Unit A Ecosystems And Energy Flow Within Flashcards
Biology is..
The study of life
Ecology is
the study of the relationship between the living and non-living components of an environment
biotic means…
living components of an ecosystem
abiotic means…
non-living components of an ecosystem
an organism is…
an individual form of life
a species is
a group of organisms that are capable of interbreeding
a population is
a group of organisms of the SAME SPECIES, occupying the SAME AREA, at the SAME TIME
a community is
formed by different populations of species interacting with one another
an ecosystem is
all of the living (biotic) components of a community, as well as the non-living (abiotic) components they interact with
the biosphere is
the narrow zone around earth that harbours life
Earth is a ___ system
Closed system
the Gaia hypothesis (1979) states…
The Earth is “alive” and self-regulating. Earth’s environment must be in a state of balance or equilibrium with many organisms
Dynamic equilibrium refers to
idea that there are constant changes occurring on Earth, but components will adjust to changes to maintain balance and not disrupt the entire system.
Biodiversity is…
the number of species in an ecosystem
extinct means…
A species that is not longer present on earth.
endangered means…
A species that is close to extinction.
extirpated means
A species that no longer lives in an area that it once lived in, but exists in other areas.
threatened means..
A species that is likely to become endangered if factors that make it vulnerable are not changed
“Of special concern” means…
A species that is at risk because of low or declining numbers
an Indicator Species is…
species that are sensitive to small changes in environmental conditions. They can indicate that a change has occurred in an environment
energy from the sun enters the biosphere through…
living things
all living things need ___ to carry out life processes
Energy
organisms that can make and store their own food are called…
Autotrophs/Producers
organisms that get their food from other living things are called
Heterotrophs/Consumers/Decomposers
Autotrophs make ___ using ___
Organic molecules, using Simple Inorganic Molecules
Organic molecules are the…
molecules of life - carbohydrates, proteins, lipids
Inorganic molecules are
all other molecules (not organic)
Most Autotrophs make their food through the process of…
Photosynthesis
Consumers Gain their energy by…
Ingesting (eat) other living or recently living things and digest them internally
Decomposers…
Consuming dead organisms or detritus (dead material from living organisms [eg. feces, dead leaves]). Return nutrients to soil and release energy to space.
Herbivores (Primary Consumers) Eat…
Producers
Carnivores eat…
other animals
Secondary consumers eat…
Primary consumers
tertiary consumers eat…
secondary consumers
Omnivores Eat…
both plants and animals.
Detrivore decomposers eats…
dead organic matter and digests it internally
Saprotroph decomposers…
Live on or in dead organic matter by secreting digestive enzymes and absorbing the resulting products of digestion
Original source for almost every food chain is…
the sun
trophic levels count…
how many steps from the sun the organism is
Energy in the biosphere is a balance between
Photosynthesis, Chemosynthesis, and cellular respiration
DDT was
a type of pesticide used in the 1950s to control mosquitos
the chemical formula for photosynthesis is
(C O2) + (H2 0) = (C6 H12 O6) + (O2)
the chemical formula for chemosynthesis is
(C O2) + (H2 0) + (H2 S) + (O2) = (C H2 O) + (H2 SO4)
