Biology 1400 Exam 2: Ecosystems and Bacteria/Disease

Flashc ards for bio exam 2

What order do the levels of organization go after the organism?

Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere

Population

An interacting (interbreeding) group of individuals of one species (ex. group of brown pelicans)

Community

All living things that live in one area (ex. all organisms on FL coast)

Ecosystem

Both abiotic and biotic things in an area/habitat (can be small or large)

Ecology

the study of relationships between organisms and their environment

What are examples of abiotic (nonliving) components of an ecosystem?

temperature, light, water, oxygen, minerals

What are examples of biotic (living) components of an ecosystem?

all organisms - plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms (bacteria), insects, etc.

How does energy flow in an ecosystem?

Solar energy from the sun is taken up by producers through photosynthesis and made into chemical energy to be used as food for consumers. Some energy escapes as heat.

How do nutrients cycle in an ecosystem?

Nutrients are made by producers, used by consumers, and things like carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen are taken back for the environment by decomposers after consumers die.

What are the main types of energy?

Glucose/food energy, ATP/cellular energy, and heat/solar energy.o

How does the transfer of energy and chemicals occur?

Feeding in trophic levels (food chain)

What is the first trophic level?

Producers (plants) - foundation of the trophic levels because they create their own food from solar energy.

What is the second trophic level?

Primary consumers (herbivores) eat plants (ex., grasshoppers)

What is the third trophic level?

Secondary consumers (carnivores) eat primary consumers (ex., rodents)

What is the fourth trophic level?

Tertiary consumers (top carnivores) eat secondary consumers (ex., hawks)

What are detritivores?

Decomposers and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) - take nutrients from dead things

How much energy is lost to each trophic level?

10%

Why do producers have the most organisms?

Producers get energy directly from the sun, and they get the most energy compared to the other levels, so there is more of them.

How does an energy pyramid flow?

The sun = 1 million kcal of energy - 10% = 10K kcal to producers - 10% = 1K kcal to primary consumers - 10% = 100 kcal to secondary consumers - 10% = 10 kcal to tertiary consumers.

How is energy allocated in primary consumers?

Primary consumers can only capture half of their energy. 17% goes to growth or reproduction if full-grown, 33% goes to cellular respiration - breaking down food energy for cell energy, and the last 50% is lost as waste or heat.

What nutrients are recycled?

• Carbon

• Nitrogen

• Phosphorous

What is nitrogen and phosphorous really important for?

DNA

What happened when the wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park?

The deer population went back down, and vegetation began to recover, leading to increased biodiversity and changes in the ecosystem.

Terrestrial Biome

large regional areas characterized by climate and organisms

Tropical Rainforest

a warm, moist biome with high biodiversity and dense vegetation, typically found near the equator.

What is the climate of a tropical rainforest?

Temperature/Precipitation: warm and wet with little variation year-round. Vertical stratification allows for many different habitats.

Vertical stratification

The layering of vegetation/trees supports diverse ecosystems and habitats.

What biome has the highest biodiversity on Earth?

Tropical rainforest

What type of vegetation is found in the tropical rainforest?

Large trees with a network of vines and epiphytes (plants on other plants)

What types of animals are found in the tropical rainforest?

Insects, pollinators, seed dispersers, apes, monkeys, reptiles, jaguars, amphibians (ex. capybara)

T/F: Tropical rainforests only occupy 6% of the Earth but hold over 50% of the world’s plant and animal species.

True

What type of soil do tropical rainforests have and why?

Nutrient-poor soil; leaching from rains and high decomposition rates.

What benefits do humans get from the tropical rainforest?

Fruits and other foods (corn, rice, bananas, and sugarcane), 25% of prescription drugs, and logging, mining, and agriculture

What negative effects do humans have on the tropical rainforest?

Deforestation and burning (30% higher in the last decade, over 50% of the original forest is gone), low benefit crop use, and mining damage.

Savanna

grassland with scattered trees; most is found below equator

What is the climate of a savanna?

Dry and warm, with both wet and dry seasons

What do natural lightning fires do for the savanna?

Maintain the grassland by speeding up decomposition and depositing nutrients.

What type of plants are found in the savanna?

grasses, wildflowers, and small trees

What types of animals are found in the savanna?

lions, gazelles, hyenas, warthogs, giraffes

What negative effects do humans have on the savanna?

Poaching, drought, livestock, crops, overgrazing, and more humans present

What benefits do we get from the savanna?

Baobab tree (antioxidant, inflammatory, microbial) grains, coffee

Desert

The driest biome on Earth, characterized by extreme temperatures and sparse vegetation. Most are found above the equator.

What are examples of hot deserts?

Sahara and Arabian

Cold deserts?

Gobi, Patagonia

Why are deserts getting bigger? What is this called?

Overgrazing, drought, low moisture - Desertification

How have organisms adapted to the desert environment?

Water conservation, drought resistance, burrowing behaviors, and nocturnal lifestyles.

What plants can be found in the desert?

Cactus - store water in base, light colored to reflect light

What animals can be found in the desert?

reptiles, scorpions, camels, the sand cat, and the spadefoot toad.

How does the sand cat live in the desert?

The sand cat is adapted to desert life with its ability to survive on minimal water, hunt at night, and burrow to escape extreme temperatures.

How does the spadefoot toad live in the desert?

The spadefoot toad has adapted to desert environments by entering a state of dormancy during dry periods (10 mo. out of the year), resurfacing during rain to breed, and using its burrowing ability to escape extreme temperatures.

What is the climate of temperate grasslands

Open areas with grasses and wildflowers, cold winters, distinct seasons, no trees except for along rivers and streams, and moderate rainfall. Natural lightning fires help grasses to grow - ex. North American prairie

What two biomes have natural lightning fires to help maintain them?

Savannas and temperate grasslands

What type of animals are found in temperate grasslands?

Bison and buffalo, prairie dogs

What are the benefits of temperate grasslands for humans?

Agriculture - rich soil, corn crops

What are the negative effects of humans on temperate grasslands?

Overgrazing and hunting

Temperate forests

Areas characterized by distinct seasons, deciduous trees, and diverse wildlife.

What are the human benefits of temperate forests?

Agriculture (forestry) - not much virgin timber left!

Development of metropolitan areas

What are the human effects on temperate forests?

Logging/hunting

What are the characteristics of the Taiga/Coniferous forests?

Few species of trees (evergreen, spruce, fir), long winters, temperate rainforests (WA State, Twilight!)

What are the human effects on the taiga?

Overharvesting - hunting, logging

What types of animals are in the taiga?

Large mammals (bear, moose), snowshoe hare

What are human benefits of the taiga?

Lumber, hunting, clean water, indigenous people

What type of soil does the taiga have and why?

Low nutrient soil - slow decomposition rates

What two biomes utilize vertical stratification?

Tropical rainforests and temperate deciduous forests

What are the two types of tundra?

Arctic tundra and alpine tundra.

Arctic tundra

treeless biome - extreme cold, wind, permafrost, low biodiversity, one of the last pristine areas.

Why is the biodiversity in the Arctic tundra the lowest?

Extreme temperatures make it difficult for plants, animals, and people to live there.

Alpine tundra

A treeless biome found at high elevations, characterized by cold temperatures, strong winds, and short growing seasons. (South America/Mexico)

What animals can be found in the Arctic tundra?

Large mammals (caribou, reindeer; also arctic foxes, snowy owl), nesting habitat for migratory birds, black flies and mosquitoes.

What are the benefits of the tundra?

unique biodiversity (rare hunting), climate regulation (cold temperatures), oil sources

What are the human effects on the tundra?

Oil extraction land damage, accumulating pollutants (pesticides), airborne plastics

Aquatic biomes

Marine/Ocean, Estuarine (mixed), Freshwater

Ocean covers _____ of Earth’s surface.

75%

What are the two aspects of shallow ocean waters?

Kelp forests, coral reefs

Kelp forests

temperate (not warm year round), kelp is a protist, vertical stratification allows for many habitats

Coral reefs

Close to the equator - more biodiversity, food for locals, pretty travel

Human effects on shallow waters?

Overharvesting in high vacation months, river/stream pollution, dynamite/cyanide poisoning used to harvest fish, toxic sunscreen use

Human effects on the deep ocean?

Plastic and other pollution (Giant Pacific Garbage Patch), overfishing/harvesting, hard to regulate fishing amounts, mercury pollution.

Mercury pollution

Mercury is toxic to eat (tuna), and a neurotoxin for babies

What’s the best way to help the ocean?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Reduction is best!

Estuaries

coastal wetlands; a mix between fresh and saltwater - where rivers meet seas (ex. Chesapeake Bay)

What are the characteristics of estuaries?

high light penetration, nutrients from rivers, nurseries for young oysters, crab, and fish, feeding and nesting for waterfowl, lots of photosynthesis with shallow water.

Human benefits of estuaries

Storm/flood buffer, filter pollutants, nurseries for young

What are human effects on estuaries?

Bringing in pollutants - too many nutrients cause dead zones

What causes dead zones?

Nitrogen fertilizer runoff gives too many nutrients, algae grow like crazy and there’s no oxygen left for fish and other aquatic life.

Characteristics of freshwater wetlands (bayous)

support high biodiversity, migratory birds (Mississippi River flyway), fish nurseries

Benefits of wetlands

storm/flood buffer, filter and neutralize pollutants

Human impacts on aquatic biomes

reduction of quantity and quality, pollution, irrigation (too much water out of ground)

Algal Blooms

May release toxins that affect human and animal health leads to a large-scale scale biodiversity decrease. (Lake Erie, bad drinking water)

Bacteria

unicellular, microscopic organisms - abundant. Some are beneficial, while others can cause disease.

T/F Bacteria causes ½ of all human diseases.

True

Streptococcus

causes pnemonia/strep throat

Bacterial meningitis

Infection of the central nervous system (the spine and brain) on the rise in college age people compared to 8-10 years ago

Staphylococcus

“hospital staph” - has become resistant to antibiotics by genetically mutating.

Clostridium difficle (“C. diff”)

treatment with fecal transplants from healthy donors to reset the colon microbiome - CDC watching it for resistance - deadly, BSA can’t kill it.

E. coli

Food borne - (beef, mayo, produce) - UTIs

Salmonella

Food-borne - poultry products, produce

Botulism (Clostridium botulinum)

“food poisoning” - naturally found in honey, can be deadly to babies under 1 yr bc of underdeveloped immune system - also botox!

How many species of organisms and what types live in our gut microbiome?

Over 1,000 species of bacteria (most common), viruses, fungi, and protists

Mutualistic

Both the host and the bacteria benefit