unit 1 apes

1st law of thermodynamics

energy is never created or destroyed

amount of useable energy ____ as your move up the food chain

decreases

arrows in food webs indictate direction of energy flow

from prey to predator

trophic cascade

addition/removal of top predator having a ripple effect through levels

primary productivity

rate that solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time

high primary productivity equals ___

high plant growth and lots of food and shelter for animals

ecosystems with high primary productivity are usually _____ diverse than areas with low

more

respiration loss

plants some losing energy gained during photosynthesis due to cellular respiration

gross primary productivity

the total amount of sun energy that plants capture and convert to energy

net primary productivity

amount of energy biomass leftover for consumers after platns have used some for respiration

about how much of all incoming sunlight is captured and converted into GPP via photosynthesis

one percentage

about how much of the one percent of sunlight is turning into biomass/plant growth

40 percent or .4 percent of sunlight

what factors of deserts will lead to lower net primary productivity

low water amounts and nutrients

what factors of tundra will lead to lower net primary productivity

low temperature and liquid water

what factors of open ocean will lead to lower net primary productivity

low nutrients and sunlight

what are major reservoirs of phosphorus minerals

rocks and sediments

phosphorus is ____ when compared to other biogeochemical cycles

very slow

consquence of phosphorus being a limited resource

that growth in ecosystems is often limited by phosphorus availability in soil/water

does phosphorus have a gas phase

no

how is phosphorus naturally released

by weathering of phosphate-containing rocks that then release and dissolve into water

synthetic sources of phosphorus

mining phosphate minerals, phosphate will run off from detergent, cleaners, and fertilizer into nearby water sources

how do plants assimilate phosphorus into them

eating plants/other animals

how is phosphorus returned back into the soil

decomposing animal waste, plant matter, and other biomass

sedimentation

when phosphate forms into solid bits that sinks to bottom of water sources and becomes compressed into rock after long periods of time

geological uplift

tectonic plate collison are forcing up rock layers into mountains that can be weathered

how is eutrophication a positive feedback loop

bacteria that break down dead matieral use all o2 and theres none getting in leading to more deaths and more decompositioin

nitrogen reservoirs hold nitrogen for _____ amounts of time when compared to carbon reservoirs

less

examples of nitrogen resevoirs

plants, soil, atmosphere

what is the main nitrogen reservoir

the atmosphere

nitrogen fixation

process of nitrogen being converted into biologically available nh3 (ammonia) or no3- (nitrate)

bacterial fixation

certain bacteria that live in the soil or in root nodules can convert n2 into ammonia

rhizobacteria

live in root nodules of legumes and fix nitrogen for them in return for amino acids from the plant

synthetic fixation

humans combust fossil fuels to convert n2 gas into nitrate

assimilation

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

ammonification

soil bacteria, microbes and decomposers convert waste and dead biomasss back into ammonia and return into soil

nitrification

conversion of ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate by soil bacteria

denitrification

conversion of soil no3 into nitrous oxide gas, returning to the atmosphere

what is the rise of nitrous oxide caused by

denitification of nitrate in agricultural soils

ammonia volatilization

excess use of fertilizer use can lead to ammonia gas entering atmosphere

consquences of ammonia volatilization

acid rain, respiratory irritation, less nitrogen in the soil

leaching and eutrophication

usage of fertilizers leads to nitrate leaching or getting into local waters

what is the key carbon reservoir

atmosphere

carbon sinks

carbon reservoirs that absorb more carbon than it releases

examples of carbon sinks

ocean, plants, soil, forests

carbon source

processes that add carbon to the atmosphere

photosynthesis is a carbon ____

sink

cellular respiration is a carbon _____

source

direct exchange (oceans)

co2 moves directly between atmosphere and the ocean by dissolving into and out of ocean water at the surface

what does increasing atmospheric co2 lead to for oceans

increased ocean co2 leading to ocean acidification

what marine animals take co2 out of oceans

coral reef to make calcium carbonate shells

sedimentation

marine organisms die and are broken into sediments that contain carbon

burial

over long periods of time, pressure of water compresses carbon-containing sediments on ocean floor into sedimentary stone - long term carbon reservoir

extraction + combustion

digging up or mining fossil fuels and burning them as energy source; releases co2 into atmosphere

biome

large area with similar climate conditions that determine plant and specie

competition

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

predation

one organism using another for energy source

commenalism

relationship that benefits one organism and does not impact the toher

mutualism

relationship that benefits both organisms

resource partitioning

the division of resources among species to reduce competition

temporal partitioning

using resources at different times to avoid competition

spatial partitioning

using different areas of a shared habitat i.e differents part of tree

morphological partitioning

using different resources based on different evolved body features

biome

an area that shares a combination of avg yearly temp and precipitation

what does latitude determine for biomes

temperature and precipitation

biome shift

when biomes start shifting due to global warming

what does salinity determine

which species can survive and usability for drinking

what does water depth influence

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

what does water flow influence

which plants and organisms and how much oygen dissolves into water

warmer water holds ____ dissolved oxygen

less

holding less dissolved oxygen supports ____ aquatic organisms

fewer

why do rivers have higher oxygen levels

because of aeration from flowing water and contact with the atmosphere.

littoral waters

shallow water with emergent plants

limnetic waters

where light can reach (photosynth); no rooted plants, only photoplankton

profundal waters

too deep for sunlight (no photosyn.)

benthic waters

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

benefits of wetlands

1. stores excess water during storms, lessening floods

2. recharges groundwater absorbing rainfalll into soil

3. filter pollutants from water draining

4. high producitivity due to lots of water nutrients

estuaries

areas where rivers empty into the ocean

why do estuaires have high productivity

nutrients in sediments are deposited into it by river

what are the most diverse marine biome on earth

coral reefs

coral take ____ out of the ocean to create calcium carbonate

co2

algae provide _____to coral reef

sugars

intertidal zones

narrow band of coastline between high/low tide

photic zone

area where sunlight can reach in oceans

aphotic zone

areas too deep for sunlight to reach in oceans