APES unit 1 (ecosystems)

individual

one organism (elk)

population (pop.)

group of individuals of the same species (elk herd)

community

all living organisms in an area

ecosystem

all living and nonliving things in an area (plants, animals, rocks, soil, water, etc.)

biome

the plants and animals found in a given region - determined by climate (tropical rain forest)

biosphere

the region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth

competition

organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter; limits pop. size since there are fewer resources available and few organisms can survive

predation

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

mutualism

relationship that benefits both organisms (coral reef)

commensalism

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

parasitism

an interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism

herbivores

plant eaters - eat plants for energy (giraffe and tree)

true predators

carnivores - kill and eat prey for energy (leopard and giraffe)

parasites

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

parasitoids

lay eggs inside a host organisms; eggs hatch and larvae eat host for energy (parasitic wasps, bot fly)

symbiosis

any close and long-term interaction between two organisms of different species

resource partitioning

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

temporal partitioning

using resources at different times (wolves and 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 body features

biome characteristics

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

tropical rainforest

nutrient-poor soil - high competition from so many different plant species

boreal forest

nutrient-poor soil - low temp. and low decomposition rate of dead organic matter

temperate forest

nutrient-rich soil - lots of dead organic matter; leaves & warm temperature/moisture for decomposition

shifting biomes

as earth's climate changes, biomes shift in location

salinity

how much salt there is in a body of water, determines which species can survive and 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 (aquatic biomes)

warmer water holds less dissolved O2 so it can support fewer aquatic organisms

delta and flood plains have ___________

fertile soil because rivers have high O2 due to flow mixing water and air and they also carry nutrient-rich sediments

lake

a standing body of fresh H2O (key drinking H2O source)

littoral

shallow water with emergent plants

limnetic

where light can reach (plants can photosynthesize) - no rooted plants, only plankton

profundal

too deep for sunlight (no photosynthesis)

benthic

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

wetland

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

benefits of wetland

• 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 saltwater and freshwater) - high productivity (plant growth) due to nutrients in sediments deposited in estuaries by rivers

salt marsh

estuary habitat along coast in temperate climates, breeding ground for many fish and shellfish species

mangrove swamps

estuary habitat along coast of tropical climates; mangrove trees with long, stilt roots stabilize shoreline and provide habitat for many species of fish and shellfish

what coral reefs are

warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline; most diverse marine biome on earth

mutualistic relationship between coral and algae in a coral reef

coral takes CO2 out of the ocean to create calcium carbonate exoskeleton (the reef) and provides CO2 to the algae; algae live in the reef and provide sugar (energy) to the coral through photosynthesis

why coral and algae rely on each other in a coral reef

Coral couldn't survive without energy from algae, algae need the home of the reef and CO2 from the coral

intertidal zones

narrow bands of coastline between high tide and low tide; organisms must be adapted to survive crashing waves and direct sunlight/hear during low tide (ex: barnacles, sea stars, crabs that can attach themselves to rocks); different organisms are adapted to live in different zones

open ocean

low productivity/area as only algae & phytoplankton can survive in most of ocean; so large though, that lagae and phytoplankton of ocean produce a lot of earth's O2 and absorb a lot of atmospheric CO2

photic zone

area where sunlight can reach (photosynthesis)

aphotic zone (abyssal)

area too deep for sunlight (no photosynthesis)

the carbon cycle is _________

the movement of molecules containing carbon (such as CO2, glucose, CH4) between sources and sinks.

what happens during the carbon cycle?

Some steps are quick (e.g., fossil fuel combustion) while others are slow (e.g., sedimentation and burial), leading to an imbalance in carbon storage among different reservoirs or sinks.

the atmosphere important in the carbon cycle because ________

The atmosphere is a key carbon reservoir. Increasing levels of carbon in the atmosphere contribute to global warming.

carbon sink

reservoir that take in more carbon than it releases (ocean, plants, soil)

carbon source

reservoir that releases more carbon than it takes in (ff combustion, animal agriculture, deforestation)

photosynthesis _________

removes CO2 from the atmosphere and converts it to glucose (biological form of C and stored chemical energy in for of sugar) and is a CO2 sink

cellular respiration

done by plants and animals to release stored energy, uses O2 to break glucose down and release energy, and is a CO2 source by adding it to the atmosphere

direct exchange

CO2 moves directly between the atmosphere and the ocean by dissolving into and out of ocean water at the surface, this happens very quickly and in equal directions, balancing levels of CO2 between the atmosphere and the ocean; because of direct exchange, increasing atmosphere CO2 also increases ocean CO2, leading to ocean acidification

burial

slow, geological process that stores C in underground sinks like sedimentary rock or fossil fuels, takes longer for burial than extraction and combustion

sediments

bits of rock, soil, organic matter

sedimentary rock

sediments compressed by pressure from overlying rock layers or water

fossil fuels (ff)

coal, oil and natural gas are formed from fossilized remains of organic matter, carbon sink

extraction and combustion

digging up or mining ffs & burning them as energy source; releases CO2 into atmosphere (carbon source), takes longer for burial than extraction and combustion

nitrogen cycle

movement of N containing molecules between sources and sinks/reservoirs

nitrogen reservoirs

they hold N for relatively short period of time compared to C cycle (plants, soil, atmosphere)

main N reservoir

atmosphere

nitrogen (N)

critical plant and animal nutrient

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 nudules convert N2 into ammonia (NH3)

synthetic fixation

ff combustion converts N2 gas into ammonia (NH3)

assimilation (N)

plants and animals taking in N and incorporation it into their body

ammonification

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

nitrification

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

denitrification

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

nitrogen effects on climate

N2O (nitrous oxide) is a greenhouse gas which warms the earth's climate

ammonia volatilization

excess fertilizer use can lead to NH3 gas entering atmosphere

leaching

nitrates (NO3) being carried out of the soil by water

synthetic fertilizer use leads to nitrates leaching leading to _________

eutrophication

phosphorus cycle

movement of P atoms and molecules between sources and sinks/reservoirs; very slow compared to C/H2O/N cycles

major phosphorus sink

rocks and sediments containing P minerals

major natural source of P

weathering of rocks that contain P minerals

weathering

wind and rain breaking down rocks over time

synthetic sources of P

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

assimilation and excretion/decomposition (P)

P is absorbed by plant roots and assimilate into tissues; animals assimilate P by eating plants or other animals

sedimentation (P)

phosphate doesn't dissolve very well into water; much of it forms solid bits of phosphate that fall to the bottom as sediment

geological uplift

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

what is eutrophication?

an excess of N and P in the water

how does eutrophication lead to algae growth?

the excess N and P cause algae to grow rapidly, covering the water surface

what are the consequences of algae growth in eutrophication?

algae block sunlight, leading to the death of plants below the water surface

how does eutrophication affect O2 levels in water?

bacteria decomposing dead algae take up O2, leading to lower O2 levels that can kill aquatic animals

what positive feedback loop is created in eutrophication?

bacteria decomposing dead aquatic animals further take up O2 levels, creating a cycle of O2 depletion

eutrophication can occur from ______

fertilizer runoff, human/animal waste contamination

water cycle

movement of H2O (in different states) between sources and sinks; energy from the sun drives the H2O cycle

biggest H2O sink

ocean

transpiration

process plants use to draw groundwater from roots up to their leaves

evapotranspiration

amount of H2O that enters the atmosphere from transpiration and evaporation combined - both processes are driven by energy from the sun

infiltration

water trickling through soil down into groundwater aquifers

permeable

able to let water pass through

primary productivity (pp)

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

high pp

high plant growth —> lots of food and shelter for animals; ecosystems with high PP are more biodiverse

net primary productivity (npp)

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

respiration loss (rl)

plants use up some of the energy they generate via photosynthesis by doing cellular respiration

gross primary productivity (gpp)

the total amount of sun energy that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis