APES Midterm (unit 1-4)

the carbon cycle

controls the CO2 in the atmosphere

burning fossil fuels

puts more CO2 into environment

ocean uptake

ocean absorbs the CO2

the ocean is a

sink

cellular respiration

plants use the CO2 to make sugar for them to use

what human activities increase carbon in the environment

the burning and mining of fossil fuels, cutting down trees

the nitrogen cycle

keeps the nitrogen level balanced in atmosphere

nitrogen fixation

lighting or bacteria converts nitrogen gas into ammonia

nitrification

ammonia nitrates to become a form that plants are able to use

assimilation

plants absorb the nitrate then animals eat the plants for nitrogen to enter the food chain

ammonification

waste/ dead organisms decompose and return the nitrogen back to the soil

denitrification

nitrogen gets converted BACK to gas

phosphorus has no…..

gas phase

weathering

rock releases phosphate into soil or water

assimilation

plants absorb the phosphate and animals eat the plants

decomposition

dead or waste organisms return phosphorus to soil and water

sedimentation

phosphate settle to sediments to form new rocks

what does phosphorus make in living beings bodies

dna, rna, and atp

extra fertilizer ends up in the atmosphere by….

humans using fertilizers which end up in water

food chain

simple, linear energy flow

food web

complex, non linear energy movement

the tropic levels (in order)

1. producers

2. primary consumers

3. secondary consumers

4. tertiary consumers

5. decomposers

what is the 10% rule

10% of energy gets transferred between each trophic levels

species richness

number of species on islands or isolated habitats

when does species richness increase

when the size of the island increases

larger island means…..

more habitats and resources

distance of island from mainland affects…

species richness

if an island is farther from mainland why does it have lower species richness

it is harder for species to migrate

islands can also be…

national parks or fragmented forests

ecological tolerance

range of environment conditions an organism can survive and reproduce in

factors that influence tolerance are

temperature, salinity, sunlight, water availability

too far out of a species tolerance range causes them to…

die or have to migrate

natural disruptions

are events that occur not as a result of humans which affect a species and ecosystem

regular (periodical) disruptions

seasons, tides, migration, el niño/ la niña

random events

hurricanes, flood, earthquake, volcano, asteroid

impact of disruptions on ecosystems

destroy habitats, cause succession, force species to adapt, shape biodiversity

disruptions can reduce population size but

increase biodiversity long-term through new niches formed

adaptations

traits that evolve in order to improve survival of a species

physical adaptations

body features (fur, camo, teeth)

actions of adaptations

migration or becoming nocturnal

internal adaptations

venom or drought resistance

why do species adapt

to survive natural selection in the species environment

ecological succession

natural process of ecosystem change overtime

primary succession

starts on rock after volcanic eruption

secondary succession

starts on soil after fire, hurricane or farming

does secondary succession or primary succession grow faster

secondary because soil is already present

climax community

final stable stage of ecosystem (ideal conditions)

K-selected species

large organisms, few offspring, high parental care, doesn’t exceed CC

example of K-selected species

humans, large mammals

R-selected species

small organisms, many offspring, little to no parental care, high population growth rate

example of R-selected species

insects

survivorship curves

type 1,2,3

type I

K-selected species, high survival in early life, drop later in life

type II

“middle” constant death rate for all ages

type III

high death rate early life, R-selected species

carrying capacity

maximum population size that an environment can sustain with available resources

logistic growth model

population grows fast but slows when it nears carrying capacity, S shaped

overshoot

population exceeds carrying capacity but then dies off or crashes

age structure diagrams

predicts future population growth trends

rapid growth

wide base, many young people

total fertility rate

average number of children a women can have in her fertile years

replacement level fertility

enough kids to replace parents in a society

developing countries have a

high total fertility rate

developed countries have a

low total fertility rate

plate tectonics

the upper mantle and crust are broken into tectonic plates that move across the asthenosphere

divergent plates

plates that rip apart to form mid-ocean ridges

an example of divergent plates..

mid-atlantic ridge

convergent plates

plates that more torward each other to create mountains and subduction zones

transform plates

plates that slide past each other to cause earthquakes

affects of plate movement

the movement of the rock cycle, earthquakes shape land forms

earths atmosphere

different layers of the atmosphere, each has a different function

the troposphere

has weather and gases

the stratosphere

ozone layer and absorbs UV

the mesosphere

coldest and where meteors burn

the thermosphere

thinnest air with a high temperature

exosphere

outermost, blends with space

atmosphere is made up of

78% nitrogen, 21% O2, other greenhouse gases

uses of atmosphere

protects us from radiation, regulates temperature, provides gases

global wind patterns are made by….

uneven solar heating and earths rotation

coriolis effect

wind and water rotate right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere

hadley cell

rises with warm air but reaches poles, cools, and sinks

tropical rainforest at equator are made by which type of cells

hadley cells

ferrell cell

moves opposite of the hadley or polar cell at mid-latitudes

polar cells

the cold air makes it sink then rise with hot air

the global wind patterns functions

influence ocean currents, control climate, move heat around

solar radiation

energy that earth receives from the sun

solar radiation intensity depends on…

the angle of the sunlight and the length of the day

direct sunlight means there is…

more energy so its warmer

slanted sunlight means there is…

less energy so its cooler

unequal heating

the equator always has the most direct sunlight

the zones in an aquatic biome

littoral zone, limnetic zone, profundal zone, benthic zone

littoral zone

shallow enough for sunlight to reach bottom, high biodiversity

limnetic zone

open water far from shore, still has sun

profundal zone

deep, no light reaches, decomposers reside

benthic zone

very bottom of lake/pond, decomposers or bottom dwellers

intertidal zone

area between high and low tide marks, ocean meets land

oceanic zone

deep ocean far beyond continental shelf

photic zone

upper layer of oceanic zone with sunlight

aphotic zone

layer of oceanic zone with no sunlight