Thẻ ghi nhớ: Unit 1: Ecosystems | Quizlet

competition

the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

predation

An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.

Parasitism

One organism benefits and the other is harmed

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

symbiotic relationship

The relationship between two species that live in close association with each other

competitive exclusion principle

Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time

resource partitioning

the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community

temporal partitioning

using resources at different times

spatial partitioning

using different areas of a shared habitat

morphological partitioning

using different resources based on different evolved body features

pathogen

a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease

weather

local area's short term physical conditions

climate

a region's average weather conditions over a long period

Nutrient availability for the tropical rainforest

nutrient poor soil because the high temp & rainfall causing rapid decomposition of organic matter

nutrient leaching

Loss of nutrients from soil due to water movement.

Nutrient availability for the boreal forest

nutrient poor soil (low temp & low decomposition rate of dead organic matter)

Nutrient availability for the temperate forest

nutrient rich soil (lots of dead organic matter - leaves & warm temp/moisture for decomposition)

2nd law of thermodynamics

each time energy is transferred some is lost as heat

10% rule

in trophic pyramids, only about 10% of the energy from one level makes it to the next level; the other 90% is used by the organism & lost as heat

Lithosphere

soil, land, and earth's crust

fossil fuels

a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

what are the effects of human activities on the nitrogen cycle?

- adding gases when we burn gasoline and other fuels that contribute to acid rain

- adding nitrous oxide to the atmosphere through farming practices (commercial fertilizers) which can warm the atmosphere and also deplete the ozone

- contaminating groundwater from nitrate ions in inorganic fertilizers

- releasing nitrogen into the troposphere through deforestation

What factors decide aquatic zones?

sunlight and nutrient availability

economic and health services of coral reefs

- enzymes, algae, and pigments contribute to cancer, HIV, and other ailments

- supports fisheries and tourism

- 500 million people rely on coral reefs worldwide for food and income

- provide globally $375 billion/year in goods and services

streams

narrow channels of water, often beginning in mountainous areas, where water (from melting glaciers) moves rapidly across rocks and down waterfalls

Floodplain Zone

low-lying areas that experience wide, slow-moving rivers that will occasionally flood and deposit material from upstream; water continues to warm, oxygen levels decrease, nutrients continue to increase

evapotranspiration

the combined process of water evaporating from the land and plant surfaces and transpiring from plants, ultimately moving water from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere

how can the 2nd law of thermodynamics be applied to food webs?

the amount of useable energy decreases as you move up the food chain; because available energy decreases with each step up the food chain

why is the producers' trophic level for oceans as small?

phytoplankton are eaten as fast as they produce

are mushrooms heterotrophs or autotrophs?

heterotrophs

trophic cascade

removal or addition of a top predator has a ripple effect down through lower trophic levels

gross primary productivity (GPP)

RATE at which biomass (all plant material) is made by producers during photosynthesis in an ecosystem

Net primary productivity (NPP)

RATE at which biomass is made by producers minus RATE at which the producers use what they produce respiration

ecological efficiency

the portion of incoming solar energy that is captured by plants and converted into biomass

law of conservation of matter

matter cannot be created nor destroyed but can be transformed

biosphere

region occupied by living organisms

atmosphere

air and space

Hydrosphere

areas covered by water such as rivers, lakes, and oceans

extraction and combustion

digging up or mining FFs & burning them as energy source; releases CO2 into atmosphere

sedimentation and burial

slow geological process that stores carbon in underground sinks

exchange of carbon

transfer of carbon between different reserviors

Photosynthesis

plants take in CO2

Respiration

organisms release CO2

carbon sink

reservoir that accumulates more carbon than it releases (ex. ocean (algae & sediments), plants, soil)

carbon source

reservoir that releases more carbon than it takes in (fossil fuel (oil, coal, natural gas) combustion, animal (cow burps & farts = CH4), deforestation (releases CO2 from trees))

direct exchange

CO2 moves directly between atmosphere and the ocean by dissolving into and out of ocean water at the surface

sedimentation

calcium carbonate precipitates out as sediment and settles on ocean floor

nitrogen reserviors

plants, soil, atmosphere

nitrogen fixation

process of N2 gas being converted into biologically available NH3 (ammonia) or NO3- (nitrate)

bacterial fixation

certain bacteria that live in the soil or in symbiotic relationship with plant root nodules convert N2 into ammonia (NH3)

synthetic fixation

humans combust fossil fuels to convert N2 into nitrate (NO3-)

assimilation

plants and animals taking nitrogen in and incorporating it into their body

ammonification

soil bacteria, microbes, & decomposers converting waste & dead biomass back into NH3 and returning it to soil

nitrification

conversion of NH4 into nitrite (NO2-) & then nitrate (NO3) by soil bacteria

denitrification

conversion of soil nitrogen (NO3) into nitrous oxide (N2O) gas which returns to the atmosphere

What is phosphorus cycled through?

cycled through water, soil, and sediment but NEVER in the atmosphere

Does the phosphorus cycle move slowly or quickly?

VERY slowly

What is the major natural source of phosphorus?

weathering of rocks that contain phosphorus minerals

What are synthetic sources of phosphorus?

mining phosphate minerals and adding to products like synthetic fertilizers and detergents/cleaners

Assimilation of Phosphorus

Phosphorus is absorbed by plant roots and assimilates into tissues; animals assimilate phosphorus by eating plants and other animals

excretion/decomposition of phosphorus

animal waste, plant matter, and other biomass is broken down by bacteria/soil decomposers that return phosphate to the soil

Sedimentation

phosphate doesn't dissolve very well into water so a lot of it forms solid bits of phosphate that fall to the bottom as sediment; phosphorus sediments can be compressed into sedimentary rock over long periods of time by weight of overlying water

geological uplift

tectonic plate collision forcing up rock layers that form mountains; P cycle can start over again with weathering and release of phosphate from rock

Eutrophication

too much nitrogen and/or phosphorus causing algae to bloom which covers the surface of water blocking sunlight and killing plants below the surface; algae eventually die-off, bacteria that break down the dead algae use up all the O2 in the water and lower O2 levels in the water kills aquatic animals causing bacteria to use even more O2 (creates a positive feedback loop)

What causes eutrophication

too much nitrogen/phosphorus; can occur form fertilizer runoff or human/animal waste contamination

Precipitation

the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)

Condensation

Gas to liquid

Evaporation

Liquid to gas

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Runoff & Infiltration

Precipitation (rain) either flows over earth's surface into a body of water (runoff) or trickles through soil down into groundwater aquifers (infiltration)

aquifers

An underground water reservoir

how does infiltration and runoff help ground and surface water?

precipitation recharges groundwater through but only if groundwater is permeable; runoff recharges surface waters but can also carry pollutants into water sources

effects of human activities on the water cycle

- withdrawing large amounts of freshwater

- clearing vegetation and eroding soils

- polluting surface and underground water

- contributing to climate change -> water cycle tends to run faster in warmer climates

Sulfur cycle

mostly stored underground in rocks and minerals and in ocean sediments as sulfate salts; enters atmosphere through volcanic eruptions, sea spray, dust storms, forest fires; cycles back to land through rainfall

Effects of Human Activities on the Sulfur Cycle

- we add sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere by:

- burning coal and oil

- refining sulfur containing petroleum

- sulfur dioxide in atmosphere reacts to form acid rain

acid rain

rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids

ocean hemisphere

Land-ocean hemisphere

What abiotic factors influence aquatic ecosystems

- salinity (dissolved salt in water)

- water temperature

- amount of sunlight

- availability of dissolved oxygen

- nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates

- turbidity (cloudiness of the water)

- pressure

plankton

free-floating or weakly swimming organisms

Phytoplankton

Microscopic, free-floating, autotrophic organisms that function as producers in aquatic ecosystems

zooplankton

"animal-like" plankton that consume phytoplankton (ex. krill, jellyfish)

nekton

strong swimmers and consumers (ex. fish, whales, sea turtles)

benthos

Bottom-dwelling organisms (ex sea stars, lobsters, mussels, etc)

photic zone

Portion of the marine biome that contains sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis

aphotic zone

dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone that contains little to no sunlight

benthic zone (abyssal zone)

The bottom surface of an aquatic environment; no sunlight reaches here

coastal zone

warm temperature, nutrient-rich, extends from shallow water to continental shelf; life is plentiful due to an abundance of sunlight and nutrients

estuaries

partially enclosed bodies of water where seawater mixes with freshwater

coastal wetlands

areas of land that are fully saturated with water at least part of the year

types of coastal wetlands

- salt marshes

- seagrass beds

- mangrove forests

- swamps

- bogs (usually inland)

Salt Marshes

coastal wetland regularly flooded by tides and dominated by herbs, grasses, and shrubs (few/no trees)

mangrove swamps

Coastal wetlands with trees that have evolved to survive in the high-salt, low-oxygen water

benefits of wetlands

- highly productive ecosystems that support great deal of biodiversity

- can slow and hold influxes of water, helping to prevent flooding

- water that passes through wetlands tends to come out cleaner, with less sediment and pollution

intertidal zone

Portion of the shoreline that lies between the high and low tide lines

rocky shores

type of intertidal zone found on coasts with heavy wave activity

sandy shores

type of intertidal zone found on coasts with gentler wave action; color of sand indicates the source material that eroded to form it (black = volcanic; brown = granite; white = coral)

coral polyps

small animals that live in the warm coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics; have a mutualistic relationship with photosynthetic algae; as the polyps grow they produce a calcium-based external skeleton, when the polyps die the skeletons are left behind and are built upon by other polyps

Coral Reefs

The most diverse marine biome on Earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline