Unit 2- Energy and Matter Exchange in the Biosphere

ecology

study of how organisms interact with their environment

latitude

affects the intensity of sunlight

macroclimate

-Patterns on the global, regional and local level

-Biomes

Microclimate

specific, localized ecosystems within biomes

the albedo effect

the ability of a surface to reflect away solar radiation

Spheres of the Earth System

atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere

Atmosphere

Gaseous layer

Hydrosphere

All the water on earth

Biosphere

all ecosystems, the global ecosystem

Lithosphere/Geosphere

includes continental and oceanic crust, rocks

autotroph

Organisms that make their own food

Heterotroph

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

types of autotrophs

photosynthetic and chemosynthetic

photosynthesis

Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.

chemosynthesis

process in which chemical energy (inorganic compounds) is used to produce carbohydrates

Types of heterotrophs

herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

compound used by cells to store and release energy

- made of adenine and ribose

metabolism

All of the chemical reactions that occur within an organism

Adenine

A component of nucleic acids, energy-carrying molecules such as ATP

ribose

A five-carbon sugar

entropy

degree of energetic disorder in a system

increase in entropy

increase in disorder, spontaneous

decrease in entropy

non-spontaneous, more organised

exergonic reaction

A chemical reaction that releases energy, spontaneous

less stable reactants

endergonic reaction

A non-spontaneous chemical reaction in which free energy is absorbed from the surroundings

more stable reactants

Hydrolysis

splitting in the presence of water

electrostatic repulsion

Describes a force between particles with the same electrical charges that causes them to push apart from one another

coupling

mechanism to enable non-spontaneous life-sustaining processes to occur

Properties of populations

size, density, dispersion

population size

the number of individuals in a population

population density

The number of individuals in a geographical area/range

sampling techniques used to calculate

mark and recapture

Sampling technique, capturing and marking organisms, then recapturing them and counting how many are marked

population dispersion

distribution of organisms within their environment

clumped, uniform, random

clumped dispersion

The most common pattern of dispersion; individuals in patches/distinct groups

uniform dispersion

individuals are evenly distributed within an environment

random dispersion

Random spacing of individuals of the same species within an area

community ecology

The study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization

species richness

the number of different species in a community

relative abundance

number of individual species, population density

categories of community interactions

competition, herbivory, predation, symbiosis

intraspecific competition

Competition that occurs between members of a SAME species for limited resources

interspecific

competition between members of different species

competitive exclusion principle

no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

predation

An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.

herbivory

interaction in which one animal feeds on producers (such as plants)

symbiosis

close and long-term biological interaction between organisms of different species

mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

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

parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

trophic level

the position an organism occupies in a food chain, web, or ecological pyramid

hydrothermal vent

an opening in the sea floor out of which heated mineral-rich water flows

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms, not necessarily detritivores

Detritivores

feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter, not necessarily decomposers

biomass

total dry mass of all living material in an ecosystem

food chain

a linear pathway demonstrating the way food is transferred from one trophic level to another

apex predator

highest order consumer

ecological pyramid

diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web

types of ecological pyramids

energy pyramid, numbers pyramid, biomass pyramid

pyramid of number

amount of individual organisms at each trophic level, can be upright or inverted

pyramid of biomass

A pyramid that illustrates the dry mass of all the organisms in a trophic level, usually upright but rarely can be inverted

pyramid of energy

A pyramid that shows the total amount of energy available at each trophic level, can't be inverted

laws of thermodynamics

1) energy can not be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another

2) some energy is converted to a non-usable form after energy conversion

The 10% rule

Only 10% of the total energy produced at each level is available to the next level. Energy reduces as it is passed up

Dynamic equilibrium

a system in which changes are continuously occurring, a state of balance

biogeochemical cycles

continuous cycling of nutrients from abiotic sources to biotic sources

water cycle

The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back

carbon cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

nitrogen cycle

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere

phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back

bioaccumulation

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a SINGLE living organism.

Biomagnification

accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain

nitrogen fixation

Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia by bacteria or lightning

nitrogen cycle steps

- Nitrogen fixation

- Ammonification

- Nitrification

- Assimilation

- Denitrification

lightning fixation of nitrogen

Lightning converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia and nitrate which fall to the ground with rain, not frequent

nitrogen fixing bacteria

bacteria in soil that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia

nitrification

the process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil

Ammonification

decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia

assimilation

The uptake of ammonium and nitrates from the soil

Denitrification

Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas, under anaerobic conditions

anaerobic conditions

absence of oxygen

organic molecules

substances with carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds

macromolecules

life-sustaining molecules

life-sustaining organic compounds

Carbohydrates, proteins/amino acids, nucleic acids, ATP, Lipids

carbon sinks/reservoirs

where carbon is stored

the global carbon budget

The amount of Carbon exchanged in the biosphere anually (ideally, net exchange=0)

greenhouse effect

warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere due to accumulation of greenhouse gases

exchange pools

atmosphere, soil and water that are ready sources of inorganic nutrients

Geologic Upheaval/uplift

vertical displacement of the Earth's crust

weathering

The chemical and physical processes that break down rock at Earth's surface.

steps of phosphorus cycle

1. geologic upheaval- Phosphorous trapped in marine sediments moves onto land

2. weathering

3. Animals consume producers and take in phosphate

4. Organism decomposition results in release of phosphorous back into soil

algae blooms

a rapid increase in the population and biomass of algae in an aquatic system.

specific heat capacity

the energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius

surface tension

the force that acts on the surface of a liquid and that tends to minimize the area of the surface

capillary action

movement of molecules up a tube without energy

transpiration

loss of water from a plant through its leaves

universal solvent

Water- due to its polarity and ability to dissolve many different solutes

groundwater table

saturation zone of soil

percolate

To cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter

aquifer

a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater

the gaia hypothesis

by James Lovelock, the biosphere regulates the conditions necessary for the continuance of life, self-regulating organism