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Science > Unit 3- Ecosystems > Flashcards

Unit 3- Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

What happen to the Bar-ba-loots in the Lorax?

A

All the food was gone, lost of habitat. Eg. Our school use to be a forest.

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2
Q

What happen to the Humming Fish in the lorax?

A

Water pollution

Eg. Our lakes

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3
Q

What happen to the Truffula Trees in the Lorax?

A 
Cut down (extinction) 
Eg. Rain forest getting cut down.
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4
Q

What happen to the Swomee Swans in the Lorax?

A

Air population

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5
Q

If the Lorax were a real person, what “group” whorls he or she represent in our society?

A

Environmentalists

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6
Q

If the Onceler were a real person, what “group” would he or she represent in our society?

A

Big Businesses

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7
Q

What is ecology?

A

The study of the relationships between the biotic (living) and the abiotic (non-living) environments.

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8
Q

What are living things called?

A

Organisms

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9
Q

Where do organisms live?

A

Habitats

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10
Q

What is the complete role in a system called?

A

Niche

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11
Q

What is the ultimate source of energy for all ecosystems?

A

The sun

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12
Q

What are organisms that use the sun’s energy to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis?

A

Producers

Eg. Trees, flowers and grass

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13
Q

What are organisms that eat other organisms?

A

Consumers or heterotrophs.

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14
Q

What’re consumers that eat only plants?

A

Herbivores

Eg. Deer, rabbit and cow

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15
Q

What are consumers that eat only meat?

A

Carnivores

Eg. Lion, tiger and sharks

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16
Q

What are consumers that eat both plants and animals?

A

Omnivores

Eg. Bears and humans

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17
Q

When organisms die what are they broken down by?

A

Decomposers

Eg. Bacteria and fungi

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18
Q

What organisms eat large dead organisms?

A

Scavengers

Eg. Vultures, crows and hyenas

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19
Q

What can smaller dead animals and plants become food for?

A

Detritivores

Eg. Worms, carbs and ants.

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20
Q

What is sustainability?

A

The ability to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

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21
Q

What does connected mean?

A

All parts of the environment are connected you cannot make a change without it affecting other things.

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22
Q

What does sustainable development mean?

A

The use of renewable resources in a way that will not harm the environment and at the same time, increase the standard of living for people.

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23
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The number of different types of organisms that there are in an area. The more organisms the greater the biodiversity and the more sustainable an environment is.

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24
Q

How do we impact biodiversity? Positives and negatives

A

Positive: recycling, conservation areas and restoration of polluted areas
Negatives: pollution, habitat loss- development, over harvesting resources, littering and hunting/poaching.

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25
Q

What are the levels of ecological organization?

A 
Individual 
Population 
Community 
Ecosystem 
Biome
Biosphere
26
Q

What is an Species?

A

A group of similar organisms who are capable of reproducing. Example: an Elk

27
Q

What is population?

A

A group of the same species who live together in the same area. Example: a group of Elk

28
Q

What is a community?

A

An area that includes populations of different species that live and interact together. Example: Elk, Moose, Rabbits, Trees, Grasses, Bacteria

29
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Complex, self-regulating system in which living things interact with one another, and white non-living things. Example: All parts of the mountainside valley and surrounding area.

30
Q

What is biome?

A

A large geographical region that contains multiple ecosystems that are similar Example: Boreal forest

31
Q

What is a biosphere?

A

A part of the planet that includes water, land and air where life exists. It is very thin relative to the whole earth.

32
Q

What are three possible “ripple effects” that could happen if all of the rabbits died?

A
  1. Grass would over grow
  2. Animals like coyotes will lose their source of food, which can lead to death
  3. When rabbits poop they put nutrients in the soil, if they were dead we wouldn’t have that many nutrients.
33
Q

Give three examples of how the abiotic factors in the ecosystem affect the biotic factors.

A
  1. If we didn’t have water (abiotic) nothing else biotic could live.
  2. If we didn’t have oxygen (abiotic) everything biotic couldn’t live.
  3. If we didn’t have soil (abiotic) no plants can grow.
34
Q

Give three examples of how biotic factors in the ecosystem affect the abiotic factors.

A
  1. Plants give out oxygen
  2. When rabbits poop they give nutrients
  3. Animals are breathing in oxygen (abiotic)
35
Q

What are earths 4 spheres?

A

Atmosphere
Biosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere

36
Q

What is a food chain?

A

A food chain links together the species in an ecosystem. It shows ‘who eats who’ as well as the transfer of energy through the system.

37
Q

What does every food chain begin with?

A

Producers eg. Plants

38
Q

What is the general food chain structure?

A

Producer, consumer (herbivore), consumer (carnivore/omnivore), consumer (carnivore/omniovore)

39
Q

When the consumer eats the producer how much energy do they gain?

A

10%

40
Q

What is a food web?

A

A food web is a group of interrelated food chains, and shows a more complete picture of the interactions between the species living in an ecosystem.

41
Q

What is a limiting factor?

A

A limiting factor is an environmental factor (biotic or abiotic) that prevents an increase in the number of species. (Increases the death rate and or slows the birth rate)

42
Q

What are some abiotic limiting factors?

*look at chart

A 
Sunlight 
Water
Soil
Sit
Storms
Fires
Drought
Human disturbance
43
Q

What are some biotic limiting factors?

*look at chart

A

Competition
Predators
Diseases

44
Q

Explain the water cycle.

A
  1. Water evaporates from sea
  2. Net movement of water vapour by wind
  3. Transport over land
  4. Precipitation over land
  5. Percolation over land
  6. Runoff ground water
    Repeat precipitation over sea.
45
Q

Explain the nitrogen cycle

A
  1. Start with a decomposer
  2. Covert atmosphere nitrogen to ammonia with nitrogen fixing bacteria
  3. Then converts to nitrates with nitrifying bacteria
  4. Then converts back to atmosphere nitrogen with denitrifying bacteria
  5. Repeats
46
Q

Explain the carbon cycle.

A
  1. Carbon enters the cycle by respiration and combustion
  2. The carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers to make carbohydrates in photosynthesis. They then put off oxygen
  3. Animals feed on plants. Thus passing the carbon compounds along the food chain. The animal and plants eventually dies
  4. The dead organisms are eaten by decomposers on the ground. The carbon that was in their bodies is then returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or the decomposed plants and animals can then be available as fossil fuels for combustion.
47
Q

What is the formula for photosynthesis?

A

Carbon dioxide ＋ water+ energy (sun) + oxygen + carbohydrates

48
Q

What is the formula for cellular respiration?

A

Carbohydrates+ oxygen+ carbon dioxide+ water+ energy

49
Q

What is symbiosis?

A

Is the close interaction between two different species, where one member Ives in, on or near the other species.

50
Q

What is mutualism?

A

Both species benefit from the symbiotic partnership.
Eg. The South American leaf cutter any and a specific fungus that grows in the ant’s underground colony. The ant provides the fungus with a constant supply of leaves, and the ant itself eats certain parts of the fungus.
Eg. Clown fish and sea anemone: clown fish can tolerate the sting from the anemone and uses the species as a shelter - meanwhile, the clown fish will chase away predators of the anemone which like to eat the tentacles
Eg. Plover & crocodile: Plover eats roping meat out of croc’s teeth, and the croc gets free dental care.

51
Q

What is commensalism?

A

One species benefits, the other is without benefit or harm
Eg. A bird is constructing a beat in a tree. The nest doesn’t harm or help the tree, yet the bird and nest need the tree as a habitat and for shelter

52
Q

What is parasitism?

A

One species benefits at the cost of another
Eg. Parasites live on or inside the host species and obtain a certain amount of nutrition from the host
Eg. A tick burrows into the bodies of animals to feed on the host’s blood

53
Q

What is toxic pollution?

A

Toxic pollutants are chemicals that can cause disease, death, or birth defects when ingested or absorbed by organisms. Toxic pollutants range from common household chemicals to industrial chemicals and mining wastes. The effects of toxic pollutants vary widely.
Eg. Radioactive waste, pesticides, mercury, lead, gasoline, oil, paint, and battery acid.

54
Q

What is sediment pollution?

A

Sediment pollution is caused by the erosion of soil into waterways, usually during heavy rain. Sediments pile up in reservoirs, rivers, and harbours, destroy fish and wildlife habitat, and could the water, blocking sunlight and interfering with aquatic plants.
Eg. Logging, mining, farming, and construction can expose soil to erosion. Protecting plants is the most effective way to prevent sediment pollution.

55
Q

What is nutrient pollution?

A

Nutrient pollution is the presence of excessive nutrients in water. High concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can promote explosive algal growth and eutrophication. When the algae die, the process of decomposition consumes oxygen and leads to a state of hypoxia, or low-oxygen conditions, killing fish and other aquatic organisms.
Eg. Fertilizer, manure, untreated human waste, and some detergents.

56
Q

What is bacterial pollution?

A

Bacteria are tiny organisms that often aid in pollution control by breaking down the organic matter in sewage, oil spills, or other pollutants. Bacteria can cause problems when untreated human or animal wastes are released directly into water resources. Drinking water contaminated with bacteria may lead to outbreaks of cholera or dysentery. Fecal bacteria cause health problems for animals and plants as well.
Eg.animal manure and untreated human waste

57
Q

What is habitat change?

A

Is the process by which humans alter a habitat enough that the native species can no longer live there.

58
Q

What happen to the Aral Sea?

A

Used to be the worlds fourth largest lake, now much of it is a big toxic desert. This year the centre of the original lake, the eastern part of the south Aral Sea now is dried completely.

59
Q

Why did this happen to the Aral Sea?

A

Fertilizers and chemicals run offs contaminated the bottom of the lake over time since the bottom of the lake became exposed winds blew contaminated soil around the lake, meaning even more water was needed to make the land suitable for agriculture. They made a large canal in the 1960s that drained more water from the rivers. Also in the 1920 they turned the land of the Uzbek SSR into the cotton plantations. The Soviet Union through the cotton crops were more valuable then the fishing economy. Water consumption is also a problem. The 5 countries that surround the lake over used water since all their countries are overpopulated.

60
Q

What are the impacts to people because of the Aral Sea?

A

Since there’s less workers the government has farmers work more labour
The fishing industries decreased

61
Q

What are the impacts to the environment because of the Aral Sea?

A

The falling water levels changed the climate. Without the water being moderate temperature in the city winters became colder and summers became hotter.

62
Q

What are the impacts to economy because of the Aral Sea?

A

For cotton production it consumes a large amount of the lakes water
Requires more labour force because there isn’t a lot of farmers
The cotton production pollutes water. and the environment
The plant are not growing
Less food

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