Unit A

Question 1

What does energy flows and matter cycles mean in the context of Earth being a closed system?

Answer 1

Within thermodynamics, closed systems do not allow matter to enter or leave them because energy such as heat can always be transferred across boundaries

Question 2

What does Biosphere mean?

Answer 2

where living organisms are found

Question 3

What does the Biosphere include?

Answer 3

all life on the planet

Question 4

What is the difference between Biotic and Abiotic?

Answer 4

Biotic is living factors
Abiotic is non-living

Question 5

What is an Unbalanced equilibrium a result of?

Answer 5

extinction
extirpation
endangered
threatened
special concern organisms

Question 6

What does extinction mean?

Answer 6

a species that cant be found anywhere

Question 7

What does extirpation mean?

Answer 7

no longer exists in one part of the country but does in another

Question 8

What does endangered mean?

Answer 8

close to extinction in all or a significant

Question 9

What does threatened mean?

Answer 9

likely to become indangered due to factors

Question 10

What does special concern organisms mean?

Answer 10

any species that is at risk because of low or declining numbers in areas of it range

Question 11

What is a Indicator species?

Answer 11

a species sensitive to small changes in enviroment

Question 12

What is a keystone species?

Answer 12

a species that has a disproportionaey large effect on the enviroment relative to its abundance

Question 13

Where does the energy that used on Earth originate from?

Answer 13

the sun

Question 14

Do all areas of Earth receive the same of energy?

Answer 14

No the amount of solar radiation that reaches any one spot on the Earth’s surface varies according to: Geographic location.

Question 15

What are trophic levels?

Answer 15

a category of living things by how it gains its energy

Question 16

What is the first trophic level?

Answer 16

Autotrophs “Self feeders”
produces their own nutrients from radiant energy and abiotic factors

Question 17

What are the two types of autotrophs?

Answer 17

Photosynthetic autotrophs
Chemosynthetic autotrophs

Question 18

What does Photosynthetic Autotophs mean?

Answer 18

an organism that is capable of using light energy to synthesize sugars from carbon dioxide. Green plants, algae, and cyanbacteria

Question 19

What does Chemosynthetic Autotrophs mean?

Answer 19

use the energy released by chemical reactions to make sugar

Question 20

What is the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th trophic level?

Answer 20

Heterotrophs “other feeders”
consumes organic molecules from other organisms

Question 21

What are the 4 types of Heterotrophs?

Answer 21

Herbivores
Carnivore
Omnivore
Decomposer

Question 22

What is a Herbivore?

Answer 22

organisms that feed on plants (primary consumers)

Question 23

What is a Carnivore?

Answer 23

organisms that feed on animals (secondary consumers)

Question 24

What is a Omnivore?

Answer 24

organisms that feed on both plants and animals

Question 25

What is a Decomposer?

Answer 25

organisms that break down dead or decaying matter

Question 26

What is a food chain?

Answer 26

a step by step sequence linking organisms that feed on another (ecosystems are more complex as organisms depend on several organisms for survival)

Question 27

What is a food web?

Answer 27

interconnectinf food chains
(shws the complexity of an ecosystem)

Question 28

What are Ecological Pyramids?

Answer 28

represents interaction of trophic levels in an ecosystem

Question 29

What is the rule of 10%?

Answer 29

only about 10% of energy available passes to next trophic level

Question 30

What is number in the context of ecological pyramids?

Answer 30

measures the number of organisms at each trophic level

Question 31

What is biomass in the context of ecological pyramids?

Answer 31

measures the amount of biomass of the organisms at each trophic level

Question 32

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

Answer 32

energy is neither created or destroyed but transferred from one form to another

Question 33

What is the second law of thermodynmaics?

Answer 33

As energy is transferred it loses thermal energy to the surroundings

Question 34

What ecological phenomena does the law of thermodynamics explain?

Answer 34

food chain and cellular respirations

Question 35

What does biochemical cycles mean?

Answer 35

moves matter through abiotic and biotic world

Question 36

What are the four types of matter cycles?

Answer 36

Hydrologic
Carbon/Oxygen
Nitrogen
Phosphorus

Question 37

What is the hydrologic cycle?

Answer 37

Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and precipitates back to earth in the form of rain and snow

Question 38

What are the special properties of water?

Answer 38

1. Water is the universal solvent
2. Exists in nature as a solid, liquid, and gas
3. The density of ice is less than liquid water
4. Water has a high heat capacity
5. Water has a high heat of vaporization
6. Water exists as a liquid at room temperature It is important to note here that even we are only focusing on water in this text book, hydrogen bonding also occurs in other substances that have polar molecules.

Question 39

What is the Carbon/Oxygen cycle?

Answer 39

the cycle whereby atmospheric oxygen is converted to carbon dioxide in animal respiration and regenerated by green plants in photosynthesis.

Question 40

What is the Nitrogen cycle?

Answer 40

a biogeochemical process through which nitrogen is converted into many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into the atmosphere.

Question 41

What is the Phosphorus Cycle?

Answer 41

represents the flow of phosphorus from inorganic to organic sources

Question 42

What actions do humans do that have an impact on the ecosystem?

Answer 42

greenhouse effect
global warming
acid deposition
ozone depletion
monoculture (species diversity)
pesticide usage (biomafnification)
use of fertalizers
deforestation