Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Bio Honors > Unit 3: Ecosystems > Flashcards

Unit 3: Ecosystems Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

3.1: Energy and Matter

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Metabolism (definition)

A

all of the chemical processes that build up or break down materials in an organism’s body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Law of Conservation of Energy

A

energy cannot be created/destroyed
- form of energy may change, but amount doesn’t

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Is matter conserved in the same way

A

yes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Ecosystem (definition)

A

complex web of interconnected biotic and abiotic components

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Are all species affected by a/biotic factors

A

yes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Feeding relationships (definition)

A

major component of the structure/dynamics of an ecosystem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What do food chains and food webs model

A

the complex structure of an ecosystem and to better understand how energy is transferred between organisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the simplest way to look at the transfer of food energy in an ecosytem

A

through a food chain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Food chain (definition)

A

sequence that links species by their feeding relationships

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Herbivores (definition)

A

organisms that only eat plants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Carnivores (definition)

A

only eat animals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Omnivores (definition)

A

organisms that eat both plants and animals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Detritivores (definition)

A

organisms that eat detritus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Detritus

A

dead organic matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Decomposers (definition)

A

organisms that break down organic matter into simpler compounds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Function of decomposers in an ecosystem

A

important to ecosystem stability - return vital nutrients back into environment for other organisms to use

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Trophic levels (definition)

A

levels of nourishment in a food chain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What occupies the first trophic level

A

producer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What occupies the second trophic level

A

usually a herbivore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What occupies the third/fourth levels

A

secondary/tertiary consumers - omnivores/carnivores

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How does energy flow in a food chain

A

up, from bottom trophic level to top

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Why are food chains limited in length

A

because energy is lost as heat at each trophic level

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What do organisms use the remaining energy to do

A

carry out life functions - cellular respiration, growth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Can an organism be part of many different food chains

A

yes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Food web (definition)

A

models the complex network of feeding relationships between trophic levels within an ecosystem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What does the stability of any food web depend

A

the presence of producers - form the base of the food web

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What does a food web show

A

how the different food chains within an ecosystem are related and how energy/matter are transferred between organisms/trophic levels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Where do most ecosystems get their energy from

A

the sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Why do higher trophic levels receive less overall energy than the ones below them

A

because some energy is given off as heat that escapes into the environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

4 ways the energy an organism acquires is transformed

A
  1. metabolic processes
  2. new biomass
  3. released as heat
  4. excreted as waste
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Metabolic processes (definition)

A

provide energy for movement/maintenance of the organisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Biomass (definition)

A

growth of the organism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Pyramid models (definition)

A

show patterns of energy/matter distribution at the ecosystem level

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What are pyramid models useful for showing

A

productivity of an ecosystem and can illustrate an ecosystem’s distribution of:
1. energy
2. biomass
3. number of organisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Productivity (definition)

A

percentage of energy entering the ecosystem that is incorporated into biomass at a particular trophic level

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What do pyramid models allow scientists to compare

A

distribution of energy/biomass/number of organisms between trophic levels within the same ecosystem or a different one

38
Q

Trophic efficiency (definition)

A

percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next

39
Q

Energy pyramid (definition)

A

models the transfer of energy beginning with producers and working up the food chain to the top-level consumer

40
Q

Which trophic level has the largest base in a typical energy pyramid

A

the producers (first trophic level)

41
Q

Does more trophic levels correspond to greater loss of energy from the ecosystem

A

yes

42
Q

In an idealized energy pyramid, what percentage of energy is transferred to the next level

A

10%

43
Q

What is the typical trophic efficiency range

A

5 - 20%

44
Q

What percentage of sunlight do plants convert to usable energy

A

1%

45
Q

Why do plants convert so little sunlight –> energy (3)

A
  1. not all sunlight hits the leaves of a plant
  2. not all wavelengths of light are absorbed
  3. photosynthesis requires large quantities of energy
46
Q

3 things consumed energy is used for in organisms

A
  1. new cells
  2. excreted
  3. homeostasis + metabolism
47
Q

Does energy efficiency vary between organisms

A

yes

48
Q

What percentage of energy is used to maintain metabolism in warm blooded animals

A

98 percent

49
Q

What do cold blooded animals use their excess energy for (2)

A

fuel other activities like growth/reproduction

50
Q

Biomass pyramid (definition)

A

compares the biomass at different trophic levels within an ecosystem

51
Q

Biomass (definition)

A

total dry mass / unit of area

52
Q

Does biomass include dead organic matter

A

yes

53
Q

How are dead bodies cycled back into the biomass pyramid

A

by decomposers such as fungi and earthworms

54
Q

Does the amount of biomass decrease in a biomass pyramid as you move up the trophic levels

A

yes

55
Q

What does the percentage of biomass transferred to the next trophic level depend on

A

1) types of organisms present in the ecosystem
2) level of consumption

56
Q

Pyramid of numbers (definition)

A

shows how many individual organisms are present at each trophic level in an ecosystem

57
Q

Does a pyramid of numbers always have a larger base

A

no

58
Q

Biomagnification

A

process through which chemicals enter the food chain and build up in the bodies of organisms

59
Q

3.2: Cycling of Matter

A
60
Q

Is the Earth an open or closed system in terms of energy

A

open system

61
Q

Is the Earth an open or closed system in terms of matter

A

closed a system - small amount of matter is lost into space from atmosphere

62
Q

What drives the cycling of matter in Earth’s spheres

A

energy from the sun

63
Q

Study water, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon cycles

A
64
Q

Which sphere is the longest-term carbon reservoir

A

geosphere - carbon moves between hydro-, atmo-, and biosphere in few hundred years

65
Q

What 3 processes cycle carbon between systems in the biosphere

A
  1. photosynthesis
  2. cellular respiration
  3. decomposition
66
Q

What gases do the ocean and atmosphere exchange

A

carbon dioxide

67
Q

Where does carbon move on land

A

towards longer term reservoirs (e.g. wood) bc respiration + photosynthesis balance each other out

68
Q

Where does human activity move carbon

A

into the atmosphere from long-term storage in bio/geosphere

69
Q

How does human activity disrupt the cycling of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen

A

by adding synthetic chemicals and materials to Earth which cannot be integrated into normal ecosystem functions

70
Q

Where does air pollution come from

A

waste products produced by burning fossil fuels

71
Q

Examples of fossil fuels (2) and what do they contain (3)

A

Gasoline and oil that contain carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus

72
Q

What does the burning of fossil fuels release (3)

A

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc

73
Q

Smog (definition)

A

type of air pollution caused by interaction of sunlight with pollutants produced by fossil fuel emissions

74
Q

How is ozone (O3) produced

A

by the reaction of nitrogen dioxide in smog with oxygen

75
Q

Where does ozone produced by smog tend to stay and why is that harmful

A

stays close to the ground, is harmful to human health + ecosystem functions

76
Q

Where does natural ozone exist and what are its benefits

A

exists naturally in the upper atmosphere, acts as a shield protecting Earth’s biosphere against harmful UV rays found in sunlight

77
Q

What do carbon dioxide emissions lead to

A

increase in atmosphere CO2 - rate at which it enters is faster than the rate at which it is removed

78
Q

2 examples of human activity leading to increased CO2 levels

A
  1. combusting fossil fuels
  2. clear cutting forests
79
Q

Is CO2 a greenhouse gas

A

yes

80
Q

Greenhouse gas (definition)

A

allows sunlight to pass through and provide energy for producers, ut keep infrared radiation (heat) from escaping

81
Q

What is increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide linked to

A

increasing global temperature

82
Q

2 examples of environmental effects of increased global temperature

A
  1. species moving into new areas
  2. shrinking polar ice caps
83
Q

What type of fertilization production has increased over the last few decades

A

production through nitrogen fixation + phosphate mining

84
Q

Fertilizers (definition)

A

used to enrich the soil and stimulate plant growth

85
Q

What occurs when crops are overfertilized

A

rain causes excess nitrogen and phosphorus to run off –> nearby water bodies

86
Q

What occurs if there is fertilizer runoff (2)

A
  1. alters nutrient balance in water
  2. algae bloom
87
Q

Algae bloom (definition)

A

when aquatic producer (e.g. algae) growth is stimulated

88
Q

Erosion (definition)

A

movement of rock, soil, and sand by wind and water

89
Q

Where does eroded soil wash into

A

nearby waterways

90
Q

How do humans contribute to soil erosion

A

most farming methods remove plants that hold soil in place (ex: plowing which loosens soil and removes plants holding it in place)

91
Q
A
92
Q

What does mining expose rock to

A

air and water to obtain minerals

Bio Honors (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions