Unit 4

Question 1

Primary Succession

Answer 1

begins in habitats initially devoid of life

Question 2

pioneer species

Answer 2

first colonizing species

Question 3

When does secondary succession start?

Answer 3

When one pioneer species builds up organic matter

Question 4

secondary succession

Answer 4

begins in habitats that initially contain soil

Question 5

What leads to a transient climax community?

Answer 5

Frequently changing environmental conditions

Question 6

What is the primary transporter of elements?

Answer 6

water

Question 7

Primary Productivity

Answer 7

when solar energy is converted into solar bonds

Question 8

Secondary Productivity

Answer 8

when a bunny eats a plant (it takes in the energy)/ chemical energy is converted into chemical bonds

Question 9

Fixation

Answer 9

N2 is either fixated into ammonia or nitrate

Question 10

Nitrification

Answer 10

bacteria convert inorganic N. ammonium to nitrate

Question 11

Assimilation

Answer 11

producers take up either ammonium or nitrate/ consumers take up nitrogen by eating consumers

Question 12

mineralization

Answer 12

decomposers convert organic N into inorganic N

Question 13

denitrification

Answer 13

bacteria convert nitrate into N2

Question 14

What is different about the phosphorus cycle?

Answer 14

there is no gaseous stage

Question 15

The Anthropocene

Answer 15

a subset of our geologic time that begins with dramatic human impacts on everything

Question 16

Earth overshoot day

Answer 16

every year, 1 day marks the point where human consumption has exceeded natural resource replinishment