Ecosystem Review - APES Unit 1

Community

all living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

all living & nonliving things in an area (plants animals, rocks, soil, water, air)

individual

one organism (elk)

population

group of individuals of same species (elk herd)

biome

large area with similar climate conditions that determine plant & animal species there

mutualism

relationship that benefits both organisms (coral reef)

commensalism

relationship that benefits one organism & doesn't impact the other (birds nest in trees)

competition

organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter; limits pop. size

predation

one organism using another for energy source (hunters, parasites, even herbivores)

herbivores

(plant eaters) eat plants for energy (ex. giraffe & tree)

True predators (carnivores)

kill and eat prey for energy (ex. leopard & giraffe)

Parasites

use a host organism for energy, often without killing the host & often living inside the host (ex. mosquitoes, tapeworms, sea lamprey)

Parasitoids

lay eggs inside a host organism; eggs hatch & larvae eat host for energy (ex. parasitic wasps, bot flies)

Coral (aniamls) provide ____ _____ & CO2; algae provide _____ for coral to use as energy

reef structure/sugars

Lichen

fungi living with algae; algae provide sugars (energy) & fungi provides nutrients

Competition

reduces pop. size since there are fewer resources available & fewer organisms can survive

Resource partitioning

different species using the same resource in different ways to reduce competition

Temporal partitioning

using resource at different times, such as wolves & coyotes hunting at different times (night vs. day)

Spatial partitioning

using different areas of a shared habitat (different length roots)

Morphological partitioning

using different resources based on different evolved features

Biome

an area that shares a combination of avg, yearly temp. & precipitation (climate)

The community of org. (plants & animals) in a biome are ______ _______ to live in that biome

uniquely adapted

camels & cacti have water preserving traits for _____; shrubs & wildflowers store lots of energy in roots to recover quickly from fire in _____

desert/grasslands

Biomes are defined by annual _______ & ___________ averages

temperature/percepitation

Biome charts can…

predict where on earth biomes are found

Latitude

(distance from equator) determines temperature & precipitation which is why biomes exist in predictable pattern on earth

Plants neeed soil ______ to grow, so availabilirt determines which plants can _____ in a biome

nutrients/survive

Frozen soils of ____ don't allow nutrients to grow in dead ______ matter broken by _______

tundra/organic/decomposers

tundra characterisitcs

• low soil nutrients

• low water availability

• few plants can survive here

Biomes shift in locations on earth as…

climate changes

warming climate will shift boreal forests further ___ as tundra _____ soil melts & lower latitudes become too ____ for as[en & spurce

down/north/warm

Salinity

How much salt there is in a body of water, determines which species can survive & usability for drinking

(Fresh water vs. estuary vs. ocean)

Depth

Influences how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants below the surface for photosynthesis

Flow

Determines which plants & organisms can survive, how much O₂ can dissolve into water

Temperature

Warmer water holds less dissolved O₂ so it can support fewer aq. organisms 

Rivers have high _____ due to flow mixing water & air, also carry _____ (deltas & flood plains = fertile soil)

O₂ /nutrient-rich sediments

Lakes

standing bodies of fresh H₂O (key drinking H₂O source

Lithoral

shallow water w/ emergent plants

Limnetic

where light can reach (photosynthesis)

• No rooted plants

Profundal

too deep for sunlight (no photosynthesis)

Benthic

murky bottom where inverts (bugs) live, nutrient-rich sediments

Oligotrophic lakes

low productivity

Eutrophic lakes

high productivity

Wetland

area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants

Plants living here have to be _____ to living with roots submerged in standing water (cattails, lily pads, reeds)

adapted

Benefits of wetlands

• Stores excess water during storms, lessening floods

• Recharges groundwater by absorbing rainfall into soil

• Roots of wetland plants filter pollutants from water draining through 

• Highly plant growth due to lots of water & nutrients (dead organic matter) in sediments

Estuaries

areas where rivers empty into the ocean

•  Mix of fresh & salt water (species adapt to this ex: mangrove trees)

• High productivity (plant growth) due to nutrients in sediments deposited in estuaries by river

Salt Marsh

• Estuary habitat along coast in temperate climates

• Breeding ground for many fish & shellfish species

Mangrove swamps

• Estuary habitat along the coast of tropical climates

• Mangrove trees with long, stilt roots stabilize shoreline & provide habitat for many species of fish & shellfish

Coral reef

Warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline; most diverse marine (ocean) biome on earth

coral reef mutualistic relationship

• Coral take CO₂ out of ocean to create calcium carbonate exoskeleton (the reef) & also provide CO₂ to the algae 

• Algae live in the reef & provide sugar (energy) to the coral through photosynthesisAlgae live in the reef & provide sugar (energy) to the coral through photosynthesis

• Coral needs energy from algae and algae needs the shelter and CO2 from the coral reef

Intertidal Zones

• Narrow band of coastline between high & low tide

•  Organisms must be adapted to survive crashing waves & direct sunlight/heat during low tide

Shells & tough outer skin can prevent drying out ______ during low tides

desiccation

Intertidal Zone Organisms

barnacles, sea stars, crabs that can attach themselves to rocks

Different organisms are adapted to live in…

different time zones

Open ocean

• Low productivity/area as only algae & phytoplankton can survive in most of ocean 

•  So large though, that algae & phytoplankton of ocean produce a lot of earth’s O₂ & absorb a lot of atmospheric CO₂

Photic zone

area where sunlight can reach (photosynthesis)

Aphotic zone (abyssal)

area too deep for sunlight

Carbon cycle

Movement of molecules that contain Carbon (CO₂, glucose, CH₄) between sources and sinks

Some steps of the carbon cycle are very quick _____; some are very slow (sedimentation & burial)

FF combustion/sedimentation & burial

Leads to _____ in which reservoirs or sinks are storing carbon

imbalance/storing carbon

Atmosphere

is key C reservoir; increasing levels of C in atm. Leads to global warming/ocean acidification

Carbon sink

 reservoir that take in more carbon than it releases

• Ocean (algae & sediments), plants, soil

Carbon Source

reservoir that releases more carbon than it takes in

• Fossil fuel (oil, coal, nat gas) combustion

• Animal ag. (cow burps & farts = CH₄)

• Deforestation, releases CO₂ from trees

Photosynthesis

Removes CO₂ from the atmosphere & converts it to glucose

• CO₂ sinks

Glucose

biological form of C & stored (chemical) energy in form of sugar

Organisms that preform photosynthesis

Plants, algae, phytoplankton

Cellular respiration

Done by plants & animals to release stored energy and uses O₂ to break glucose down & release energy

• CO2 source (adds CO2 to the ATM)

Photosynthesis & cellular respiration are _____

very quick processes

Cycle C between biosphere & atmosphere in _____ amount ___________

balanced/amount no net C increase in atm.

Direct exchange

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

• Happens very quickly & in equal directions, balancing levels of CO₂ between atm. & ocean

• B/c of direct exchange, increasing atm. CO₂ also increases ocean CO₂, leading to ocean acidification

Algae & phytoplankton

take CO₂ out of the ocean & atm. through photosynthesis

Coral reef & marine org. w/ shells…

also take CO₂ out of the ocean to make calcium carbonate exoskeleton

Sedimentation

calcium carbonate precipitates out as sediment & settles on ocean floor

Burial

slow, geological process that stores C in underground sinks like sedimentary rock or fossil fuels

• sediments are compressed into sed. rock, or fossil fuels by pressure from overlying rock layers or water

Fossil Fuels

coal, oil, and Nat. gas are formed from fossilized remains of org. Matter. Ex: dead ferns (coal) or marine algae & plankton (oil)

Extraction

digging up or mining FFs

Combustion

the chemical reaction of burning these fuels to release energy and CO2 into the ATM

Burial takes _______ than extraction & combustion which means they _______ concentration of CO2 in atmosphere

longer/increase

Nitrogen Cycle

Movement of N containing molecules between sources & sinks/reservoirs

• Sources release N into atmosphere; sinks take N out of the atmosphere in increasing amounts

Nitrogen reservoirs

hold N for relatively short period of time compared to C cycle

• plants, soil, ATM

Main Nitrogen Reservoir

Atmosphere

N in the atm. most exists as N2 ___, not ______ by plants or animals

gas/useable

N

critical plant & animal nutrient

All living things need N for ___ & amino acids to make _____

DNA/proteins

Nitrogen fixation

Process of N₂ gas being converted into biologically available (useable by plants) 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

FF combustion converts N₂ gas into ammonia (NH₃)

Rhizobacteria live in root nodules of _____ (peas, beans) & fix N for them in return for ______ _____ from the plant

legumes/amino acids

Nitrates are added to synthetic ______ like miracle grow & used in ____

fertilizer/soil

Assimilation

plants & animals taking N in and incorporating it into their body

Plant roots take in NO₃^- or NH₃ from _____; animals assimilate N by _____ plants or other animals 

soil/eating

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 N (NO₃) into nitrous oxide (N₂O) gas which returns to atmosphere

Climate

N₂O (nitrous oxide) = greenhouse gas which warm earth’s climate

Climate is produced by _______ of nitrate in _______ soils (especially when ________/over watered)

denitrification/agricultural/waterlogged

Ammonia volatilization

excess fertilizer use can lead to NH₃ gas entering atm

• NH₃ gas in atm causes respiratory irritation in humans & animals

Leaching & Eutrophication

synthetic fertilizer use leads to nitrates (NO₃) leaching, or being carried out of soil by water 

• Nitrates runoff into local waters, causing algae blooms that block sun & kill other aq. plants

Phosphorus cycle

movement of P atoms & molescules between sources & sinks/reservoirs