Ecology Unit 1

Quiz

Biosphere

the whole earth/ ecological system

Biome

large area w/ a similar climate

Ecosystem

All living and nonliving organisms in an area

Community

All living organisms in an area

Population

group of the same type of species

Individual

one organism

Earth’s ecosystems biggest to smalles

Biosphere

biome

ecosystem

community

population

individual

Symbiosis

any close/long-term interaction between organisms

3 types of symbiosis and what they are

Mutualism-benefits both

commensalism-benefits one and doesn’t effect the other

parasitism-benefits one and hurts the other

Predation

organisms that eat other organisms

Competition

happens because of limited resources so organisms have to fight for them to survive

4 types of competition and what are they

Resource partitioning-dif. species using same resources in dif. ways (dec competition)

Temporal(time) partitioning-using same resources at dif. times

spatial partitioning-using dif. areas of a shared habitat

morphological partitioning-using dif. resources based on dif. evolved body features

^ terrestrial biomes

Rain forest

tiaga

deciduous forest

grasslands

desert

tundra

*organisms are uniquely adapted to live there

what effects soil formation

temp

precipitation

productivity(plants)

4 things aquatic biomes are defined by and what are they

Salinity-how much salt is in a body of water; determinds what can survives & usability

flow-determinds the plants & organisms that can survive; how much O2 can disolve

depth- how much sunlight can penetrate for photosynthesis

temp- warmer→less O2 = fewer aq. organisms

Rivers

- high O2 from mixing water and air

Lakes

- fresh standing H2O

4 parts of rivers/lakes and what they mean

Littoral-shallow w/ emergent plants

limnetic-where light reaches (phytoplankton)

Profundal-too deep for light

benthic- mutky bottom (bugs & rich sedaments)

wetland:

area where soil is saturated w/ water for at least part of the yr

4 benefits of wetlands

1. stores water during storms

2. recharges ground water

3. roots filter polutants

4. high plant growth

Estudiares

Areas where rivers empty into the ocean

• high plant growth

3 saltwater biomes and what they are

Intertidal zones- band of coastline; between high and low tide

Coral reefs- warm; shallow

• mutualistic

• takes CO2 & provides for algae which provides energy

Open ocean- algae & phytoplankton; low productivity

Carbon cycle

movement of atoms & molecules containing the element carbon between sources and sinks

carbon cycle

Atm → photosynthesis: producers convert CO2 into sugars, consumers eat then die, decomposers, then sugars are converted back into CO2(respiration)

Decomposers→burial; some carbon can be buried

human extraction of fossil fuels brings carbon to the surface where it can be combusted

CO2 in water and in the ATM are constant being exchanged

Combustion converts FF and pant material into CO2

Photosynthesis & cellular respiration

photosynthesis- plants algae some bacteria (solar energy +6 H2O + 6 CO2 →C6H12O6 +6O2)- takes in sun, CO2 & H2O and releases O2 & glucose

respiration- all organisms (energy +6 H2O + 6 CO2 ←C6H12O6 +6O2)- takes in O2 & glucose and releases energy, CO2, & H2O

carbon sink

C reservoir that stores more C than it releases (oceans, plants, soil)

Carbon source

process of added C to atm.

• FF combustion

• Animal gas

• deforestation

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil, gas are formed from fossilized remains of organisms (ex. dead ferns=coal)

independent variable

what experimental factor will you change to produce and outcome?

Dependent variable

what will you measure? Will you collect quantitive data or qualitave data

controled variables

what conditions will remain constant

control group

what kind of control group will you establish as a standard for comparision

Freedback loop

the process where the output of the system cycles back to become the new input causing further change

Positive feedback loop

amplify change and pushes away from its original state

Negative feedback loop

counteracts change to stabilize a system

% change formula

(final-initial/initial)x100=____%

Nitrogen Cycle

N2 in ATM →lighting(nitrogen fixation)→N-fixing bacteria→NH3→Nitrifying bacteria→NO3→ denitrificating bacteria→denitrification→N2

waste, dead animal/plants→NH4→NO2

N2 in atm→plants/roots→NO2

N reservoirs

hold N for short period of time unlike C cycle

N-Fixation

process of N2 being converted to NH3(ammonia) or NO3(nitrate)

Biotic fixation

certain bacteria that lives in the soil or in symbiotic relationships w/ plants nodules convert N2 → NH3

Abiotic fixation

humans conbust FF to convert N2 gas into Nitrate (NO3)

Assimilation

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

ammonification

soil bacterial, microbes & decomposers converting waste and dead biomass back into NH3 and returning it into the soil

nitrification

NH4 into NO2 and then NO3 by soil bacteria

denitrification

conversion of soil N into nitrous oxide gas which goes back to the atm

Human impacts on the N cycle

Climate: green house gasses

ammonia volatilization: excess fertilizer

leaching & eutrophication:synthetic fertilizer leaching(carried out of soil by water)

Phosphorus Cycle

1. weathering of uplifted rocks contributes phosphates to the land. Some phosphates make their way back to the ocean

2. Phosphate fertilizer applied to fields can run off directly into streams, become part of a soil pool, or be obsorbed by plants

3. excretion by animals and decomposition of both plants and animals release phosphates on land or in water

4. dissolved phosphates precipitate out of solution and contribute to the ocean sediments. Conversion of sediments into phosphate rocks is a very slow process

5. Geologic forces can slowly lift up phosphate rocks from the ocean floor to form mountains

P sources

• weathering of rocks that contain P

• synthetic sources mining P, adding synthetic fertilizers/detergents/cleaner

P assimilation

P is obsorbed by plant roots, animals eat other animals/plants w/ P

P Excretion/Decompositioon

biomasses Brocken by bacteria & soil decomposers

P Sedimentation

Forms solid bits that fall to bottom of seddiments

P geological uplift

tectonic plate collisions making rock layers into mts.

Eutrophication

• fuels algae growth

  • too much N/P

Eutrophication cycle

1. too much N/P

2. Algae covers water surface- blocks sunlight

3. algae dies then bacteria uses O2 in water (aerobic processes)

4. Lower O2=kills aquatic animals

5. Bacteria uses more O2 to decompose dead animals

6. pos feedback loop-less O2, death, more decomp., less O2

What is the Hydrologic cycle

• movement of O2

• energy from sun drives the cycle

• ocean is the largest water reservoir

• ice caps & groundwater smaller type of reservoir

The water cycle

• H2O in atm→precipitation→infiltrated into ground water→aquifer→evaporation→condensation

• surface runoff→groundwater→plant intake→transpiration

Transpiration

process plants use to draw groundwater from roots to leaves

evaporation

H2O that enters ATM as a gas

Runoffs & Infiltration

Runoffs-20%

Infiltration-40%

Evaporation 40%

Primary Productivity

rate that solar energy is converted to organic compounds by photosynthesis over a period of time(rate of photosynthesis)

High PP

high plant growth=lots of food & shelter for animals

• ecosystems with high PP are usually more biodiverse

Calculating PP equation

NPP=GPP-RL

Net Primaty Productivity

amount of energy(biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration

Respiration loss

Plants use up some of the energy thats generated by photosynthesis by cell repiration

Gross Primary Productivity

Total amount of sunlight/energy that plants capture & convert to glucose by photosynthesis

What leads to high NPP

1. water availability

2. higher temp

3. nutrient availability