Production

Energy flow is closely linked with flow of ____

Carbon

Plant biomass can be eaten by ______ and either used for ____ or made into their biomass, which then can be eaten by others and from one trophies level to the next

Detritivores/ decomposers Energy

________ sum of fluxes into boxes of each trophies level

Gross production

_______ = gross production - heat loss from the box of tropic level = sum of fluxes out of box of tropic level

Net production

Net production is typically only ____% of gross production

10-20%

____ % of energy entering the tropic levels is used up by it and lost in the form of heat

80-90%

The loss of majority of energy at each tropic level leads to a _____

Trophic pyramid

Vegetarians ecological footprint is much larger than that of a meat -eater, true or false?

False

_______________ is in ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass

High net primary productivity

Variation in net primary productivity among ecosystems and biomes results in _______ of production across the globe

Geographic patterns

______= elements and compounds required for survival that are consumed by organisms

Nutrients

________= nutrients required in relative large amounts

Macronutrients

Nutrients needed in smaller amounts -_______

Micronutrients

Nutrients and other materials move in ______ cycles

Biogeochemical

________ = the movement of matter through ecosystems -atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere , and biosphere

Matter cycle

_______- where nutrients reside for varying amounts of time

Pool

_____- is the flow in or out of a pool Often changes over time and influenced by human activities

Flux

_______- pools tat release more nutrients than they accept

Sources

_____- accept more nutrients than they release

Sinks

_______- when flux in = flux out and the amount of nutrients in the reservoir

Steady state

________= average time the material remained in the reservoir

Residence time

2 ways to calculate residence time : 1. 2.

Divide reservoir by the sum of all fluxes out of reservoir Divide reservoir by sum of all fluxes in reservoir

Reservoir is in _____ state = fluxes in = fluxes out

Steady

If residence time is low: - things are _______ - can renew themselves ______

Unstable Quicker

burning fossil fuels moves ___ from the ground to the air

Carbon

Cutting forest and burning fields moves ____ from organisms to air

Carbon

Todays atmospheric carbon dioxide reservoir is the largest in at least 800 000 years, it is the driving force behind _____

Climate change

The missing _________: 1-2 billion tons of carbon are unaccounted for: - it may be the uptake by plants or soils of northern temperate and boreal forests

Carbon sink

The nitrogen cycle involves specialized ____

Bacteria

Nitrogen is ___% of our atmosphere , but N2 gas is inert

78%

_______= N2 is fixed (made into useable form ; ammonia , NH3) by nitrogen fixing bacteria

Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is when N2 is “fixed” (made into a useable form of ______) by nitrogen - fixing ______

Ammonia, NH3 Bacteria

______= bacteria that convert ammonium ions first into nitrite ions then into nitrate ions - plants can take up these ions - animals obtain nitrogen by eating plant or other animals

Nitrification

________= convert nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen, releasing it back into the atmosphere

Denitrifying bacteria

_______= synthetic production of fertilizers (N2 + 3H2 ->2NH3)

Haber-Bosch process

____ and ____ in soil washed out by fertilizers

Calcium Potassium

_______- the process of nutrient (N or P) over- enrichment, blooms of algae, increased production of organic matter , and ecosystem degradation

Eutrophication

Most phosphorous is within _____ and is released by ____ With naturally low environmental concentrations , phosphorous may be a limiting factor for ____

Rocks, weathering Plant growth

Mining rocks for fertilizer moves phosphorous from the ____ to ___ systems Wastewater discharge also releases _____ Runoff containing phosphorous causes ______ of Aquatic systems

Soil, water Phosphorous Eutrophication

Which of the following describes a positive feedback loop? a) It drives a system towards an extreme b) It stabilizes the system c) It is more frequent in nature d) Answers a) and c) e) Answers b) and b)

Which of the following is a correct statement? a) Energy and matter flow in one direction only b) Energy and matter both cycle repeatedly c) Energy flows in one direction, while matter recycles d) Matter flows in one direction, while energy recycles

Which biogeochemical cycle has its largest pool located in the atmosphere? a) Carbon b) Nitrogen c) Phosphorus d) None of the above

D, the water cycle