Ecology and Food Webs

This set of flashcards covers key concepts regarding ecology, food webs, energy flow, and the carbon cycle, essential for understanding ecological interactions and their significance.

What is Ecology?

The study of interactions among organisms and their environment.

Define Population in ecology.

A group of individuals of a single species that are close enough geographically to interact.

Define Community in ecology.

Interacting populations of multiple species within the same geographic area.

What is an Ecosystem?

Interacting species in a geographic area and their physical environment.

What do Food Webs illustrate?

The flow of energy and nutrients through different trophic levels in an ecosystem.

What is a Trophic Level?

A level in a food web or food chain where organisms share the same function in the food chain.

What is a Primary Consumer?

An organism that feeds on producers, typically herbivores.

What are Decomposers?

Organisms that break down dead organic material and return nutrients to the ecosystem.

What concept does Community Ecology focus on?

Interactions among different species within an area.

What does Ecosystem Ecology emphasize?

Interactions between a community of organisms and their abiotic environment.

How does energy flow in food webs?

Energy flows from producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers, and so on.

What happens to energy at each trophic level?

Some energy is converted into biomass, while less is available for the next level.

What is the Rule of 10%?

Only about 10% of energy is available to the next trophic level; 90% is lost to heat, waste, and other factors.

What is a Keystone Species?

A species whose impact on the community is greater than its abundance or biomass would suggest.

What happens to kelp forests when sea otters decline?

Kelp populations decrease due to overpopulation of sea urchins.

What can cause disruptions to food webs?

Changes in population numbers of species, such as the decline of keystone species.

What role do humans play in ecosystems?

Humans can impact ecosystems by overfishing or altering habitats.

What is a Trophic Cascade?

A series of changes in the population sizes of organisms within an ecosystem that are caused by changes at the top trophic level.

What impact do wolves have on the Yellowstone ecosystem?

Their reintroduction led to increases in elk, trees, and various animal populations.

Why is the carbon cycle important?

It regulates the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, impacting climate and ecosystems.

What do plants do in the carbon cycle?

They take in CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into organic material.

What do animals do in the carbon cycle?

They return carbon to the atmosphere through respiration.

Describe the impact of burning fossil fuels on the carbon cycle.

It adds excess CO2 to the atmosphere, disrupting the natural balance.

What is a carbon sink?

A natural system that absorbs more carbon than it releases, helping to mitigate climate change.

What effect does deforestation have on CO2 levels?

It increases CO2 levels in the atmosphere by reducing the number of trees that can absorb it.

What is an example of a primary producer?

Plants, which convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis.

What is the role of bacteria in the carbon cycle?

They decompose organic matter and return carbon to the atmosphere as CO2.

How do oceans act as carbon sinks?

They absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in marine organisms and water.

What happens during the decomposition process?

Bacteria and fungi break down dead organisms, returning carbon to the cycle.

What are the two primary components of an ecosystem?

Biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (non-living environment) factors.

Why is energy flow considered unidirectional in ecosystems?

Energy enters from the sun and is lost as heat, while nutrients are recycled.

What is the significance of food webs in ecology?

They illustrate the complex interrelationships of energy transfer in ecosystems.

What kind of impact can the extinction of a species have on an ecosystem?

It can lead to the collapse of food webs and loss of biodiversity.

Why are sea urchins a problem for kelp forests?

They consume kelp, leading to habitat destruction when their populations are unchecked.

What might trigger a species to become a keystone species?

If it plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community.

What factors can influence a population's carrying capacity?

Availability of resources, habitat space, and environmental conditions.

How can human activities disrupt nutrient cycles?

By altering land use, pollution, and climate change, which affect nutrient availability.

What is an example of an abiotic factor?

Temperature, sunlight, soil, or water.

What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

Sunlight.

What happens to energy when it's converted to biomass?

It's stored in the bodies of organisms and is available to consumers.

How do higher trophic levels affect lower levels?

Through predation and competition for resources.

How do plants and animals interact in the carbon cycle?

Plants absorb CO2 while animals release it through respiration.

What is the pathway carbon takes from the atmosphere to a lion?

Atmosphere → Plants → Primary Consumer → Secondary Consumer (lion).

What role do nutrients play in ecosystems?

They are essential for the growth and functioning of organisms.

What is the effect of climate change on carbon cycling?

It can lead to increased atmospheric CO2 and disrupted ecosystems.

Why are decomposers crucial to ecosystems?

They recycle nutrients, making them available for primary producers.

What can happen if primary consumers are removed from a food web?

It can lead to overgrowth of producers and imbalance in the ecosystem.

What do arrows in a food web represent?

The direction of energy flow from one organism to another.

How does nutrient cycling differ from energy flow?

Nutrients are recycled, while energy flows in one direction and is lost.

What impact does overfishing have on marine ecosystems?

It removes key species, disrupting the balance of food webs.

What happens to energy at the tertiary consumer level?

Very little energy remains; they have the least total biomass.

What is the significance of the food chain?

It simplifies the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

What potential solutions exist to mitigate the effects of reduced sea otter populations?

Conservation efforts like habitat protection and reducing human impacts.