Bio Concepts 4-6 Test

What is sustainability?

a balance between Earth’s resources, human needs, and the needs of other species

What is ecological (carbon) footprint?

the amount of carbon emitted and its environmental impact

What are renewable resources?

resources that are produced or replenished more quickly than they are consumed

What are examples of renewable resources?

oxygen, wood, water, sunlight, wind

What are nonrenewable resources?

resources that are consumed/used more quickly than they are created

What are examples of nonrenewable resources?

fossil fuels, metal, plastic

What is the role of technology?

technology both contributes to air, water, and land pollution and provides clean energy, waste management, and pollution cleanup

What are the three types of technology?

1. agricultural technology

2. alternative energy technology

3. industrial technology

What is the goal of agricultural technology?

increase food productivity

What are the pros of agricultural technology?

• contour farming

• fertilizers

• irrigation systems

• farm machinery

What are the cons of agricultural technology?

• fertilizers (excess nitrogen, alters soil)

• farm machinery (run on fossil fuels and pollutes)

What is the goal of alternative energy technology?

provide “clean” energy to power society without negatively influencing the atmosphere

What are pros of alternative energy technology?

• decreases the burning of fossil fuels

• uses renewable resources such as sunlight, wind, water, and nuclear

What are cons of alternative energy technology?

• expensive

• nuclear energy creates radioactive waste

What is the goal of industrial technology?

increase manufacturing efficiency, transportation, and communication

What are the pros of industrial technology?

improved communication, faster transportation, and cheaper industries

What are cons of industrial technology?

• creation of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) from foam packaging material and refrigerant

  • CFCs deplete the ozone layer

• burning of fossil fuels (increases greenhouse gases and produces acid rain)

What is an effect of acid rain?

lowers soil pH, leaches soil nutrients, and changes aquatic pH

What is the greenhouse effect?

the normal warming effect when gases trap heat in the atmosphere

What are the greenhouse gases?

• CO₂

• O₂

• CH₄

• H₂O

What do greenhouse gases do?

• trap heat energy and maintain Earth’s temperature range

• prevent heat from escaping the atmosphere so it stays trapped

What do CFCs do?

deplete the ozone layer, allowing more of the sun’s UV rays to get in

What is a key contributor of global warming?

burning fossil fuels

How does burning fossil fuels contribute to global warming?

combustion releases extra CO₂ into the atmosphere which increases the amount of greenhouse gases which increases Earth’s overall temperature

What is biodiversity?

the total amount of variation of life on Earth

What reflects a healthy ecosystem?

high biodiversity

How do humans threaten biodiversity?

• habitat destruction and fragmentation

• pollution

• introduction of invasive species

What are invasive species?

non-native species introduced to an ecosystem that negatively harms it

example: water hyacinth

What is ecological succession?

the process of ecological change in an ecosystem where one community is replaced by another community over time

What are the two types of ecological succession?

• primary succession

• secondary succession

What is primary succession?

formation of a brand new ecosystem

What is secondary succession?

recovery of an old ecosystem

How does primary succession occur?

when a community forms in an area that has not been previously occupied

What are examples of areas where primary succession can occur?

exposed rock, lava, melted ice, eroded sand

Over what time period does primary succession occur?

over a long period of time

What is a pioneer species?

the first organisms to grow in a new environment

What are examples of pioneer species in primary succession?

lichens and mosses

What do pioneer species do in primary succession?

• these organisms grow in areas where others cannot

• over time these organisms decompose and release nutrients to form a layer of soil that larger, more complex plants can grow in

What is a climax community?

a mature and stable community of plants and animals

• this is reached towards the end of succession

How does secondary succession occur?

in an area that was previously occupied by living organisms, but the community was destroyed by a disturbance

What are examples of disturbances in secondary succession?

fire, farming, hurricane

How long does secondary succession take and why?

established community is destroyed but soil is still intact therefore it takes less time than primary succession

What are examples of the pioneer species for secondary succession?

weeds and grasses

What is the general process of secondary succession?

typically begins with weeds and grasses that are able to grow quickly and proceeds until a climax community is reached

What is a stable ecosystem?

one that remains relatively constant, with predictable changes

Why do organisms interact?

• within an environment, there are limited resources to be used

• many organisms share a habitat

• but each organism has a unique niche

This leads to interactions and relationships between organisms

What is a habitat?

the actual area in the ecosystem where an organism lives, including all of its abiotic and biotic resources

What is a niche?

all of the things an organism needs and does within its habitat

What is predation?

one animal kills and eats another for food

What is a predator?

organism hunting/killing another for food

What is prey?

organism killed/consumed as food

What is a predator/prey graph?

shows the cycling of the populations in response to each other over time

What is a keystone species?

a species that holds the ecosystem together; it is critical for the survival of the other species in the ecosystem

What are often keystone species?

predators

What is competition?

a relationship that exists between two or more organisms that are fighting for the same limited resource

What are the two forms of competition?

1. interspecific competition

2. intraspecific competition

What is interspecific competition?

where competition is occurring between different species

What is intraspecific competition?

where competition is occurring within the same species

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

no two organisms can occupy the same niche at the same time

• if the organisms are very different, one is probably a better fit than the other

• if the organisms are similar, it will take a fight to see who will win

  • the loser will have to find a different niche to occupy

What is symbiosis?

• any interaction that involves a close, physical, long term relationship between two species

• one species always benefits

• always interspecific (between 2 different species)

What is parasitism?

one organism (parasite) benefits from the relationship, while the other organism (the host) is harmed

Why is it critical that the parasite not kill the host in parasitic relationships?

• for a parasite-host relationship to persist, each population must not have a devastating effect on the other

• the parasite must allow the host to live long enough for the parasite to survive and spread

What is commensalism?

one organism is benefitted while the other is unaffected (neither benefitted nor harmed)

What is mutualism?

both organisms involved benefit

• helps both organisms survive