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Biology > unit 4 > Flashcards

unit 4 Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

define specie

A

A group of organisms that can potentially interbreed to produce fertile, viable offspring.

Organisms that live in different populations still count as species if interbreeding is possible.

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2
Q

define population

A

A group of organisms of the same species that are living in the same area at the same time.

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3
Q

define community, habitat, abiotic, biotic and ecosystem?

A

community:A group of populations living together and interacting with each other within a given area

habitat: Environment in which a species lives

abiotic: Non-living

bioitc: Living

ecosystem: A community and its abiotic environment

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4
Q

explain Reproductive isolation

A
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5
Q

Autotroph

3 groups of autotrophs

A

Obtains inorganic molecules from abiotic environment
Synthesizes own organic molecules from simple inorganic substances like CO2

Commonly called producers

Plants, algae, cyanobacteria

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6
Q

Heterotroph

A

Obtains organic molecules from other organisms
Commonly called consumers

Herbivores feed principally on plant matter (e.g. cows, sheep, rabbits)

Carnivores feed principally on animal matter (e.g. crocodiles, wolves, tigers)

Omnivores eat both plant and animal matter (e.g. pandas, humans)

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7
Q

Scavengers

A

Scavengers feed on dead and decaying carcasses rather than hunting live prey (hyenas, vultures, crows)

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8
Q

Detritivores

A

Detritivores obtains nutrients from non-living organic sources
- digest internally

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9
Q

Saprotrophs

A

Live on/in non organic matter, secrete digestive enzymes into it and absorb products of digestion
Feed by external digestion unlike everyone else
Decomposers - mostly bacteria and fungi

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10
Q

Outline the generalized flow of nutrients between the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem.

A

Elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen are moved through biotic components of an ecosystem through food chains and recycled through abiotic environments including the atmosphere, water, and soil

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11
Q

Define sustainability

3 requirements of a sustainable ecosystem

A

Capacity of ecosystems to maintain their essential functions and processes over time

Nutrient availability, energy, and ability to detoxify waste products

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12
Q

Define food chain and food web

Meaning of arrow in food web/chain

A

Food chain: sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass as one organism eats the other
Food web: interconnected feeding relationships within an ecological community

Represent flow of energy + nutrients between trophic levels

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13
Q

Outline the flow of energy through a food chain

A

Light energy is converted to chemical energy by autotrophs, stored in carbon compounds

Energy is transferred from organism to organism through feeding

Aprox. 90% of energy is lost between every trophic level (either because it’s unconsumed or lost as heat/fecal matter)

Energy is not recycled

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14
Q

Biomass

A

Mass of living organisms in a given area at a given time

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15
Q

Trophic level

A

Group of organisms in ecosystem occupying the same position on a food chain (producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer… decomposer)

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16
Q

Average amount of energy passed through each level of a food chain

A

10%

17
Q

Describe shape of a pyramid of energy

A

Top trophic level is the smallest, only part of the energy of one trophic level will become part of the next trophic level

18
Q

Outline the process that converts CO2 to hydrogen carbonate ion in water

A

CO2 is diffused in water. Some will remain as dissolved gas, the remainder will combine with water to form carbonic acid (H2CO3) which dissociates to form hydrogen ions and hydrogen carbonate ions (H+ and HCO3-)
The increased H+ concentration in water will reduce its pH, making it more acidic

19
Q

Role of diffusion in carbon cycle

A

CO2 diffuses into autotrophs from atmosphere/water = carbon source for photosynthesis
CO2 diffuses out of living things back to atmosphere/water because it’s a waste product from cell respiration

20
Q

Outline the role of methanogenic archaea in the transformation of organic material into methane

A

Methanogenic archaea are microorganisms that produce methane as metabolic byproduct in anaerobic respiration, which will either be diffused in the atmosphere as greenhouse gas or accumulate underground

21
Q

Oxidation of methane

A

Methane is oxidised (loses hydrogen) to form CO2 in the atmosphere
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

22
Q

Formation of peat

A

Brown deposit resembling soil
Formed when organic material doesn’t fully decompose
Formed in acidic/anaerobic conditions where decomposers are inhibited

23
Q

Formation of coal

A

Forms from peat over long time periods
Heat + pressure produce physical + chemical changes in peat levels, forcing out oxygen and leaving rich carbon deposits (coal)

24
Q

Formation of oil + natural gas

A

Dead microscopic plants + animals sink to bottom of sea floor. Over time, layers of sediments formed on top = heat + pressure began to rise, forms gas/oil which deposits in surrounding rock

25
Q

Coral + molluscs shells

A

Hard shells like molluscs and coral are made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
When organisms die these components may be fossilized in limestone

26
Q

Lithification

A

Compaction of sediments into rocks

27
Q

Formation of limestone

A

Composed of calcium carbonate, is an organic sedimentary rock from the accumulation of shell, coral, etc. in water

28
Q

Carbon flux + processes

Unit of measure for carbon flux values

A

Exchange of carbon between Earth’s carbon pools (locations that take in + release carbon, like biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere)

Photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, diffusion, lithication, combustion, fossilization, feeding

Gigatonnes

29
Q

Greenhouse gases in atmosphere

A

Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides
Water + CO2 are most abundant

30
Q

Sources of nitrous oxide + methane in atmosphere

A

Nitrous oxide - agriculture, fuel combustion, industrial processes, cars, nitrogen cycle

Methane - methanogens in ruminants (cattle) and wetlands

31
Q

Greenhouse effect

A

Natural process by which radiation (heat) is trapped in atmosphere, warming its surface to temperatures needed for life + prevents rapid temperature fluctuations (like at night with no sunlight)

32
Q

Mechanism by which gases trap heat in atmosphere

A

Surface of Earth absorbs short wave radiation from sun + re-emits it into atmosphere at longer wavelength, greenhouse gases absorb that radiation and radiate it back to surface

33
Q

Ice core data

A

Earth’s climate can be studies up to 800 000 years back by drilling in ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, info about CO2 concentrations is trapped in there

Biology (25 decks)

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