BISC 130 - Chapter 46: Ecosystems

What are ecosystems composed of?

All of the living things in a particular area and the abiotic parts of that environment.

What is the difference between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems?

Terrestrial ecosystems are on land, while aquatic ecosystems are in water.

How are terrestrial ecosystems further divided?

They are divided into biomes based on temperature and precipitation.

What is a food chain?

A sequence of organisms in an ecosystem where each is eaten by the next, describing the flow of energy.

What are Trophic Levels?

Positions in a food chain.

What type of organisms are primary producers?

Usually photosynthetic organisms, often referred to as autotrophs.

What are primary consumers also known as?

Herbivores.

What do secondary consumers eat?

Primary consumers.

Who are tertiary consumers?

Heterotrophs that eat secondary consumers, often at the top of the food chain (get the lowest transfer of energy from heterotrophs)

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

They consume dead organisms and their wastes.

How does energy enter most ecosystems?

Energy enters from the sun and is harnessed by photosynthesis.

What happens to energy as it moves up the food chain?

Less energy, fewer individuals, and less biomass is available at higher levels.

What is the carbon cycle?

The process where CO2 from air is fixed into organic compounds by photosynthesis and released back by cellular respiration (as oxygen?)

Why is water important in ecosystems?

Water is a solvent for living things and is essential for their survival.

What is the nitrogen cycle?

The cycle in which nitrogen is fixed into usable forms by bacteria, necessary for proteins and nucleotides.

What is unique about the phosphorus cycle?

Phosphorus can be aerosolized, but there is no common gas form, eliminating the need for fixation.

What is the sulfur cycle?

The cycle in which sulfur, needed for amino acids, is utilized by organisms and released back into the air through decomposition.

What limits the growth of life in an ecosystem?

The compound or element that is most limited.