Unit A - Solar radiation, food web, pyramids

What is the biosphere?

The closed system around the entire earth that contains life

What state is the biosphere in?

It is in a state of dynamic equilibrium, adjusts to change to maintain a steady state(homestate)

What are the 3 layers of the biosphere?

Lithosphere(land), hydrosphere(water), and atmosphere(air)

What is th ultimate source of all our energy?

The sun

What is solar radiation?

All electromagnetic radiation(EMR) that comes from the sun

What are the 3 kind of solar radiation?

Shortwaves, medium waves, long waves

What are shortwaves and give an example

High energy waves that can harm us, ex) x-rays, gamma ray, UV

What does the ozone layer help us with?

Protecting us from the harmful shortwaves

What are medium waves and give an example

Considered the “visible light” we see and what plants use for photosynthesis, ex) bright white light like sunshine

What are long waves and give an example

Low energy waves that are not generally harmful to humans, ex) infrared, microwaves, radio

What percentage of sunlight is used for photosythesis?

0.023%

Define albedo

The ability of a surface to reflect light

What is a food chain?

A simple, linear way to show a feeding pattern in an ecosystem

What do the arrows represent in a food chain?

The direction of energy flow

What is a food web?

A more realistic food chain as it shows how different food chains can inter-link

What is a trophic level?

How energy moves from plants to animals and so on, energy level

Why does the 1st trophic level have the most energy?

Because they use solar energy(ultimate energy source, the sun) to create their food, photosynthesis

What are the organisms on the 1st trophic level called?

Producers or autotrophs

What is chemoautotrophs and what is the process called?

The process is called chemosynthesis and it is when organisms use other forms of energy(thermal, chemical) to create their food

After the 1st trophic level, what organisms are the rest of the levels called?

Consumers or heterotrophs

What organisms make up the 2nd trophic level?

Primary consumers, usually herbivores(plant eater)

What organisms make up the 3rd trophic level?

Secondary consumers, usually omnivores(plant and meat eater)

What organisms make up the top(usually up to 4 or 5) trophic level?

Tertiary consumer(top level consumer), usually carnivores

What are decomposers?

Bacteria or fungi that extract the last remaining energy from dead organic matter

How do decomposers work?

They recycle molecules back to the abiotic environment

How much energy is estimated to get pass on to each trophic level?

about 10%

What is most of the energy organisms have going to and provide examples

Life processes,ex)metabolism(creating ATP), growth, movement

Where does the rest of the energy organisms have go?

It is lost as thermal energy(2 laws of thermodynamics)

What are the use of ecological pyramids?

They help ecologists to visualize the energy flow in food webs

What are pyramid of numbers?

A pyramid that shows the # of organisms at each trophic level.

What do you usually need for a pyramid of numbers?

A lot of small producers at the bottom of the pyramid to support the few large consumers on top

What problems do pyramid of numbers have?

Sometimes they don’t look like pyramids because organisms in the middle can have more organisms compared to the bottom

What are pyramid of biomass?

A pyramid that measures(g or kg) the total drymass/biomass(+stored energy) of organisms at each trophic level

How would you know which ecosystem has a greater total biomass?

Whatever ecosystem is exposed to more sun because more photosynthesis, which leads to more molecules and growth, resulting in more biomass

What problem is there for using pyramid of biomass?

Different tissues contain different amounts of energy, so the total biomass of an organism may not accurately represent the amount of energy available

What are pyramid of energy?

A pyramid that most accurately represents the energy flow in a food web

What is calorimetry?

The process of how pyramid of energy measures the amount of energy at each trophic level(usually in kJ)

How is the pyramid of energy more accurate compared to the other pyramids?

It takes into account the different energy amounts of different types of tissues