Studied by 5 peoplePredator
Organism that eats its prey
Biomes are categorized by the ____ (temperature and precipitation) and the ____ (plants and animals) living in them. Due to Earth's tilt, the sun's distribution of energy varies, and this difference is what allows scientists to classify certain regions as ____. For the major biomes, we classify them based on factors such as yearly ____ and temperature
climate, biomass, biomes, rainfall
Competition for limited resources
Occurs within and between species for the same resources
Resource Partitioning
Using resources in different ways, places, or times to reduce competition
Healthy and Stable Ecosystem
High species richness and diverse community
Symbiosis
Different species living in close association with mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism
Biome
Area classified by climate and adapted organisms
Taiga (Boreal Forest)
Characterized by low precipitation, low diversity, and coniferous trees
Temperate Rainforest
Warm summers, cool winters, large evergreen trees, and logging threats
Temperate Seasonal Forest
Wide temperature variations, deciduous trees, and soil fertility
Tropical Rainforest
High species richness, dense vegetation, and deforestation threats
Shrubland (Chaparral)
Hot, dry summers, cool, moist winters, and shrubs with fire adaptations
Temperate Grassland
Large seasonal temperature variations, low precipitation, and farming impacts
Savanna
Mixture of grasses and sparse trees, warm temperatures, and human industrialization impacts
Desert
Dry, treeless landscapes with extreme temperature variations and human pollution impacts
Tundra
Frozen, treeless desert with sparse vegetation, oil exploration impacts, and low biodiversity
Climate Graph
Visual representation of a biome's climate
Freshwater Biomes
Include streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes, vital for drinking water
Marine Biomes
Include oceans, coral reefs, marshland, and estuaries, with algae producing oxygen
Coastal Wetland
An area where the soil is saturated with water at least part if not all of the year, dominated by grasses and adapted to rising and falling tides.
Estuaries
Coastal marine biomes where freshwater streams meet the ocean, characterized by brackish water and high species richness.
Algae
Marine biome known as the "battery of the ocean," consisting of phytoplankton and zooplankton that form the basis of marine food webs.
Carbon Cycle
Movement of carbon atoms between sources and sinks, involving processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.
Nitrogen Cycle
Movement of nitrogen atoms between sources and sinks, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition, with the atmosphere being a major reservoir.
Phosphorus Cycle
Movement of phosphorus atoms between sources and sinks, primarily through rock weathering, plant uptake, and soil runoff into the ocean.
Hydrologic Cycle
Movement of water in its various phases between sources and sinks, driven by the sun and involving processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Primary Productivity
Rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis, measured in energy per unit area per unit time, with Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) being key components.
Trophic Levels
Levels in a food chain or food web where energy flows from producers to consumers, illustrating the transfer of energy and nutrients in ecosystems.
Biome
An area classified based on climate and adapted organisms, with terrestrial biomes like Taiga and Temperate Rainforest having distinct characteristics and human impacts.
Tropical Rainforests:
Dense forest biome with high rainfall, hot temperatures, and extraordinary biodiversity; found near the equator in tropical regions.
Savanna:
Grassland with scattered trees, seasonal rainfall, and diverse wildlife; found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
NOx
Released during gasoline combustion, contributes to harmful ozone formation
Phosphorus Cycle
Movement of phosphorus atoms between sources and sinks in ecosystems
Eutrophication
Excessive nutrients like phosphorus from fertilizers lead to algal blooms, reducing oxygen levels
Hydrologic Cycle
Continuous movement of water between Earth's surface and atmosphere
Primary Productivity
Rate of solar energy conversion into organic compounds through photosynthesis
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
Energy stored by photosynthesizers after subtracting energy lost to respiration
Trophic Levels
Energy flow from producers to higher trophic levels in ecosystems
10% Rule
Approximation that only about 10% of energy is transferred between trophic levels
Food Web
Interlocking pattern of food chains showing energy and nutrient flow in ecosystems
Biodiversity
Variety of living organisms within ecosystems or on Earth
Carbon Cycle
Movement of carbon atoms between living organisms, atmosphere, water bodies, and fossil fuels
Clean Water Access
Availability of safe and uncontaminated water for human use
Climate Change
Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns due to human activities
Law of conservation of Matter
matter cannot be created nor destroyed, nutrients can be rendered unavailable for cycling certain processes
Biogeochemical cycles
matter moves across the earth. Are essential to supporting life on earth
Reservoir
a place where a large quantity of nutrients sit for a long period of time
Exchange pool
site where nutrients sits for only a short period of time
Residency time
mount of time a nutrient spends in the reservoir or an exchange pool
Law of conservation of Matter
matter cannot be created nor destroyed, nutrients can be rendered unavailable for cycling certain processes
Biogeochemical cycles
matter moves across the earth. Are essential to supporting life on earth
Reservoir
a place where a large quantity of nutrients sit for a long period of time
Exchange pool
site where nutrients sits for only a short period of time
Residency time
mount of time a nutrient spends in the reservoir or an exchange pool
the carbon cycle
The movement of carbon across the earth
2 key events in the carbon cycle
Respiration - animals and plants breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis - plants take in carbon dioxide, water and energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates
2 stages of carbon cycle
Stage 1 - associated with living organisms When plants are eaten by animal consumers, the carbon in the plant carbohydrates passes to the organisms then continues through the food chain
Stage 2 - slow stage, associated with dead organisms (fossil fuels) When organisms, both plants and animals fie, their bodies decompose through the actions of bacteria and fungi in soil, then the CO2 gets released back into the atmosphere
Creation of fossil fuels
The bodies of the organisms are buried deep and subjected to conditions of extreme heat and pressure, this organic matter eventually becomes oil, coal and gas (fossil fuels)
2 ways fossil fuels gets release into the atmosphere
When fossils are burnt/combusted, carbon is released into the atmosphere Carbon can also be released through volcanic eruptions
Three main reservoirs of carbon
Oceans - CO2 is soluble in water
Earth's rocks - carbonate rocks contains carbon in the form of calcium carbonate
Fossil fuels
Human impacts
Humans are extracting fossil fuels way too fast, the rate in which carbon gets deposited back into the ground through sedimentation is much slower
Deforestation - fewer plants to absorb the carbon in the atmosphere, more carbon stuck in the atmosphere, causes global warming
Ammonia
NH₃
Ammonium
NH₄⁺
Nitrite
NO₂⁻
Nitrate
NO₃⁻
Free nitrogen
N₂
Nitrous oxide
N₂O
Nitrification
Ammonia is converted to nitrite, then nitrate.
Denitrification
Nitrate ions and nitrite ions are converted into nitrous oxide gas and nitrogen gas (N2).
Abiotic nitrogen fixation (natural)
Caused by lightning; free nitrogen becomes ammonia
Industrial nitrogen fixation (also abiotic)
Industrial process called the Haber-Bosch process; free nitrogen becomes ammonia
Biotic nitrogen fixation
Carried out by certain kinds of bacteria; free nitrogen becomes ammonia
Assimilation
Plant roots absorb ammonium ions and nitrate ions for use in making molecules such as DNA, amino acids, and proteins.
Ammonification
Organic nitrogen (the nitrogen in DNA, amino acids, proteins) is broken down to ammonia, then ammonium.
Nitrogen-based fertilizers (human impact)
Dramatically alter the rate of biotic nitrogen fixation. Excess nitrogen reaches bodies of water via runoff; algal blooms/eutrophication can result, leading to hypoxia or even dead zones.
Burning fossil fuels (human impact)
Produces NO and NO₂, which can combine with water to form HNO₃ (nitric acid) and cause acid rain.
Lightning or soil bacteria
Allow organisms to use atmospheric N₂ by fixing nitrogen to a more usable form.
Legume
a plant with root nodules that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria (beans, peas, peanuts)
Hypoxia
low oxygen; occurs in bodies of water after an algal bloom dies (which consumes O₂)
Leaching
Removal of dissolved materials (including nitrogen in ion forms) from soil by water moving downwards through soil.
Limiting nutrient
single essential nutrient that is limiting the productivity of the ecosystem, one nutrient can slow down everything; very often this is nitrogen in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
Macronutrient
a substance required in relatively large amounts by living organisms
Eutrophication
the process by which a body of water is enriched in nutrients; this stimulates the growth of plant life/algae; when plant life decays, it depletes dissolved oxygen in the water
Dead zone
hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world's oceans and large lakes, caused by nutrient pollution (like nitrogen runoff) from human activities leading to eutrophication
Largest recurring dead zone in US
Northern Gulf of Mexico
What is the role of phosphorus in living organisms?
Essential for DNA, RNA, and ATP
What is a limiting macronutrient?
A nutrient required in large amounts but in limited supply
What is the primary chemical form of phosphorus?
PO4
What releases organic phosphorus into the environment?
Weathering of rocks
What are some natural processes that contribute to the release of phosphorus?
Natural disasters, rain, wind
How is phosphorus transported between land and water?
Through aquatic functions like rain or excess runoff
What happens when living organisms absorb phosphorus?
It is used for the production of DNA and other biomolecules
What happens when organisms decompose?
Phosphorus is released back into the environment
What is sedimentation?
The process of storing excess phosphorus in rocks or soil at the bottom of bodies of water
What is geologic uplift?
The process of bringing phosphate rocks into the soil through weathering
Why is phosphate a limiting nutrient for aquatic ecosystems?
It tightly clings to soil and is in limited supply
What are some human activities that contribute to phosphorus runoff?
Use of laundry detergents and synthetic fertilizers
What is eutrophication?
The process of excessive nutrient buildup leading to imbalanced ecosystems
What are some consequences of eutrophication?
Formation of dead zones and disruption of plant and animal life
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